Psalm Meditation 489
Twenty Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 1, 2009
Psalm 143
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness.
2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued me, crushing my life to the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.
5 I remember the days of old, I think about all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
8 Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Save me, O LORD, from my enemies; I have fled to you for refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.
11 For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life. In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.
12 In your steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am your servant.
(NRSV)
For most of us negative is easier than positive. So when bad things begin to happen to us we start to see everything in the same bad light. The downward spiral begins with long sweeping curves that we barely notice are moving deeper into negative space. As the spiral tightens and picks up speed we may feel that we have lost control and that the only way we can possibly go is further and faster down. The psalmist reminds us that we have the option of reaching up to God to drag us out of the spiral of negativity.
It is not so much that God drags us out as God gives us an anchor point on which to tie our flagging sense of hope. There is some effort on both ends. God will not be our anchor point unless and until we reach out of the downward spiral. Negativity breeds and feeds on negativity and it is by some combination of faith and will that we are able to recognize the danger and begin the process of moving toward positive.
It will always be easier to fall down than it will be to build up. Falling takes no effort at all; building takes resources outside ourselves. To build well usually requires relationship so that we can work together to shape and lift elements into place and then climb what we have built so that we can work on the next level together. Sometimes we build with God alone. Most of the time we build with God and those around us for the mutual lifting of bodies and souls.
© October 26, 2009
Monday, October 26, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
Psalm Meditation 488
Twenty first Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 25, 2009
Psalm 118:1,5-14,21-29
1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!
5 Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 With the LORD on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me?
7 The LORD is on my side to help me; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to put confidence in mortals.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
12 They surrounded me like bees; they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.
21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we beseech you, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you.
29 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
(NRSV)
I was not the coolest, most popular kid growing up and I still am not so I take great comfort in verse 22. The verse is used of Jesus and it is also true of many of the folks God has chosen to lead in Scripture and beyond. Moses thought his brother Aaron would be a much better choice for leading God’s people out of captivity. Samuel was sure that the oldest son of Jesse was the one God would pick to be king in place of Saul, however God had picked David, the youngest of the bunch. God has a way of picking those least likely to succeed to accomplish great things. God sees qualities in each of us that the world fails to notice.
As we see that God does not judge us by the world’s standards we begin to see ourselves and the rest of creation in a new light. We can rejoice at the beginning of each new day as a gift of God. It may not go the way we would hope and we may not win the rat race of the day, however, as we see each day as a gift we can more easily see God at work in all that goes on around us. Seeing through God’s eyes we may even find ourselves redefining what is important and what it means to be a success.
God is not opposed to winning and striving to be the best; God simply invites us to remember that there are multiple ways of deciding a winner and that the way the world decides winners and losers may not be the best way to do things. It is quite likely that God looks on the folks who has done more for others, the ones who have more friends, the ones people want to be like on a day to basis as closer to victory than the one with the most trophies in the glass case. God is much more interested in our relationships than in our prizes and trophies.
© October 19, 2009
Twenty first Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 25, 2009
Psalm 118:1,5-14,21-29
1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!
5 Out of my distress I called on the LORD; the LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.
6 With the LORD on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me?
7 The LORD is on my side to help me; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to put confidence in mortals.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to put confidence in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
12 They surrounded me like bees; they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.
21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we beseech you, O LORD! O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you.
29 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
(NRSV)
I was not the coolest, most popular kid growing up and I still am not so I take great comfort in verse 22. The verse is used of Jesus and it is also true of many of the folks God has chosen to lead in Scripture and beyond. Moses thought his brother Aaron would be a much better choice for leading God’s people out of captivity. Samuel was sure that the oldest son of Jesse was the one God would pick to be king in place of Saul, however God had picked David, the youngest of the bunch. God has a way of picking those least likely to succeed to accomplish great things. God sees qualities in each of us that the world fails to notice.
As we see that God does not judge us by the world’s standards we begin to see ourselves and the rest of creation in a new light. We can rejoice at the beginning of each new day as a gift of God. It may not go the way we would hope and we may not win the rat race of the day, however, as we see each day as a gift we can more easily see God at work in all that goes on around us. Seeing through God’s eyes we may even find ourselves redefining what is important and what it means to be a success.
God is not opposed to winning and striving to be the best; God simply invites us to remember that there are multiple ways of deciding a winner and that the way the world decides winners and losers may not be the best way to do things. It is quite likely that God looks on the folks who has done more for others, the ones who have more friends, the ones people want to be like on a day to basis as closer to victory than the one with the most trophies in the glass case. God is much more interested in our relationships than in our prizes and trophies.
© October 19, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Psalm Meditation 487
Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 18, 2009
Psalm 93
1 The LORD is king, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
2 your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.
4 More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the LORD!
5 Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.
(NRSV)
In the midst of a trial, especially one as frightening and devastating as a flood, it is easy to forget everything we know. The main reason we have drills and practices is to make the skills needed automatic, to give them multiple pathways in conscious and unconscious ways. The psalmist reminds us that in the most devastating events God is more mighty and majestic than the power with which we are contending.
It doesn’t mean that God will pluck us out of the calamity. It does mean that before, during and after God is both with us and far and away above us. If our primary objective is physical survival it is not much comfort because God does not promise to save our lives. God promises to be with us. For those whose goal is to be in a relationship with God it is wonderful to know that God is with us in the best, the worst and the in between times.
When we practice and drill concerning the presence of God we can be better prepared for the times in which it seems that all is lost. God’s presence is not a reason or excuse to give up in times of trial so much as it is a reminder that we are not alone. The presence of God may inspire us to acts of heroism for ourselves and others; it may simply give us the courage to face calamity with our fears and hopes intact. We live in the presence of God assured of the overarching holiness and majesty of God.
© October 12, 2009
Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 18, 2009
Psalm 93
1 The LORD is king, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
2 your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.
4 More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the LORD!
5 Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.
(NRSV)
In the midst of a trial, especially one as frightening and devastating as a flood, it is easy to forget everything we know. The main reason we have drills and practices is to make the skills needed automatic, to give them multiple pathways in conscious and unconscious ways. The psalmist reminds us that in the most devastating events God is more mighty and majestic than the power with which we are contending.
It doesn’t mean that God will pluck us out of the calamity. It does mean that before, during and after God is both with us and far and away above us. If our primary objective is physical survival it is not much comfort because God does not promise to save our lives. God promises to be with us. For those whose goal is to be in a relationship with God it is wonderful to know that God is with us in the best, the worst and the in between times.
When we practice and drill concerning the presence of God we can be better prepared for the times in which it seems that all is lost. God’s presence is not a reason or excuse to give up in times of trial so much as it is a reminder that we are not alone. The presence of God may inspire us to acts of heroism for ourselves and others; it may simply give us the courage to face calamity with our fears and hopes intact. We live in the presence of God assured of the overarching holiness and majesty of God.
© October 12, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
Psalm Meditation 486
Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 11, 2009
Psalm 68:7-23
7 O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you restored your heritage when it languished;
10 your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
11 The Lord gives the command; great is the company of those who bore the tidings:
12 "The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!" The women at home divide the spoil,
13 though they stay among the sheepfolds-- the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with green gold.
14 When the Almighty scattered kings there, snow fell on Zalmon.
15 O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16 Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, where the LORD will reside forever?
17 With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands, the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.
18 You ascended the high mount, leading captives in your train and receiving gifts from people, even from those who rebel against the LORD God's abiding there.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah
20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belongs escape from death.
21 But God will shatter the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways.
22 The Lord said, "I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 so that you may bathe your feet in blood, so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe."
(NRSV)
Even though this particular section of the psalm ends in blood the important part is the reminder that “Our God is a God of salvation.” Through any victories and defeats we may go the destination toward which God is leading is salvation. Whether we live or die it is God’s intention to bring us to wholeness, which is what the word salvation means. If we bathe our feet in the blood of our enemies while celebrating how wonderful we are in ourselves we have missed out on salvation. If it is our enemies who bathe their feet in our blood and we have remained faithful to God and trusted in God’s providence and deliverance we have found the salvation God promises.
Salvation is not about winning and coming in first so much as it is about standing firm in the presence of God and having within ourselves an assurance that whether we live or die we are made whole in our relationship with God and others. Winning is wonderful. If winning comes at the cost of our relationship with God it comes at a high price indeed. Salvation is more about a relationship than it is about winning or losing.
It is good to win and it hurts to lose. We can define winning and losing however we like, and we do, so that we end up defining what we did as winning. We can also change the categories so that it is not about winning or losing so much as it is bring as many folks as possible into a relationship of wholeness with God and others. It is probably easier to measure beating and getting beaten. I hope it is more in line with God’s will for us to move in directions that lead to healing and wholeness: salvation.
© October 5, 2009
Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 11, 2009
Psalm 68:7-23
7 O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you restored your heritage when it languished;
10 your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
11 The Lord gives the command; great is the company of those who bore the tidings:
12 "The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!" The women at home divide the spoil,
13 though they stay among the sheepfolds-- the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with green gold.
14 When the Almighty scattered kings there, snow fell on Zalmon.
15 O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16 Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, where the LORD will reside forever?
17 With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands, the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place.
18 You ascended the high mount, leading captives in your train and receiving gifts from people, even from those who rebel against the LORD God's abiding there.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah
20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belongs escape from death.
21 But God will shatter the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways.
22 The Lord said, "I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 so that you may bathe your feet in blood, so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe."
(NRSV)
Even though this particular section of the psalm ends in blood the important part is the reminder that “Our God is a God of salvation.” Through any victories and defeats we may go the destination toward which God is leading is salvation. Whether we live or die it is God’s intention to bring us to wholeness, which is what the word salvation means. If we bathe our feet in the blood of our enemies while celebrating how wonderful we are in ourselves we have missed out on salvation. If it is our enemies who bathe their feet in our blood and we have remained faithful to God and trusted in God’s providence and deliverance we have found the salvation God promises.
Salvation is not about winning and coming in first so much as it is about standing firm in the presence of God and having within ourselves an assurance that whether we live or die we are made whole in our relationship with God and others. Winning is wonderful. If winning comes at the cost of our relationship with God it comes at a high price indeed. Salvation is more about a relationship than it is about winning or losing.
It is good to win and it hurts to lose. We can define winning and losing however we like, and we do, so that we end up defining what we did as winning. We can also change the categories so that it is not about winning or losing so much as it is bring as many folks as possible into a relationship of wholeness with God and others. It is probably easier to measure beating and getting beaten. I hope it is more in line with God’s will for us to move in directions that lead to healing and wholeness: salvation.
© October 5, 2009
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