February 9thThe Victory of God
I write this reflection in light of the anti-vaccine, anti-mandates rally taking place in Ottawa. Long distance truckers are especially upset over vaccine requirements demanded of them. The result has not been pretty. While stating opposing views is a sign of healthy democracy, there have been other elements in the rally that are less wholesome. Terry Fox’s statue was defaced along with several other memorials. And some extremists have seen this as an opportunity to blatantly propagandize their messages of hatred and intolerance.
In light of this misuse of legitimate protest, the five regional Executive Ministers of Mennonite Church Canada, along with Doug Klassen, EM of our national church, have issued the following statement:
As leaders within Mennonite Church Canada, we unequivocally denounce the symbols, words and actions of white nationalism being expressed in Ottawa and across the country at “Freedom Rallies.” While we support the right of people to gather peacefully in protest of government laws perceived to be unjust, we cannot support any action that promotes anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or racism. Jesus calls us to love our neighbours as ourselves as an expression of our love for God (Mark 12:29-31), across categories of race, ethnicity, religion and gender (Luke 10:25-37; Gal 3:28). We call on all Christians to walk in Jesus’ way of love.
“Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 2:4-5)
Psalm 20 is classified as a ‘royal psalm’ (a psalm prayed by the king for wisdom in his rule). But it is really more about God than about the king.
God is the subject of most of the verbs:
God is called to ‘answer’ – v.1,6,9.
To protect – v.1
To send help – v.2,6
To remember offerings – v.3
Grant desires – v.4
Fulfill plans and ambitions – v.4,5
Give victory to the king – v.9
Furthermore, the poet stresses that God will answer with victory. The Hebrew word for ‘victory/help’ is the same word for ‘salvation’. It is mentioned four times in relation to God’s work (5,6,9).
On one level it is possible to hear Psalm 20 as nothing more than a piece of ancient Judean political propaganda, that is, God is on our side, and God will give us the victory. It seems to be an ancient example of the kind of thinking that is so dangerous and frightening in our day, thinking that leads people to conclude that God sanctions whatever our nation (or special interest group) does and to label our opponents as evil empires.
On the other hand, it is possible to hear the Psalm quite differently, building upon the insight that the primary actor in the psalm is God, not the king or the people. OT scholar James Mays concludes:
As Scripture, the psalm teaches the church to pray for those who hold the power of office, because they, like us, are dependent on the Lord. It warns against ever letting our dependence on their service turn into the trust we owe to God alone. It warns against allowing their fascination with military strength (vs. 7) to make us support policies based on trust in military might.’
PRAYER: Gracious God, may we not live as if the welfare of our community and our country and the quality of our life together were none of our concern. Keep us alert to what is happening around us.
We pray for our elected officials. May they be thoughtful and wise in their decisions and open in their approach to changing conditions.
We pray for the church, that it may provide a refuge, a sense of belonging, and a welcome to those who feel they have none. We pray that we might model grace, forgiveness, and understanding of difference in this contested time. Help us to model love of neighbour and a humble faith, simply practiced.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen