Psalm-light for the Third Sunday in Lent, 2021

Psalm 19 

“The fear of the Lord is clean and endures forever …” Psalm 19: 9

In our modern society, in which all forms of authority are held under suspicion, disregard, or even contempt, “the fear of the Lord” can be a “hard sell” as something remotely positive! The Biblical phrase, “the fear of the Lord,” needs to be viewed in the context of the whole revelation of God’s character in both the Old and New Testaments. The fear of the Lord is not a cowering before an angry God, who is looking for the slightest reason to destroy us, and the world He has made. Rather, it is best understood as deep reverence and profound respect.

As a child, the imagination of my faith was kindled by reading C.S. Lewis’s classic, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” One character asked another about Aslan, the Christ figure: “Aslan is a lion—the Lion, the great Lion.” “Ooh,” said Susan. “I thought he was a man. Is he—quite safe?” … “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver. “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I’ll tell you.” Aslan is not a tame lion. He is not domesticated, but he is good. Lewis is giving us something like “the fear of the Lord,” as reverence and respect, combined with love.

Our relationship with God has no less than the best characteristics of our human relationships. Taking others for granted, including God, the Wholly-Other; treating God and others with a causal attitude, full of assumptions, bordering on disrespect, diminishes others, ourselves, and dims the brightness of faith.

Lent is a time for both penitence and renewal; a time to enter more deeply into the profound, transforming mystery of God, who, in Christ, suffered and died that we might rise with Him and truly live. There is nothing tame about this God, but He is good, good beyond all telling!

Walking in the light:
Psalm 19 is an extended reflection on the majesty and order of Creation. Take time to pause and notice the beauty, intricacy, and wonder of God’s Creation around us. Nurturing a deeper sense of wonder within us is a healthy antidote to taking our Creator and His Creation for granted!

Submitted by Archdeacon Peter Crosby