Hope Mennonite Church August 28, 2016 God s Music (Psalms) #3. Prayer of the Bullied. Introduction

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1 1 Psalm 22 Hope Mennonite Church August 28, 2016 God s Music (Psalms) #3 Prayer of the Bullied Introduction How many of you know someone or have had the experience yourself of being bullied? Individual Experiences In American culture, there s a classic bullying scenario. It s the big strong kid on the playground who intimidates the smaller and younger and gentler children. This classic scenario and others like it the shake-down for lunch money, the atomic wedgy in the locker room seem almost idyllic because bullying takes many forms. For example, social media have created new forms of bullying. You can text a false rumor or circulate a compromising picture to thousands of people in just seconds. And once that communication is out there, it s impossible to reel it back in. The damage to one s reputation and self-worth can be extreme. We know of young people who take their own lives as a result of this kind of bullying. On August 13, Ibtihaj Muhammad won the bronze medal in women s fencing. She is the first US athlete to compete wearing a hijab, the head scarf used by some Muslim women. Ibtihaj is proud of being an American. She was born and raised in New Jersey. Some people, however, think she is not a real American. In her interviews she focuses on the positive but she also shares about being bullied because of her religion. When I was pastor in PA, we had a psychiatrist in our church. He told me about a certain pattern of bullying with which he had become very well-acquainted in his practice. In the traditional German farm culture, the family system sometimes conspires to make sure the youngest daughter remains single. The system pre-designates this youngest daughter to take care of the parents in their old age. And so throughout her life, members of the family keep the youngest daughter on a short leash, affirm her piety and chastity, and nip every hint of a romance in the bud. The psychiatrist

2 2 would work with these youngest daughters in their old age when they were depressed and angry and sometimes self-destructive but did not fully understand why. He helped them uncover and face the difficult truth that they had been the sacrificial lambs of a bullying conspiracy one that determined they would never marry and have families of their own. In her book Enrique s Journey, Sonia Nazario describes the perilous trek of a 17-year-old boy from Honduras. He travels on his own through Central America and Mexico in order to find his mother in the United States. His mother is in the US to work and send money back to her impoverished family. Enrique travels most of the way on top of freight trains. Along the way he encounters all kinds of bullies: Bandits, gangs, corrupt police, corrupt immigration officers, opportunistic coyotes, detention agents, townspeople, and fellow travelers. One night thugs attack him and steal his shirt, pants and shoes. And it all happens on top of a moving train in the pitch darkness. Can you imagine? It s a present-day version of Psalm 22: A gang of evildoers encircles me They divide my clothes among themselves (Psalm 22:17, 19). Now I recognize that bullying is one of those words that can easily lose its meaning through overuse. When everything becomes bullying, nothing is bullying. Still bullying and its variety are an unquestionable reality. Insights from Psalm 22 When I began studying Psalm 22 I was struck by how much the language resonates with bullying! The poem begins by naming the emotion that accompanies the experience of being bullied, namely, feelings of abandonment: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Being bullied creates a strange and ironic interface: Bullying is about receiving too much attention. The feelings, however, are those of inattention left alone, forgotten, abandoned. That s highly ironic. Psalm 22 adeptly captures this odd combination of too much attention issuing in feelings of inattention. And

3 Jesus himself repeats these same words from the cross. He validates and shares the feelings of the bullied. For a person of faith, these feelings of abandonment can only be projected vertically: My God, my God, why have you! Bullying means God is inattentive. And this is a nearly intolerable contradiction for the poet. The psalmist began life with wonderful care that has now devolved into abuse. This terrible contrast is conveyed in the side-by-side verses at the top right part of your bulletin: LORD, it was you who pulled me from the womb. You secured me upon my mother s breasts. I was cast upon you from my birth. From my mother s womb, you have been my God. Psalm 22 expresses this original care and expresses it boldly in feminine imagery applied to God: It is the midwife who pulls the baby from the womb and secures it upon the mother. Psalm 22 says God is like a midwife! This original care is then immediately contrasted with abuse by bullies. And that abuse is conveyed with particular intensity by images of powerful, scavenging and carnivorous animals. The images just pile up and overlap: LORD, do not be far from me... Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan enclose me. They open their mouths at me, like a tearing and roaring lion. Dogs surround me. Psalm 22 is also keenly aware that being bullied distorts a person s self-perception. It is a tragedy on top of tragedy that the bullied can start to believe they deserve their mistreatment. The bullied start to bully themselves! At the bottom left of your bulletin the poet slips into self-loathing: I am a maggot and not a human being. So, Psalm 22 is very insightful: Bullying is an external threat with internal damage internal damage that endures long after the external threat ends. Now even when we allow for poetic exaggeration, this is what it s like emotionally, relationally and spiritually to go through a day at school or a day on the job as the target of bullying. Group and Systemic Experiences 3

4 4 Bullying takes many forms. And some of those forms go far beyond things that affect the individual. The great colonial era in world history could well be called an era of bullying, bully nations and victim nations. What advantages did the bullying nations have which enabled them to be successful colonizers? Jared Diamond boiled it down to three things: Guns, germs and steel. This year I ve learned something about the history of Iran. And it s no surprise to me why many Iranians dislike and distrust Americans. The immediate aftermath of WWII was about Britain and the US bullying Iran. That included overthrowing Iran s democratically elected prime minister and installing a repressive dictator. That dictator was a puppet to the western powers, especially with respect to oil and the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Wichita is a racially segregated city. Some of that segregation is the result of intentional planning. Pastor Alan Stucky of First Church of the Brethren did some research. Until 1954 there were laws which forbade African Americans from living in certain parts of Wichita. From the 1930 s through 1960 s the Federal Housing Administration offered subsidized loans to encourage Americans to buy homes. Not everybody, however, had access to those loans. The census maps of Wichita from that time show several color-coded zones. Red zones were for people of color, people of low income, and undesirables. People in the red zones were not eligible for FHA loans. Residents of the green zones, on the other hand largely white, of higher economic status, and presumably desirables were eligible for loans. When urban renewal arrived, African American residents and businesses around the city government buildings were relocated to other areas. It s interesting that the 2010 census shows much the same distribution of races as the mid-20 th century. Wichita is a racially segregated city and some of that segregation is the result of intentional planning. How much of our current patterns of interracial relations still reflect those dynamics of intentional segregation? Can racism take the form of systemic bullying?

5 5 What do you think is there bullying in the church? Are there policies, practices, theologies that bully? Do congregations with more resources or power ever bully those with less? Do people who have one opinion on an issue bully people of another opinion? Is there bullying in the church? Where do you observe bullying at the systemic, national, and even international levels? What suggestions would you have for beginning to make things better? Conclusion The last verses of Psalm 22 are part of the reading in your bulletin. These last verses indicate several dramatic turns. First, Psalm 22 is usually classified as a lament. But it ends with praise! Praise and lament are not separate but companionable spiritual textures. They co-exist and influence each other in Psalm 22. And that partnership gives us permission to experience joy and sadness as equally and authentically spiritual, perhaps even in response to the same circumstances! Second, the bullied one moves from lament to hope: God does not hide his face from the afflicted; when they cry for help, the LORD hears. The bullied one is confident that her relationship with God remains intact. So, despite the bullying, there is a hopeful horizon beyond victimization. It s called new life the gift of God. Third, the bullied one who knows God as personal hope and empowerment also knows God is at work far beyond his own individual circumstances. And so Psalm 22 ends with praise for God s hope and empowerment projected on a universal scale: to join. Let the whole world consider and turn to the LORD. Let all the families of the nations bow down in worship before you. For the kingdom belongs to the LORD. God is ruler over the nations. Psalm 22 which began with gut-wrenching lament ends with praise that all people are invited So friends, Psalm 22 is a peace text, a peace text that connects the dots of bullying and the possibilities beyond bullying.

6 6 Psalm 22 connects the dots of bullying. We can hardly expect children to pursue win-win solutions to their problems when their parents are suing the neighbors and the leaders of our government are sniping at each other on national television. The dots are connected. Psalm 22 also connects the dots of positive possibilities. If God hears and helps the bullied individual, God also hears and can help the social systems and even global interactions where there is bullying (see verses 23-32). Because there is common ground, inescapable common ground. We share neighborhoods, work places, schools, and a beautiful blue planet. There are common goals that bind us together beyond our differences like creating a better future for all children. So, like Psalm 22 maybe common ground can move us beyond the hardened roles of threatener and threatened to a place of common praise. Response: Kendal Warkentine. Kendal reflected on historic anti-semitism, the trans-atlantic slave trade, Brown versus the Board of Education, the persecution of Anabaptists, and the distorted selfperception of both the bullied and the bullies. How long O Lord, verse 1 Scripture Reading Psalm 22 (selected verses) with STS #82 Leader: All: Leader: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from delivering me; from the words which express my groaning? O my God, I cry out by day but you do not answer; and by night, but I have no respite. But you are the Holy One, the enthroned One, the object of Israel s praise. Our ancestors placed their trust in you; they trusted and you rescued them. They cried out to you and were delivered. They placed their trust in you and were not put to shame. But I am a maggot and not a human being; the object of people s scorn, despised by others. All who see me deride me. They act aghast and shake their heads. They say, Rely on the LORD; let God deliver him! Let the LORD save him, since he delights in him!

7 7 All: Yet it was you who pulled me from the womb. You secured me upon my mother s breasts. I was cast upon you from my birth. From my mother s womb, you have been my God. How long O Lord, verse 2 Leader: All: Leader: All: O LORD, do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no helper. Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan hem me in. They open their mouths at me, like a tearing and roaring lion. Dogs surround me; a gang of evildoers encircles me. They divide my garments and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, O LORD, do not be far away! O my Strength, come quickly to my aid! I will tell of your name to my kindred. In the midst of the congregation I will praise you. For God does not hide his face from the afflicted, but whenever they cry for help, the LORD hears. Let the whole world consider and turn to the LORD. Let all the families of the nations bow down in worship before you. For the kingdom belongs to the LORD. God is ruler over the nations. Those who serve him will come and declare the LORD s saving act to a people yet unborn that God has done it. How long O Lord, verse 3 Full Text of Psalm 22 1 To the Director. According to The Doe of the Dawn. A Psalm of/for David. 2 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far from delivering me, from the words which express my groaning? 3 O my God, I cry out by day but you do not answer; and by night, but I have no respite. 4 But you are the Holy One, the enthroned One, the object of Israel s praise. 5 Our ancestors placed their trust in you; they trusted and you rescued them. 6 They cried out to you and were delivered. They placed their trust in you and were not put to shame.

8 8 7 But I am a maggot/worm and not a human being; the object of people s scorn, despised by others. 8 All who see me deride me, act aghast with the lips, shake their heads. 9 [They say,] Rely on the LORD; let God deliver him! Let the LORD save him, since he delights in him! 10 Indeed, you pulled me from the womb. You secured me upon my mother s breasts. 11 I was cast upon you from my birth. From my mother s womb, you have been my God. 12 O LORD, do not be far from me, for trouble is near; for there is no helper. 13 Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan hem me in. 14 They open their mouths at/over/against me, like a tearing and roaring lion. 15 I am poured out like water, and all my bones have become dislocated. My heart has become like wax, melted within my body. 16 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue is stuck to my jaw. You lay me down in the dust of death. 17 For dogs have surrounded me. A gang of evildoers has encircled me. They have bound my hands and my feet. 18 I can count all my bones. People stare and gloat over me. 19 They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots. 20 But you, O LORD, do not be far away! O my Strength, come quickly to my aid! 21 Deliver me from the sword; my one and only life from the power/paw of the dog. 22 Save me from the mouth of the lion. From the horns of the wild oxen deliver me. 23 I will tell of your name to my kindred. In the midst of the congregation I will praise you. 24 Let those who fear the LORD praise him! Let all the offspring of Jacob glorify God! Let all the offspring of Israel be in awe of the LORD! 25 For the LORD neither despises nor rejects the affliction of the afflicted. God does not hide his face from the afflicted,

9 9 but whenever he cries for help, the LORD hears. 26 My praise in the large assembly is because of you. I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who fear God. 27 The poor/afflicted will eat and be satisfied. Those who seek the LORD will praise him. May your hearts live forever! 28 Let the whole world consider and (re)turn/give allegiance to the LORD. Let all the families of the nations bow down in homage/in worship before you. 29 For the kingdom/kingship belongs to the LORD. God is ruler over the nations To the LORD alone, all who sleep in the earth will bow down. All who go down to the dust will kneel before him. Truly, he preserves the life of the offspring who serve him. This will be told about the Lord to the [next] generation. 32 They will come and declare the LORD s just/saving act to a people yet unborn, that God has done it.

From Whence Cometh My Help Psalm 121 June 7, 2015

From Whence Cometh My Help Psalm 121 June 7, 2015 I. To continue on with responding to the Instant Sermon questions from a few weeks ago; one of the questions was, What passage in the Bible do you turn