Sermon Psalm 126 Restore Our Fortunes

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Beaver Dam Presbyterian Church

Sermon Psalm 126 Restore Our Fortunes

December 14, 2014

I would like to begin this morning with a story. Two women got together after work one day to share a banana split on a hot afternoon. While they were eating, a homeless man, who had been drinking heavily, came over and sat down. His clothes were dirty and he smelled. He thrust out hand and demanded a dollar. The women were Christian and would ordinarily give to someone in need. But in this case they hesitated because of his aggressive demeanor. They asked him what he needed the dollar for.

He replied that he wanted some ice cream. So the women gave him not one dollar but two. But then one of the women, getting a little angry at his abrasive personality, asked him “Why don't you get a job?” He replied that he could get a job if he wanted to. Then he leaned over the table, and picked up a strawberry from their banana split.

The women were appalled. They immediately got to their feet and stormed off. But about a half a block away they suddenly had a change of heart. They entered a dollar store and picked up some some toiletries. They returned to the ice cream store and found the homeless man sitting at the table with his wife. The women gave them the bag of toiletries. The homeless couple began to cry because, unexpectedly, they had been given what they really needed. ¹

Christmas is a time for unexpected blessings. Let's pray.

Light of the world, you greet me this morning with new possibilities. Shine brightly, I pray, until I see into the dark places of this world, and into the dark places of my own life. I want to follow you in paths of justice, speak up with you for liberty, and bend with you toward the brokenhearted, even the broken places within myself. I trade in my faint spirit for your mantle of praise - and with my whole being I will rejoice in you. Amen.”²

Psalm 126: 1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. 2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” 3 The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy.

4 Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. 5 Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. 6 Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with them.

Negev is a Hebrew word that means “south”. When it is used in the Bible it usually refers to the area just south of Jerusalem. This area is called the Negev or Southern desert. The Negev desert has little more than mountains covered by rocks and dust. Little or nothing grows there. There are river beds, called wadis, but these are usually bone dry. There is very little rain and almost nothing grows. But, very rarely, it does rain. The wadis fill up with water, and the desert blooms.

You wouldn't want to farm in the Negev desert. The seeds you plant would probably never germinate because there would be no rain and no water in the riverbeds. But suppose you were displaced from your farm near Jerusalem because of war and fled south for the safety of your family. Suppose further that you brought seed with you. And it is the time of year for planting. Would you take the risk of planting your seeds in the desert hoping, praying that God would send rain this year to make the desert bloom even if the probability of this occurring was very low?

The farmers went out to plant with tears in their eyes taking the enormous risk of planting when the possibility of harvest was almost zero. But the rains came. The wadis were filled with water. The crops grew in abundance. The desert bloomed. And the farmers reaped their harvest with songs of joy.

According to Psalmist this is what God's love is like. God's love is unexpected. We never see it coming. It is more extravagant than we ever imagined. Our only possible response to God's love is to be filled with laughter and joy. At Christmas we remember how much God loves us.

I know that many of you have little expectation of God's love for the coming year. You have health problems limiting your hope. Loved ones are suffering from chronic diseases that just don't seem to be getting any better. Parents are getting older and need help for daily living. Farmers are concerned about their farms People are concerned about heating their homes and utility bills. Families are trying to make ends meet. There isn't much joy and laughter. We seem to spend more of our time in tears.

But the hope of Christmas is that we will experience God's unexpected love. God will overwhelm us with his graciousness. We will be blessed in ways we never dreamt of.

All we have to do is plant seeds of faithfulness. Sometime we plant these seeds of faith in soil so dry it seems that they will never grow. But you will be surprised by what God does with you faith. Just plant seeds of faith with prayer, Bible study and worship and love others as God loves you and God will bless you unexpectedly.

For years I prayed for a wife and family. But my prayers fells on dry soil and never grew. By age 47 I gave up looking and decided to give the rest of my life to God. I said goodbye to family and friends and headed to California to study in seminary. I decided to plant a seed of faith to see how God would use it. My expectations were quite low. But, in my first year of seminary I met Grace. She opened to me a whole new world. I became part of a large Korean family. I had sowed seed in tears and reaped a harvest of laughter and joy.

So too can you. Whatever is keeping you down and holding you back today just plant it in the desert and watch what God does with. God will bless you unexpectedly with an abundance you have never imagined. And you will be filled with joy and laughter.

So tell the world what God has done for you. Share your testimony with others. Plant seeds of faith in the hearts of people you know. You'll be surprised with what God does with the faith you plant in others. People you believed would never come to Christ suddenly become hungry for the Word of God. The seeds you sow, expecting nothing, will grow into an abundance you can scarcely believe. All of this is because we believe in a God who loves us and blesses us unexpectedly with abundance.

Be filled with laughter and joy because at Christmas God sends an unexpected gift that is more extravagant than anything you have ever received. God's gift is better than all the gold in the world. God sends his own son to save us from our sins and promise us eternal life. What could be any better than that? Let's pray.

Lord Jesus, as we wait for your coming we have little joy and laughter. Fill us with hope that as we plant the few seeds of faith that are left that they will grow into an unexpected abundant harvest at Christmas. We ask for this blessing of hope for us and for the whole world. Amen.

1Adapted from http://www.storyharvest.org/article/267/stories/unexpected-blessing

2Feasting on the Word Worship Companion: Liturgies for Year B, Volume 1 © 2014 Westminster John Knox Press p30.