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Hear the devotional here: https://anchor.fm/eradio-valverde/episodes/There-We-Sat-Down-and-Wept-e1oj1hg
1 By the rivers of Babylon— there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion. 2 On the willows there we hung up our harps. 3 For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" 4 How could we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land? 5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither! 6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy. 7 Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem's fall, how they said, "Tear it down! Tear it down! Down to its foundations!" 8 O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us! 9 Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock! (Psalm 137 New Revised Standard Version Bible)
This coming Sunday is a very important one. All Sundays are important, but this coming Sunday is World Communion Sunday, when all Christian churches celebrate their connectedness in having Communion as a symbol of He Who unites us through this celebration of His having given us His body and blood to give us life. May we celebrate Jesus this Sunday and all days! Let me again celebrate the good news we have heard from the report given to our pastor, Pastor Matt Pennington in that a year after his cancer surgery, he was found to be cancer-free! Praise be to God! Also, our granddaughter, Eliana Garcia, is not facing surgery of her tonsils, but instead is sick with the flu. May God heal her and make her feel better. I write this on Thursday and earlier today we were on an errand to San Antonio and while in the shopping area Nellie was thinking about her and she got a text from her. We both texted Eliana and she said she's still a bit nauseous and has a bit of a sore throat. We pray for her complete healing.
The texts that we have studied thus far this week all call us to a deeper faith in Christ Jesus; and this psalm recalls the days of defeat when the people of God found themselves away from israel and on the banks of a foreign river. The psalm is an honest one and show the despair and anguish that comes when we let our faith slip away and we find ourselves alienated from God.
The psalmist remembers being away from the land of the Jordan River. Many people identify with geography of their areas. Last week we were in and around the Rocky Mountains, and while there are few areas as beautiful as those areas, it's not "our" area. I'm more of a mesquite tree and cactus guy than aspens and evergreens; don't get me wrong, I love all trees, but mesquite is more my tree. And when it comes to Rivers, "mine" are the Rio Grande, the Nueces, Guadalupe, San Marcos, Brazos. For the Jew it was the Jordan. But to be told to sit on the banks of the rivers of Babylon was a sure sign of defeat. So, to read "there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion." They hung up their harps there and to make their situation even worse, they were told to sing songs of Zion, or songs from home. The question is, "How could we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?" Sadness at the realization that it was the lack of singing and praising God that led to this time of captivity; and now, as captives, it is sad to sing praises to God. Then, the self-degradation begins; may my right hand wither if I ever forget you, O Jerusalem. Also, may my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I cannot remember you, O my home land. Then his anger towards those who defeated him and captured him; "Happy shall they be who pay you back for what you did to us!" And then the verse that has tormented many a student and seminary professor, "Happy shall they be who take your little ones (babies) and dash them against the rock!" Ouch. I remind us, the Bible is an honest book and doesn't pull any punches nor tries to present anyone as being perfect. Here is anger in full display; but it simply shows how many humans might react in the same situation.
World Communion Sunday should remind us that we are people of shared faith. It should also remind us that the world gets smaller each time we realize that we are here, or should be, here for each other. At the Communion Table we are not asked to identify ourselves as being of this nation or the other. We are not asked if we are citizens of the country in which the table finds itself. We are all sinners in need of God's grace gathered around a table where life is being offered. A dear pastor friend, now in Glory, told me once about how his church celebrated WCSunday there in Mission. After all his church was served, a Russian soldier showed up as he asked if everyone had been served. "NO!' shouted the solider, "I haven't!" The soldier was invited to come to the table and have Communion. Again the pastor asked if everyone had been served. "NO!" came a woman from Africa, then a man from China, then children from South America. It all served to remind the church we have a lot of work to do to reach the world for Jesus.
PRAYER: Loving God of all people, may our hearts increase with love as we think about brothers and sisters we've not met; but help our hearts burst with joy and love when we meet them. We praise You and thank You for the positive reports we have heard from those in need, like Pastor Matt, Eliana, and others. Bring healing and peace to all in need. We love You, Lord, and we pray in faith and in the name of Jesus our Lord and Savior, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Seek out new brothers and sisters and share love with them in wonderful ways!
Receive my blessings of joy and hope,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
