The Blues
This is the reflection that was sent out to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church. This Sunday will be our Blue Christmas service and I will be preaching from this text. What are your thoughts about the psalmist's cries?
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
and come to save us!
how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5 You have fed them with the
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Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
4 O Lord God of hosts,let your face shine, that we may be saved.
how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5 You have fed them with the
bread of tears,
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
our enemies laugh among themselves.
and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
17 But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand,
the one whom you made strong for yourself.
18 Then we will never turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call on your name.
the one whom you made strong for yourself.
18 Then we will never turn back from you;
give us life, and we will call on your name.
19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Sometimes we think we can’t be angry at God for the difficult, painful situations we experience in life. It’s ok to be mad at God and say so, just like the way the psalmist is challenging God. Right out of the gate, he writes, “Give ear,” in other words, “Listen to me!” There is nothing meek or mild about this plea.
Because God is called the “Shepherd of Israel,” the psalmist is reminding God of his responsibilities—of care, feeding, protecting and leading. Another way to look at it is by telling God, “We are your responsibility, so help us.”
Another thing that stands out is the way the psalm is punctuated with these words, “Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” This phrase is repeated three times throughout the psalm. Don’t we sometimes feel that if we pray for something more than once, we aren’t having faith? And yet, in scripture, here we have an example of a prayer that challenges God and repeatedly cries out for help.
Sunday is our Blue Christmas service. Some of us have the blues and need to cry out to God with our sisters and brothers, our family of faith. This is what that service is about. Come and give it all to God. Then we too can pray, “Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name” (v. 18).
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