Sermon 4th February 2018

Today, our Assistant Minister, Ben Hughes preaches. The reading is from Psalm 121. 

A song of ascents.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

I have a Mountain quiz to begin with?

Would you like the easy quiz or the harder quiz?

What is the tallest mountain in the world?

The tallest is Mauna Kea Hawaii - measured from its base is one mile taller than Everest. The highest is Chimborazo in Ecuador measured correctly from the earth’s centre – the highest above sea level is of course Everest. 

What unsolved Mystery happened on an Argentinean mountain in 1947 led to the discovery and better understanding of the jet stream?

Avro Lancastrian ‘Star Dust’ accident finally discovered by two mountaineers 1998 as debris appeared out of a melting glacier.

Where did Elijah’s successful competition with the prophets of Baal take place?  Mount Carmel

To have a mountain you need a valley – what Scottish band had a hit into the valley in 1979 getting to number 10 in the Uk top 40? The Skids

What mountain did Noah’s Ark come to rest? Mount Ararat

Who built an altar of Unhewn stones on mount Gerizim?   Joshua

Which mountain hill range arte the Qumran caves of the Dead Sea scrolls situated – the Havar Hills

According to psalm 133, The unity of the brethren is like dew from which mountain? Mount Hermon

What mountain activity caused the red vibrant skies of late 19^th Century impressionist paintings to be so vivid? The eruption of Mount Krakatau in 1883 throwing tons of volcanic ash into the earth’s atmosphere causing vibrant red, orange and yellow sunsets.

What sporting activity takes place on Pikes Peak in the USA? Hill climbing motor sport

What  from the Welsh mountains is so precious to the Royal family ?  Welsh red gold – every wedding ring made for royal weddings are made from pure and rare welsh Gold.

Moses was showed the Promised Land? Mount Nebo is the right answer

According to Gordon’s excellent ‘Prehistoric mounds of London’ book - What is the name of the sacred prehistoric and ancient Briton ‘Bryn Gwyn’ mound in the city of London? Tower hill

On the mount of beatitudes - Jesus Sermon in Matthew – the Sermon on the Mount –How many blessings did he share? 11.

What mountainous activity led to the formation of the hills of south London? The ripple effect from the formation of the Alps

What is the soldiers Psalm and was printed and distributed to all allied troops before D day by the bible society?  Psalm 121

Psalm 121 is sometimes called the soldiers psalm – in peacetime it is the travelers psalm and sometimes was called the pilgrims song.

And like much of scripture it is multi faceted – the  psalm content reassures the reader of God’s blessing, sustaining and care whilst  it’s beautiful form and structure is set out as a climb – hence it’s name ‘the song of assents’.

The psalm is beautiful as it carries us away from the valleys, the caverns and gorges and rivulets of sin and temptation focusing our eyes heavenwards and to God in a step by step upward movement.

It is a traveler’s prayer, a reassurance of God’s commitment to us as we face the perils and uncertainties of our journey in life.

This soldier – pilgrim’s psalm is also full of references to our bodies, we are human and flesh and blood which makes it more relevant:

Stanza 1 We lift our eyes to the mountain

2 - He will not let our feet slip

3 God will shade our right hand

4 He will watch over our life

Eyes, feet hands, life

Or in other words God can commands what we see, where we go, what we do with our hands and everything that we are if we desire, want and let him do so.  

God’s care, love commitment to us therefore is all encompassing – no car or life insurance would ever offer such fully comprehensive cover as God offers us in this psalm – sign up today – it is a very good deal.

Now I am a preaching not selling insurance -

And commentaries really go to town on this psalm – as do poets and musicians – it contains so much systematic unraveling of truth and rich images that if you meditate on it’s words will lead you into rich places in God love and spirit. It is a pslam that points directly to God.

It is alos a very good ‘jump start psalm’ – it helps new Christians and can be used in mission.

We are being led upwards – our eyes see the glory and God draws us away from our problems and woes. It points our gaze upwards and instead of our gaze directed downwards towards the valleys instead up wards towards God.

The valleys – as the soldier saying – ‘into the valley’  - cab be army slang  for payday night leave on the town – My Uncles described WW11 Cairo when soldiers there-  as a place of temptation  and sin  - alleyways, streets bars, brothels and brawls. And the crevices and hills rising up from the city – a place of marauders, robbers and stray dogs when returning back to base. The city and the sinuous tentacles of the suburbs is perhaps describes hearts and hinterlands  of broken lives – like cities - places full of , business, temptation and distraction, overcrowding suffering poverty pain and hurts – When God calls us we avert our gaze  180 degrees turning  completely around to look to Him. By facing God we turn our backs on sin.

In other words - Know where your help comes from – know where you help is – know that you cannot do life on your own – turn your back on the road to perdition and death and turn and begin a new life with your gaze on me instead is the message

And there is no shame in crying to God for ‘Help’ – asking for help is not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength. I do nothing without asking for God’s help first. Even the everyday minors things that make up everyday life – I get God involved – I ask for his help – in prayer – for me and for others too.  And He does the business as well. I have been a teacher since 1989 – and I have seen a lot of poor teaching the worst ones being those that do not help children when they ask and need help – God never does that – He is like the best teachers –the ones that are right in the heart of any activity – creating bother, having ideas and helping each other.  That is where God wants to be and why in my view he made and makes us all – he wants to be part of your life – let him in!

That is why he sent his son Jesus to take the rubbish out so that there is the space to let God in  so take the challenge and accept the deal.  For it is a good one - a good deal – ask for help Get rid of your pride,  not me  on my own – but God with us.  God help right here right now!

Climbing up mountains and hills is not easy – the journey will be tough at times but as I mentioned part of the deal on offer – is God’s almighty assistance to help you, guide and lead you as you make your journey:

Verse 3

³ He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;

So finally what is the mountain – where is this mountain – how does the help come?

In my quiz I deliberately mentioned brought in three key groups of people –

You have Moses and Joshua

Elijah and Isaiah

And Jesus and his disciples

And there is a question here for you to consider – where in the Gospels do these three groups meet and combine?

Yes it is the transfiguration –

For any Christian believer  the Transfiguration is a pivotal and key moment and the setting on that mountain as the point where human nature meets the nature of God

It is the meeting place of the temporal and the eternal,

Before Christ we only had the law and the testimony of the prophets to steer and guide our gaze upwards and to assist us in our salvation.  Now we have  Jesus himself as the connection between law and wisdom and us and heaven he is the bridge  between heaven and earth we have him to do that salvation work for us.  It is the cross shape arms outstretched bringing law and love together so that grace can run freely down and up between us and God.

The presence of Moses and  Elijah on the mountain witnessed by Peter and the disciples illustrates this completeness and the fulfillment of all mountain views in direction of Christ.

So Moses came down off Sinai with the Ten Commandments

Elijah beat the priests of Baal with the fire from the real God of heaven – Jehovah and

Then Jesus, fulfills both on the mount of Calvary

So when the psalmists say:

I lift my eyes to the mountain where does my help come from?

The answer is – yes the law, yes the word of the prophets but all in end point to crucified Jesus upon the cross.

And When the psalmist say– where does my help come from ?– he already knows – help comes from  obeying  and following God commandments – Listening and trusting God’s word  as the prophets did knowing the Lord as your saviour and propitiation of your sins.

When you say help me God – God has replied yes – here is my son Jesus who I am well pleased with.

Finally for us – those perhaps ‘long in the tooth Christians’  who may have stopped looking so well because our eyes have become dim, disillusioned  and blurred and feet worn and bruised.

The transfiguration serves as a reminder – what do the disciples do when they see the vision of Christ transfigured in the present of Moses and Elijah? – they stumble, mumble and talk rubbish – they want to build a shack – they want to contain the  event, they want to control the event.

For when you build a shack – it quickly becomes a building, then a monument and by doing so – you make what was once moving and dynamic instead,  static, dead and still.

The message here is get moving again – get going turn you gave from downwards and inwards to upwards and outwards. Outlook not inlook!

Rather the truth is our faith - use it on the journey – don’t leave it lying unused – get moving again – the chains that you think bind you are in fact lose and you can just shake them off – just like that!

And as we journey we have a staff -  as the psalmist says in other songs – The comfort of truth and faith is as a thy staff a thy  rod – If any of you have walked with a staff or rod on the hills or a journey – without noticing - you suddenly find the  hand that holds the staff becomes  – sore and distressed from the sun and the exposure – when we hold onto truth and faith our grasp can become frail and sore - under constant attack because it’s grip is exposed – it is the point of vulnerability – the point of weakness.

The psalmist knows this

⁵ The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

God does not hold the staff for us  – but he protects the faith and belief of our grasp of truth.

And finally in the last and most wonderful verse in this psalm

The Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

This is great

My grandfather – not a religious man but a faithful and true Christian – a bruising builder at 6ft4 had this verse over the front door of his house. One of very few possessions but he knew what was important.

What I love about it as the action and activity of unity and love in God that does not end when we die but carries on forevermore. The last word of the psalm.

We will still be coming and going – hither and thither forever – I do not want a static existence in God – I want to journey – to go out in the morning and return in the evening to do great things in between and travel in confidence  – it is what life is in all its is fullness and glory. And that will continue I hope and beliwve  into the next life –

God confirms what is in this final verse in other parts of the bible  – it is only going to get better and better and better – I cannot wait I am so pleased and grateful to Jesus for making it possible and looking forward to everything to come –for you and for me -  now and forevermore  Amen!

Let us pray…