Psalm 37: 1-11; Psalm 107: 4-9; Matthew 5: 5-6
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
February 12, 2017
Do not fret because of the wicked;
do not be envious of wrongdoers,
for they will soon fade like the grass,
and wither like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord, and do good;
so you will live in the land, and enjoy security.
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him, and he will act.
He will make your vindication shine like the light,
and the justice of your cause like the noonday.
Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath.
Do not fret—it leads only to evil.
For the wicked shall be cut off,
but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. - Psalm 37: 1-11
Some wandered in desert wastes,
finding no way to an inhabited town;
hungry and thirsty,
their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress;
he led them by a straight way,
until they reached an inhabited town.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wonderful works to humankind.
For he satisfies the thirsty,
and the hungry he fills with good things.
Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more;
though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.
But the meek shall inherit the land,
and delight in abundant prosperity. - Psalm 107: 4-9
‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. - Matthew 5: 5-6
Who are the meek? Webster’s Dictionary defines the meek as those who are humbly patient, kind, gentle, and overly submissive. But as Jesus teaches the disciples that the meek will be blessed to inherit the earth a different picture is painted. Jesus speaks through Old Testament wisdom because something is at stake for the ones Jesus is speaking of.
The meek are those who are not afraid of the wicked for they trust in the Lord and seek to do good (Psalm 37:1, 3). Even as they are pressed down, persecuted, or think that God’s rule is not effective the meek do not despair in being powerless. The meek remain aware of their covenant relationship with God and stand in God’s strength.
This kind of humble patience is deeply rooted in the experience of waiting for the Lord to act and make things right (Psalm 37: 5-6). As the meek are sustained through difficult circumstances they look to the future hope of God’s promises to live in the abundance of God’s blessings. In turn the meek inherit the opportunity to join God in restoring and renewing the brokenness of the world.
As the meek work as God’s kingdom partners, they do so with a deep hunger and a growing thirst for righteousness. Just as the poor in spirit cannot help but mourn that God’s kingdom has not fully come, so do the meek. They hunger and thirst for righteousness as they walk through the wilderness and the wastelands crying out for deliverance.
God hears Amen wherever we are and moves people of faith like you and me to feed the hungry, quench the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe those without, care for the sick, and visit the prisoner (Matthew 25: 35-36). God works through our actions of self-giving love to satisfy humanity’s longing for God’s righteousness.
Rev. Beth Lindsay Templeton is ordained in the Presbyterian (U.S.A.) Church and has served in the capacity of homeless ministry in Greenville, SC for twenty-five years. Many of us met her at the Spring 2016 Presbyterian Women’s gathering.
Templeton says: Hungering is about having a bloated belly and bugged out eyes because you have not had a square meal in weeks. Do we have that kind of yearning for social justice? Do we thirst like someone stranded in the desert thirsts for water? Do we thirst that way for a world where everyone can meet his or her needs and where all can reach the full God-given potential created in them? Do we have that gut kind of yearning for righteousness? [1]
As I have sat in our three biblical passages this week, reading about the meek and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness against the backdrop of the Psalms, God’s Word brings the plight of the Syrian refugees to my mind. And it haunts me.
Dr. Mary Mikheal is a Presbyterian ruling elder and a native of Syria. Recently she said, “People are getting tired of watching and listening to the tragedy in Syria. But we must be faced with it. We must be bothered by it. We must be disturbed by it.”[3]
Mikhael was a guest at our Fall Presbytery meeting. She works with the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, which has been a collegial partner with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for many years.
“The conflict in Syria began in 2011 and has claimed over 350,000 lives and displaced more than 11 million.”[4] These numbers have increased over the past five months. As safe havens are sought in other countries, including our own, some have found refuge in Lebanon.
This is where Dr. Mikhael lives. She says, “Children live in muddy camps or on the street begging for food, money, anything. We are attempting to rescue as many children as we can. It is impossible [for the church in Lebanon] to serve all of the children because it is beyond our capacity and imagination.”[5]
What is at stake for these meek and innocent children in Syria is they risk becoming “a lost generation. Children who have lost their families are being exploited and criminally recruited to become thieves and to be trained to carry arms.”[6]
This is a human tragedy because their childhoods are being stripped away by violence. These children have no part in this conflict. They are innocent bystanders. As a parent I cannot even begin to imagine your children or mine or our families living in these circumstances.
In 2015 the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon started four schools with plans to open a fifth. The schools are able to serve 300 to 400 children over a two year period. The cost to educate one child is $1,500.00 a year.[7]
The church also reaches out to the schools to provide for the children and their families’ physical and emotional needs. They receive food baskets, medicine, clothing, and hygiene products. Psychologists are also on site to examine the children as many have experienced great trauma. Skilled professionals give seminars to the care responders on how to work effectively work in trauma situations and guard against compassion fatigue. The church also helps displaced families rent simple homes or small rooms. As you can imagine many do not want to live in refugee camps.[9]
Dr. Mikheal says, “The mission of the Church [Universal] is to respond to the human needs of people… At the end of the day, we return the children to their families. We hope we will succeed in this service for the glory of God and the safety of the children…There are a lot of challenges but a lot of joy as well.”[10]
Did you hear that word “joy?” Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be filled. The weight of God’s grace sustains all these - the refugee families who are receiving God’s grace and all care responders who are extending it. They are all sustained with a permanent joy, a deeper awareness of God’s grace at work, through the most haunting circumstances.
There are no easy solutions for the greater church’s mission to respond to the human needs of our Syrian sisters and brothers. Many of us feel helpless in this effort because of the magnitude of this crisis and the miles that separate us. But when the work of faith overwhelms us it does not excuse us from partnering with God.
God calls us to trust the Lord and do good (Psalm 37:3). That means God is on the move to open our hearts to see life through the eyes of the meek and those who hunger and thirst to experience and taste God’s abundant hope.
God calls us to learn about the Syrian refugee crisis and how the faith community is already responding through the advocates like Dr. Mary Mikheal.
God calls us to be a faith partner through supporting scholarships for children’s education – because education is not just hope but it is power for the powerless.
And God calls us to extend God’s hospitality in order to practice spiritual strength to bring about God’s righteousness.
But more than anything, God is on the move to bother us and disturb us to take notice of our highest calling to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves – no matter the distance.
When we depend upon God and are affected by what breaks God’s heart then we are moved to work in God’s strength to restore and renew humanity and creation.
May it be so for us.
In the name of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Note:
Looking for a way to help Syrian Refugees?
“Putting a Face on Syria: Hope Through Education” is a response from a group of teaching and ruling elders within Providence Presbytery to raise money for scholarships for Syrian refugee children through the sale of note cards. A set of 15 assorted note cards are $25 and include beautiful black and white photography of Syrian children whom members of the Presbytery met on a previous trip to Syria.
It costs approximately $1500 to educate one child for a year, an amount that covers tuition, school supplies, transportation and food. 100% of the money for the cards goes to scholarships and your purchase amount is tax deductible. Funds are sent directly to the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, which is a partner of the PC(USA) and located in Lebanon.
Contact Van Wyck Presbyterian Church (803) 285-1895 or Providence Presbytery (803-328-6269) to empower a child through education through your note card purchase.
Source Influences and Those Referenced:
Photograph of the Mount of the Beatitudes
New Interpreter's Bible Commentary, "Volume VII: Matthew and Mark" (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2015), p. 110.
[1] Beth Lindsay Templeton, “Loving Our Neighbor: A Thoughtful Approach to Helping People in Poverty” (New York: iUniverse, Inc., 2008), p. 8.
[2] Encyclopedia Britanica
[3] Presbyterian Disaster Assistance video of Dr. Mary Mikheal, December 15, 2016
[4] Rick Jones, “Presbyterian to Hear First Hand Account of Syrian Refugee Crisis,” Presbyterian News Service, September 23, 2016.
[5] Rick Jones, “Presbyterian to Hear First Hand Account of Syrian Refugee Crisis,” Presbyterian News Service, September 23, 2016.
[6] Presbyterian Disaster Assistance video of Dr. Mary Mikheal, December 15, 2016.
[7] Rick Jones, “Presbyterian to Hear First Hand Account of Syrian Refugee Crisis,” Presbyterian News Service, September 23, 2016.
[8] Rick Jones, “Presbyterian to Hear First Hand Account of Syrian Refugee Crisis,” Presbyterian News Service, September 23, 2016.
[9] Rick Jones, “Presbyterian to Hear First Hand Account of Syrian Refugee Crisis,” Presbyterian News Service, September 23, 2016.
[10} Rick Jones, “Presbyterian to Hear First Hand Account of Syrian Refugee Crisis,” Presbyterian News Service, September 23, 2016.
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