When we feel at the end of our rope, when our spirit is threadbare, and our inner resources drained, what gives new life to our souls?

When we know what we must do in life, when our task is daunting but the calling unmistakable, what guides and sustains us?

When we do not understand what has happened to us, when our knowledge does not provide insights and awareness, where do we turn for reliable wisdom?

When we are mindful of our need for an abiding peace, what is the source of joy that consistently infuses the human heart?

In times of darkness when our souls struggle to make meaning and find hope, when some force or circumstance eclipses the radiance that otherwise guides our lives, what then is the source of light for our eyes?

In his 19^th psalm, David reached to the depths of his faith and to the heights of his spiritual practice to reveal what gives new life to the soul, sustains the human spirit; that offers reliable wisdom, the heart's deep mystical joy, and light for the eyes against every darkness. He wrote of his answer that in every instance it was perfect, trustworthy, right, clear, pure, and true. David's answer to each question was Scripture, which is to say, the revelation of God's creation and its majesty, the mystery of the human soul, the Law of God, the testimony of God's purpose and presence in a human life, and the teachings that lead every generation to choose life and blessing rather than death and curse.

In the order of worship we have read lines from Wendell Berry's poem, "A gracious Sabbath." The balance of the poem reflects the challenging times in which we are living at this very moment, and gives us a contemporary expression of David's answer: "These times we know much evil, little good/ To steady us in faith/ And comfort when our losses press/ Hard on us, and we choose,/ In panic or despair or both,/ To keep what we will lose./ For we are fallen like the trees, our peace/ Broken, and so we must/ Love where we cannot trust, Trust where we cannot know…."

From the days since September 11, 2001 to this day in the war with Iraq, have we not sought the roots of faith that give our souls new, sustaining presence, wisdom for what we do not grasp, deep mystical joy for our hearts, and light for our eyes? In spite and because of the fact that our peace is broken, do we not long to "love where we cannot trust, Trust where we cannot know"?

In this time of much global and national evil, tension, fear, terror, and insufficient knowledge of goodness, and with the burdens we bear and the matters with which we struggle, we have Scripture and spiritual practices that steady us in faith. The spiritual practices that David refers to as "worship of the Lord is holy, abiding forever" is prayer, meditation, reflection and contemplation. Let us look at Psalm 19 as an example of where we may find strength and renewal. We will practice several spiritual patterns with the psalm.

{During the sermon the psalm was read aloud and time was allowed to reflect on the reading. Then key words were read from the psalm [the key words are underscored and the second set of key words are in bold print in this text]. Following that, people read the psalm on their own. In this reading I asked people to select a verse that jumped out at them, that spoke to a place in their hearts, that somehow touched them. Then I told people that I would begin reading the psalm slowly and with cadence and that they could stand and begin reading at the line that spoke to them. Gradually, the entire congregation was reading, and then we read the psalm one more time in unison}.

The law of the Lord is perfect,
        it revives the soul.

God's commands are trustworthy,
        giving wisdom to those who lack it

The commands of the Lord are right,
        they bring joy to the heart.

The commandment of the Lord is clear,
        it gives light to the eyes.

The worship of the Lord is holy,
        abiding forever.

The commands of the Lord are truth
        all of them are always fair.

They are more to be desired than gold,
        than the purest gold and

sweeter are they than honey,
        than honey from the comb.

They give instruction to your servant….
        But who can detect all of their errors?
        From hidden faults, deliver me, O Lord.
        From willful sins restrain me and
                let them not rule over me.
        Then I shall be blameless, free from the evil of sin.

May the words of my mouth and
the whispers of my heart
be acceptable to you,
O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer!