March 16, 2025 · Rev. Derek van Gulden · Psalm 19
On a baptism Sunday, Rev. Derek van Gulden keeps the sermon short: Psalm 19's creation praises God without a word, and the baptismal promise to resist oppression and evil and to show love and justice sums up what it means to follow Jesus. The congregation then prays a prayer for justice together.
Transcript
Gracious and loving God. This morning I ask you to move the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts by your love, and help me this day not to be the instrument of my own or anyone else's oppression, but to be an instrument of peace in every step and every breath, in every moment of every day. Amen.
I'm not going to preach much today. The baptism, the music you've heard already speak much more than I could ever say.
I just want to give you a quick thought on the excerpts from Psalm nineteen. The most beautiful part of that psalm is that if humanity totally stops doing anything, if we just let everything run the way it's running or never, lift up our praise to God for the created world we're around, the created world continues to. Every day in everything we experience. Walking down to the beach in the evening when the tide's out. Picking sea glass. Or just standing there walking through the woods. Hanging out with friends and family. Listening to the trees speaks volumes without speaking a word. And that's good enough for today.
But the one thing I want to do with you is if you listen carefully to the questions. That I ask Lindsey and Billy to answer on behalf of their daughters. One of them, I believe, is one of the strongest statements of what it is to be a Christian. Well, to be anybody within our faith as well. And that is when we ask, do you promise, by the grace of God, to be Christ's disciples, to follow in the way of our Savior, to resist oppression and evil, to show love and justice and witness to the work and words of Jesus the Christ as best we are able to resist oppression and evil, to show love and justice.
There are a lot of words that are used to explain what Christianity is about. We don't have time today to take me ten minutes maybe. No. It takes years and years more than I have. But those words about resist evil and oppression. And seek justice.
On page four of your bulletin, about halfway down, you will see a call and response prayer for justice. You will read the bold part and I'll read the other part. You guys need to go back. [the congregation prays a call-and-response prayer for justice, César Chávez's “Prayer of the Farm Workers' Struggle”] Amen. Thank you.