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Rector's Reflection—17 Pentecost, Proper 21
September 27, 2009
Those of you familiar with Compline will recognize the last verse of the psalm since the final
prayers of the day (which Compline basically is) begin with the gathering of the community with the
words "Our help is in the Name of the Lord;" to which the people respond, "The maker of heaven
and earth." The final prayers (technically just before bedtime) remind us of God's sovereignty as
we are getting ready to drift off to sleep.
One of the things about the offices... or anything else in the Prayer Book, for that matter...
is that the words—the versicles and responses, the invitations, the petitions, whatever—are neither
unintentional nor superfluous. "Our help is in the Name of the Lord;" and "The maker of heaven
and earth," aren't just a pleasant way to begin an office; these words are words around which we can
shape our lives. What a great way to get a good night's sleep!
But under the heading of "familiarity breeds ennui", we may have become too familiar with
these words so that they lose their profound and radical implications. Or... and this is the tough part
for us fiercely independent types... those words suggest that we can't do it all by ourselves. Not
shouldn't do it. Can't do it.
Whatever enemies the psalmist is referencing here isn't exactly clear, but they obviously were
a formidable force. The history of Israel is full of enemies. In this psalm, the community
acknowledges that without God in command, the enemy would have eaten their lunch (to keep that
'swallowing up alive' imagery going). But it isn't critical to the usefulness of this psalm (at least
I don't think it's critical) to be able to pinpoint with historical accuracy just what situation we may
have here, because the point of the psalm is to proclaim the sovereignty and the reality of God.
Besides, without a named enemy, the proclamation at the start of this psalm—that the Lord is on
our side—can span the centuries and be a proclamation for every age.
I think we 21st century Christians are just now beginning to come to grips with the fact that
we are living in a post-Christian era. By that I mean that 'Christian' things that a lot of us grew up
with—prayer at the beginning of the school day, 'one nation under God', school Christmas programs, Easter vacation, Merry Christmas spoken at cash registers, prayers at sporting events and
graduation, etc.—have, for the most part, gone the way of the dinosaur. It is sad but true that
Christianity is under attack by enemies outside and enemies inside. Secular humanism, atheism,
revisionist theology, culture-driven churches, etc.—not to mention the very human and American
assumption that we can do it ourselves—are just a few of the things that oppose a proclamation of
Jesus Christ as 'the way, the truth, and the life.' To a very real degree, I think we are experiencing
our own version of the Babylonian exile, except we haven't had to leave home to do it!
But the proclamation of the psalmist in his time, that the Lord is on our side and that our only
help is in the Name of the Lord, is now our proclamation in our time. We know that because Jesus
Christ said so. He didn't say there wouldn't be challenges (OK, make that fights). Management
policies and technical skills may be useful for solving some problems, but our HELP in these
difficult times is in the name of the Lord. That's where, like Compline, we have to start.
Susan+
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