Psalm 118
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost - 22 October 2017
Rev. John Derme
What is your favorite portion of Scripture? Is there any portion that is so important to you that you would never trade it for anything in the world? Our Psalm of the Day, Psalm 118, was so special to Martin Luther that he said he would be unwilling to trade it for any amount of wealth, honor, or power. This psalm was so important to him that he called it his own. That doesn't mean that you and I can't enjoy it, as well. Luther wished that more people would take Scripture to be their own. Yet he said that more often people neglect Scripture, thinking that they have already mastered it.
Psalm 118 is important for a number of reasons. This psalm was first and foremost a prophecy of the Messiah's humiliation and exaltation, written long before Jesus' earthly ministry, but describing his experience in his suffering, death, and resurrection. This psalm is also a fitting confession of faith for every Christian. The Messiah cried out in the midst of his suffering. Christians also cry out for the Lord to deliver them from suffering. The Messiah proclaimed what the Lord has done for him. Christians proclaim what the Lord has done for us.
Psalm 118: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Let Israel say: “His love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say: “His love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say: “His love endures forever.” In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes. All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off. They surrounded me on every side, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off. They swarmed around me like bees, but they died out as quickly as burning thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off. I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!” I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O Lord, save us; O Lord, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Jesus has done mighty things for us with his suffering, death, and resurrection. But how do we receive the benefits of what he has done? The Word and the sacraments bring the benefits of Jesus' work to his people. This was true of the gospel message already during the Old Testament. Even before his ministry, people were saved through faith in the coming Messiah. The same message brings his blessings forward in time to us.
Unfortunately, God's people haven't always been faithful with the gospel. The Old Testament leaders of God's people were often unfaithful when they rejected his messengers. The leaders of God's people at Jesus' time were unfaithful when they rejected and killed him. He is the stone the builders rejected. The Lord does not stand idle when his servants are unfaithful to him. We heard the warning in the Gospel reading that the Lord would take his gospel away from unfaithful leaders and bring them to a wretched end.
We must never be unfaithful leaders, who fail to teach his Word and administer his sacraments. What more wretched end could there be than for us to lose the gospel that he has given to us? For many people, the worst part of suffering in hell will be that they realize they had the gospel and were not faithful to it. We must not fail to teach his Word and administer the sacraments faithfully, or God will take them away from us.
Jesus has done mighty things for us and saved us from a wretched end. Through his life, death, and resurrection, he won forgiveness for our unfaithfulness and deliverance from hell. Now he has brought us that victory and life in his Word and sacraments. Christ's death has become our death. Christ's resurrection is our resurrection. He is our cornerstone. These events would do us no good without the Word and sacraments. But through the gospel, they are ours!
When you hear God's Word, you don't just learn about Jesus. The benefits of what he accomplished actually become yours. And when the Word is attached to water in the Sacrament of Baptism, your sins are actually washed away and you are actually brought into the kingdom of God. When the Word is attached to bread and wine in the Sacrament of Communion, you are actually eating and drinking Jesus' body and blood. Your faith is actually being strengthened and Jesus is actually affirming your place in heaven.
Words on a page, water in a font, and bread and wine served from an altar look ordinary to human eyes. But this is where the Lord invests his power. Without the Word preached, without Baptism, and without Communion, we would be defeated. But with his Word and sacraments we do not need to fear anything. This is how he has saved us.
When we understand the mighty things that the Lord has done for us, how can we let go of his gospel? By his power at work in us, we must teach his Word and administer the sacraments faithfully. They are God's free gift to us. He calls us to use these gifts. What greater gift could we ever have than the Word and sacraments? This is greater than having any wealth, honor, or power in the world. Nothing makes your life better than these. What can all the money in the world do for us in comparison to that? Week after week and day after day he uses these gifts to shower his grace on us. We proclaim that gospel here in the house of the Lord, and we will proclaim it in God's house forever. We celebrate his victory here now, and we will celebrate it forever in heaven. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever.
Being heirs of the Reformation means that we teach God's Word and administer his sacraments faithfully. You and I may have our favorite portions of Scripture, but we want to be faithful with his entire gospel. The Word and sacraments are so important to us that, even though they are God's, we can call them our own. We will be faithful with them, because the Lord has done mighty things for us through his Word and sacraments.