Read the Lectionary Texts

When you’re weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
I’m on your side when times get rough
And friends just can’t be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

Many of us here today will recognize these lyrics as the first verse of Simon & Garfunkel’s title song on their album “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” The song was a blockbuster hit in 1970, topping the charts in both England and the United States. It has been a favorite song of mine ever since.

And there are some interesting facts about “Bridge Over Troubled Water” that help me appreciate it all the more. For instance, the last verse starts with these words:

Sail on silvergirl, sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.

“Silvergirl” is an indirect reference to me – and many of you! It refers to the harrowing experience of Paul Simon’s girlfriend Peggy Harper who one day looked in the mirror and to her great horror discovered some grey hairs in her head! Do you remember the moment it happened to YOU? I think I was about 30 when it happened to me! Well, when Peggy Harper saw those grey hairs it was a crisis! And Paul Simon teased her about it. He gave her the nickname “Silvergirl.”

Sail on silvergirl, sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way.
See how they shine.
If you need a friend
I’m sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.

What can be more troubling than the realization that you’re getting old? No matter how hard we work at fending off the aging process, it always wins out. I’ll always remember the day my mother turned 70 and she whispered to me that she didn’t think of herself as being 70, but 17! What a wonderful thing – to think of yourself as still being young when, in fact, you’ve become one of the “SilverPEOPLE!”

And yet, there is a beauty to the song’s promise of faithful friendship when our hair turns silver and we face the troubled waters of growing old. How good it is to have family members, and friends, and a church that try to be a bridge over those troubled waters.

It’s a beautiful song about the important role we play in each other’s lives when life’s waters become turbulent. The Bible teaches us the same thing. And it is a good word for us to hear in times like these.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many worried people as I see today.

Our country is rife with divisions. People struggle with new social constructs. Are you woke, or not woke? What’s your preferred pronoun? Are you male or female, or is there any such thing as gender?

Our world is embroiled in wars and rumors of war. War between Ukraine and Russia. Between Israel and Hamas. Conflicts between groups and nations abound. Crime is overtaking our cities.

And then there’s the economy, stupid.

No wonder people are scared.

And on top of all that are the personal things that weigh us down – health worries, family issues, personal finances, and…and silver hair.

So what’s a Christian to do in times like these?

Obviously, we have to do our best to make good decisions and take responsible actions to care for how all these things impact our own lives. We have to continue to live and to be responsible stewards of our resources. We have to make changes when they are necessary. We need to vote – not out of a spirit of fear, but out of a conviction that one candidate or another will provide the kind of leadership our nation needs. We must live responsibly and faithfully.

But that is not all.

Christianity does not come in individual serving size containers. Faith is not a personal possession. Christians are called into COMMUNITY where we become responsible for the well-being of others as well as ourselves.

What do Christians do in times like these?

Well, we find people who need to be loved, and we love them. We find people who need care, and we care for them. We find people struggling in the turbulent seas of life, and we become a bridge for them over troubled water.

This is the context for our scripture passage from First Thessalonians. The church in Thessalonica was a tiny fellowship. It had been started when the apostle Paul visited the city and in the face of those troubled times, proclaimed the Gospel of God. The message was the good news that God had come in Jesus proclaiming the end of evil’s grip on their lives and the beginning of God’s new reign. It was a Gospel of hope that encouraged people to turn their lives over to God and God’s hope and to live in anticipation of the realization of that hope. So there would be no more hating neighbors, but loving neighbor as self – no more excluding people, but including others – no more indulging selfish needs, but meeting the needs of others – no more  hurting others, but becoming a source of healing for broken hearts, broken bodies, and broken minds.

Do you see what Paul is telling his friends what Christians do in troubling times?

We find people who need to be loved, and we love them. We find people who need care, and we care for them. We find people struggling in the turbulent seas of life, and we become a bridge for them over troubled water.

And the proof of the power of this way of living can be seen in Paul himself who faced all sorts of danger, opposition, deprivation, and want. Facing the troubled water of his own life, what did Paul and his companions do? Listen to the words of the letter:

“…we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children…we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting, and urging you to live lives worthy of God who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”

When Christians face times like these, one of the most powerful things we can do – even while caring for our own needs – is to “adopt” other people as our own children. Paul says he became like a mother and a father to the people of that city. He became their encourager. He comforted them in their distress. He urged them to look to God for hope and direction. He became a bridge over troubled water.

Sophie was the woman who taught me this great truth – that the best way to help yourself through rough times is to help others. Sophie had lost her husband. Not long afterwards, she faced some serious eye surgery. With all the burdens she was bearing, Sophie became extremely despondent.

Thankfully, her eye doctor noticed this. One day, some time after the surgery, Sophie came in for a check-up. Her eye was doing fine, but her despondency was still very deep. The doctor said, “You know, Sophie, I’ve been looking for someone who’s had this surgery to go and visit with patients facing the same thing. You know how scared people get when they’re having an operation like this. As someone who’s successfully been through what they’re getting ready for, you’d be a great inspiration to them.”

Well, Sophie reluctantly agreed. A short while later, she started visiting patients.

I was privileged – years later – to attend a special party put on for Sophie by the volunteer department of the hospital. She was retiring as a patient visitor with thousands of hours of volunteer time to her credit – more than anyone else in the history of that hospital. Many of the patients she had visited were there, and several gave testimonies to what her visits meant to them. And Sophie got to speak too. She told the story of how it all began – with the loss of her husband Jack, and mounting health concerns, and deepening depression. She told of how the doctor had encouraged her to start the visitation work. And she shared about how her own inner healing came about over time as she gave herself away and brought healing to others. She ended her little talk by saying, “I’ve learned that the best way to help yourself is by helping others.”

“The best way to help yourself is by helping others.”

We find people who need to be loved, and we love them. We find people who need care, and we care for them. We find people struggling in the turbulent seas of life, and we become a bridge for them over troubled water.

Do you know the rest of the story about that wonderful Simon & Garfunkel song?

Well, Paul Simon says the inspiration for “Bridge Over Troubled Water” came from an old gospel song. It seems that back in the 1940’s there was a very popular gospel group up in West Virginia called “The Four Harmony Kings.”  At some point, they moved to a little city by the name of Knoxville, Tennessee where they got their own radio show and changed their name to “The Swan Silvertones.” During one of their performances, the Silvertones sang the wonderful gospel song, “Mary, Don’t You Weep No More” which is about Mary’s encounter with Jesus after the death of her brother Lazarus. The soloist on the song that night ad-libbed a line into one of the verses that went like this:

“He’ll be your bridge over troubled waters if you just call on His name.”

And that little line, many years later, grew into the famous song, “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”

What should Christians do in times like these?

We find people who need to be loved, and we love them. We find people who need care, and we care for them. We find people struggling in the turbulent seas of life, and we become a bridge for them over troubled water.

And most importantly, we turn to the Lord who has promised to be our bridge over troubled water. You don’t have to go through what you’re going through all by yourself. There IS a God who finds people to love and loves them, seeks those who need care and cares for them, and finds people struggling in life’s turbulent seas and lays down his life like a bridge over troubled water.

Can we put the lyrics of Simon & Garfunkel’s song on the lips of God? Listen as if the Lord is singing personally to you:

When you’re weary, feeling small,
When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all;
I’m on your side. when times get rough
And friends just can’t be found,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

When you’re down and out, When you’re on the street,
When evening falls so hard I will comfort you.
I’ll take your part. When darkness comes
And pain is all around,
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will lay me down.

Sail on silver (PEOPLE),
Sail on by.
Your time has come to shine.
All your dreams are on their way.
See how they shine.
If you need a friend
I’m sailing right behind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.
Like a bridge over troubled water
I will ease your mind.

Listen to God singing to you to in these challenging times.

Then go and sing the song to others.