Dear Harbor Friends,
Grace and peace to you this summer day! I invite you to read Psalm 84 devotionally with me today. When I was at Duke Divinity, one of my professors (Dr. Wacker) invited us to join him in reading a psalm devotionally each class period. It became our “pause and pray” time, our “sit with God” time. It was not graded and did not necessarily inform the lesson for that day. I fell in love with this practice and began to lean into reading a psalm as a devotion for myself. The words are songs, of course, meant to be sung. And when we read them they are rich and dense, like poetry and songs we know now: the words are few and yet convey much to us. The imagery is beautiful, revealing a picture, a scene, the inner heart-desires of a God-lover.
Psalm 84
The Joy of Worship in the Temple
To the leader: according to The Gittith. Of the Korahites. A Psalm.
1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
2 My soul longs, indeed it faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and my flesh sing for joy
to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.
4 Happy are those who live in your house,
ever singing your praise. Selah
5 Happy are those whose strength is in you,
in whose heart are the highways to Zion.[a]
6 As they go through the valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength;
the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
8 O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed.
10 For a day in your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than live in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield;
he bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does the Lord withhold
from those who walk uprightly.
12 O Lord of hosts,
happy is everyone who trusts in you
Our psalm is a familiar one to me and to you perhaps. I find it joyful but not loud and boisterous; the tone feels like one of delight, peace-giving, and reassuring. From the start the psalm talks about God’s dwelling place, and connects where our spirits are living, to the courts of God. These words locate us as “with God,” in the sanctuary, and nearby, and we find we are joyful to be close to a living God. This nearness brings comfort. In the midst of all that is coming at us, all the confusion about what to do and how to know what is next (much less make a plan), we are dwelling with One who is the Living God.
“Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah
Happy are those whose strength is in you . . . They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion.”
When I hear these words I think of some times I’ve spent among monks at the monastery. Sometimes I believe I could have been a Methodist monastic, living in mostly quiet in a small community out of the way somewhere! I think of the frequent call to prayer at a monastery when I hear “ever singing your praise.” I make a visit to this monastery every once in a while where the calls to prayer start in the very early morning – most of us call 3:30 am night – and yet there is a service held. At these services, liturgy is followed that includes chanting/singing, prayers, scripture reading. And another service is held and hour later, and another an hour after that and another – all before breakfast! The day is started in prayer, reading the word, singing God’s praise; and this practice seems to carry the monks as they make their way to work and daily responsibilities. They gather again a few more times in the course of the day to pray and praise God together in a methodical yet joyful way. They go to bed after a service in the early evening so they will be ready to rise and do it all again.
I am not a monk and my time of devotion and prayer is not nearly as extensive as theirs; I don’t rise that early, ever, if I can help it. I do like to begin my morning reading scripture, talking with God, and giving the day to God. The monks, in my time with them, have reassured me that the amount of time is not the thing that will keep me “ever singing” God’s praise. They have shared that its the quality of time with God, the fact that I spend time devoted to God. I seek to “do more” and yet it seems I should simply “be” with God regularly.
As we go into another fall unsure of what lies ahead, my prayer is that we will all dwell with God. We will find reassurance from the only one who really offers happiness. As devoted clergy and laity in Harbor, I know that you bring so many strengths with you, gifts you offer regularly to the community around you. I am encouraged by your resilient spirits and the way your congregations have responded to you. You all have responded together to meet the needs in communities and to navigate new territory. Thank you. I can’t really say it enough!
That being said, I know many of you are worn out. Some of you are burned out. Some of our clergy have not found a way to step away for a Sunday nor take a vacation. I am preparing to send out a letter to our SPRC Chairpersons and Lay Leaders requesting that they check in with you. Please take some time to sit down and think about where you are and talk together about support for the upcoming year together. If you need resources for pulpit supply, Mary Hartsell and I can help. If you need support setting some standards about gathering, please reach out to me; I’m happy to talk through ideas or point you to another pastor who may be dealing with a similar situation.
Thanks, again, for persevering. Please continue to pray and sing praise to God. Please let me know how I can assist you. And know that you live in a lovely dwelling place alongside a living God. Thanks be to God.
If you would like to view past editions of Time with Tara, follow this link:
https://harbordistrictnc.org/category/from-the-ds/