by Rev. Dr. Noriel C. Capulong
Scripture Text: Psalm 97:1-12 Hebrew 11: 1-3
Good morning! I
want to make use of one very central proclamation in the book of Psalms as the
primary subject of our reflection this morning. The Lord reigns! In other
translations, such as NRSV the passage is rendered as “The Lord is king!” But
the translation of the RSV and even the NIV I think captures more accurately
the active, dynamic sense that is being conveyed by this verse. We may be
acknowledging that God our Lord is king, but that could be all there is to it.
It’s just the title that is ascribed to him. It really does not convey anything
dynamic about being king aside from the image of an old man simply sitting on
the throne with a scepter on his hand. That’s all.
The translation,
“The Lord reigns” however conveys an image not of someone sitting on a throne
with a scepter. But the image of a person
who is actively involved in the
life of his people and so busy doing things and leading his people in the right
pathways to tread in life. The kingship
of God is not about one who sits on the throne of power but it is about one who
actively reigns and keeping busy in ensuring the foundations of his throne
which is justice and righteousness.
With the
foundations of his throne built on justice and righteousness, there is indeed so
much reason for the whole earth to rejoice along with all the coastlands. In
fact, the rest of creation, the mountains, the earth and the heavens itself
proclaim such righteousness from where also emanates his glory and majesty. This
highly metaphorical description of the involvement of various elements in
creation may be the psalmist’s way of affirming the theme that we just had in
the university FD celebration, that is faith in God’s omnipotence, his
absolute, unqualified sovereignty as the Lord who reigns over all creation. God
has been manifesting God’s grace and glory throughout the years that we have
been living through the challenges of these days.
This is something
very important for us to really reflect on these days. In truth, the foundation
of the Lord’s throne is built not on the attributes of power and might and
dominance, not on the attributes of authority and privileges but mainly on the
qualities of ethical, righteous and just conduct. The Lord’s reign is power devoted
to righteousness and justice. And righteousness is that rightness of conduct in
accordance with the will of the One who reigns in justice and righteousness,
conduct that makes for life, what makes for healing, for loving relations and
what makes for shalom. And justice is found in decisions and actions done
according to the dictates of such righteousness.
Aside from the
Psalms, when you also review the proclamations of the prophets you will see
their emphasis on these two qualities of justice and righteousness as qualities
that belong essentially to the Lord’s reign. Their very presence defines the
quality and basic nature of the Lord’s reign in any part of God’s creation.
Our modern times however
may be described as days characterized mainly by a growing sense of loss of
moral compass, loss of the sense of what is just and what is right, loss of
ethical sensitivity among those who lead us especially in these days of the
crisis of the covid pandemic, when righteousness seems largely set aside for the
sake of convenience and profit and when justice is reserved mainly for those
who have power and riches to pay for it while ignoring the cries of the weak
and the powerless. These are times when
the reign of God has become seemingly faint if not disappeared.
It seems some
other power have gotten hold of our lives and our world and has begun to reign
in the lives of so many who have forgotten who in fact is the real king of this
universe. We have largely forgotten these days that there is a God who is alive,
actively working, whose dynamic presence and will remain decisive and most
defining in the life and history of this world. But so many people have
forgotten and have ignored this truth. And so, we have practically been facing
now a world that has steadily slipped into the spirit of secularism which has
become the new idol of these days. This is the idol of those who have
forgotten what really matters, and what really has far greater value in this
life, but instead they have been deluded and lured by the temptations of temporary
power, wealth, influence, privileges and various perks and positions to enjoy
with all kinds of possessions to acquire.
Some time ago in
the 19th century, some philosophers like Friedrich Nietzsche have observed
the implications of the so called Enlightenment and the rise and triumph of
scientific rationalism. They noted that this has began that tendency to
dispense, or do away with the need to believe in a God who remained involved in
charting the destiny and the affairs of this world. We learned that the whole universe is
actually governed by a set of natural laws and not by divine sovereign rule.
In the midst of
scientific advancement and the corresponding material progress, the further
rise in the educational attainment of people, it became possible for people to stop believing in a divinely
ordained moral order. They began to think that God, religion and faith no longer had
any urgency for them to take seriously. They can live life, succeed and be
happy without considering the place of God in their life. It became possible for people to think that there is actually no
God at all who reigns supreme governing the whole universe. This gave rise to
the so called Death of God theology and the rise of atheism.
I
have a friend who, from being a pastor became an ardent atheist. I have another
friend in the US who have sent me books on atheism. The emergence of this
philosophy and movement gave rise not only to the rejection of a belief in the
cosmic or physical order under a God who reigns but also to a rejection of
absolute values themselves – to the rejection of belief in an objective and universal moral law, binding upon all individuals, the
loss of a sense of accountability to a higher power.
In
this manner, the loss of an absolute basis for morality, to decide on what
is right, what is wrong, leads to nihilism, the rejection of all moral and
religious principles in the belief that life no longer has any meaning at all.
So instead of proclaiming that
the Lord reigns some people would declare: God is dead, especially in
times like these. The question of the meaningfulness of life remains
foremost in the face of so deadly and life threatening pandemic crisis we are
all in. In the face of this pandemic crisis that has brought death and
suffering to millions all over the world already, the question of God and of
faith has reemerged and remains ever more resonant. The search for God and how
he is reigning and ruling the universe in a time like these has been rekindled
by this crisis.
But still, in this
fast modernizing times we are in, the idols of secularism, materialism, pragmatism
and rabid individualism have remained alive and thriving! They have even
widened the gap between the few rich and the countless poor in the country even
in a time of an unprecedented health and economic crisis. In the midst of our rekindling of the
questions about God and faith, still there are these idols that are taking the
place of the God who reigns. Still, they continue to attract the vulnerable,
the gullible and the weak in their faith foundations.
These are further
substantiated these days, when church attendance remains hampered because of
the pandemic even while political conventions by those vying for power and
positions are easily allowed, when going to the mall has become more attractive
than going to church, when achieving personal, individual success has taken
away our need to care for the suffering and be involved in movements for
meaningful changes and reforms, when legitimate voices of protest are silenced,
when those pursuing justice are labeled more as trouble makers, when those in
power seem to be confused on what is the righteous thing to do, when the
concern for power preservation remains paramount while the plight of the
suffering poor remains ignored and the life of the innocent continues to be
sacrificed without due process at the altar of expediency ostensibly as part of
the anti crime, anti drug campaign, or when massive corruption in the
institutions of government, society and church intensifies in a time like this.
It is when we see these signs taking
place that we can still raise that question if God is still reigning as Lord or
if indeed God has become dead or simply has become unnecessary already in this
age.
As among those
preparing to become preachers and teachers of the word of God and witness to
the gospel that sets us free, it becomes incumbent upon you all to consider
with all seriousness the gravity as well as sacredness and uniqueness of the
task that is being laid upon your shoulders the moment you accept the call to
be a minister. You are going to be pastors, ministers in a society and in an
age of growing secularization and rising materialism and increasing pragmatism
when concerns for economic security becomes more important than concerns for a
more secure relationship with God, when matters about God, faith and the church
now have to give way to matters of cash flow, marketability, bank accounts,
acquiring positions, and securing possessions.
Even then, we come
to realize that our best knowledge, our best technology cannot provide the
ultimate answer to what we are seeking now- healing not just from the sickness
of the body but of the spirit, healing with meaning, the one that restores our
sense of what is right and what is wrong,
the one that revives hope for the future.
You need to be
more than assertive in proclaiming and reproclaiming the truth of the
continuing reign of God in our lives and in our society and in our world even
when events seem to point otherwise. This is where matters of faith have to be
re asserted in all our proclamations and teaching, that in spite of what is
happening around us, still, we stubbornly believe, as declared in our
UCCP Statement of Faith, that God remains
at work to make each person a new being in Christ and the whole world God’s
kingdom in which love, justice and peace prevail. That God’s reign is present,
where faith in Jesus Christ is shared, where healing is given to the sick,
where food is given to the hungry, where light is given to the blind, and where
liberty is given to the captive and oppressed.
This is what we
believe as a church, in season or out of season, in times of pandemic or in
times of healing for everyone. For faith as declared in Hebrews 11:1 is still,
the assurance of things we hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Yes, even if we do not yet see the signs that
will point to the resolution of all these crises around us, even if it may seem
that God does not appear to be doing anything at all, still we believe, and we
proclaim with conviction this belief, that God remains at work, busily at work,
towards the total renewal and transformation of our world. To that end we still
proclaim with much vigor and rejoice with much celebration for the Lord our
God, still reigns as a defining presence in this world, truly the king who
hates evil and punishes the evil ones and rules actively with justice and
righteousness over His whole creation. Amen.
(Sermon delivered during the Wednesday Chapel Service held September 15, 2021 via ZOOM and Facebook Live)
Comments
Post a Comment