Greetings, welcome to reality Church.
Glad that you're here with us today.
Happy Father's Day. Happy Juneteenth.
My name is Austin. I'm one of the pastor's here and
I'm going to be continuing our Series in the Psalms of ascent
that we started. Just last week these Psalms our
a collection of 15 songs or poems.
That pilgrims on their way up to Jerusalem for different Jewish
feasts would sing together. Or site as they made their
Journey up to the temple, to celebrate their Journey, songs
are travel songs, think of it, like, maybe some time.
Somebody wants burned. You a CD, for road trip with
some driving tunes, right? Like, these are like the Bible
version of your road trip music, but as with every good road
trip, right? You need a destination, this
journey has a destination. And when we think of the, our
lives and the life of Faith, right?
Is a destination in mind where we're some time.
Herbs on this journey home towards God and we feel like
they're smooth sailing. Right?
There's clear skies, the sun is out.
Things are going well, we know, kind of like, where God is that.
How he's working? Things seem to be going well,
but then other times, right? Like there's, there's clouds
there, storms. There's Darkness, you're just
like scrambling for anything in the dark.
Just trying to find your way to a path.
So the pilgrims on these original tricks up to Jerusalem,
would have felt a lot like us all over the map depending on
like where they were in their life fail, which what the year
held for them? Leading up to these festivals?
They sometimes would it come in Feeling Good, Feeling clear?
Ready to worship God and sometimes they would have found
themselves on their Journey feeling like, why are we even do
the doing this? Like why are we making this
track? Does God really care?
Does God like, is he is he a part of this whole thing?
There's a lot. The people aren't that different
than us, right. You probably undertook, I mean,
you at least had some sort of Journey to get here today and
maybe walked, maybe you rode your bike, maybe took the train.
Maybe you parked in the garage, right?
You took some sort of Transit here.
I don't think anybody lives on Newbury.
Street. That would have right.
Maybe maybe, maybe somebody's in a hotel here.
I don't know, but on a bigger scale, right?
Your life has been a journey to bring you to this point, right?
Maybe you are surprised to find yourself sitting at a church in
Boston in June of 2022 or maybe, you know, if I told you that
five or ten years ago, I'm like, oh yeah, of course, I'm here.
That's exactly what I would have expected, but for many of you,
that's probably not the case. Our Journeys are full of ups and
downs, twists and turns right bright spots, dark spots,
successes failures delts. Assurances times of knowing
where God is what he's up to and then times with having
absolutely no clue. But what is certain is that you
are here today and that matters, it matters that you are here
today and I believe that God has a word for you today, but he has
something that he wants to encourage you in a word of hope
that he wants to speak to you. So, with this in mind, let's
read our, some are some is 121. You can read along on the
handout or if you'd like, to just listen and close your eyes.
I'm going to read it over us here.
So let's take a moment and ask God to speak to us.
Psalm 121. I lift my eyes to the mountains.
Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord the
maker of heaven and Earth. He will not let your foot slip.
He Who Watches Over, you will not Slumber.
Indeed, He Who Watches Over Israel, will neither slumber nor
sleep the Lord Watches Over You. The Lord is your shade at your
right hand. The sun will not harm you by
day, nor the Moon by Night. The Lord will keep you from all
harm. He will watch over your life,
the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and
forevermore. Amen.
I think for us to begin to understand the words of the
song, at the first start with the mountains, the mountains are
the Hills. This is kind of where everything
begins, right? The psalmist lifts, his eyes up
to the hills, to the mountains. I'm gonna use those
interchangeably. I think that the, she says
mountains, but some chance rates, and see Hills.
So, those are going to be the same thing.
So when you think of mountains, right like what comes to mind,
you're probably thinking, there's some picturesque
Landscapes and sort of scenic view maybe like In the distance
or maybe you hike them out and then you're like over looking at
all of this beautiful Fall Foliage and seeing the valley
below Catherine. I we weren't hikers before we
came to New England, but now we do an annual Fall Foliage hike
and in my book doing a hike once a year makes me a hiker.
So we're now very Avid fall hikers.
There's some pretty sweet spots around here, maybe if you
haven't gone on a fall like you should totally do it but that's
not what this song is talking about.
It's not taking in the drink in the beauty.
Of the mountains, the hills around Jerusalem, where places
of danger, and a journey through the hill country of Palestine,
was a treacherous task. These mountains are places where
robbers and thieves are hiding out waiting to Ambush Travelers
at times. If you think of Luke 10 and the
Good Samaritan, The Good Samaritans right?
He's coming from Jerusalem down to Jericho.
He's on the mountain path when he is attacked by the robbers.
That leave him for dead. so, when the psalmist is saying, I
lift my eyes up to the mountains, he is looking at his
present circumstances and feeling like Fear despair.
What am I going to do? Like, what is going on?
How am I going to get out of this?
What's on the other side? I think a lot of us know that
feeling And in his commentary on the Psalms ja my, your says this
he says the question of where security can be found, could
originally have been prompted by any number of situations but in
its present, Pilgrim context at pictures and anxious gaze at
Hills, which could shelter Marauders or a longing gaze.
At the far-off hills of Zion house, shall I escape the
dangers of the way and arrived home.
So the psalmist is saying I lift my eyes up, I look around me
things, don't look good. Where is God when I'm analyzing
my situation forced to wonder even Corral.
Where is my help going to come from?
How will I make it through this? So once you think what are the
mountains or the hills in your life right now?
For all on this journey of life, right?
We all have mountains and hills in our lines of sight.
Some of us, the mountains, maybe a little more distant and some
of them we might be like right at the foot of our Mount
Everest, right? It could be a tough situation at
work. It could be a looming.
Rent hike, endless loan payments.
Medical conditions family Dynamics, may be internal
wrestling's with doubt and anxiety.
A hidden addiction upcoming deadlines turning on the news
and looking at the state of the world.
Could even be your own feelings of Shame and guilt in an
Aggregate adequacy and the list could go on and on and I could
be any number of things, we all have our own hills and mountains
that Loom large in our eyes. I think it's interesting here is
that the psalmist. He doesn't try to like, shelter
as eyes from the mountain. Like that's, that's what I would
do. I would kind of be like, if I
don't look at it, it's kind of like not there, right?
I think a lot of us were may be tempted to do that.
Like, I'm telling you think about your mountains, or like
it's the last thing I want to think about, like I didn't come
here to like think about the hard things in my life.
The psalmist says telling us like look at them, but hold
them. Where does my help come from?
And then you declares this truth.
He says, my help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and
Earth. My help is from God, the one who
created this world and everything in, it might help
with the mountains is from the one who created mountains. one
commentator also says, about Psalm 121 at the beginning of
this song, the idea of lifting one's eyes to the mountains
means to scan the Horizon, not searching out some place from
which to seek help, but rather recognizing that, help comes
from God, no matter where one is Help comes from God, no matter
where one is, what if, when we looked at the things that Loom
large in our life, the things I cast Shadows of doubt and fear
and uncertainty suffering, and pain over our Journeys.
What if we look them in the eye and knew that God was present to
help us, which with every single step that we take?
Help comes from God, no matter where one is, God doesn't call
us out on a journey to follow him, in order to, then abandon
us on the way. In preparing, for the Sunday,
I've been reflecting on Juneteenth.
And I think, particularly one of the most powerful testimonies of
right of like people recognizing that God is there ever present
help, no matter how big the Mounds which surround the Mars
is, the testimony of the African-American church and the
faith, especially those who were enslaved and writing about the
story of many enslaved, Africans in the United States Cheryl
Sanders wrote this She said in their clandestine prayer
meetings, held late at night in the slave quarters and hush
Harbors the slaves. Participated in the transforming
power of the age for which they hoped by petitioning God for
deliverance. From bondage.
They believe that the same God, who transformed their sinful
status of their souls in their conversion experience, would
transform the sinful structures of society, The God Who had
freed their souls from sin. Kurt could certainly free their
bodies from slavery. The slaves knew better than to
take seriously the white preachers who sought to use
religion and biblical hermeneutics to justify and
support the institution of slavery.
Their ethic of Justice rested. Squarely on the theological
presupposition that God would act to free the slaves.
Based on the precedent set in scriptures, when Godfrey de
Israel from bondage in Egypt, moreover, this ethic was closely
connected with the slaves, affirmation of their own
god-given Humanity. What a testimony this is that
help comes from God no matter where one is when we think of
Juneteenth. And we think of emancipation
day, we would be remiss to overlook the testimony of the
black church. The testimonies of an enduring
hope in God. In a world that offered little
Reason for Hope. So maybe think of the words of
the hymn beams of heaven and it kind of sums this up.
Well, it says harder yet, maybe the fight.
Right? May often yield to might
wickedness a while May rain Satan's cause may seem to gain.
There is a God that rules above with hand of power and Heart of
Love. If I am, right, he'll fight my
battle. I shall have peace someday.
I lift my eyes up to the mountains.
Where does my help come from? My help comes from God, the
maker of heaven and earth. And the one final thing about
hills and mountains here before we kind of get into the rest of
the some, I think this is important because we are so
prone to comparison or are so prone to like compare our
stories and our challenges with those around us.
I think I kind of run the risk of using it right using the
example of American slavery, right?
It could give us all A chance to kind of step back and say, well,
my mountains are basically meaningless and comparison to
that one. But that's, that's not the point
here. Just because someone else is
mountainous killed differently than yours or appears different.
The Arts, doesn't invalidate your own Journey, your own
Journeys going to be different than anyone elses and context,
matters, and comparison is destructive to Hope.
I was in South Carolina for a conference a couple weeks ago
and stay with one of my college roommates.
And he took us, we were in Greenville and he was taking us
on this tour of downtown, we're going to walk from one end of
town to the other and he warned us before he left.
I was with Mandy and he was like, you know, there's there's
a big hill, like if we're going to make it to other side with
the go up this hill. And we're like, all right, like
whatever and he kind of kept bringing it up and kept bringing
it up. If I brought up like half a
dozen times and we were like, all right?
Well like if we get to the hill and it's too much, we can kind
of like a vandal. Check then, like change our
plans and go somewhere else. We don't have to make it, I'll
be okay. If I don't see the entire city
of Greenville South Carolina, and we're kind of like we're
almost done with our walk. We're close to the end and he's
like, ah, like that was it. We made it and Romanian that
were kind of like, What do you like?
What was that? And he was like, that was the
hill. And we were like, oh, okay.
I didn't really notice it. It was, it was not Beacon Hill,
right? Like it was I mean it was a hill
to him, though. Like he mentioned it probably
half a dozen times so he was like really serious about like.
So I made fun of him for that, which is what you're not.
This is what I don't want you to do.
Like don't make they don't make fun of people for the hills, but
this is the point of this. Like, when it comes to to the
mountains that we face, right? Don't minimize your own Hill or
the hills of others, just because they appear different
scale or scope. We're going on a Sunday, stroll
through the Newton Hills. It feels pretty different than
if you're at like mile, 21 of the Boston Marathon, I got a big
head nod from the marathoner up here.
It feels a lot different. We're 20 miles in then if I'm
just kind of like out and about roaming around with Watson.
The same Hills can hit very differently at different times
in our lives. Our journey is unique, in
comparison, robs us of the ability to Journey well with
others and to have people Journey with us.
So let's move with a little more Pace here through the rest of
the psalm keeping in mind, right?
That God is our help in on the journeys of Y, through the
mountains, the remainder of the song, kind of shows us, what all
this and Compasses spoiler. God, God watches over us at all
times. And in all places, let's reread
verses 3 through 8 says, God will not let your foot slip.
He Who Watches Over, you will not Slumber.
Indeed, He Who Watches Over Israel and neither slumber nor
sleep. The Lord Watches Over You, the
Lord is your shade at your right hand.
The sun will not harm you by day, nor the Moon by Night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm.
He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your
coming and your going both now and forevermore.
So the Hebrew word Shamar. It shows up six times in these
six verses and it's translated as either.
Watch keep observe guard and is always used in relationship
between God and his people that God watches over us, that we are
those whom God watches over. It's a very as a part of the
very fabric of our identity that we're the people who God keeps
watch over. But God is watching us.
Really, what is this song? Like what does this include?
This isn't like, is this like, you know, he sees you when
you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, right?
This isn't like the Santa Claus idea of God but it's a part that
God watches over us. But can I all this?
He just like said that, you know, is how often does this is
like a checks in once a day just to make sure we're doing all
right? The rest of the song tells us,
it says he will not let your foot slip.
So includes every step that we take on our journey, every place
that we go says that he will neither slumber nor sleep.
So includes all times of day, every minute that we live.
Then it says again, he is your shade from Sun and Moon
confirming, right? That it must be all times of day
and night. and then at last the says he will watch over your
life, you're coming and you're going so that it will go in all
the places that we get when we were out.
And about more at home home in a way, God Is Watching Over Us at
all times. So, where does this leave us?
I think it leaves us in saying the point of the psalm, is that
at all times and in all places, whatever one is doing that God
provides protection. God is our constant Watchman.
He does not Slumber over the totality of time, day and night
and space coming and going. There's no time and no place
where this isn't true. This reminds me of Psalm 139
which is not a sum of a set, we're not going to make it all
the way to Psalm 139. But David says this, when he
thinks about the ever-present reality of God, says, where can
I go from your spirit? And where can, I flee from your
presence? If I go up to the heavens, you
are there. If I make my bed in the depths
you were there, if I rise on the wings of the Dawn, if I settle
on the far side of the sea, even there, your hand will guide me.
Your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say surely the darkness will hide me in the light but
come night around me. Even the darkness will not be
dark to you. The night will shine like the
day for darkness is as light to you.
Even if no one knows if nobody else knows what you're going
through event, what mountains that you're being faced by, what
burdens that you brought in with you today, what I can tell you
is that no matter where you find yourself, on this journey, that
God is with you. In this very place at this very
time. I want to encourage you.
Can you trust this song that the words are true, even if you
don't feel it, or what would it mean for you to trust these
words? How would it change your
perspective? If you knew that God was going
with you and guarding every step of the way?
I think in relation to the hills that we face.
It means that like the continuing Journey that we face
when we're surrounded by Hills. It's actually like an exercise
in Hope, and exercise, and trusting and depending upon
God's ever presence with us and his ever keeping of us.
And with hope, right? So one of the things with hope,
right? It sometimes we're feeling that,
we're not feeling that we thinking in our head and
sometimes it's helpful to just like literally like say it out
loud. So we're going to do we're going
to like declare Our Hope out loud together here.
As we end, the maybe you're feeling like I don't feel like
saying this, we're going to use the words of Psalm 121 but maybe
you're like, I don't feel like saying this like I I'm not right
there right now if that's okay because somebody around you is
going to be saying it and like let their faith carry you up.
If you if you're feeling like you can declare this today.
Like let's let's say it out loud and if you're feeling like man,
I'm not there right now. Listen to those around you the
Clara because sometimes it's helpful to know, like somebody
else believes this. Somebody else is in a spot where
they can say this words. So our hope, our hope is that
God is here, that he is working the he's present that he is Lord
of creation and that there will be a better day to come.
So let's declare Psalm 121 out loud together.
Words are in your handout. We're going to use that, take
that back out. All right, I lift up my eyes to
the mountains. Where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord the maker of heaven and Earth.
He will not let your foot slip. He Who Watches Over, you will
not Slumber. Indeed, He Who Watches Over
Israel, will neither slumber nor sleep the Lord Watches Over You.
The Lord is your shade here. Sun will not harm you by day,
nor the Moon by Night. The Lord will keep you from all
harm. He will watch over your life.
The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and
forevermore and then let's pray.