Most people wouldn’t go to a fake doctor on purpose. If, heaven forbid, we should end up in the questionable care of a medical imposter, it’s probably not because we thought it was a good idea. There is a reason doctors display their diplomas so prominently, though in an age of “fake news,” I suppose a fact check might be in order.
Why, I wonder, are so many of us taken in by false gods? It’s not like the stakes are any lower on the spiritual plane—though I would argue that the spiritual and the physical are not as distinct as we often assume.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. This is supposed to be a series about “spot on” psalms. So, before we get into a discussion of the growing idolatry epidemic, let’s talk about Psalm 25.
If we are serious about accepting the liturgy’s invitation to “observe a Holy Lent,” then Psalm 25 is here to help. Try praying verses 6 and 7 to get your repentance off the ground:
Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord, and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
according to your steadfast love remember me,
for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!*
One of the lovely things about the psalms of lament is that they are personal without being private. In other words, even if the psalmist has specific sins in mind, the language is generic enough to allow us to fill in the blank with whatever sins rise to the top of our own lives. The implied fine print says: Insert sins of your youth here: ___________.
This, of course, requires some serious self-examination—another feature of the traditional invitation to observe a Holy Lent. Again, Psalm 25 is here to help.
Most of us miss the possibility of a polemical edge to the opening verses of this psalm. See if the following emphases help you to hear it:
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
O my God, in you I trust…
Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me,
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
While this isn’t the only way to read this psalm, it is a richly provocative one. It’s as if the psalmist is saying, “To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul—as opposed to anyone else.”
False gods are not exclusive to the ancient world. Just because actual golden calves have fallen out of favor, that doesn’t mean we don’t still have them. What would happen if we accepted this psalm’s invitation to self-examination with regard to the worship of false gods?
If you were lucky enough to catch Stephen Colbert’s recent interview with Texas State Representative, James Talarico, you may have a head start on this. A Presbyterian seminary student who is simultaneously running for the U.S. Senate, Talarico does not mince words. “There is nothing Christian about Christian nationalism,” he says to Colbert. “It is the worship of power in the name of Christ, and it is a betrayal of Jesus of Nazareth.”
Them’s fightin’ words, even for a Texan. Not surprisingly, the powers that be tried to silence this broadcast, but the attempt only called attention to the interview when it migrated to The Late Show’s YouTube channel.
Citing Matthew 25, Talarico reminds his audience that Christianity is characterized not by power, but by feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and welcoming the stranger. “Don’t tell me what you believe,” he challenges. “Show me how you treat people, and I’ll tell you what you believe.” Explaining his efforts to safeguard the separation of church and state, he warns, “When the church gets too cozy with political power, it loses its prophetic voice.”
I would suggest that this seminary student has some things to teach us, especially as we seek to examine ours lives this Lent. We may not have meant to “lift up our soul” to a false god, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.
Again, Psalm 25 is there for us. If we take the liberty of changing the language of verse 18 from singular to plural, it invites us to pray, “Consider our affliction and our trouble, and forgive all our sins.” Talarico is inviting Christians in the USA to insert our sins here: ___________ and amend our lives accordingly.
*All biblical quotes are from the NRSVUE.
One Response
Thank you for this. Good connections. I learned to love this Psalm via the Hungarians, who also sing it to the Genevan tune, but seem to favour it more then the Dutch do. It begins “Szívemet hozzád emelem,” and it’s a wonderful match of tune and text, reflective and thoughtful, plus the line you emphasize about the sins of my youth, “Nem nevet senki rajtam.” These lines have stayed with me for forty-five years.