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The Sermon of the Psaltree

As a teenager, I remember once listening to a phonograph record, which an aunt of mine had, which had “The Sermon of the Psaltree” on.it. I was very taken with it, so much so that I committed it to memory. Recently a friend - Carol - asked me if I still remembered the sermon. I said I thought I still had most of it memorized. She suggested that I try and put it down on paper. This resulted in my trying to recall the words, as I first heard them.

It also resulted in my doing a web search of the Internet, to see if I could find the original text, but I found only one reference, which I have copied and pasted in below…

“I loved the one about the preacher who could not read that well and was preaching from the book of Psalms and just could not figure out the word PSALTRE.* So he sounded it out and came up with the word “Peasle Tree,” so that was what he preached on.”

(* Note from Jamaica Jim: The psaltre is a musical instrument.)

From the dim recesses of my memory, I seemed to remember the sermon was supposed to have been given by a Negro preach in rural South Georgia. I also seem to remember that in the original version, there was a some mention of the preacher being just barely literate - he was able to “read readin’ but not writin’“ - an obvious reference to his being able to read printed words, but he couldn't read cursive writing. The preacher also tended to combine his Bible knowledge with what he knew of then current events, which resulted in the mélange of his everyday happenings being mixed into his Biblical references, as well as getting his basic Biblical facts mixed up. It was also noted (as indicated in the brochure text which is now copied below) that the phrase, “gleanin’ in de vineyard of de Lawd” was a reference to the preacher having dallied in bed with one of the women of the church, which left him without sufficient time to compose a proper sermon. 

The sermon on this page was originally composed from memory in 2002 and was revised in January 2010. Finally, after a lot of web searching, I was able to find where I could purchase the original, brand new 78 rpm record, in the original slipcover and with a printed brochure (in black and white with one graphic - see here ). It was really pricey, but if you want a copy, Walt Smith at RecordSmith.Com has the CD for sale, for $15.00. Walt Smith's address is: 2803 Irisdale Avenue, Richmond, VA 23228.

Or, you can download and listen to The Sermon of the Psaltre! Yes, I've added an .MP3 file below which you can play directly from this page! Click here to go directly to the .MP3 file information at the bottom of this page. Enjoy!

In January, 2010 I carefully reworked the text of the original file and web page, since I now had a CD with the original reworded content. I listened to the CD on one computer and, at the same time, edited the text on a second computer, to get everything completely correct. The dialect is sometimes difficult to decipher, but the text below is, I believe, as close to the actual spoken sermon as I can get.

Now, without further ado, here it is – “The Sermon of the Psaltre” – as I remember it. I hope y'all enjoy it!

“The Sermon of the Peasle Tree”

"Brother'n and Sister'n, I's been so took up dis week wid de pastoral duties 'mongst de flock and gleanin' in de vineyard of de Lawd, dat I ain't had time to give to de preparation of no real theologic sermon. I's gwine let de Bible drap open and wheresoever my eyes rest, I'll know dat de Lawd has guided me to dat text to hold forth to y'all's dis mornin'.

"My eyes rest heah, Brethen and Sistern, at de text as recorded in Two Eye Kings, whar de text say dat "de Chillen of Israel worshipped De Lawd wid de harp and wid de instument of seven strings and wid de … uh … wid de … uh … p s a l t r e.' Now, Brethen and Sistern, de text say dat 'de Chillen of Israel worshipped De Lawd wid de harp and wid de instument of seven strings and wid de … p s a l t r e … and wid de Peasle Tree!

"Now, my text dis beautiful Sabbath morn will be de Peasle Tree! I's gib a great deal of thought to study of de history of de Peasle Tree. De Peasle Tree was a tree what grow up in Moses' backyard down in de land of Egypt.

"And, when de Peasle Tree is growed up and flourish like de young shade tree, Moses went out in de backyard and he took his two bit Barlow knife … de one dat has four blades and a beer opener in de back … and he cut hisself a staff off'n de Peasle Tree and when he has skinned de staff up good and smooth, de Lawd spake unto Moses and he say, "Moses, take thy Peasle Tree staff in thy hand and put thy food in de middle of de big road leadin' on down to of Mr. Pharaoh's house!

"Now, Brethen and Sistern, Mr. Pharaoh was quality white folks in dem parts, in dem days. But Moses, he ain't paid no mind to dat 'case he knows dat de Lawd was 'hind him and he walk big and cocky, like de Lawd want all his people do when dey know dat de Lawd is 'hind dem in what deys doin'! And, besides of dat, Moses was a meekest man dat eber lived and he played on de harp wid a thousand strings, spirits of righteous men to make perfect!

"And, Brethen and Sistern, Moses jus walk rite up to front door of Mr. Pharaoh's house and knock on de big brass knocker door. And, when Pharaoh's boy come to de door, he say, 'What you want, Moses, come round heah knocking on white folks' front door like dis?'

"Pharaoh was a proud man, he don' like to hab people knock on his front door. And, Moses jus' say, 'I wants to see Mr. Pharaoh!' And, de boy say, 'Mr. Pharaoh claim dat he ain't in dis morning.' And Moses say, 'I knows dat he's in case I sees his saddle house hitch out here at de hitchin' rack!' And, he talk to him like dat, Brethen and Sistern, and he turn't Moses in to see Pharaoh. And, Mr. Pharaoh say, 'Moses, what you doin' pesterin' me like dat, in de middle of de mornin' when you knows dat a gentleman ain't s'posed to be done drinkin' his mint julep yet?' And, Moses said, 'Pharaoh, I wants you to turn dem chillen' loose!'

"''What chillen' you talking' bout?' say Mr. Pharaoh. Moses say, 'Now, Mr. Pharaoh, don't you try to act all bigens wid me! You knows I's talking 'bout dem Chillen of Israel, I want you to turn loose!'

"Pharaoh say, 'What you doin' talking 'bout dem Chillen of Israel? Didn't I gib 'em a day off on George Washington's birfday and didn't I gib 'em Fouth of July off? And, ain't de cotton and de corn jus … and de 'bacca and all dat … jus plum filthy wid weeds? Ain't gwina gib 'em no more day off!'

"And, when Moses see dat Pharaoh is hard in his heart, 'gainst him like dat, Moses jus drop de Peasle Tree staff on de ground and it turn into a fiery serpent! Pharaoh jumps back from de fiery serpent … he scared! Moses jus retch down and pick up de fiery serpent by de tail and strip it 'round his head three times for luck and make a cross on de ground and spit in de middle of it, take de conju'e off, and turn back into a Peasle Tree cane!

"Pharaoh say, 'Now look here, Moses, whilest you was talking, I been studyin' 'bout dis thing, let's talk reasonable 'bout did now! Dem Chillen of Israel is powerful poor field hands anyhow and dey done et dere heads off many times over. Dere hardly no rations left in de land for my own people … gwine turn 'em loose!'

"And Moses jus pick up de Peasle Tree staff in his hand and walk on down to his house. And he say, 'Call in all de hands, dig up de Peasle Tree, wrap de roots up in a guana bag and put in one of dese heah Studebaker wagons, hitch four of dem big Missouri mules to it, don' you hitch none of dem shackled in cotton field mules to dat wagon! We's gwine march out of Egypt wid a high hand!'

"And, Brethen and Sistern, de Chillen of Israel all march on down de Red Sea road, right in de middle of de mornin', wid red tassels on de mules' hames, and a New 'Nited States flag flying from de topmost branch of de Peasle Tree, and de Lawd smilin' down on de whole procession!

"And, when dey gets to de Red Sea, de Chillen of Israel look and dey say, 'Moses, ain't no ferry and ain't no ford … how we gwine get across? Now, jus look at de mess you and de Lawn done got us in, jus look at de mess you got us in!' 

"And, Moses, he jus cool as de center seed of a cucumber! He wave his hand seven times from de East to de West and de wind blow de leaves of de Peasle Tree, and blow de Red Sea back and de chillen march over on dry foots!

"And when dey get over on de other side, dey look back and dey see de hosts of Egypt followin' 'em and de Chillen of Israel scared and dey huddle 'round Moses like sheeps round a shepherd dog. But Moses, he ain't a'scared and he jus turn 'round and he wave his hand back de other way seven times from de West to de East and de wind blow back thru de leaves of de Peasle Tree, and drown all de hosts of Eqypt!

"And forty days and forty nights de Chillen of Israel dey wander in de wilderness. And one mornin' Moses wake up and he go down to de stables and he see de mules hain't been curried and de Peasle Tree hain't eben been watered! And Moses cuss de stable boys for all dere sorry ways of doin'!

"And den de Chillen of Israel mummer 'gainst Moses and dey say, 'Moses, we's hongry, we ain't had no rations issue us dis month!' And, Moses jus say, 'Go on out dere to de Peasle Tree and eat peasles!' And, Brethen and Sistern, dey pick us twelve baskets of full of good ripe peasles! And 'tis recorded, both in de sacred history and all de profane history, dat dey set down to possum and sweet 'tater wid brown gravy! 

"Some folks said dat it was manna dey et in de wilderness. Nothin' t'all but peasles! Some folks said a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of clouds by day guided 'em. Nothin' t'all but jus de moon shinin' on de leaves of de Peasle Tree at night and de shade of de Peasle Tree in de daytime!

"Brethen and Sistern I says unto you, verily, verily in dat last great day, when de Angel Gabriel shall come and de earth is rolled up like de ol' newspaper and cast on de fiery flames to burn, and de sheeps is gathered on de right and de goats is gathered on de left … Brethen and Sistern, in dat day if you 'spects to take yoah place on de right and be told off by Saint Peter whilest you march thru dem Pearly Gates and walk on dem golden streets wearin' dem golden slippers, Brethen and Sistern you must be found wearin' a right smart size bunch of peasle leaves in yoah pocket! Amen!"

Grace

Follow the Sermons on "Grace" at Cornerstone Missionary Baptist, Reedsburg WI.

History     Cornerstone’s story – While Cornerstone has only been in the Reedsburg area for a little while, its history is a rich and long one.

The journey began nearly 2,000 years ago when Jesus first called out His disciples, His first local assembly, and they would turn the world upside down with the message of eternal life in Jesus. This message spread throughout the ancient world, as many others would believe on Jesus, and local assemblies began springing up all over the place. This message and this movement would transcend the centuries and eventually make its way to the shores of America, moving from the East Coast to the West Coast,…all the way to California, where in 1941 the First Missionary Baptist Church of Redlands, California, was founded.

In May of 2000, FMBC Redlands would then become the sending church for a new church to be planted in Reedsburg, Wisconsin. This new church began with a few transplants from California but would eventually grow to become a solid presence in the Reedsburg area.

CONTACT INFO
Phone: (608) 524-5838
E-mail: info@cornerstonembc.com
Address: S3111 Ableman Rd. - Reedsburg, WI 53959
http://www.cornerstonembc.com/

Grace.. Would you have Chosen Barabbas?

Pontius Pilate knew he had no real reason to have Jesus killed. But the mob outside, urged on by their religious leaders, were clamoring for his blood. The Roman governor thought he saw a way out. It was his custom at that time of year to release a prisoner as a goodwill gesture. He had planned to offer Barabbas, a robber and rabble-rouser. But now he could offer Jesus instead. Just a few days before, Jesus had been escorted into the city by an adoring crowd. Surely some of them were in that mob outside. Surely they would ask for him to be set free. But they didn’t. Urged on by Jesus’ enemies, the mob called for Barabbas.

“What do I do with Jesus then?” asked the governor. “Crucify him!” yelled the mob.
“But why? What has he done?” protested Pilate. But the mob was beyond reason.
“Crucify him! CRUCIFY HIM!”

So Jesus was led away to be flogged and crucified. What would we have done if we were in that crowd on the night Jesus was arrested? What would you have done if you had been in that crowd? Would you have joined in the clamor for Jesus to be killed?

“Certainly not!” you say? Don’t be so sure.

The people who chose Barabbas lived in an angry, confused, cruel and frustrated world. They had learned to survive in it, going with the flow without fully endorsing its worst aspects. Most of them would probably not have described themselves as “good people,” but surely they were good enough.

Jesus was a likeable fellow. He was kind, fun to be around and generous. He exposed hypocritical public figures. He did fascinating miracles and gave great sermons. No wonder people liked to follow him around. You never knew what was going to happen next, but you knew it would be exciting.

Jesus said he represented a kingdom “not of this world,” where love, forgiveness and peace are the way of life. He said the future belonged to the poor, the powerless and the disenfranchised. But the future is a long way off, and right now, the poor were still poor and powerless and disenfranchised.

He spoke often of repentance and forgiveness — which was fine, but divine forgiveness didn’t pay the tax man and didn’t keep hypocritical public figures from taking your property and killing your children.

Jesus had a disconcerting way of including “good-enough” people among the sinners. He seemed to expect them to make changes in how they lived, too. “Why do you call me Lord, and don’t do what I tell you?” he’d ask.

Jesus threatened the status quo at every level. He still does, and we don’t like that, especially if we are comfortable. When we are confronted with the reality of Jesus, many of us good-enough people would prefer to do like Pilate, and wash our hands of him. We have nothing against him personally, but we don’t like to be faced with the truth about our own greed, selfishness, double standards and hypocrisy. Save sinners by all means, but not in my backyard!

So Jesus was brutally put to death with the cries of ordinary people ringing in his ears. Three days later, he was resurrected. It was not just the triumph of one man over his own death. It is God’s triumph over all sin and death — once and for all. Christians understand this, and we love, honor, praise and worship the one whose sacrifice has opened the way to our eternal life.

At least, we like to think we do. But let’s be honest with ourselves. What would we have done if we had been in that crowd on the night Jesus was arrested?

We may not have liked Barabbas, but we understood him. He was of our world. We would not have wanted him as a next-door neighbor, but providing he posed no threat to us personally, we could let him live.

But that other fellow? He offered us promises we could not see, and he confronted us where it hurt most, invading our innermost being, challenging us to share, to serve, to be humble, to be honest, to put God first, to love others as much as we love ourselves and to forgive those who wrong us.

That is all very well in theory, and makes for wonderful prayers and praise songs. But in reality, that is not the way we do things down here. Better to play it safe with the devil you do know.

Are you sure you would not have chosen Barabbas?

Follow the story of Grace at Cornerstone Missionary Baptist. http://www.cornerstonembc.com/

Voice of Martyrs - Tortured For Christ

If you have not read the book "Tortured For Christ", request your free copy through the link below. The reading will provide you with a new look at works in international countries. If you are in a western county it may also light your fire for involvement in action and prayers for Missionaries and Families in the countries.
Link: http://torturedforchrist.com/

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VOM was founded in 1967 by Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, who was imprisoned 14 years in Communist Romania for his faith in Christ. His wife, Sabina, was imprisoned for three years. In the 1960s, Richard, Sabina, and their son, Mihai, were ransomed out of Romania and came to the United States. Through their travels, the Wurmbrands spread the message of the atrocities that Christians face in restricted nations, while establishing a network of offices dedicated to assisting the persecuted church.

The Voice of the Martyrs continues in this mission around the world today through the following main purposes:

Our ministry is based on Hebrews 13:3:

Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.

VOM’s Five Main Purposes

1. To encourage and empower Christians to fulfill the Great Commission in areas of the world where they are persecuted for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
2. To provide practical relief and spiritual support to the families of Christian martyrs.
3. To equip persecuted Christians to love and win to Christ those who are opposed to the gospel in their part of the world.
4. To undertake projects of encouragement, helping believers rebuild their lives and Christian witness in countries where they have formerly suffered oppression.
5. To promote the fellowship of all believers by informing the world of the faith and courage of persecuted Christians, thereby inspiring believers to a deeper level of commitment to Christ and involvement in His Great Commission.

VOM’s Mission Statement

“Serving the persecuted church through practical and spiritual assistance while leading Christians in the free world into fellowship with them.”

http://www.persecution.com/

Because of Faith

Everyone seeking to better understand their faith journey as powered by the infinite grace, love, power and real presence of the Father, Son & Holy Spirit. As the primary writer of this blog, let it be known that I have personally stumbled, fallen and failed because of my self-serving wants, corrupt human nature, human “knowledge,” and my futile attempts to be in control. Today, I know that understanding can only be gained through the lens of faith and living a Christ-centered life.

After many years I am looking for what the Lord has in store for me. I am not sure but I am ready for the next adventure.

In my life I have been exposed to different Christian faith traditions, doctrines, disciplines, human philosophies.

Through this my understanding of scripture has reinforced my belief that we must focus on what Christians have in common -- not that which can divide us -- for we must live by following Christ’ two greatest commandments:

Love God and love one another!

Only through him will we be able to gain the abundant life.So come along and lets step out for Christ in the full faith and understanding that only he can bring.  Some day I get to fly!