28th March 2025

‘Blessed’, the opening word in Psalm one, is very important. It is the same expression Jesus uses in Matthew 5:3-11 when he describes the joys of Kingdom living that abound and overflow to engender peace and to swamp the griefs and woes of earthly life. There is a way of life that flourishes like a fruitful tree – a way of walking where blessings follow at your heel (Psalm 1:1-3), and a contrary path that leads the doomed traveller, through aimless toils and snares, toward a ruinous end (vv. 4-6).

Just imagine if Psalm 1:1-6 were written in the form of a screenplay: we would see an individual as he or she walks, innocently, through the local village passing by a restless group of youths of a similar age who offer a dubious invitation to join them in some doubtful endeavour. The lone individual politely refuses their unwelcome offer and walks on, despite the hurling of abusive barbs and taunts that soon follow.

The camera cuts to a scene at this same individual’s workplace, where we see a small faction of his or her colleagues seated at lunch, sneering and ridiculing a fellow worker in that worker’s absence. Once again, our lone individual takes no part in the mocking but makes an excuse to leave the company and attend to other matters (though the reason for his or her departure does not go unnoticed and is therefore similarly sneered upon).

The camera now cuts to scenes of the same individual at home, with fade-in transitions between night-time the early morning hours, and we zoom in on our subject, enjoying quality time with family and friends, helping out in the neighbourhood, meditatively studying the scripture, absorbed in silent prayer, and in moments of pensive, peaceful relaxation. Through a subsequent sequence of additional scenes and images, we are made aware of the fruitful nature of this individual’s life and the positive impact they have on family, friends and others in the community (vv. 1-3).

The scene alters once again, but this time the colours fade, revealing a darker mood and a bleaker sky, and we see again the group of mischievous youths, as night falls, this time returning from their wicked enterprise, but there is a new face among them. It’s one of the mockers we saw in the earlier workplace sequence. A flashback scene reveals how the invitation had come similarly to this person also to join the wayward group, but, unlike the individual who had formerly turned away, this undisciplined soul has decided to join them in their wicked scheme. We then see this mocker’s life unfold in cinematic representation as a series of wasteful endeavours, and erratic unsavoury behaviours lead him or her on to ruin and to abject sorrow and despair (vv. 4-5).

The contrast between the two lives is made abundantly clear as the movie draws to a close, and we are made to see, ever so plainly, how ‘…the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.’ (v.6).

Local congregation:
Grace Communion Peterborough
Farcet Village Hall                                                    
Main Street
Farcet
Peterborough
PE7 3AN

Meeting time:
Sunday 11.00 am

Local congregational contact:
Richard Dempsey
Email:  richard.dempsey@btinternet.com
Local church website: GRACE COMMUNION CHURCH PETERBOROUGH – Landing Page

Word of Life contact:
wordoflife@gracecom.church