Malcolm Gladwell, in 2000, debuted his first book entitled The Tipping Point. In that book, Gladwell defines the tipping point as “that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire. Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a small but precisely targeted push cause a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate.” The tipping point is that moment of critical mass, the threshold of something new, or dare I say, the boiling point.
The boiling point might not be a good metaphor to employ in our nation this week as we celebrate 239 years as a nation. I was listening to a presentation from a church culture researcher this week who stated that sociologically we have seen more cultural change in the past two years than we have in the previous 200 years. We know change creates anxiety, and the rapid rate of change over the past two years has left us with no little amount of anxiety, even in the church. I confess my own anxiety as a pastor who leads a congregation, knowing that our congregations can hold as equally diverse opinions on social issues, political issues and theological issues as the broader population at large. And, I am pastor to everyone, and I want to be pastor to everyone. We hold in tension the diversity for the sake of the unity of the body of Christ. May I say, it’s a daunting task.
So, what do we do in these changing times? How do we deal with such great diversity? How do we respond in this culture that seems to be so divided? May I offer this advice: Praise God.
That’s exactly what the psalmist did in Psalm 33. Psalm 33 is a hymn of praise to God that celebrates God’s righteous character, creative power and sovereignty. These are all God’s qualities that make Him the only reliable foundation for hope and trust. With this psalm, the psalmist sets the tone of worship and reverence for the people of God, and we would do well to note that in the face of changing and challenging times, whether as a nation, as a church, or as individuals who are facing our own transitions of life, that God is where our hope lies. Our praise must reflect our reverence for God, our dependence upon God, and our hope in God.
Sometimes I think we’ve lost a bit of reverence for God. Verse 18 says, “But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him.” The word “fear” in the Bible means “to tremble.” It is used in connection with 3 experiences: 1) To tremble with the thought of being punished by a holy God for our sins, 2) To tremble at the sight of the mighty acts of God, and 3) To tremble with joy at the knowledge that people were being saved. Fear in this sense is simple reverence.
One of the cultural shifts that gives me greatest concern is the growing lack of respect we see. We see a lack of respect for our leaders. We see a lack of respect for the diversity of one another’s opinions. Name-calling and hateful speech show an utter lack of respect. I’m doing a Facebook fast for the simple reason that I got tired of scrolling through my news feed only to encounter post after post of disparaging comments and articles aimed at destroying the humanity of people. It’s not limited to for/against. The name calling and comes from both directions. I remind us all that Christ died for all people, and our Methodist doctrine teaches us that all persons are persons of sacred worth. I fear our lack of respect for one another finds its roots in our lack of respect and reverence for God.
We have sought to bring God down to our level. We like to refer to him as “the Man upstairs,” or the “guy in the sky.” It’s almost impossible to have reverence and respect for Jesus when you want him to wear a tuxedo t-shirt! The psalmist reminds us that praise exalts God to the proper place. The Bible says He is the Holy One—El Shaddi (Almighty One)—Alpha and Omega—Creator of the Universe—Everlasting Father. I love the way Jude closes his short letter with deep reverence: “To the only God and Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forever more! Amen.” The Hebrews would not even pronounce the name of God, but in our culture we’ve developed short-hand for our irreverence—OMG! Yes, I’m guilty! That, too, points to my own need of God’s grace. We’re all in need of God’s grace in our lives. That ought to be a reminder to us to be patient with those with whom we disagree. Respect for others means we disagree without being disagreeable. I believe our respect for one another will come as we reclaim our reverence for God.
I also sometimes wonder if we haven’t become too independent. Have we come to the place that we simply don’t need God anymore? Science and technology have done amazing things to improve our world, and with each new development our need for God has diminished. The American experiment is one of self-determination, up-by-the-boostraps, make your own way in life independence. We all gathered around and sang the Star-Spangled Banner yesterday, but the real national anthem in our culture is Sinatra's I Did it My Way. The psalmist reminds us in verse 21 that we are independently dependent: “In Him our hearts rejoice for we trust in His holy name.”
We know our nation faces an external enemy today. The news has been filled with cautions this week because terrorism experts believed the 4th holiday would be a prime time for terrorists to strike. We know there is an external enemy, but there is also an internal enemy. Our internal enemy is slowly eroding our national righteousness. The U.S. is #1 in the world in violent crime, divorce, teen pregnancies in the industrialized world, abortions, and illegal drug use. We are dependent upon God to know the right path. He shows us righteousness because he is righteous. He shows us justice because He is just. That is His character, and we can know neither justice nor righteousness apart from Him. We make much of “In God we trust,” being written on our coins. What we really need is “in God we trust” written on our hearts. Our praise should reflect our trust in God.
Finally, our praise must reflect our hope, and our source of hope. I love my truck. Yes, it’s old, but it’s reliable. Yes, it’s old, but it’s paid for. But, it’s starting to show signs of deterioration. You likely won’t see me driving it in the rain. The windshield wipers don’t always work properly. Yeah, I should probably fix that, but what I’ve discovered is with a truck that old, when you fix one thing, it affects something else and causes it to break. I’m afraid to get started fixing things because ultimately my truck is going to wear out. That’s because material things in this old world wear out. I’m convinced that everything is produced with planned obsolescence.
The psalmist reminds us that God endures, and in Him is our hope:
18 But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
20 We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.
22 May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.
This reverent song the psalmist sings reminds us that human plans, purposes and sources of power are ultimately subject to futility because of the transient nature of humanity and the material world. People come and people go. Governments come and governments go, but in the grand scheme of the cosmos, they leave little lasting impression. But God endures, and is ever trustworthy. God who was God yesterday is God today, and God today will be God tomorrow.
The Gospel is Good News. Psalm 43:5 says, “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”
And Jesus, when he began his earthly ministry as Luke records it, stood in the synagogue and read, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed” (Luke 4:18). Hope is the oxygen of the soul; its object is the Lord and His unfailing love.
During the dark days of the American Revolution, when the Continental Army had experienced several setbacks, a farmer who lived near the battlefield approached Washington’s camp unheard. Suddenly his ears caught an earnest voice raised in agonizing prayer. On coming nearer he saw it was the great General, down on his knees in the snow, his cheeks wet with tears. He was asking God for assistance and guidance. The farmer crept away and returned home. He said to his family, “Its going to be all right. We are going to win!”
“What makes you think so?” his wife asked.
“Well,” said the farmer, “I heard General Washington pray out in the woods today—such fervent prayer I have never heard. And God will surely hear and answer that kind of praying.” And the farmer was right! He was right because Washington put his hope in God. Our praise must reflect the source of our eternal hope.
What must we do at this tipping point in history? How about we just praise God!
