The following is a short sermon preached (with the help of an interpreter) at Ascension Baptist Church, Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, September 24, 2006. I was invited and accompanied to the the church by one of my students at Moscow Theological Seminary. The congregation of 60 to 70 people meets in a Soviet-era community hall in the midst of an enormous high-rise apartment complex. The hall which serves or has served many purposes (theater, nightclub, dance hall, et al) has dark walls, no windows, and not much maintenance. Nevertheless, it is home on Sunday for several hours to a vital congregation, many of whose members are young. The occasion of my visit was Harvest Sunday. At the center of worship was a large array of garden produce, a true cornucopia, evidence of an abundant growing season and hard work by the gardeners. Following worship a grand feast topped off the occasion. I am grateful to Pastor Alexander Tsyrulnikov, a former student of mine and now a professor at Moscow Theological Seminary, for his gracious invitation.
Text: Psalm 136 (Russian 135)
“O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endures forever.”
Brothers and sisters: grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (spoken in Russian — rather poorly — by me)
My Russian is very poor, but I greet you from my heart and bless you from the Baptist brothers and sisters in my home state of Michigan in the USA. I was very happy to accept Pastor Alexanderââ¬â¢s invitation to come to your church. I first met him 6 or 8 years ago when he was my student at Moscow Theological Seminary. Now he is a professor there. It makes my heart glad to see him again.
Today, I am told, you are observing a day of Thanksgiving. You are celebrating the season of harvest. One of my favorite Psalms begins with these words, ââ¬ÅO give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good. His mercy endures forever.ââ¬Â As we heard this Psalm when it was read a few moments ago, every line in the Psalms ends with the same words: øñþ òþòõú üøûþÃÂÃâÃÅ Ãâ¢Ã³Ã¾ — his mercy lasts forever. This repetition is meant to impress something upon us and to write its truth in our hearts.
First, our God is a God of mercy. He shows his mercy in many ways. His mercy is displayed in the beauty and glory of all creation. He alone does great wonders and has given us sunlight and moonlight to shine in the beautiful world which he made. I am so very happy to be in Russia at this time of year. I have made three previous visits to Moscow, but they were all in very cold weather: February, March, April, the first few days of May. This time I am seeing Moscow at the best time of year. Godââ¬â¢s mercy shows in the blue sky, in the flowers, and in the clear air.
Our God of mercy has made a good world for us to use and to enjoy. His mercy lasts forever.
Our good and merciful God is also the God of history. He shows his mercy in the events of history. The composer of this Psalm gives a quick history of Godââ¬â¢s activity for his people: their deliverance from evil, from Pharoahââ¬â¢s rule, from their slavery in Egypt. God led them through the wilderness, who defeated their enemies, and gave them their land. At each step along the way, his mercy lasts forever.
The God of goodness and mercy still rules over history. It is sometimes hard to believe it when the world seems so ready to destroy everything good; when so many people seem so ready to abuse Godââ¬â¢s gifts and use them for evil purposes. But God still rules over history and works in it. His work is often invisible to us and mysterious. Many times we can talk about it only after it has happened. It is not easy when we are in the middle of trouble to say øñþ òþòõú üøûþÃÂÃâÃÅ Ãâ¢Ã³Ã¾, his mercy lasts forever. When we are suffering, when we are hungry, when we have no work, when our hearts are very heavy with sorrows, how can we say he is merciful? Godââ¬â¢s mercy is often hidden from us. Only later can we see how he has blessed us. Especially in difficult times we need to repeat those words: øñþ òþòõú üøûþÃÂÃâÃÅ Ãâ¢Ã³Ã¾. These few words remind us of mercy — it really is Godââ¬â¢s goodness and kindness — and that it never passes away. It lasts forever. God will bring all of history to fulfillment in his time. There will be a moment when every knee will bow and every tongue confesss that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of the Father. His mercy lasts forever.
Our good and merciful God shows his mercy not only on the grand scale of creation and history. He also shows his mercy to us in our personal lives. Notice what the Psalmist said (verse 23): ââ¬ÅIt is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast loves endures forever.ââ¬Â He rescued us; he provides for us. The great God of creation, the ruler of history, also cares for each of us. He sent his Son, through whom he created all things. He sends his Son, who upholds all things, to live as one of us. Into the world which God created, to the people who dwell in this good world, God sent his Son, to live within history, to live as a fully human person. We have the Psalmistââ¬â¢s word that God is good and merciful. We have even greater evidence of that goodness and mercy in the person of Jesus. He extends goodness and mercy to all. ââ¬ÅWhile we were still sinners,ââ¬Â St. Paul wrote, ââ¬ÅChrist died for us.ââ¬Â
And Jesus died and rose again. He is the Risen Messiah, Lord over creation, Lord of the whole universe. øñþ òþòõú üøûþÃÂÃâÃÅ Ãâ¢Ã³Ã¾.
We have many things for which to thank God. At this time of year we think of the fruit and the vegetables which we enjoy so much. We are so thankful for all these good things which God has provided. We are also thankful that his mercy lasts forever, and that his mercy extends to all that he has done, all that he is doing; and all that he will do yet.
O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, for his mercy lasts forever.
Amen.