“In Response to our Generous God” Psalm 104

            1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great. Clothed with honor and majesty, wrapped in light, God appears before us in the grandeur of creation.   13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.  Even though I grew up in the flat, coastal lands near Houston, TX,  I find mountains often speak to me of God’s creative power, of God’s faithful and generous provision, of God’s majesty and grandeur—as apparently they do for the psalmist.  My first mountain experience was at a church camp.  Our youth group traveled all the way to Glorieta, New Mexico—for a week in a totally unfamiliar yet absolutely glorious setting.  I spent all of one afternoon’s free time sitting on a rock off one of the hiking paths—just drinking in the mountain vista and singing.

            1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great. Earlier this month, members and friends of this congregation received a letter from our Mission and Stewardship Committee.  They reminded us of signs of renewed vigor in this congregation.  A group of adults is joining together, learning to play the handbells while a group of children are learning to play handchimes—both groups wanting to add their praises to God in our worship.  Children as well as adults are actively engaged in worship leadership.  Signs of renewed vigor—Sunday school classes for children, adults and youth—there is a renewed interest in and commitment to Bible study.  Hinting at exciting opportunities for serving our community in 2013, the Mission and Stewardship team invites us to make a commitment supporting our mission next year.  Their letter reminds us God calls us to be stewards—thoughtful caretakers of all that God has given us.  Our response to God—is our stewardship.

            5 You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken. . . 24 O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. . . 27 These all look to you to give them their food in due season; . . .  33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.  Out of deep gratitude, we respond to God, generous creator. Because imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,  God’s generosity stirs up a desire in us to imitate, to emulate God.  We want to be generous as well—generous in our response to God,

generous in our response to God’s creation, generous in our response to God’s creatures—including one another.     

            10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills, 11 giving drink to every wild animal; . . . 14 You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth, 15 and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart . . . 33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.  With trust, we respond to God—loving parent, faithful provider, constant nurturer.  We trust that if we are indeed listening to God’s guidance and following his plan for our lives, God will bless our efforts and continue to provide for our needs. 

            1 . . .O Lord my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty, 2 wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent, 3 you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind, 4 you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers. 5 You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken . . .  7 At your rebuke [the waters] flee; at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.. . 24 . . .  the earth is full of your creatures. . . 28 . . . when you open your hand, they are filled with good things. 33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.  With obedience, we respond to God, Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. With a long history of independence, it is counter-cultural for us Americans to be dependent or to consider ourselves subject to anyone or anything.  And yet, the Bible tells the story of God Almighty, to whom we owe everything.  We are called to be subject to God—to subordinate our wants and desires to God’s call for love and justice.  The Bible tells the story that God knows what is best for us, and when we live according to God’s commands, when we live into who God made us to be, we live full, abundant lives. So, we respond to our sovereign God with obedience. 

            Last Sunday, Hazel Gillette, chair of our Mission and Stewardship Committee, spoke about the Biblical standard of commitment—the tithe.  In the Old Testament, the tithe—one-tenth of our income—is the starting point for supporting the work of the community of faith.  In the New Testament, Jesus highlights generous giving—Zaccheus giving half of his possessions to the poor.  And in Acts, Luke records people of faith selling their property to provide for the needy in their community. Hazel talked about the ease and the difficulty in tithing.  She said, it’s easy because there is no complicated mathematical formula.  She reminded us—take our paycheck or our social security check and move the decimal point one place to the left, and that is our tithe.  It’s difficult because after we give to support God’s work in the world—after we give to meet others’ needs—we have less to for our own wants and desires.  And if our focus is on our own desires, then having less to fund them is indeed difficult.

            1 O Lord my God, you are very great. . . 13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;  Mountains often speak to me of God’s creative power, of God’s faithful and generous provision, of God’s majesty and grandeur.  At the end of September, Kevin and I spent 4 days in Estes Park, CO.  It is the site of one of our favorite family vacations. 

Early on the first sunny day there, we returned to Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.  About 15 years ago, we had hiked the 3.6 mile (round-trip) trail from Bear Lake to Emerald Lake—climbing almost 1000 feet. Somewhat older and heavier now, we wondered if we would be able to hike all the way to Emerald Lake on this visit.  We remembered the 2 other lakes along the way—Nymph Lake

 and Dream Lake—

and how we had enjoyed both the respites they offered as well as the sense of accomplishment we felt as we reached these intermediate goals so many years ago.  Stopping to rest when we were winded, drinking some water when we got thirsty, we found this hike to be less difficult and to take less time than we had remembered. 

Coming back down the trail from Emerald Lake, at Dream Lake, we noticed an alternate trail—to Lake Haiyaha—a trail we had not taken on our earlier visit. Checking our map, we saw it would be another climb of about 350 feet over about 0.8 mile one way.  We decided to give it a try. 

            Now, the 1^st part of the trail was very steep, and having already hiked up over 1.8 miles, I was tired.  We met a couple who were coming down and we asked them, “What’s the trail up ahead like?  Is the lake—once we arrive—worth this climb?”  They replied, “You’re traveling up the steepest part of the trail right now.  You have one more switchback that will climb up.  After that, the trail levels out and that gives you some respite.  It will descend some and then you’ll climb again, but not nearly as long or as steep as right now.  The lake is hidden, and if you climb over the boulders there, you’ll be surprised by its beauty.”  Hearing this encouragement—especially the part about the steep climb having an end, fairly soon—we continued.  As we rounded the switchback, we left the thick forest growth and experienced an amazing scene. 

Our eyes beheld glimpses of yellow aspens in the green mountainside, rocky peaks, a little snow at the top.  We weren’t looking in a magazine or coffee table book at a picture some professional photographer had taken.  We weren’t viewing a photo on the internet.  We were seeing—in person—God’s grandeur.  And we were experiencing it because of the commitment we had made.  We were experiencing this firsthand because we had given of ourselves—our energy, our time, our resources—we had given of ourselves to get there.  We stood at the switchback, drinking in the beauty, praising God for all of creation, and thanking God for the opportunity to pour ourselves into this hike.  We continued on.  Lake Haiyaha—our goal—was a beautiful, 

but I found the journey—huffing and puffing up the precipitous climb, carefully picking my way back down the steep trail, and looking out at the beautiful mountain vistas—to be more rewarding than reaching the goal.

Yes it cost us in time and energy, but we were so much the richer than if we had not tried.  We were rewarded, not just with glimpses, but with vistas of God’s grandeur.

            I believe giving generously is like Kevin and my lakes hike.  We set an ultimate goal—increase our giving until we are tithing or increase our giving beyond the tithe we already commit—like Kevin and I set our goal to reach Emerald Lake.  We celebrate our intermediate successes—this year we committed to increase our giving by 3% and we did it!—like Kevin and I celebrated and rested at Nymph Lake and Dream Lake.  Once we reach the goal, we remain open to other possibilities.  It was on the way back down that Kevin and I found the trail to the previously-unknown-to-us lake. 

            I believe giving generously is like our Lake Haiyaha hike.  It’s a steep climb at first—making do with what is left after we give rather than giving what’s left after we spend on ourselves.  Encouraged by those who already tithe—hearing their stories of how they experience God’s faithful provision—we can stick with our increased commitment—like Kevin and I staying with the steep climb after those hikers coming down encouraged us with their firsthand account of the trail to come.

 Just as Kevin and I were treated to real-life amazing vistas, I believe we are rewarded with intimate experiences of God’s grace, when we respond faithfully to God by committing our resources to his good work in the world.

            30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground . . .  33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!  I believe, as we commit our resources, our energy, our time, our passion, our very selves, to the God who generously creates us, the God who lovingly forms us, the God who faithfully renews us, I believe our lives become blessings—blessings to us and blessings to others.  May God’s Spirit continue to move among us.  Amen.