The Message, May 12, 2024: "Rooted," Psalm 1

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
May 12, 2024

 

“Rooted”
A Message by Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
Psalm 1

            Whenever I have had the opportunity to lead a retreat, or mission trip, or canoe trip with a group of youth or adults, we always begin the experience the same way. We create a covenant for living together in community. I ask the participants to create it with me so that it is not some document that I impose upon them. I want them to have ownership in it.

            You may be able to guess the types of things that the covenants contained. You may have even created some of them yourselves.

            Be kind to one another.
            Be generous. Share.
            Be respectful of people’s personal space and personal property.
            Listen when others are speaking.
            Be helpful.
            Participate in all activities.
            If you break something … tell someone.
            If you feel uncomfortable about something … tell one of the leaders.
            Have fun.
            Try something new.

            On those occasions in which I asked the participants to suggest consequences for those who do not follow the covenant, you might be surprised to learn that the youth were way more strict than the adults!

            Of course, the goal of the covenant is that all of the participants are able to come together in community and feel safe. The covenant is intended to create an environment in which all participants are valued, and everyone works together. In that way, we can focus upon the theme of the event. We can draw closer to one another. And if we are lucky, we will be able to experience those “thin places” where we feel closer to God.

            Creating a covenant for living together in community is not anything new. I did not invent it. Humanity has been trying to do that for centuries. GOD has been trying to do that since the dawn of time.

            The Torah, which is called “The Law” is not a legal document or doctrine. The more correct translation of the word is “instruction” or “teaching.” The Torah is God’s instruction or teaching for how we are to live together in harmony. And God’s intention or desire is that this harmony will not be just for a weekend retreat, or a week-long mission trip, it will be forever. That is the hope and the promise of the Kin-dom of God.

            And that is why we read Psalm 1. When the Book of Psalms was assembled, it was not an accident that this psalm was placed first. This is the foundation. Just as Jesus began his teaching and preaching ministry with the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes contained therein, during which he laid out the foundation for everything that he would say and do, Psalm 1 lays the foundation for what follows.

            The Book of Psalms actually begins with a beatitude. Psalm 1 is a statement about human existence. There are twenty-five such statements throughout the Psalms, but this one lays the foundation for all that follow. Psalm 1 encourages the reader, or the reciter, to see the entire psalter as “torah” or “teaching.” Yes, it is the song book or the hymn book of the Hebrew people, but it is so much more. It is included among the books of the Bible that are called “Wisdom literature.”

            Now, I do not want to get all “Bible Study-y” on you here, but I do want to explore the context of this passage. Hopefully, I will not be too pedantic. In that era … and in every era really … becoming “wise” is more than acquiring knowledge. It is not about acquiring data and information about God or any other topic. In Hebrew Wisdom tradition, wisdom combines piety, and humility, and a right reverence for God with a deep appreciation and understanding for how God intends the world to work.

            That is very different than learning a data set.

            Wisdom is about having an understanding and appreciation for how God intends for the world to work.

            “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of scoffers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.”

            “Blessed is the one,” or “happy is the one,” or “fortunate is the one,” are all appropriate translations of the word ashrei. It is the same word that Jesus used in the Beatitudes. Wisdom is having an understanding and appreciation for the way in which God intends the world to be, and “happy” or “blessed” is the one who follows that wisdom teaching.

            Happiness or blessedness is a fundamental biblical concept. It is God’s desire for humanity. It is applied to all people. In Hebrew, the “happy” person is one who lives their lives without hindrance. They are able to “hit their mark.” They are able to proceed directly to life’s goal.

            On the other hand, the sinner, or the wicked, are just the opposite. The Hebrew word for them is derived from the root which means to “miss the mark.” They struggle. They do not achieve the intended goal.

            The word for “scoffer” means to hold in contempt the value of wisdom and moral uprightness. It has the sense that “I know better. I do not need some God to tell me how to live.” There is a strong implication of arrogance or self-indulgence.

            Blessed is the one who does not walk the way that they walk. Happy is the one who does not follow their way of life.

            Blessed is the one who meditates on God’s teaching day and night.

            And here the word “meditation” means “muttering” or “moaning.” In Hebrew culture, and other cultures, meditating over instructional scriptures was accompanied by guttural expressions. In fact, remaining silent was not allowed. It was forbidden. (Tell that to the local librarian.) According to Joshua and Isaiah, ‘the word of Lord was to be upon the lips.’ (Joshua 1:8, Isaiah 59:21) They understood that to mean that it had to be uttered … spoken.

            Even more, meditating upon God’s teaching was a communal practice. There was not a Barnes & Noble at the mall. There was no Amazon other than the jungle. There were not any private copies of the Torah that one could pick up at the corner bookstore. The torah was shared. It was a communal practice, a group process. The community meditated together.

            Happy are those … blessed are those who come together in community and share in the experience of meditating on God’s teaching. They will be like trees planted next to life-giving streams of water. They will be trees that will grow and flourish and thrive. They will be trees that will offer shade and comfort to all who dwell there. They will be trees that will feed and nourish their community with their “fruit.” They will be blessed, and they will be a blessing.

            Now … I know what some of you may be thinking. Because I thought it too.

            But what about the “wicked” that do prosper? Right?

            We know it to be true. We do see plenty of unrighteous “scoffers” prospering in our world. It pains us to see people that we perceive as being “bad” or “wicked” thriving. It pains us to see “bad” people happy and wealthy and enjoying the good life. It pains us to see “wicked” people rewarded for their “bad” behavior. It is not right. It should not be so.

            Even more, it pains us to “good” people suffer and struggle each day. It pains us to see people that we love endure more pain or difficulty than they deserve. It pains us to see innocent children victimized. It pains us to see innocent victims of war and violence.

            How can we possibly rationalize that? How can we make sense of that?

            It is not right. It is not fair. It should not be. But it is.

            As Rabbi Harold Kushner said in his book, Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?, because sometimes bad things happen. There is no causality. There is no rhyme or reason. It just is. It hurts us. It pains us. And it pains God too. It pains God too.

            As the psalm tells us, we have the freedom to choose which path we follow. We can choose to follow the teaching of God, or we can choose not to follow. And even those who choose the Way of God will experience hardship and pain along the way. Jesus told us the same thing. We can choose the broad way or the narrow way, and there will be times when the narrow way may be challenging. We KNOW that those who follow God’s way struggle. But the blessing is that we do not walk the narrow way alone. We walk with God, and we walk with the blessed, beloved community of God.

            The reality is that we often understand “thriving” or “prospering” in human or worldly terms. We may think of blessing as it relates to some reward that we receive. Remember, Jesus told us that our reward is given in secret. Our blessing is not about some earthly prize or present. It is about connection. Our blessedness or happiness is about being connected to the Source of Life and Light and Love.

            It is not ours to worry about how the other person lives. It is not for us to decide who is the wicked or the scoffer. That path does not bear fruit.

            Our path is to turn our hearts and minds to God. God’s instruction reaches toward us, it touches us, and it shapes our souls. God shows us exactly how it is that we are to live.

            Blessed are we when we gather together in a beloved community. Blessed are we when we have the word of God in our hearts, in our minds, and on our lips. Blessed are we when we are a blessing to others. Blessed are we when we sink our roots deep into the Source of all Life and Love. We are blessed indeed. Amen.

BACK