Sunday, February 2, 2014

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Psalm 42

As I began reading this Psalm I was immediately brought back to my childhood, singing the lovely song “As the Deer Pants for the Water.” While that song seems to have begun as a paraphrase of this psalm, the finished product, as far as I can remember, doesn’t include the bits about sadness (42:3, 42:5, 42:11), harassment (42:3, 42:10), and abandonment (42:9). Realistically, the song probably wouldn’t fly in most congregations with the dark elements left in. Except on Good Friday.

What resonates in this psalm for me is neither the nature imagery nor the expressing of honest doubts, though I do appreciate those aspects. What I am particularly drawn to is the back-and-forth interplay of doubt and reassurance, sadness and hope. To me this psalm speaks to the paradox of Good Friday, which is so tragic, but an integral part of our ‘good news.’ 

I don’t know about your experience, but I think a lot of folks imagine the church as a community of people who have overcome all doubt, all grief, all shortcomings. Some people feel guilt for not being on board with a certain doctrine, or wrestling with a fault of character or addiction. I think this psalm shows us that we can have hope and faith while still wrestling with our human imperfections and our honest questioning. 

A mentor of mine once told me that it is important for us to remember that we are Christians not because we are perfect, but because we are forgiven. I don’t know if we do a good job of making this known. As long as the perception in society is that there is a requirement of perfection before one become a Christian, then many sincere seekers will never feel worthy to set foot into a church. If we can better express our human struggles and our humble faith, then I think we will more adequately welcome others and live lives marked by compassion and love.

-Matthew Kieswetter