Lent 5: Psalm 130: Hope

 This year I’m focusing on the Psalms for Sunday (from the Revised Common Lectionary), how they relate to the other Sunday readings, and what they might say to me (and us) in the 21^st Century. On this Fifth Sunday of Lent, we are nearing Jerusalem with Jesus. He is in Bethany where he raises Lazarus from the dead. This foreshadowing of his own resurrection demonstrates the power of God even over death. Ezekiel’s visit to the valley of the dry bones is another demonstration of how God brings life from the seemingly hopelessly life-less. These readings are filled with hope and the promise of new life no matter what the circumstances around us. Thanks be to God!

Psalm 130 begins with a plaintive cry. Out of the depths have I called to you O Lord. All too often we feel like we are in the depths when we cannot see the way out of some problem. It may be an unexpected illness, it might be loss of a job, maybe it’s a move you don’t want, or the death of a dream. Any of these, or even just the daily news, can make us feel like we are in a pit, and we risk falling into despair if we don’t remember the love of God. The Psalm ends with hope and a promise: with the Lord there is mercy; With him there is plenteous redemption.

The other lessons for this 4^th Sunday of Lent are full of hope for new life even in the depths of death and despair. In Ezekiel 37 we hear of the Valley of Dry Bones. The Spirit of God moves among the bones and they come to life with new flesh. God states, you shall know that I am the Lord…I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live…you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act. I think this illumination from The Saint John’s Bible, for Ezekiel 37, captures how God can make all new, even things destroyed by humanity. If you look closely, you’ll see auto wrecks and other twisted metal along with the bones at the bottom of the page. Most importantly, overarching the page is the rainbow promise of God’s love.

In the Gospel, we hear of the Raising of Lazarus from his grave. Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” The figurative reanimating of the bones of Ezekiel takes on real flesh and blood in Lazarus of Bethany.

The Letter to the Romans (8:6-11) tells us we are also remade and reanimated by the Spirit of God. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. All the depths of despair—the ‘valleys of dry bones’—we find ourselves in are nothing because God is in control.

The International Children’s Bible translates the first line of the psalm, Lord, I am in great trouble. So I call out to you for help. A child knows that when they are in trouble, they can cry to their loving parent who will help then. Like a child, the Psalmist insists, I wait for the Lord to help me. I trust his word.

It’s tempting to think we can fix our troubles without God, or that God is far away and may not care about the little day-to-day scuffed knees. But God is right there in our big problems and in our small ones. The Psalm says, put your hope in the Lord because he is loving and able to save. It’s a good reminder as we continue our Lent journeys. The past three years of pandemic restrictions and fears may have left you feeling dry and used up and even a bit dead inside. Now is the time to feel the Spirit of God moving among your dry bones and calling you out of the grave of despair. There is life and hope, no matter what the world looks like.

Yes! Our God is loving and able to reanimate anything.

Psalm 130 1 Out of the depths have I called to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice; let your ears consider well the voice of my supplication. 2 If you, Lord, were to note what is done amiss, O Lord, who could stand? 3 For there is forgiveness with you; therefore you shall be feared. 4 I wait for the Lord; my soul waits for him; in his word is my hope. 5 My soul waits for the Lord, more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning. 6 O Israel, wait for the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy; 7 With him there is plenteous redemption, and he shall redeem Israel from all their sins. (Book of Common Prayer)

Lord, I am in great trouble. So I call out to you for help. 2 Lord, hear my voice. Listen to my prayer for help. 3 Lord, if you punished people for all their sins, no one would be left. 4 But you forgive us. So you are respected. 5 I wait for the Lord to help me. I trust his word. 6 I wait for the Lord to help me more than night watchmen wait for the dawn, more than night watchmen wait for the dawn. 7 People of Israel, put your hope in the Lord because he is loving and able to save. 8 He will save Israel from all their sins. (International Children’s Bible)