Marvelous Works
I remember a bumper sticker of old we used to see on autos. The message was a bit fatalistic, perhaps stoic. It was something like “Stuff happens.” Although the wording might have been different. It was hard to argue with because it was a self-evident assertion, rather than a bold one.
Eventually, a counter-message came out, appearing on other bumpers, reading, “Grace happens.” That is not a concession to fatalism; it is an assertion of faith. Unmerited divine favor does happen. It is recognized as grace to those who wake up to the goodness of God, and the kindness of God. It does not have to be identified as God-given; that is a matter of perspective. The good stuff people discover, in the Christian way of thinking, is understood not as a reward, but a de facto feature of a grace-filled God. The first one, the stoic and dispassionate declaration, says: Hey, stuff happens: what is one to do about it?” The second is bold and jubilant, saying: “Get this, grace happens, is that not amazing?”
I want to look at the Psalm appointed for 4 Epiphany through the lens of the Gospel appointed. In the Gospel people are witnesses to some teaching of Jesus and an act of miraculous, compassionate deliverance. He teaches in the temple like they have never heard before, and he rescues a man who is possessed by an evil spirit. The people who witness his teaching and this act probably never forgot it. They may have thought, “Whatever else I see in life, having seen this I will always remember, grace happens. The power of it all is evidence God is operating in the world.” They might have poured over the events many times after that day. They might have thought of it again every time Psalm 111 came up in their reading. Verse two reads, “Great are the deeds of the Lord! They are studied by all who delight in them.” I like the translation of Hebrew scholar Robert Alter, “Great are the deeds of the Lord, discovered by all who desire them.” With a heart of faith, the deeds of God are discovered, recognized, and remembered within the fabric of our human experience. Recall them, remember them. That seems to be intrinsic to this psalm of praise. Enjoy the first four verses:
Psalm 111
1 Hallelujah!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, *
in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the deeds of the Lord! *
they are studied by all who delight in them.
3 His work is full of majesty and splendor, *
and his righteousness endures for ever.
4 He makes his marvelous works to be remembered; *
the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.
In the season of Sundays after the Epiphany, we recall how the miraculous deeds of Jesus point to his divinity and his identity as the Messiah. We keep these saving acts before us. When we do, the light goes on again, “Oh wow, I remember: Jesus is God, indeed! Through God, grace happens!” Such a recollection is an epiphany moment for you. Look in verses three and four at how the works of God go with the words “majesty”, “splendor”, “marvelous”. Look at how they lead to God’s righteousness, graciousness, and compassion.
You will have to do the heavy bridge-building with this, but I want to use an illustration of the central redemption-message in the story, “The Lion King”. In that story, like in the core of the Old and New Testaments, the act of remembrance is key. The young lion-prince, Simba, has just witnessed the death of the king, his father, Mufasa, trampled by a stampede of wildebeests. His wicked uncle, Scar, tells young Simba a lie. He tells his nephew he is really to blame for putting his father in that danger. We, as witnesses, know it was all treacherously devised by Scar himself. He tells the prince, the natural heir to the throne, that he must run. He says “Run, and never return.” Simba does run, He hides from the remembrance and the shame that comes with it. From that moment, life in Pride-lands begins to unravel under the rule of the greedy and murderous Scar.
If you recall the story, Simba had been told poignantly by his father to look about at the scope of the kingdom and know it would all be his someday. We were told to remember who he is, and remember his role and place in the good of the whole land and all its inhabitants. It was pressed strongly upon him to remember. The great turn-around in the downward spiral of the drama is when Simba is brought, in the sequence of events to have a vision of his father, recalling to him the injection, “Remember, Simba, remember.” This is when he returns to confront all the figures that had worked this treachery and doomed the realm. You recall the evil is reversed, and harmony in the circle of life is restored. You better watch the movie again, and when live performances return, go watch it on stage.
You and I can find redemption in big and little ways by remembering who we are in our relationship with Christ, and our place in the body of Christ. The psalm reminds us of the importance of remembering the glory and grandeur of the marvelous acts of God. The wonders done by Christ were not to dazzle, they were to reveal the Kingdom of God and Christ’s place as ruler in this gracious and merciful reign. Remember his deeds, and remember, good people, grace happens. With Christ as King, grace, most certainly happens.