Getting high on God

Scripture Ephesians 5:15-20  (CEB)

15 So be careful to live your life wisely, not foolishly. 16 Take advantage of every opportunity because these are evil times. 17 Because of this, don’t be ignorant, but understand the Lord’s will. 18 Don’t get drunk on wine, which produces depravity. Instead, be filled with the Spirit in the following ways: 19 speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your hearts; 20 always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

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You know, I  think, that I select the scripture reading and sermon title and the hymn that follows the sermon two in advance.   And sometimes I find something that works for the art then, and sometimes it waits until the week I will be preaching.  This week when I plugged in the words “Getting high on God” and found lots of pics of Rostafarians and hippies smoking giant joints, I realized that my title could perhaps be misunderstood.  After all, Google has no way of knowing that I titled it this way because my focus is on verses 18 and 19, “be filled with the Spirit in the following ways: 19 speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your hearts.”    

This congregation is filled with musical talents.  I mean, most  Disciples congregations do music pretty well.  It’s been said that when members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) get together we do two things really well - food and music.  But this congregation in particular is filled with musically gifted people, so when we  have special music, it really is special.  We have the Raisin Tooters and the Pentecost Band, an exceptional choir, and visiting performers who are professionals in their fields.  And every week we have greatly talented musicians moving us with their skill on organ and piano.   When we worship every Sunday, our combined voices soar to God like incense on the breeze.  And I don’t know about you, but every time we sing certain songs, my heart is so filled that joy runs down my cheeks in the shape of tears.   

Not everyone is a wonderful singer.  I have been in congregations where people actually cringe when the choir stands to sing because of that one person who sings lustily and off key every time.  And they all turn to each other and say, “God only requires that we make a joyful noise.  And she certainly is joyful when she sings.”   

All of creation makes joyful noise to our God.  Birds sing their hearts out for the sheer joy of singing.  And some sound so lovely - the melodic songs of the lark and the nightingale, the sweet coo of the dove, even the twitter of sparrows can make us smile.   There are others, however, like the crow and the jay, who voices are not as pleasing to our ears, but whose full throated song rises joyfully to please God.

Paul says, . . . “be careful to live your life wisely, not foolishly.  Take advantage of every opportunity because these are evil times.”  And indeed, these are evil times.  That, however, can be said of pretty much all times throughout history.  Every time has its own particular evils that rise to gain our attention.   Paul knew that, because he had studied the history of his own people - the stories we call the Old Testament.  War and famine, enslavement and oppression have plagued humanity from forever.  As Paul’s congregations looked around at all of that, and the persecution they faced, it would have been easy for them to fall prey to depression and apathy.  “There’s nothing we can do, so we may as well just give up.”  We are in the same boat in many ways.  It seems like there is so much going on in the world that is hard to accept.  So much hunger.  So much anger.  It would be easy to give up trying to make a difference.  It would be easy to give in to feelings of despair.   But Paul says “Because of this, don’t be ignorant, but understand the Lord’s will.”  And the Lord’s will is that we transform the world into God’s kingdom on earth, a place where love and mercy are paramount, and justice flows like a river.

How do we do that?  How do we transform ourselves, and the world?  Paul says, be grateful.  “always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  When we look for the good in every thing, when we become grateful for all the things that come into our lives, we are transformed.  It is easy to be like Eeyore, finding the negative in situations. Eeyore says,  “Poor me.  My tail has fallen off.”  But if Eeyore were to say, “Happy me!  I have friends who help me find my tail and put it back on” he would be a totally different person.  Likewise, we must seek the good in situations.  There will be terrible things that happen, and sometimes there is no good to be found in those situations.  But mostly, there is.  And seeking what is positive instead of embracing the negative will change our entire outlook.  

That is the difference between Psalm 137 and so many of the others.  Psalm 137 says: 

By the rivers of Babylon—

    there we sat down and there we wept

    when we remembered Zion. . . 

How could we sing the Lord’s song

    in a foreign land? . . .

O daughter Babylon, you devastator!

  Happy shall they be who pay you back

    what you have done to us!

Happy shall they be who take your little ones

    and dash them against the rock!

The people in exile in Babylon were angry and unhappy, and that is totally understandable.  But if they were to transform their world, they would need to transform their attitude.  Instead of this song, they would sing psalm 100:

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.

    Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come into his presence with singing.

Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he that made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Paul says to the people of Ephesus, sing!  Even in the midst of evil, even in the midst of oppression, even in the midst of terrible persecution. Sing!   “speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your hearts.”   

Paul says to us, be filled with the Spirit! Give thanks and praise to God all the time, even in terrible situations.  Maybe you know Pastor Joe Alvarez, of the Iglesia Antioquia (Church of Antioch), the Spanish congregation at Valley Life Community Church.  He never enters a room or situation without proclaiming loudly, “Praise the living God!”  Even when he is terrible pain.  Even when things are not going well in his personal life.  Even when we are facing difficulties in our city.  Always, Pastor Joe will say “Praise the living God!”   And I admire him for that.    I can’t do that out loud, like he does.  I’m quieter than that. Even when I am feeling very Spirit filled, I am quieter than that.  But it’s the feeling, and the sharing of that gratitude and praise that is important.  

Paul says Sing!  

In the midst of a divided nation, sing.  

In the midst of anger over every single thing, sing!  

In the midst of fear about the future, sing!  

Let the Spirit fill your heart!   

Make a joyful noise.  

Lift up your heart and soul and all of your being! 

It is totally counter intuitive.  It makes no sense whatsoever.  But it is what we are called to do.  Give thanks to God for every thing, in Jesus name.  Speak to each other in the words of psalms, in songs and hymns.  Sing!

Amen.