| Teach Me Your Way, O Lord |
“Teach Me Your Way, O Lord”
Psalm 27
October 21, 2007
For the last few years, following the lead of some dear friends, Sue and I
have chosen a “word of the year” to reflect upon. Throughout the year we
remind each other of the word we have chosen and ask how it is being
reflected in our lives. This year’s word is “robusto.”
It is an Italian word that, as you might imagine, we get our word “robust”
from. Robust is defined as:
1 a: having or exhibiting strength or vigorous health
b: having or showing vigor, strength, or firmness <a robust faith>
c: strongly formed or constructed : sturdy <a robust plastic>
d: capable of performing without failure under a wide range of
conditions <robust
software>
2: requiring strength or vigor <robust work>
3: full-bodied <robust coffee>;
Robust by itself would be a great word to mold one’s life around. As the
years keep adding on and the world seems to get a little scarier; it can
be easy to slip into a maintenance mode and lose some of the vigor of
life To be robust in everything would be great. In many ways our life is
robust. But it feels like this is the year for Sue and me to explore that
next level in our life journey.
The jobs we have are comfortable, the house we live in is comfortable,
our health is comfortable, we have a son that was married last year and
a son who is doing well in school, both of them comfortable. Our
marriage is comfortable…. All in all we lead a comfortable, even robust
life.
Robust is good, yet, this feels like the year to step it up a bit. This feels
like the year to add a bit more essence. It feels like there should be a bit
more flavor. And so to remind us and guide us we agreed that this year’
s word will be “robusto,” which in the Italian, in addition to the English
meaning we have given to robust, means flavorful. The robusto life we
are seeking this year is a life filled with flavor.
Which makes sense because I first saw the word robusto on a bottle of
Italian dressing. You know… the olive oil based kind with more herbs
and peppers and flavor than just regular Italian dressing. It is not your
ordinary dressing.
King David’s life was anything but ordinary and we are going to explore
a bit what made it extraordinary. But first, would you pray with me?
Lord, save us from me. Let the words of this meditation be your words,
not my words. Let the actions in response to this meditation be the
actions you want, not what I want. Mold us, fill us, and use us. Amen.
You remember David. He was that unknown shepherd boy who gained
instant fame when he threw a pebble and defeated the mighty Goliath.
Killed him dead. David grew older and was victorious in numerous
battles, going against convention when it came to praising God for the
victories. King Saul became jealous of David and tried various times
over the years to kill him. Yet, God had greater plans for David and
David eventually became King moving into a splendid palace of cedar
that he had built. David was not a particularly good person. He had an
unhealthy, unethical relationship with Bathsheba which included killing
her husband. He created hundreds of enemies and we can read in the
many songs that he wrote just how far down in the depths of depression
he would sink.
You remember David, he is one of the people God chose to work
through… that we would probably choose not to work with.
In the midst of every moment of David’s life God was to be found. If we
step into the lifelong conversation that God and David had we would
hear God saying:
“David, even though you think your world is falling apart… and it does
feel as though it is falling apart. Even though it feels as if the world is out
of your control… and it is out of your control. Even though it feels like it is
out of my control… but it’s not out of my control. Even though it feels like
history is slipping through my fingers …. It’s not. David, I have chosen
you to be remarkable.”
And we would hear David replying to God:
“Lord, even though it feels like the world is falling apart… even though it
feels like everyone is out to get me… even though it feels like you have
forgotten me… I want to be remarkable. Teach me your way, O Lord.”
Let me tell you, when you begin to have a conversation with the creator
of the universe, when you and God begin having a conversation, your life
will begin to transcend the ordinary. If you can have just a moment when
you grasp the life God sees and wants for you it will cause the hairs on
the back of your neck to stand up, it will cause goose bumps, it will take
your breath away, and it will be impossible for you to settle for just being
comfortable.
What God says to David over and over is, “David I created you to be
remarkable.” And, if no one has ever told you: God created you to be
remarkable.
Wow, can you consider the possibilities in living a God-filled robusto life.
Teach me your way, O Lord. David knew the possibilities. He so longed
to always be a part of God that in his praise, in his singing, we hear:
“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the
house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the
Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
David’s craving to know more about God’s way, his craving to constantly
be in God’s presence, was based on his understanding that even
though everyone else might reject him… that even though his own
parents might forsake him… that even though he would again be at the
end of himself…God would not leave him alone.
Have you ever been at the end of yourself? Felt you’ve blown it and didn’
t deserve a second chance? Felt like you had had a second chance, or
a second, second chance or a third, second chance, or a fourth, second
chance and blown them all? Sometimes we give up on ourselves and
that causes us to come to the false conclusion that God gives up on us.
That is not God’s way.
David knew that God would never give up on him. More than that: David
knew he would experience the answer to his soul’s craving… he was
confident that he would see the goodness of the Lord while still alive. He
was confident because he had already seen the wondrous things that
God could do and was doing in his life; which gave him the strength to
be remarkable even in the midst of the darkest moments of his life. That
is the Lord’s way.
It is the Lord’s way to stay with us in every moment. It is the Lord’s way to
cause us to crave a robusto life. It is the Lord’s way to give us the
strength to be remarkable, even though the world does it’s best to make
us feel ordinary.
If you have never opened yourself up to the possibility that God wants
you to live a remarkable life and wants to work through the remarkable
life that is you, then I invite you to consider that reality right now. I invite
you to be strong and open your heart to God’s presence. Amen.
Psalm 27
October 21, 2007
For the last few years, following the lead of some dear friends, Sue and I
have chosen a “word of the year” to reflect upon. Throughout the year we
remind each other of the word we have chosen and ask how it is being
reflected in our lives. This year’s word is “robusto.”
It is an Italian word that, as you might imagine, we get our word “robust”
from. Robust is defined as:
1 a: having or exhibiting strength or vigorous health
b: having or showing vigor, strength, or firmness <a robust faith>
c: strongly formed or constructed : sturdy <a robust plastic>
d: capable of performing without failure under a wide range of
conditions <robust
software>
2: requiring strength or vigor <robust work>
3: full-bodied <robust coffee>;
Robust by itself would be a great word to mold one’s life around. As the
years keep adding on and the world seems to get a little scarier; it can
be easy to slip into a maintenance mode and lose some of the vigor of
life To be robust in everything would be great. In many ways our life is
robust. But it feels like this is the year for Sue and me to explore that
next level in our life journey.
The jobs we have are comfortable, the house we live in is comfortable,
our health is comfortable, we have a son that was married last year and
a son who is doing well in school, both of them comfortable. Our
marriage is comfortable…. All in all we lead a comfortable, even robust
life.
Robust is good, yet, this feels like the year to step it up a bit. This feels
like the year to add a bit more essence. It feels like there should be a bit
more flavor. And so to remind us and guide us we agreed that this year’
s word will be “robusto,” which in the Italian, in addition to the English
meaning we have given to robust, means flavorful. The robusto life we
are seeking this year is a life filled with flavor.
Which makes sense because I first saw the word robusto on a bottle of
Italian dressing. You know… the olive oil based kind with more herbs
and peppers and flavor than just regular Italian dressing. It is not your
ordinary dressing.
King David’s life was anything but ordinary and we are going to explore
a bit what made it extraordinary. But first, would you pray with me?
Lord, save us from me. Let the words of this meditation be your words,
not my words. Let the actions in response to this meditation be the
actions you want, not what I want. Mold us, fill us, and use us. Amen.
You remember David. He was that unknown shepherd boy who gained
instant fame when he threw a pebble and defeated the mighty Goliath.
Killed him dead. David grew older and was victorious in numerous
battles, going against convention when it came to praising God for the
victories. King Saul became jealous of David and tried various times
over the years to kill him. Yet, God had greater plans for David and
David eventually became King moving into a splendid palace of cedar
that he had built. David was not a particularly good person. He had an
unhealthy, unethical relationship with Bathsheba which included killing
her husband. He created hundreds of enemies and we can read in the
many songs that he wrote just how far down in the depths of depression
he would sink.
You remember David, he is one of the people God chose to work
through… that we would probably choose not to work with.
In the midst of every moment of David’s life God was to be found. If we
step into the lifelong conversation that God and David had we would
hear God saying:
“David, even though you think your world is falling apart… and it does
feel as though it is falling apart. Even though it feels as if the world is out
of your control… and it is out of your control. Even though it feels like it is
out of my control… but it’s not out of my control. Even though it feels like
history is slipping through my fingers …. It’s not. David, I have chosen
you to be remarkable.”
And we would hear David replying to God:
“Lord, even though it feels like the world is falling apart… even though it
feels like everyone is out to get me… even though it feels like you have
forgotten me… I want to be remarkable. Teach me your way, O Lord.”
Let me tell you, when you begin to have a conversation with the creator
of the universe, when you and God begin having a conversation, your life
will begin to transcend the ordinary. If you can have just a moment when
you grasp the life God sees and wants for you it will cause the hairs on
the back of your neck to stand up, it will cause goose bumps, it will take
your breath away, and it will be impossible for you to settle for just being
comfortable.
What God says to David over and over is, “David I created you to be
remarkable.” And, if no one has ever told you: God created you to be
remarkable.
Wow, can you consider the possibilities in living a God-filled robusto life.
Teach me your way, O Lord. David knew the possibilities. He so longed
to always be a part of God that in his praise, in his singing, we hear:
“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the
house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the
Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
David’s craving to know more about God’s way, his craving to constantly
be in God’s presence, was based on his understanding that even
though everyone else might reject him… that even though his own
parents might forsake him… that even though he would again be at the
end of himself…God would not leave him alone.
Have you ever been at the end of yourself? Felt you’ve blown it and didn’
t deserve a second chance? Felt like you had had a second chance, or
a second, second chance or a third, second chance, or a fourth, second
chance and blown them all? Sometimes we give up on ourselves and
that causes us to come to the false conclusion that God gives up on us.
That is not God’s way.
David knew that God would never give up on him. More than that: David
knew he would experience the answer to his soul’s craving… he was
confident that he would see the goodness of the Lord while still alive. He
was confident because he had already seen the wondrous things that
God could do and was doing in his life; which gave him the strength to
be remarkable even in the midst of the darkest moments of his life. That
is the Lord’s way.
It is the Lord’s way to stay with us in every moment. It is the Lord’s way to
cause us to crave a robusto life. It is the Lord’s way to give us the
strength to be remarkable, even though the world does it’s best to make
us feel ordinary.
If you have never opened yourself up to the possibility that God wants
you to live a remarkable life and wants to work through the remarkable
life that is you, then I invite you to consider that reality right now. I invite
you to be strong and open your heart to God’s presence. Amen.
DeWitt United Methodist Church
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