Homily – Sunday, the 31st December 2023

Reading: Psalm 147

Life is a precious gift of God. Each new moment, Each new day, Each new week, Each new month, Each new year. They are God’s gifts of grace for us. Gifts that come with opportunities and responsibilities. Gifts for which we will be accountable.

From the depth of our hearts, we sang the gradual hymn

O God; our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Our shelter from the stormy blast,

And our eternal home

We will today briefly look at three insights from Psalm 147.

Psalm 147 begins thus…

Hallelujah!
How good it is to sing praises to our God!
how pleasant it is to honour him with praise!

It is part of the five Hallelujah Psalms that comes at the end of the Psalter.

The historic setting is clear. The People of Israel has returned from exile and they are rebuilding their lives, their city and their temple. Peace in the borders is becoming a reality. Around the time of Haggai and Zachariah they are looking back and thanking God and are looking ahead with hope trusting in God their shelter and their shield.

The Presence and Protection of the Lord

The Psalmist praises God declaring- The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem

What had happened to Jerusalem? The report that Nehemiah received from his visitor is worth noting here.

Ne 1:3 The survivors there in the province who escaped captivity are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been destroyed by fire.

And Nehemiah encourages the people in Ne 2:17 “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer disgrace.”

It is from that situation that the Lord was rebuilding their lives, their city and their temple. And they are thankful.

2023 has been a year or brokenness and rebuilding in several of our lives. For some it went very predictably but for some there were unexpected twists and twirls. Yet we find the hand of the potter still working on the broken pieces of clay to make something new out of it.

Yes The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem;

Let us read further- the Lord is gathering together the outcasts and the exiles. Imagine a situation where you are plucked away from your homeland and having to live as refugees, migrants or exiles for decades together. Sometimes we reconcile to the new reality but deep within burns the desire to return, to be the masters of your own destiny, to be at the driving seat in the journey towards the future.

Several people were outcasts and in exile and the Lord found special ways of gathering the outcasts of Israel back to their homeland
They look back and celebrate the marvellous provisions of the Lord.

Naturally People were heartbroken and wounded- mentally and physically and it was the Lord who healed them and bound their wounds

The Psalmist says He heals the broken-hearted
and binds up their wounds.

When adversities come our way it is natural that we think- Even God has forsaken us. But here by drawing the picture of God knowing each star by name the Psalmist is making a powerful point.

Each person is unique and special in the eyes of the Lord. They were not just another one in the crowd but each the apple of the eye of the Lord

He counts the number of the stars
and calls them all by their names.

In whatever situations of crushed states they are, the Lord lifted up the lowly

From miry pits they would have fallen into somewhere in the journey

From the crevices they would have fallen intentionally or unintentionally

And from the abysses they would have been into by circumstances

The Lord lifts up the lowly,

The Psalmist also says

The triumph of the wicked was always temporary
the Lord casts the wicked to the ground.

Friends, When we look back at 2023

We thank the Lord

• For Rebuilding our lives
• For healing our brokenness
• For binding our wounds
• For counting each of us unique
• For lifting us up from our lowliness

The Provisions of the Lord

What is it that we must thank the Lord most for

• Life- a precious gift
• Health- an inimitable blessing
• Family, Friends, Fellowship and Relationships- invaluable as they are
• Love, Freedom, Resilience to face challenges in life and a Passion for Justice and Truth
• Opportunities to grow and to serve
• Grace, Peace, Freedom
• The beauty and abundance of God’s creation
• The list can go on

We count our blessings

We name them one by one

It always surprices us as to what the Lord has done and is doing

The Psalmist thanks the Lord

He covers the heavens with clouds
and prepares rain for the earth;

He makes grass to grow upon the mountains
and green plants for humankind.

There are several things that we take for granted and

FOOD and WATER are two crucial things

He provides food for flocks and herds
and for the young ravens when they cry.

The Provisions of the Lord is far beyond

We are called to be thankful

Yes friends the provisions of the Lord is incomparable

In loneliness he is our companion

In sickness he is our physician

In brokenness he is our restorer

In fear he is our comfort

In our journeying and even fleeing he is our guide

In our storms he is our refuge

In our turbulence he is our anchor

God is Jehovah Nissi- our banner

Jehovah Rapha- Our healer

Jehovah Jireh- Our Provider

The Promises of the Lord

The Psalmist goes on to affirm

For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;

The gates had been gutted and those who lived in its protection were killed or taken captives

Now that the return is happening they are rebuilding the broken walls and the burnt down gates

Book of Nehemiah mention the “doors, bolts, and bars” of the Fish, Old, Valley, Dung, and Fountain gates constructed as part of the building of Nehemiah’s wall (3:3,6,13,14,15)

Ne 7:1–3 Now when the wall had been built… I gave my brother Hanani charge over Jerusalem, along with Hananiah the commander of the citadel… And I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot; while the gatekeepers are still standing guard, let them shut and bar the doors.”

The Psalmist has always been clear- unless the Lord guards the house the watchman watches in vain.

Here it is the Lord who strengthen the bars of our gates.

Friends yes that is one promise we would need in our lives as we are in the threshold of another year

The Lord strengthening the bars of our gates

To protect our personal lives

Our family lives

Our professional lives and our spiritual lives.

The next promise is blessing of your children…

In order to understand the statement
he has blessed your children within you.

We need to understand the context clearly

Any situation of war and violence, exile or migration the brunt of the burden is borne by children.

They are most exposed to cruelty and brutality

And now imagine children living in far off places like Babylon getting the opportunity to return to their homelands they had never seen.

War or no war children are always vulnerable

Children today are exposed to several challenges and the promise of the protection of the Lord need be understood in that light

• Cyber Bullying and AI challenges
• Exposure to age inappropriate content and behaviour
• Online and Offline Predators eyeing the body and the soul
• Addictions
• Gaming
• Drugs and Licentious Living
• Broken Homes and Manipulative behaviours
• Victims of Violence

Friends, if the Lord promises protection for our children within if there something bigger we could ask for?

The next promise is that of PEACE

He has established peace on your borders;

For years together now Peace has been an enigma for them. They were fed up with war, violence, devastation, life in exile

They were excited about returning

But Peace was their dream, their desire

The Lord promises establishment of peace on your borders

Be it in Ukraine or Russia, Gaza, Israel or Palestine, be it in any context of war and violence the promise of Peace is inestimable.

Peace within oneself

Peace in families

Peace in workplaces

Peace can have various manifestations

The Lord also promises them a satisfying harvest

he satisfies you with the finest wheat.

What was their situation

Hag 1:5–6 Now therefore thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider how you have fared. You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag with holes.

It is this situation that the Lord is transforming and we must specially note the word- satisfying

For 2024 one of our profound hopes would be a life that is satisfied with the provisions of the Lord.

And finally we have The Promise of the Word of God

He sends out his command to the earth,
and his word runs very swiftly.

And in verse 20 we read

He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his judgments to Israel.

God sends the Word- to guide, inspire, comfort, save

In 2 Timothy 3:16 we read All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

And imagine 2024 as an year living in the Light of the Word.

Conclusion

Yes now is a time of Looking back with gratitude: Looking ahead with Hope

The call for us on this last date of the year is the look back and say THANKYOU

To look ahead and resolve

We go into the world

to walk in God’s light,

to rejoice in God’s love

and to reflect God’s glory

Let us bless the Lord:

We look back with thanks

We look forward with hope

We look around with a heart to help

Vinod Victor

31st December 2023