5.27.07 Living by the Riverside
WESTMINSTER PULPIT
The Rev. Dr. Garry Cox
May 27, 2007 “Living By The Riverside” Psalm 1
This weekend we have the privilege of hearing some of the most gifted and talented musicians and singers in the country perform for us down by the Sacramento River. I want to thank Gene and his group the ‘Cats N’ Jamers’ for playing here this morning. What I’d like to talk about this morning relates to the music we have heard and the way we live our lives here by the riverside. I think there is a correlation between these wonderful tunes and our health and well being. More than the obvious feelings of joy and pleasure we get while we are listening, I am talking about what it takes to make beautiful music in our daily lives.
The Harmony of Life here in our Community
Living in the modern world we can get to the point where all we hear is the whir of our cars wheels, the ringing of the cash register and the constant barrage of phone solicitations in our homes and bad news on TV and the newspaper. This cacophony of sound is about as far from a beautiful tune and a memorable melody as we can imagine. We are faced with a complex, diverse and ever changing landscape we call life and it isn’t often beautiful music.
What I would like to suggest is that we look to God for a way to smooth out our complicated life and to help us hear the sounds of harmony and joy that is within the realm of possibility for us in our daily lives. That’s a tall order for a 12 minute sermon to handle but I would like to offer you a brief outline about how to create beautiful music in your world.
The outline centers around the primary strands of relationships we have in our lives. First of all it concerns the relationship we have with God our creator, the Lord of life. This primary relationship is the foundation of all that follows in how we create music in our lives. God teaches us that in order to experience the blessings of life or as some translators define it “happy” are those … who are meek, poor in spirit, seeking righteousness, in mourning, merciful, peacemakers, pure in heart and those who stand up for God. God seeks to create a relationship with us embodying these ways of living and offering blessedness and happiness as a result. A memorable tune and a way to make beautiful music.
I. What goes into making a Great Tune?
Before we get into the theology of our relationship with God I want to reflect on what actually makes for a great tune, beautiful music. Not being too much of a musician myself, (the only thing I can play is my radio), I went to the expert and asked Gene what he thought went into a great tune. Gene confessed that he could only relate to the way he as a musician looked at music. He said that he enjoyed music that had a fairly complex cord structure and melody; he liked something that was interesting and not too repetitive; he liked a tune that progressed and changed along the way, building interest and variety to the piece. And of course he liked the harmonies the piece presented and incorporated into the overall effect.
Well of course I couldn’t use any of that in my sermon but I enjoyed talking to him about it. Just kidding, what he was saying and what I believe about life is that life is complex and the better we can integrate the various parts of our lives together the better it will sound and the more joy there will be for our lives. It also becomes a stronger life just as a three cord rope is many times stronger than a single line. For us I believe it is the skill with which we blend and harmonize the relationships we have in our lives that will make beautiful music. I just spoke about our relationship with God described in the beatitudes, but if you look a little deeper you will see that these guidelines also help us in our other important relationships, i.e. those with other people, our relationship with our selves and our relationship with the creation and all living things.
Gene also mentioned the uniqueness and progression of the melody which makes a tune stand out and brings it to mind while we’re singing in the shower or driving home after work. Life is diverse and ever changing, every time I look at the river I am reminded how life keeps flowing along and changing. Building strong relationships with others and creation based on a deep and lasting relationship with God is the basis for a happy and blessed life. It’s not that changes won’t come, but that even in the midst of life changing events, we can be assured that our relationship with God will never be swept away, just as God does not change.
II. Living the Good Life here by the Riverside
Happy are those who are meek (not arrogant) they will see others as equals.
Eg. It’s not all about me.
Happy are those who are poor in Spirit (not self righteous) they will accept other peoples differences.
Eg. Different does not mean wrong or stupid or less than.
Happy are those who seek Gods ways, who mourn, who are merciful, (not selfish or uncaring), they will reach out to others in meaningful relationships.
Eg. See what effect doing a kindness does for your relationship with others.
And happy are the peacemakers & the pure in heart (not violent or double minded), for their relationships with all living things will be kind and gentle and open.
Eg. Working for peace heals broken relationships and heals the world.
Conclusion
Let us rejoice in the confidence that God wants what we want; happy, harmonious, dynamic lives here by the riverside and throughout the world. God can provide all that we need for these strong relationships to exist in our lives, now and forever.
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