Chapel - Nancy Ross

Podcast Transcript

Today I'm going to share with you a few of my thoughts about Psalm 136. This psalm has been referred to as the "Great Praise", and it has served as an inspiration for a variety of songs and liturgies over the years.

I'm going to begin by reading it through for you, and while you listen, I encourage you to notice how the focus shifts. It begins with praise for who God is, He is good, the God of gods Lord of lords. It then shifts to praise for the kinds of things He can do, great wonders. He made the heavens, spread out the earth upon the waters, created the great light of the sun, moon and stars. And then the focus shifts more specifically to what God did for the people of Israel, brought Israel out from among the people of Egypt, divided the Red Sea, led his people through the wilderness, struck down great kings, gave land to Israel, and remembered their low estate and freed them from their enemies.

Okay, so here's the Psalm, and if you're curious, I'm reading from the NIV. Psalm 136.

1. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.
   His love endures forever.
2. Give thanks to the God of gods.
   His love endures forever.
3. Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
   His love endures forever.
4. to him who alone does great wonders,
   His love endures forever.
5. who by his understanding made the heavens,
   His love endures forever.
6. who spread out the earth upon the waters,
   His love endures forever.
7. who made the great lights—
   His love endures forever.
8. the sun to govern the day,
   His love endures forever.
9. the moon and stars to govern the night;
   His love endures forever.
10. to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
    His love endures forever.
11. and brought Israel out from among them
    His love endures forever.
12. with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
    His love endures forever.
13. to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
    His love endures forever.
14. and brought Israel through the midst of it,
    His love endures forever.
15. but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
    His love endures forever.
16. to him who led his people through the wilderness;
    His love endures forever.
17. to him who struck down great kings,
    His love endures forever
18. and killed mighty kings—
    His love endures forever.
19. Sihon king of the Amorites
    His love endures forever.
20. and Og king of Bashan—
    His love endures forever.
21. and gave their land as an inheritance,
    His love endures forever.
22. an inheritance to his servant Israel.
    His love endures forever.
23. He remembered us in our low estate
    His love endures forever.
24. and freed us from our enemies.
    His love endures forever.
25. He gives food to every creature.
    His love endures forever.
26. Give thanks to the God of heaven.
    His love endures forever.

One of the reasons I selected this Psalm is because of its obvious emphasis on God's enduring love. Depending on the version of the Bible you're reading, sometimes the original word used here is translated as love, or mercy or loving kindness. The word, and I'm probably mispronouncing it here, but the word is "chesed". Truthfully, there isn't a perfect English word to capture all that's intended in this word, which is why we have varied translations. Somehow it seems fitting that we might struggle to find words that are sufficiently powerful and infinite to capture this aspect of God.

So, today I want to tell you about a person who was very significant in the forming of my faith, whose life was a testimony to that enduring love of God described in Psalm 136. Dave Beauvais started coming to our church in Brantford not very long after my mother and I started attending there. I can still picture the back of his denim jacket while he knelt at the altar to accept Jesus as his saviour, in an era when most people in the congregation complied with the unspoken expectation to dress up for Sunday mornings. Although jeans and a denim jacket did not meet the unspoken dress code, somehow, it seemed to my adolescent mind that the whole church knew what was happening at the altar was far more important than what people were wearing at the time.

That morning was a major turning point in Dave's personal story, as his whole approach to life was transformed by the dawning understanding of God's love for him. He would tell anyone who cared to hear that his previous dependency on alcohol and other bad habits was gone, and it was replaced by a fascination with the Bible and all its mysteries. He would come to church on Sunday talking about whatever scripture he'd read recently, eager to point out the profound truth he'd found there. Dave had sons about my age, so it wasn't long until he was volunteering to lead the youth group, and that gave me even more opportunity to observe the divine transformation taking place, as his heart and mind became consumed by his relationship with Jesus. I can still remember us all sitting around a table on a Wednesday evening at youth, listening to Dave share a passage from first John 4 with us, specifically emphasizing first John 4:16. This is the verse that says very clearly, God is love. Dave's luminous blue eyes, shone with delight as if he had just found the greatest treasure on earth. And I suppose that he had. To this day, that verse is foundational to all I understand and believe about God, thanks to Dave's influence. He was always quick to give God credit in his life. One time Dave drove our small youth group from Branford to Cambridge for some kind of joint youth event, I don't remember what it was now, but we were nearly in a car accident because the car in front of us slammed on their brakes at the very last minute. Dave drove on past that moment in that intersection, praising God and sharing with us that he had just had his brakes repaired that week. And he just knew that God had urged him to get those brakes fixed, despite the expense, so that we would all be able to stop safely on our trip. Over the years after I graduated and moved away from Brantford, Dave was one of my favorite reasons to return to that church when I came back to the area. He always had a story of God's work in his life, or the lives of the people he loved, which were many. Dave shared his faith with others in a way that simply bubbled up inside him and spilled into whatever conversation he was having. Not as someone trained in evangelism, but rather as a friend sharing his own experience with another friend. He lived a life that was more and more consumed by God's great love. He led children's moments dressed in a crazy outfit as he called himself Professor Cazoodle, and the children thoroughly enjoyed his humble, wacky wisdom as he taught them. When I came back to visit, he would tell me how he always knew I would be somebody. He had this way of making everyone feel valued and treasured. He exuded a peace that I truly believe came from his deep understanding of God's love, which endures forever.

Dave's life was not without difficulty. He had a major accident at work in which he suffered horrible chemical burns over a large part of his body. When he was able to come to church again, he told stories of his recovery. He very honestly described how extraordinarily painful it was. But he had lessons to teach even in his suffering. He said at first, he tried very stoically, to resist the painful sensations that came each time they had to change his bandages. But he found it was less painful if he cried out to God when he was in pain, not worrying about what the nurses might think. His keen understanding of his position in relation to God, a beloved child in the hands of a loving father, was a powerful, oh so powerful illustration of God's enduring love, even in the midst of the worst of times.

I noticed this in the Psalm as well, in Psalm 136. The verses that talk about God's enduring love at work, on behalf of the people of Israel, acknowledge that they were suffering before His help came. His help came when they were slaves in Egypt, when they wandered in the wilderness, when they had been captured by their enemies. I think this is very important for us to recognize, because sometimes today, I think Christians feel this pressure to always be fine, to never admit we're anything less than fine. As if admitting life is hard is somehow a sign that we don't have enough faith. But the life of a person devoted to God is not immune to trouble. And like my friend Dave, I think we're far better off crying out to God when we suffer, rather than pretending we're fine. The people of Israel were slaves for a long time. They wandered in the wilderness for a long time. They didn't just pray once, full of faith, or go away on a weekend retreat to entreat God's help, and then everything worked out. God's love sometimes does intervene in sudden and amazing ways, but frequently His Love is a presence that helps us to endure even when we're most definitely not fine, and the suffering might last for a fairly long time. God's love is bigger than our suffering and it endures forever.

I think this has important parallels to what we're going through right now, as this pandemic and all of its implications seem to be lasting, far longer than we ever imagined. Many of us have struggled during this past year and a half, perhaps because of isolation from our social world, or because of life circumstances that make it difficult to work from home, or even perhaps because of a lack of employment and therefore less income. Those of us who've been able to sit safely at home may feel it's disingenuous to suggest we've been suffering, when we know that there are essential workers whose very lives are at risk, caring for people with the virus. I would say that we've all suffered in various ways, and it's important to acknowledge that to ourselves and to each other, if we want to endure and eventually thrive on the other side of this pandemic. At the same time, we need to remember that God is with us, even in the midst of this time of difficulty. There are some practical ways that I see this to be true. I thank God for the ways he's inspired us to use technology to overcome obstacles. I think of the services that are available to us online, such as counselling or Chapel services, church or small groups, or even online games that allow people who are far apart to enjoy each other's company. While these, I'm sure, can never take the place of truly being together, and I'm sure there are downfalls to our growing dependence on technology, nonetheless I'm grateful for the way that God is using technology for our good.

Another way that I see God at work among us, in, is in the leadership he's provided, what a blessing it is to have Dr. Kerr, Dr. Green, Dr. Smith, Dr. Neufeldt leading us as we adjust our strategy and maximize the good we can deliver to our students in these interesting times. Because I serve on the Senate, I've been a part of some of the planning conversations and I can affirm, the obvious intention of those working behind the scenes is to prepare for the coming year, doing whatever it takes to care for all the members of the Tyndale community, to the very best of their ability, even if it gets pretty complicated. In addition to the institutional leadership, I'm so thankful for the task force working on plans for reopening and for all those who have kept our campus secure and functional during these months. On a very personal level, I'm also grateful for God's grace and forgiveness, which we can count on when pandemic stress makes us cranky or overly critical of others. Dwelling on his enduring love can help us admit our own weaknesses, knowing more secure in his love, no matter what. Leaning into his grace can ease our mind and help us to find the strength to be kind toward others, even as we understand their stressors and their mental health challenges, that are just like our own.

God is good. The God of gods, Lord of lords, His very nature is love, extended to us without end. So, when we struggle with our mental health, perhaps feeling lonely or anxious because of social isolation, let us take advantage of the means we do have to connect with others, and let us lean into God's enduring love even now. When we struggle to manage the myriad details involved in our plan for a healthy return to campus, let's remember his forgiveness, which can ease our mind and help us to find the strength to be kind toward others. God's love endures forever. Even as you take time to be grateful for the ways in which we are in fact getting through this time together, it may be important to find someone you can talk to, about the ways in which you're not really fine. Through the understanding of another child of God, we can be reminded God's love endures forever. When anxiety makes us irritable with each other at home, on the road, at work, or in the grocery store, perhaps it will help us to be more gracious and understanding to those around us, who are also struggling, as we receive grace and remember that we are His beloved children, and he is the loving Father who holds us in his arms even now. His love endures forever.

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