By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas; the one who by his strength established the mountains, being girded with might; who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples, so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy. You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. Psalm 65:5-11
One of the ongoing jokes for 2020 seems to be “What could possibly happen next?” And seemingly, it never falls to deliver. It seems that something always comes next. Since January, we have seen the huge fire that ravaged Australia, a worldwide pandemic, massive unemployment and unrest, the death of beloved stars, athletes and other figures, the postponement of the Olympics and sports in general, the cancellation of holiday gatherings and celebrations, a record number of hurricanes and storms, the fires out West, and we aren’t done yet! What could possibly happen next?!
And while it can be humorous to joke like this, and helpful in terms of coping, perhaps that isn’t the best way to see 2020. The last verse of our Psalm reading above gives us a different perspective. It says, “You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.”
To ask the good Lutheran question: “What does this mean?” To “crown” is a metaphor for bless or bestow. To put it another way: “You bless the year with bounty.” What does the second part mean? It is a lovely image that shows us God’s abundance. Here, the Lord is pictured as riding in a wagon or chariot, and wherever his wagon or chariots leave tracks, abundance flows. Perhaps a modern picture might be seeing the “snow tracks” that a car might leave in winter. The verse as a whole proclaims God’s blessings and abundance! But, is that true in 2020? You bet it is!
I find the Apostles’ Creed and Martin Luther’s explanation of it particularly helpful here in demonstrating it. In the First Article (Creation; i.e., “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”), Luther says we confess this every week: “I believe that God has made me and all creatures; that He has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still takes care of them. He also gives me clothing and shoes, food and drink, house and home, wife and children, land, animals, and all I have. He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life. He defends me against all danger and guards and protects me from all evil. All this He does out of fatherly, divine goodness and mercy, without any merit or worthiness in me.” Have you ever realized that is what these words entail? How have you seen this in your life over the last year? Things may have been tough, but God has provided.
But, there is more. When we move to the next part of the Creed, the Second Article (Redemption; “And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord….”), we confess another aspect of the blessings and abundance of God. When we say this part, Luther says we confess, “I believe that Jesus Christ…has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness….”
Our God has not just blessed us physically, but also spiritually, as well. We have been made His own through Jesus Christ. Our sins have been forgiven and covered. We live and serve in His Kingdom. But, again, there is more.
When we confess the last part of the Creed (Sanctification; “I believe in the Holy Spirit….”), Luther notes that we confess, “…but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus in the one true faith. In this Christian Church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers. On the Last Day He will raise me and all the dead, and give eternal life to me and all believers in Christ.”
Here, we see all that God does to bring us to faith, and it is all His work and doing. He provides it all. We see here past blessings, present blessings, and future blessings. The Creed that we confess every week opens our eyes and hearts to see all that God provides for us in body and in soul, both past and present, and also the future.
To quote the Psalm, “You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.” Yes, even 2020.
In Christ,
Pastor Nick Kooi
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XXII, Number 3, October 2020)