The Psalms

I wrote this for our May Newsletter:

Methodists rarely cite John Calvin, but God promises to forgive us even when we do. Calvin writes, “It is my custom to call this book [the Psalms] An Anatomy of All the Parts of the Soul since there is not emotion anyone will experience whose image is not reflected in this mirror.” We recently began studying the book of Psalms during our Wednesday night Bible study.  I was quickly reminded of the import of the Psalms on my life and our life together.  Here’s a very brief summary on why the Psalms are important to me:

The Psalms are poetry, music, and prayer wrapped up and given to us to enjoy.  Have you ever wondered what to say to God?  Calvin notes that every human sentiment—praise, anger, love, fear, gratitude, grief, despair, and even vengeance—are included in our catalogue of Psalms. The Psalms are a roller coaster of emotions as we move from gratitude to lament to even cursing. Just like our own messy spiritual lives, the Psalms move from praise to desolation and back to praise. They give form to our spiritual lives and permission to bring our feelings to God no matter what hatred or rage springs up.

The Psalms are not merely individual prayers; they also unite the body of Christ. The Psalms give us words to pray over someone else’s shoulder and empathize with other’s emotions. If the Psalm is not your prayer, maybe it is somebody else’s. We may not be currently lamenting, but certainly someone in the world is at the end of his or her tether. We may not be angry, but someone might be angry with us. What would it be like to read a cursing Psalm from the point of view of a starving child? Kathleen Norris notes that she prays the Psalms alongside of the daily news and she finds herself examining and realigning her values and the values of our nation. The Psalms help us remember that Christianity is not just about ‘me and God.’

Finally, the Psalms are Jesus’ prayers. They were even the prayers he prayed as he hung on the cross. When we pray the Psalms we pray the very words spoken by God with Jesus Christ. We join in the prayer of Jesus Christ when we as individuals and a congregation pray the Psalms. This is why the Psalms have been called the “school of prayer.”

I invite you to come to our Bible study as we explore the Psalms if you are able.  At any rate, I urge you to spend some time going through the Psalms. Let these Psalms be your prayer, the prayers of your brothers and sisters, and the prayer of Jesus Christ. 

Dry (Maybe even harmful) Lenten Traditions

I wrote this for our March newsletter:

One of my old professors gave up anxiety for Lent.  The anxiety was wrecking her life and her relationship with God. During Lent, whenever anxiety arose, she paired it with silent prayer.  She didn’t rush to fix the anxiety with ‘doing,’ drinking, or medication—she prayed.  It was a struggle. By the end of Lent, she discovered the core problem that was creating her anxiety. 

Do you ever wonder why you give up the things you do for Lent?  I worry that we often get in Lenten fasting routines.  Every year Christians give up the same things—chocolate, sweets, soda, and social media—and we often can’t remember why.  I have friends who have given up sweets for ten years in a row and they have no idea why they are torturing themselves. We have missed the point of fasting if we no longer think about the ‘why.’  We are not called to be purposeless martyrs.

Some of the fasts we choose might do more harm than good. Another one of my old professors, Amy Laura Hall, suggests that it might be better for some to eat chocolate during lent. Imagine an individual giving up food who is anorexic or suffers from body-image problems. In a world where women are made to feel self-conscious, a strawberry dipped in chocolate might be the right reminder that women are loved by God and to be filled with God’s grace. 

The point of Lent is not to give something up to “better yourself.”  It is not to lose weight, look better, or prove something to yourself.  The point is to give up anything that is blocking God from coming into view. I urge you to reflect on your practices of fasting.  Are you stuck in a dry ‘Lenten tradition?’  What is your fast doing in your relationship with God? Is God becoming clearer? Or Fuzzier?

How can you be filled with God’s grace in a way that God will use you to fill others with God’s grace?

We are not all in the same place.  Hall cleverly notes that ‘we are sinful in original ways.’ Your Lenten practice might look different from another person’s because YOU are different. It might be better for some of us to give up anxiety, take a bubble bath and soak in the love of our God.