The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty. Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength. The world stands firmand cannot be shaken. Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial. You yourself are from the everlasting past. The floods have risen up, O Lord. The floods have roared like thunder; the floods have lifted their pounding waves. But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore— the Lord above is mightier than these! Your royal laws cannot be changed. Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever.

One of the confusing moments of Jesus’ trial is when Pilate turned to the crowds and said “I find no fault in this would be king.” That part seems hopeful, as if Jesus is about to be released, but then the crowd changes their tactics and screams “we have no king but Caesar!” The irony of this crowd shouting for the authority of Caesar is beyond crazy, but it was that statement that changed trial into sentencing.

The crowd said that if Pilate released Jesus then the governor was no “friend of Caesars.” Being a friend to Caesar, the king of the “civilized world,” was possibly the most important designation any leader needed in order to remain in the good graces of Rome. The nation of Rome had just lived through a violent “not a friend of caesar’s” uprising and to have your allegiance questioned was to have yourself move from trial to sentencing. 

I don’t know what it’s like to live with a King or Queen. Several years ago, I was invited to watch the Queen of England give her Christmas Day address. I was told that most of the nation tunes in to hear her send greetings. I was mesmerized. I know friends who were equally gripped by the weddings and birth announcements of the royals. We don’t have coronations here, but we do have inaugurations and they seem to be a pretty big deal for those in authority. 

Over and over in scripture, we read words similar to what we find in Psalm 93. God is repeatedly described as the King of the universe, who’s majesty and glory dwarfs any would-be imposter who sits on a man-made throne. Other kings think they have authority, but it is God who holds the world firm, whose might is greater than even the most powerful storm. This God has no need of armies and weapons, for God’s very arm is all the strength needed. 

If I’m honest, I don’t quite know what to do with this language. With no king and with the ability to vote out a president (or any other elected official), I don’t have a long-standing fear that a leader could ignore my voice. It’s actually having a voice- the ability to make a difference and vote, that is the real power. God as my King has always felt more poetic than reality, and I fear I may suffer as a result. 

I love that the only political system ever mentioned in scripture begins with “I am the Lord your God and you shall have no other Gods but me.” Call it theocracy if you wish, but even that can envision some monarch who rules with some mighty heavy hand. But those words of authority are much more invitational than they are words of warning and retribution. This is a God who wants to be close – wants to be “your God” – not a being who rules at a distance or through a puppet high priest or earthly king. This God wants to be close and not just to the nation but to us as a people. 

The favorite description of God right now is that of Love. God is Love – it’s biblical – pops right out of I John 4. But I wonder if the picture of our God of Love is tinted by an other-godly description of Love? The tint of love we are most familiar with is an “unbending acceptance of my choices, no matter what.” Is that really love? The end of Psalm 93,

“Oh, thank GOD —he’s so good! His love never runs out. All of you set free by GOD, tell the world! Tell how he freed you from oppression, then rounded you up from all over the place, from the four winds, from the seven seas.

Some of you wandered for years in the desert, looking but not finding a good place to live, half-starved and parched with thirst, staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion. Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to GOD. He got you out in the nick of time; He put your feet on a wonderful road that took you straight to a good place to live. So thank GOD for his marvelous love, for his miracle mercy to the children he loves. He poured great draughts of water down parched throats; the starved and hungry got plenty to eat.” (Psalm 107:1-9 MSG)

In my last year of high school and my first 3 years of college, I spent much of my free time working on 30+ acres on top of a mountain in Tennessee. This beach loving Florida city boy that I was learned how to drive a tractor, set fence poles, and build a barn. I also learned how to muck stalls, stack hay and appreciate country music. 

In the mid to late ’90s, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, and John Michael Montgomery were everywhere, and I drank every bit of that cup of sweet tea. One of my favorite Garth Brooks songs was “Unanswered Prayers.” It tells a story of looking back and realizing that the prayers of youth being unanswered truly were the best gifts possible. It’s been a decade or so since I discovered an appreciation for country twang and the story of “the Grundy county auction,” but over those years my unanswered prayers have truly proved to be a blessing beyond words. 

Have you ever looked back and just went, “thank you God!”? Have you ever paused and just been wow-ed by the ways God’s hand has guided, guarded, and been present in the midst of some seriously bad moments? If so, then Psalm 107, is a psalm right up your alley. 

Psalm 107 is another “Easter Psalm” that celebrates the work of God – the redemption of God’s people. It’s a reunion song – a song of the gathering of the family for a giant celebration. The psalm writer uses the word redemption that would have spoken to those original audiences in a profound way. Redemption was what happened when someone stepped in and rescued a person or bought a person out of slavery and bondage. Redemption was a way to say to someone “you now have a future – a free future.” 

This psalm is also a pretty poignant song for us living in 2020. Four areas of brokenness; of a people deep in the woods of chaos are highlighted. Physical distress, prison (literal and emotional), a rebellion that has led to terrible consequences, and the chaos and fear of the deep waters are places of distress as much today as they were 3000 years ago. A global pandemic has a lot of folks worried about many of the same things today. 

In all 4 examples, there is the same response to distress – “then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them.” Oh man, what an incredible promise lives in 14 little words. Whenever distress seems overwhelming; when life feels fragile; when isolation imprisons; when our own stupid decisions threaten to ruin everything; when chaos seems ready to engulf and swallow us whole – call upon the Lord for deliverance. 

And here’s the best part, we are told that this redemption, this freedom, comes at the hand of God’s hesed. More than one author, scholar or preacher has said that hesed may be the most important word and idea of the Hebrew Scriptures. It’s often translated at “loving-kindness” but that is almost too church-y anymore. Hesed is translated as faithful love, steadfast love, unending love,

“O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority— the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!” (Psalms 8:1-9 NLT)

There is some pretty significant good news to share today. I hope you’re settled in and ready for this because this is the kind of news that causes reactions. Are you ready? Here it comes…He is STILL risen! It is still Easter. The grave is still empty. The stone still remains toppled over. He is Alive. 

I had to chuckle quite a bit over the past several weeks as I read reports from the media claiming that Easter wasn’t going to happen because of a pandemic. Bad news for those whose job it is to report that story – Easter not only did happen, it has happened, and it will not stop happening. Easter is more than a day to get dressed up and drag our non-attending church friends, neighbors and family members to our sanctuaries. Easter is the event that resuscitated a dead creation and breathed a new breathe of life into a world full of dry bones. 

Easter certainly took place on Sunday, and yes it was different that most of us could have ever imagined, but declarations of hope were proclaimed louder than ever. Even in the midst of so much death, fear, and loss; Easter broke out in untold ways. And, Easter will continue to do so in the lives of praise you and I walk, talk, and share throughout this valley.

During this Easter-tide season, I thought it would be helpful to spend time with what some folks call the Easter Psalms. Oh, I realize that the psalms pre-date the story of Jesus, they were the prayers of Jesus. The psalms also continued to be used by the early church to declare the praise of God. They had found a new life, or maybe better stated, a deeper fulfillment because of Jesus.

In chapter 8, we are introduced to the first praise hymn in the book of Psalms. Some Bible scholars believe that Psalm 7 offers a vow and Psalm 8 the fulfillment to that vow. What is it that happens? The author breaks out in an energetic string of words that not only show a deep amount of trust and joy, but makes me as a reader experience something I deeply need right now. The praise is so compelling, it fills me with a deep sense of peace.

How is that so? How can 3000 year old words of celebration and praise make me feel peace? How is that reading these words when the world seems so chaotic and out of control offer a sense of calm that feels unexplainable? Can I let you in on a secret that this psalmist clearly had figured out? When faced with the uncontrollable chaos of the universe, it’s a good idea to remember the One who holds it all in the palm of a hand. 

This psalm of praise is a “psalm of perspective.” It invites me to see wonder and awe instead of panic and dread. It reminds me of the greatness of God. Just look at the opening line – “Oh, our LORD God, how majestic is your name! Your glory is greater than all!” Get this, the majesty of God is God’s reputation – this royal splendor goes before God. God’s glory is something that dwarfs anything else we could comprehend. 

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.

You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand—you don’t require burnt offerings or sin offerings. Then I said, “Look, I have come. As is written about me in the Scriptures: I take joy in doing your will, my God, for your instructions are written on my heart.” I have told all your people about your justice. I have not been afraid to speak out, as you, O Lord, well know.

I have not kept the good news of your justice hidden in my heart; I have talked about your faithfulness and saving power. I have told everyone in the great assembly of your unfailing love and faithfulness. Lord, don’t hold back your tender mercies from me. Let your unfailing love and faithfulness always protect me.

For troubles surround me—too many to count! My sins pile up so high I can’t see my way out. They outnumber the hairs on my head. I have lost all courage. Please, Lord, rescue me! Come quickly, Lord, and help me. May those who try to destroy me be humiliated and put to shame. May those who take delight in my trouble be turned back in disgrace. Let them be horrified by their shame, for they said, “Aha! We’ve got him now!”

But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, “The Lord is great!” (Psalm 40 – selected verses, New Living Translation)

The Psalms make up the songs and prayers of the people of God. My colleague and friend, Joan Wooden, loves to say the psalms are the prayer songs of Jesus. He knew these words for they were more than bits of poetry, they were cries of a people seeking God. Beautiful? Yes, but more than something artistic, they are real exchanges between God and the people. They are raw and dark at times. Other psalms are uplifting and invite us to pray them out on tippy-toes. The psalms are a gorgeous window into the soul of one who wants to encounter God.

As I write these words, we are beginning Holy Week. It began on Saturday as Jesus ate supper with his friends and as his feet were anointed with the life-savings of Mary. The next morning, with the fragrance still lingering in the air and on the Messiah, Jesus rode on a donkey down the pilgrims path as the crowds celebrated. They waved palms and placed branches on the ground, and they sang the hallel songs – the songs of praise. 

From this triumphal entry, Jesus would cleanse a temple, challenge religious authorities and offer hope to any who sought it. But then, on Thursday the week of celebration took a different tone. In an upper room, he offered them a new covenant. On the mount of olives, he prayed for rescue. An hour later, he was betrayed with a kiss and led away – “a sheep to its slaughter.” 

In the house of the High Priest, Jesus was accused, tried, convicted and beaten by those entrusted with the righteousness of Israel. Holy men chose violence and ridicule as their liturgy. It was an ugly night and when they finally tired of their attacks they rested. Tradition tells us, Jesus was placed into a cistern below the high priest’s house. A rope was tied under his arms and he was lowered into a hole in the ground – into the darkness of a pit.

This psalm, this prayer, is set aside as a Psalm for holy week. It begins with songs of thanksgiving for rescue. It speaks of great trust and the works of God.

One of my favorite childhood memories involves my family preparations for Easter. Now, we always dressed up for church – it was just something we did, and I still remember that first Sunday at a new church when we could wear jeans. I felt like I was breaking the law and can’t tell you the first thing that happened in the service – I was too nervous. Even when that became our new normal, Easter Sunday still meant a new shirt that was special for the day.

MIAMI VICE — Pictured: (l-r) Don Johnson as Det. James ‘Sonny’ Crockett, Philip Michael Thomas as Det. Ricardo ‘Rico’ Tubbs (Photo by Frank Carroll/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)

Around 1984, I remember going to the store and my mom fitting me for a suit. Now, this was no normal boring suit. This was central Florida and these were the days of Miami Vice. So mom decided I needed the pushed-up sleeves, the pastel shirt, and the pink jacket. Somewhere there’s still a picture of me in this get-up, and while I didn’t know what Miami Vice was, I sure did my best to sport the Don Johnson look.

Dressing up for Easter isn’t a big deal to a lot of folks, but it was for mom. Now, so many years later, I get nervous about this time of year and about what we’re gonna wear for Easter. It’s silly (especially for me since I wear a robe every Sunday) but it is something I feel deep in my gut that just needs to happen. Even this year, when it looks like Palm Sunday and Easter will be celebrated “online” due to the coronavirus, I still have that itch to pile the boys in the van and try to find their Easter outfits.

Over the years, I have learned the value of preparing for Easter, but I’m not talking about an outfit. I’m not talking about making sure the kids have Easter baskets. I’m not talking about making sure our Sunday brunch or feast is going to be spectacular. As a pastor, I’m not even talking about making sure I have my “best sermon” ready to go for all the visitors.

The preparations I need to make begin on Palm Sunday and are a week-long opportunity to deepen and grow. Good Friday was always a special day in my tradition, but the rest of the week was just another set of days that took place between the Palm Parades and the Easter Shouts. But when I went to seminary, I learned that Holy Week matters so much. I learned that the week of preparation was still important. I learned that if I “set my face toward Jerusalem” like Jesus did, then Easter became even more powerful.

Palm Sunday begins with the parade. It has all the excitement you could want in a day. Crowds shouting – singing – religious people worrying – the powers that be keeping an eye out – and even the threat that rocks could start crying out. By the end of the day, Jesus had returned to Bethany and things were quiet. Depending on the Gospel, Jesus either cleared out the temple that day or on Monday – in either case, the week starts with a pow!

Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are quieter days with teachings and challenges from the religious leaders. At some point, Judas Iscariot slipped away and began conspiring with the priests. All in all, those days must have been a mix of strange emotions and a level of expectancy that no one could have quite gripped. To use a giant theological word – it must have been so weird.

Thursday, Jesus invited his friends to celebrate a meal with him. Some, including me, believe it was a seder or Passover meal. They gathered in a borrowed place where a few disciples prepared a meal that every person in Jesus’ entourage had shared every year of their lives.