Psalm 126

Steak and chips, strawberries and cream, Batman and Superman.

! Some things in life just belong together.

! Growing up, I remember my granddad laughing aloud, watching Laurel and Hardy. Do you remember them?

! If you're too young, then your homework is to YouTube them later. Comedy gold.

The hapless pair were always getting into trouble, but it was impossible to imagine one without the other.

Psalm 126 is different. It's full of things we don't normally see together. Unlikely duos.

In this song, there is laughter and longing, triumph and tears, praise and pain.

Such apparent contradictions are normal for believers. When the Apostle Paul summed up his ministry,

he said he was sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. And that is the tone of this psalm.

It's a song that introduces us to the tensions of the Christian life.

It's a song for when life is good, and a song for when life is bad.

It's a song we could sing in the major and the minor key at exactly the same time.

Just picture the 6'6", 18 stone rugby player belting out the national anthem on his debut,

bursting with pride, with tears streaming down his face.

That is what this psalm feels like.

Your Bible might highlight that it's one of the psalms of ascent.

And that makes it one of a special collection,

which was sung by the Israelites as they travelled to Jerusalem.

They made the journey several times a year.

And like many families, they had songs for the road.

Like many of us who have CDs that skip because they've been played so often,

God's people were no different.

Psalms 120 to 134 were always on repeat for the Israelites.

They never stopped singing this album of 15 songs.

It reminded them that they were pilgrims on their way to glory.

And the lyrics have been popular ever since.

One writer calls them an old dog-eared songbook that Christians keep rediscovering.

Psalm 126 is a song from that book.

You may have been a believer for decades.

You may have just got going on the Christian way.

You may be examining it from a distance.

But whoever you are, this is a song for you.

Notice, first of all, in verses 1 to 3,

the rescue Christians celebrate.

The rescue Christians celebrate.

The psalm begins with joyful praise.

The writer looks back to a time when God's people experienced his rescue

in a dramatic, powerful, wonderful way.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,

we were like those who dream.

Then our mouth was filled with laughter,

and our tongue with shouts of joy.

It was an experience that almost seemed too good to be true.

They could hardly believe it.

God's rescue made them feel like they were walking on air.

It left them in a kind of trance-like state.

Life was like a dream.

It's not 100% clear what event the psalmist was referring to.

It may have been the exodus.

It may have been the return from exile.

It may have been another dramatic victory.

And in one sense, it doesn't really matter.

Whatever it was, it had had a dramatic effect on God's people.

Just look at the way it impacted their emotions.

This great big rescue resulted in laughter and singing and joy.

There was celebration.

Their chains fell off.

Their hearts were free.

They had lived with huge burdens on their backs.

But now those burdens had been lifted.

They felt 10 feet tall.

They were so happy that they thought their hearts would explode.

One of the things I've loved about being at IPC is saying a creed together each week.

I've got a really good friend who used to go to a church that said the Apostles' Creed at each service.

And my friend said there was one line in the creed that used to make his heart skip a beat.

He said there was one line in the creed that used to make his heart skip a beat.

I believe in the forgiveness of sins.

He told me that when he said that every single week with brothers and sisters, it made him want to punch the air.

It reminded him that God was gracious.

That however much he'd slipped or stumbled over the past seven days, his guilt had been atoned for.

I believe in the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus had died for him.

And it filled him with joy.

God's people often feel like that.

They know what it's like to feel huge relief at his rescue.

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven.

That is why they sing.

God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness, says Paul.

And brought us into the kingdom of the son he loves.

In whom we have redemption.

The forgiveness of sins.

So many of the stories that we love have echoes of this great redemption.

Think of Jean Valjean in Les Mis.

Or Andy the Frame in the Shawshank Redemption.

The reason we love those films is because rescue like that is good and true and beautiful.

To see somebody experience deliverance is one of the most wonderful things in the world.

When miners escape.

When hostages are freed.

When children are pulled from the rubble.

When you see that.

When you experience that.

You want to share it with others.

You tweet.

You text.

You talk about it.

And it's the same with this psalm.

The restoration.

The rescue.

Of God's people was not.

Some kind of private event.

No.

It was a public rescue.

Do you see that in verse 2?

Then they said among the nations.

The Lord has done great things for them.

People were looking on.

The Lord has done great things for them.

The Lord has done great things for us.

We are glad.

See it wasn't enough.

For Israel to experience this rescue on their own.

It had a Christmas feel.

Good news.

Of great joy for all people.

See tonight.

Christians.

We are people who celebrate.

What God has done.

Christians are not afraid of emotion.

Sometimes we think the Christian life is just about thinking.

But feelings matter too.

God wants to win the hearts and minds of his people.

Now this is not to say that we all need to become extroverts.

Or South Americans.

Carlos and Clara here.

I don't know if I see them.

But stuffy.

Buttoned up religion.

Is a million miles away.

From the Christianity of the New Testament.

The journalist.

H.L. Mencken.

Once said.

There was.

A kind of.

Super.

Uber.

Religious person.

Whose greatest.

I love this.

Whose greatest.

Most haunting fear.

Was that someone.

Somewhere was enjoying themselves.

It can never be so with us.

We have.

A father.

Who sprints.

After prodigals.

A father.

Who kills.

The fattened calf.

Puts a ring on her finger.

A cloak.

Around her neck.

And says.

Let's have a party.

Christians.

Christians.

Are joyful.

Attractive people.

They love.

To remember.

God's rescue.

They know.

From personal experience.

That Jesus.

Their savior.

Has been.

Very.

Very.

Kind.

To them.

They have a kind of.

I can hardly believe.

I'm a Christian.

Attitude.

They're stunned.

That Jesus.

Would love them.

And give himself.

In their place.

And can it be.

That I should gain.

An interest.

In the savior's blood.

Died he for me.

Who caused his pain.

For me.

Who him to death pursued.

Amazing love.

How can it be.

That thou my God.

Should die for me.

See.

It's so easy.

To forget.

So easy.

To become.

Negative.

So easy.

To become cynical.

Just slowly.

Over time.

What has happened.

To all your joy.

Paul asked.

The religious Galatians.

So easy.

To lose.

Maybe tonight.

You're someone.

Who's.

Just got used.

To disappointment.

Who's been let down.

So many times.

That you think.

Somehow.

Life with God.

Is going to turn out.

The same.

Maybe you've been beaten up.

By painful circumstances.

Is your heart shrinking.

Have you forgotten.

That the Bible ends.

With the ultimate.

Happily ever after.

A day of such glory.

And wonder.

That it will be almost impossible.

To take in.

To sin.

Christians are people with more reason to laugh and sing

than anyone else in the world

they glory in God's rescue

they love him for his cross

joy is the serious business of heaven

said Lewis

joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian

said Chesterton

joy in God

joy in his goodness

and faithfulness

and love

the rescue Christians celebrate

secondly the renewal

Christians crave

the renewal

Christians crave

verses 4 to 6

as I was preparing this sermon

there was one phrase from Abraham Lincoln's

Gettysburg address

that I couldn't get out of my head

can you tell I'm training as a history teacher

what a geek

address is one of the most revered speeches of all time

America which had been conceived in liberty

was engaged in a great civil war

the nation was in danger of the nation

and Lincoln said that what was needed was a new birth of freedom

the psalmist knew that feeling

look at his cry in verse 4

restore our fortunes

oh lord

one translation puts it like this

and now God do it again

bring rain

to our drought stricken lives

see the psalmist

see the psalmist knew

what it was like

to long

for God's renewal

even after he had experienced

God's rescue

he was a real believer

he had so much

to give thanks for

but there was still

this tension in his life

and he prays

he asks God

to restore

the fortunes

of his people

isn't it just so true

to life

so true

to real Christian experience

great moments

of deliverance

are so often followed

by times of

great difficulty

even after God has

taken us out of the pit

and put a new song

in our mouth

well there can still be

problems to face

as we move forward

even when my sins

have been forgiven

and my citizenship

is in heaven

life can still be hard

this was true

after the return

from exile

God's people

came back to the land

but the book of Haggai

if you read it

it makes it clear

that there was still

real apathy

and indifference

amongst the Israelites

for a considerable

amount of time

life with God

well it seemed

extremely low key

and every new

Christian

experiences this

after the honeymoon

period

they quickly discover

that their new

relationship with Jesus

doesn't keep them

from the troubles

of living

in a broken world

they haven't been

teleported

to the new creation

they still live with

the fallout

from the fall

there can be much

that makes them feel

very weak

and tearful

and fearful

life can feel

more like a desert

than a garden

they start to long

for renewal

in their life

and in the life

of God's people

this longing

for renewal

is one of the

hallmarks

of genuine faith

one of the signs

that we are converted

is that we start

to care

about the fortunes

of Zion

in bible language

Zion is

simply shorthand

for the people

of God

and after we trust

in Jesus

the state

of his church

it starts

to become

important to us

we find ourselves

praying about things

we would never

have prayed about

before

we don't just

want restoration

for ourselves

no we long

for the restoration

of God's people

the psalmist

gives us

two pictures

to show us

what this

restoration

this renewal

looks like

streams in a desert

and sheaves

at a harvest

streams in a desert

and sheaves

at a harvest

the commentators

point out

that one of these

things is quick

but the other

is slow

the Negev

which is mentioned

in verse 4

was a huge

desert

with ditches

cut into the

ground

for most of the

year the soil

was baked

by the sun

but a sudden

rain

could make it

teem with life

almost overnight

and sometimes

God works

like that

his renewal

comes suddenly

in a way that

kind of takes

our breath away

think of

some of the

great revivals

in church history

or maybe

seasons of growth

in your own

Christian life

maybe a camp

or a move

or a new

beginning

that just

opens you up

to God

in a fresh

way

God

often

works

like that

but it's

not

the only

way

is it

do you see

the second

illustration

the psalmist

says

that renewal

also comes

like a

harvest

what is

rule

101

with the

harvest

it takes

time

psalmist

says

something

very moving

about it

he says

the people

who reap

are the

people who

weep

verse 5

those who

sow in tears

shall reap

with shouts

of joy

he who goes

out weeping

bearing the

seed for

sowing

shall come

home with

joy

bringing his

sheaves

with him

it's a

beautiful

picture

isn't it

the psalmist

knows

that joy

and tears

go side

by side

in the

life of

faith

they're

friends

they're

twins

in the

life of

believers

the psalmist

knows

there are

plenty

reasons

in this

world

for

Christians

to cry

isn't that

right

we are

not

immune

from sorrow

we cry

when we

suffer

we cry

when we

sin

we cry

when we're

sick

Christians

cry

when relationships

break down

they cry

for loved ones

who don't

know the

Lord

they cry

when longed

for children

die

and God

knows

and sees

and understands

it all

elsewhere

in the

psalms

we're told

that he

stores

all our

tears

in a

bottle

that every

single one

of them

is precious

to him

like

perfume

that may

be all

you need

to hear

tonight

there are

so many

times when

our Christian

service feels

weak and

small

we feel

like we're

sowing

tears

sometimes

we wonder

if we've

ever achieved

anything at

all

for Jesus

do you ever

feel like

that

I think

being a

Christian in

Britain today

is to live

in a day

of small

things

and slow

progress

so think

of a

Christian

faithfully

attending

a church

meeting

after a

long

draining

day

at work

think of

a parent

pointing

their

children

to

Jesus

and

saying

a

simple

prayer

before

bedtime

think

of a

Christian

reaching

out to

a

colleague

at

work

who's

going

through

a

hard

time

the

card

sent

to

encourage

a

friend

the

arm

on

the

shoulder

the

verse

sent

by

text

hundreds

of

small

seemingly

insignificant

moments

but

all

of

them

part

of

the

sowing

that

comes

before

an

incredible

harvest

see the

imagery at

the end

is so

joyful

isn't it

it's all

here to

say

none

of your

Christian

service

is ever

in vain

none

of it

there

will be

a harvest

and

God

never

wastes

pain

each

strand

of sorrow

has a

place

within

his

tapestry

of

grace

some

of the

most

joyful

people

I know

are

people

who

have

endured

incredible

suffering

when I

read

this

psalm

I

thought

of

Naomi

and I

thought

of

Job

both

of them

experienced

God's

renewal

didn't

they

after

times

of

great

hardship

and

then I

thought

of

two

other

people

two

living

examples

of

psalm

126

one

is a

woman

from the

church

that I

grew up

in

on

the

isle

of

sky

the

phrase

a

breath

of

fresh

air

was

invented

for

her

she

was

one

of

those

people

that

you

heard

before

you

saw

and

her

English

accent

and

infectious

laugh

echoed

round

the

church

building

every

week

we

love

to go

to her

big

old

falling

down

rambling

house

for

Sunday

lunch

when I

saw her

recently

she was

exactly

the

same

hair

that

was

blonde

is

now

grey

but

she

still

has

an

incredible

smile

she

has

endured

a lot

her

husband

and

two

of

her

grown

up

children

some

of

the

healthiest

outdoor

loving

people

you

could

ever

imagine

are

now

living

with

a

debilitating

genetic

disease

their

muscles

just

wasting

away

life

is

very

hard

but

she

is

still

full

of

joy

still

encouraging

others

still

active

in her

church

still

looking

to the

future

the

other

is the

man

who

led

camps

I

attended

as

a

teenager

his

daughter

a

student

at

Aberdeen

University

went

missing

in

India

over

30

years

ago

and

she

has

never

been

found

it

is

almost

impossible

to

try

and

imagine

suffering

like

that

it

would

be

no

surprise

if

he

had

become

consumed

with

bitterness

but

he's

not

he has

eyes

that

have

shed

many

tears

but

they

still

twinkle

with

joy

as

someone

said

to me

recently

love

just

shines

out

of

him

that's

what I

want to

be like

when I

grow up

don't

you

young

people

children

let me

tell you

a secret

I've

not been

here

long

but I

know

that this

church

is full

of people

like that

people who

have kept

going as

Christians

despite

lots of

suffering

people who

have kept

following

Jesus

after big

changes

or illness

or after

someone they

love very

much

died

people like

that

people like

that are

my heroes

and I

hope they'll

be your

heroes

too

you see

they are

people who

wait

for God's

harvest

suffering

has woken

them up

to the

fact that

they are

pilgrims

it's helped

them see

what really

matters in

life

they're

people who

long for

God's

renewal

they know

that God's

great day

of future

joy will

make up

for all

the

disappointments

of this

age

and while

they wait

while they

wait

they take

great comfort

from

the fact

that

Jesus

was a

man of

sorrows

you see

the path

laid out

in Psalm

126

is a

path

that

Jesus

walked

joy

and

pain

suffering

and glory

these

are the

realities

that

Jesus

has

tasted

!

God

said

that

Jesus

the

cross

as he

went to

Calvary

as he

carried

our

sins

on his

shoulders

Jesus

knew he

was redeeming

men and

women

boys and

girls

a great

multitude

that no

one can

count

for God

the thought

of that

harvest

which you

are a part

of if you

are a

Christian

tonight

the thought

of that

harvest

filled his

heart

with joy

he plunged

right in

to a

world of

sin

and sorrow

he wept

and suffered

and bled

and died

to bring

many

sons

to glory

one day

we will

see his

scars

one day

we will

see his

face

the kindest

face

we have

ever seen

and we

will laugh

and cry

and dance

and sing

Amen