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“Man’s chief work is the praise of God.”--
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine’s quote brings to mind the verses of
Psalm 137 (1-4) that provided the basis for one of
my favorite songs from “Godspell:”
By the rivers of Babylon-- there we sat down and
there we wept when we remembered Zion. On the
willows there we hung up our harps. For there our
captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors
asked for mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs
of Zion!" How could we sing the LORD's song in a
foreign land?
How shall we sing the Lord’s song in what amounts
to a foreign land, or foreign existence, for
Christians? How shall we carry out mankind’s chief
work- the praise of God- when we are surrounded by
so much pain and evil? The economy is teetering.
We live in fear of more terrorist attacks. Unrest
festers around the world. Dishonesty impacting
upon millions of people dominates the news. Crime.
Declining morals. Evil afoot. Our God is an “in
spite of” God- the one true God who is with us
always in spite of what is happening- even in the
midst of difficulty. So it appropriate to give
praise in the midst of even the most difficult
times.
The Psalmist was looking towards the past and what
was lost. Christians look forward to what is
promised through our Lord Jesus Christ. And we
sing songs of praise to our Lord who beckons us on
through the way in which we live our lives. Yes,
there is evil in the world. There has been since
Adam and Eve gave into temptation in the Garden of
Eden. The Bible recounts stories of evil at every
turn. It is nothing new. What the New Covenant
through Christ brings us is the certainty that
those who serve Christ will not be defeated by
that evil.
Our Baptismal Covenant, the holy vow
which each of us reaffirms publicly several times
a year, provides clear guidance for how we are to
live our lives in such a way that that our very
lives will be praise to God. One of the inquiries
in the Baptismal Covenant is “Will
you proclaim by word and example the Good News of
God in Christ?” To which we respond, “I will with
God’s help.”
It is so easy, so seductive, to
compartmentalize the practice of our life in
Christ to Sundays and particular times during the
day. Plus, Episcopalians are not very big on
evangelism. As a result we may think of
“proclaiming by word and example” to mean
something like attending church and being nice
people. What it means is praising God every moment
of our lives through every action we take and
every thought we conceive, and publicly
acknowledging God’s presence. Not an easy task.
But we recognize that when we respond, “I will
with God’s help.”
As we near the first anniversary of
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, it is especially
appropriate to reflect on the window on holy
living that opened for the several weeks
following. There was talk of a kinder, gentler
America rising as a result of those horrible
events. While there still may be pockets of that
new America remaining, the change was short-lived.
Such a clear demonstration of what a challenge it
is to sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land. In
spite of our best intentions, the demands of life
distract us from our primary work of praising
God.
How will you sing the Lord’s songs in
this foreign land? How will you carry out your
chief work of praising God through your every
action? Remember, you are not alone in the
effort. You will succeed with God’s help! |
