Psalm Meditation 550
Second Sunday After Christmas
January 2, 2011
Psalm 94
1 O LORD, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve!
3 O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the orphan,
7 and they say, "The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive."
8 Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, he who teaches knowledge to humankind, does he not chastise?
11 The LORD knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath.
12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law,
13 giving them respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, "My foot is slipping," your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who contrive mischief by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out.
(NRSV)
In a recent Sunday School class one of the participants asked how many of us picture God being a part of our day. It reminded me of a story one of my seminary professors told from the 1960s when the book God is Dead came out. A member of the congregation asked what it all meant and he asked her how often she talked about God to her friends or thought about God other than on Sunday morning during worship. All that to say that we are not as far from those the psalmist is scolding as we would like to be. That is, the folks who act as if God were inattentive to our daily actions.
The psalmist reminds us that God is watching and listening. What we do during the week makes as much difference to God as what we do on Sunday morning. There is the companion reminder that God knows what we are thinking as we worship and at all other times of our lives. In the context of this psalm it is a scary thought that God knows so much about us. God knows all the terrible things we say and hear about other people and God knows the thoughts that go through our heads as we hear and say these things. If God is only a harsh judge we are in some pretty serious trouble, even as people of God.
The good thing is that God is more than judge. God also loves us more deeply than we can possibly know. So, yes we will be judged harshly and we will be loved, taught and disciplined (yes, I know they mean the same thing) by a God who loves us and wants what is best for us and for those around us. God even loves those who make us crazy as well as those who hate us.
December 27, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Psalm Meditation 549
First Sunday After Christmas
December 26, 2010
Psalm 64
1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from the dread enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the scheming of evildoers,
3 who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from ambush at the blameless; they shoot suddenly and without fear.
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, "Who can see us?
6 Who can search out our crimes? We have thought out a cunningly conceived plot." For the human heart and mind are deep.
7 But God will shoot his arrow at them; they will be wounded suddenly.
8 Because of their tongue he will bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake with horror.
9 Then everyone will fear; they will tell what God has brought about, and ponder what he has done.
10 Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him. Let all the upright in heart glory.
(NRSV)
I can’t shake the image of middle school students in which one group picks a few others to receive all their nasty comments. They may or may not notice how much pain they are inflicting on this ‘other.’ What they know is that it keeps them from sniping at each other quite so viciously because they have a common ‘enemy’. They seem to be immune to any barbs in return no matter whether they come from the object of their derision or from some other group. The major difference seems to be the level of support folks have from their group.
The folks who take the comments to heart are the ones searching for a sense of belonging, a group of which to be a part. They are the loners and outcasts who desperately want to be a part yet have no real points of contact with anyone. Because they have no support system they are great targets for the various weapons wielded by those by whom they are surrounded. The psalmist reminds us that God is available to each of us, with a special bias toward the outsiders.
The presence of God does not lead to an end to the bullying or to one who can instantly stand up to those who bully. The presence of God and the people of God begins to build a support system that can help deflect the slings and arrows of daily life. “For the human heart and mind are deep.” reminds us that while there is great potential for sin and evil within us there is a great reservoir of good as well. God will not keep us from being mean to each other so much as God will offer an alternative viewpoint. The steadfast love of God reminds us that we are people of infinite worth.
December 20, 2010
First Sunday After Christmas
December 26, 2010
Psalm 64
1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from the dread enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the scheming of evildoers,
3 who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from ambush at the blameless; they shoot suddenly and without fear.
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, "Who can see us?
6 Who can search out our crimes? We have thought out a cunningly conceived plot." For the human heart and mind are deep.
7 But God will shoot his arrow at them; they will be wounded suddenly.
8 Because of their tongue he will bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake with horror.
9 Then everyone will fear; they will tell what God has brought about, and ponder what he has done.
10 Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him. Let all the upright in heart glory.
(NRSV)
I can’t shake the image of middle school students in which one group picks a few others to receive all their nasty comments. They may or may not notice how much pain they are inflicting on this ‘other.’ What they know is that it keeps them from sniping at each other quite so viciously because they have a common ‘enemy’. They seem to be immune to any barbs in return no matter whether they come from the object of their derision or from some other group. The major difference seems to be the level of support folks have from their group.
The folks who take the comments to heart are the ones searching for a sense of belonging, a group of which to be a part. They are the loners and outcasts who desperately want to be a part yet have no real points of contact with anyone. Because they have no support system they are great targets for the various weapons wielded by those by whom they are surrounded. The psalmist reminds us that God is available to each of us, with a special bias toward the outsiders.
The presence of God does not lead to an end to the bullying or to one who can instantly stand up to those who bully. The presence of God and the people of God begins to build a support system that can help deflect the slings and arrows of daily life. “For the human heart and mind are deep.” reminds us that while there is great potential for sin and evil within us there is a great reservoir of good as well. God will not keep us from being mean to each other so much as God will offer an alternative viewpoint. The steadfast love of God reminds us that we are people of infinite worth.
December 20, 2010
Monday, December 13, 2010
Psalm Meditation 548
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 19, 2010
Psalm 34
1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.
9 O fear the Lord, you his holy ones, for those who fear him have no want.
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Which of you desires life, and covets many days to enjoy good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord rescues them from them all.
20 He keeps all their bones; not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil brings death to the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
(NRSV)
Much as we say we hate rules we really do love them, especially when they catch someone else as a rule breaker. We feel as if we have to keep refining and clarifying rules because someone comes up with a question about a particular situation that is not definitively spelled out in the rules we have so far. Interesting that the psalmist can teach us how to fear God in three verses and we look for loopholes that need further and further clarification.
“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” It seems pretty straight forward as a psalm of praise, however when it becomes a rule there are questions and clarifications that need to be asked and answered. There are also exceptions that need to be raised since, for example, one person will believe that the instruction to seek peace means with everyone and someone else believes it only applies to those in our particular group.
We do like to know what is expected of us and we like for those expectations to be readily achievable. We also like to know that there is an ‘in’ group and an ‘out’ group and that we are part of the ‘in’ crowd. The psalmist reminds us that the folks who serve God are redeemed. Will it be the one who pursues peace only with ‘us’ or will it be the one who pursues peace with all? It is possible that God will redeem both since each serves to the best of their ability. Could it be that God will redeem those with whom we disagree as well as us since we see ourselves as servants of God?
December 13, 2010
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 19, 2010
Psalm 34
1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad.
3 O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5 Look to him, and be radiant; so your faces shall never be ashamed.
6 This poor soul cried, and was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.
9 O fear the Lord, you his holy ones, for those who fear him have no want.
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
12 Which of you desires life, and covets many days to enjoy good?
13 Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.
14 Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry.
16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.
19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord rescues them from them all.
20 He keeps all their bones; not one of them will be broken.
21 Evil brings death to the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.
(NRSV)
Much as we say we hate rules we really do love them, especially when they catch someone else as a rule breaker. We feel as if we have to keep refining and clarifying rules because someone comes up with a question about a particular situation that is not definitively spelled out in the rules we have so far. Interesting that the psalmist can teach us how to fear God in three verses and we look for loopholes that need further and further clarification.
“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.” It seems pretty straight forward as a psalm of praise, however when it becomes a rule there are questions and clarifications that need to be asked and answered. There are also exceptions that need to be raised since, for example, one person will believe that the instruction to seek peace means with everyone and someone else believes it only applies to those in our particular group.
We do like to know what is expected of us and we like for those expectations to be readily achievable. We also like to know that there is an ‘in’ group and an ‘out’ group and that we are part of the ‘in’ crowd. The psalmist reminds us that the folks who serve God are redeemed. Will it be the one who pursues peace only with ‘us’ or will it be the one who pursues peace with all? It is possible that God will redeem both since each serves to the best of their ability. Could it be that God will redeem those with whom we disagree as well as us since we see ourselves as servants of God?
December 13, 2010
Monday, December 6, 2010
Psalm Meditation 547
Third Sunday of Advent
December 12, 2010
Psalm 4
1 Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the LORD has set apart the faithful for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
4 When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.
6 There are many who say, "O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O LORD!"
7 You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound.
8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety.
(NRSV)
It has been several years since I have been to a party where folks have had way too much to drink and provided much of the entertainment by their alcohol fueled antics. Those parties are much more memorable to the folks who are not participating in the drinking and the silliness that goes with it. The gladness of the evening is more than offset by the price one pays the next day from the headache and the blow to one’s reputation. It may be better to be known as a funny drunk than as a mean drunk, however one is still known as a drunk either way.
It has not been that long since I have been to a party in which folks were all committed Christians and church people. I have had just as much, if not more, fun and all the participants could remember what happened and had much less for which to be embarrassed in the morning. The gladness of the evening was a genuine joy in each other’s company brought about by the common love of God and participation in the community of faith. The psalmist celebrates the gladness of heart that comes from being wholly/holy in the presence of God.
To live out of a relationship with God is to have a sense of peace in our lives. Faithful people will have regrets, however I believe those regrets will be fewer and less severe than for those driven by relationships other than with God and the people around them. Relationships with people last longer and are more fulfilling than those based on anything else. While, “There are many who say, "O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O LORD!"“ those who have a relationship with God are most likely to actually see good and notice the light of God’s face shining on us. That presence gives us something to share with others who are looking for a meaningful sense of gladness.
December 6, 2010
Third Sunday of Advent
December 12, 2010
Psalm 4
1 Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the LORD has set apart the faithful for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
4 When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.
6 There are many who say, "O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O LORD!"
7 You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound.
8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety.
(NRSV)
It has been several years since I have been to a party where folks have had way too much to drink and provided much of the entertainment by their alcohol fueled antics. Those parties are much more memorable to the folks who are not participating in the drinking and the silliness that goes with it. The gladness of the evening is more than offset by the price one pays the next day from the headache and the blow to one’s reputation. It may be better to be known as a funny drunk than as a mean drunk, however one is still known as a drunk either way.
It has not been that long since I have been to a party in which folks were all committed Christians and church people. I have had just as much, if not more, fun and all the participants could remember what happened and had much less for which to be embarrassed in the morning. The gladness of the evening was a genuine joy in each other’s company brought about by the common love of God and participation in the community of faith. The psalmist celebrates the gladness of heart that comes from being wholly/holy in the presence of God.
To live out of a relationship with God is to have a sense of peace in our lives. Faithful people will have regrets, however I believe those regrets will be fewer and less severe than for those driven by relationships other than with God and the people around them. Relationships with people last longer and are more fulfilling than those based on anything else. While, “There are many who say, "O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O LORD!"“ those who have a relationship with God are most likely to actually see good and notice the light of God’s face shining on us. That presence gives us something to share with others who are looking for a meaningful sense of gladness.
December 6, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Psalm Meditation 546
Second Sunday of Advent
December 5, 2010
Psalm 123
1 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until he has mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.
(NRSV)
The folks who receive contempt for reasons of race, class, gender or some other arbitrary cause that has nothing to do with them personally will eventually grow weary of the contempt and will rise up and demand respect. There seems to be a strong part of us that wants to feel superior and we do it at the expense of another. In our history as human beings we have been known to look down on folks for some obvious and seemingly random characteristic which sets them apart from us. Are all of ‘them,’ as a class, really inferior to all of ‘us’ simply because of that one characteristic?
The psalmist takes great comfort in the presence of God as one, or as the one, who will deal mercifully with those held in contempt by others. The presence of God will not keep one group from looking at another group with contempt. The presence of God gives folks an alternative viewpoint. In God we see ourselves as people of ultimate worth who are deeply, steadfastly, and unconditionally loved. When we see through the eyes of God we recognize that we are neither inferior nor superior to any other group.
In God we see ourselves as unique and incomparable individuals. Do you have more money than I? I have strengths and gifts that you neither need nor want for yourself yet serve me well. As we want to feel superior to another person or group we will find a way. As we want to confirm a poor opinion of ourselves we will find folks who are willing to let us feel inferior to them. As we desire to live with a sense of mutual respect, love and tolerance we will find those who are seeking that as well. In God we are led to mercy. In mercy we find a way to live together with our differences intact.
November 29, 2010
Second Sunday of Advent
December 5, 2010
Psalm 123
1 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until he has mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.
(NRSV)
The folks who receive contempt for reasons of race, class, gender or some other arbitrary cause that has nothing to do with them personally will eventually grow weary of the contempt and will rise up and demand respect. There seems to be a strong part of us that wants to feel superior and we do it at the expense of another. In our history as human beings we have been known to look down on folks for some obvious and seemingly random characteristic which sets them apart from us. Are all of ‘them,’ as a class, really inferior to all of ‘us’ simply because of that one characteristic?
The psalmist takes great comfort in the presence of God as one, or as the one, who will deal mercifully with those held in contempt by others. The presence of God will not keep one group from looking at another group with contempt. The presence of God gives folks an alternative viewpoint. In God we see ourselves as people of ultimate worth who are deeply, steadfastly, and unconditionally loved. When we see through the eyes of God we recognize that we are neither inferior nor superior to any other group.
In God we see ourselves as unique and incomparable individuals. Do you have more money than I? I have strengths and gifts that you neither need nor want for yourself yet serve me well. As we want to feel superior to another person or group we will find a way. As we want to confirm a poor opinion of ourselves we will find folks who are willing to let us feel inferior to them. As we desire to live with a sense of mutual respect, love and tolerance we will find those who are seeking that as well. In God we are led to mercy. In mercy we find a way to live together with our differences intact.
November 29, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Psalm Meditation 545
First Sunday of Advent
November 28, 2010
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)
There are days in which the waves on a large body of water are loud enough to drown out normal conversation. The majesty of God can bring us to silence as well. For me, the majesty of God is not about volume so much as it is about a sense of awe that comes in a quiet assurance of the presence of God. Just as God is not impressed by the volume of my words, either in number or loudness, the majesty of God is not about volume so much as it is about the sense of God as both calming and unsettling us at the same time.
We are calmed by the loving presence of God touching our hearts and lives with the love that only God can give. We are unsettled by the call of God to share that love with folks around us, many of whom are not easy for us to love. When we protest that ‘those people’ are hard to love we feel God smiling at us as a reminder that we are not all that easy to love either. God’s love is not about easy it is about loving.
God knows the world is a noisy place in which more noise can be tuned out as easily as we tune out most of the potential distractions to our daily lives. So God comes to us in a silence that allows us to step back from the noise for a moment to experience something very different from our everyday lives. At times it seems as if it is nothing more than another layer of noise. When we listen we discover it is the invitation to step into the presence of the holiness of God.
© November 22, 2010
First Sunday of Advent
November 28, 2010
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)
There are days in which the waves on a large body of water are loud enough to drown out normal conversation. The majesty of God can bring us to silence as well. For me, the majesty of God is not about volume so much as it is about a sense of awe that comes in a quiet assurance of the presence of God. Just as God is not impressed by the volume of my words, either in number or loudness, the majesty of God is not about volume so much as it is about the sense of God as both calming and unsettling us at the same time.
We are calmed by the loving presence of God touching our hearts and lives with the love that only God can give. We are unsettled by the call of God to share that love with folks around us, many of whom are not easy for us to love. When we protest that ‘those people’ are hard to love we feel God smiling at us as a reminder that we are not all that easy to love either. God’s love is not about easy it is about loving.
God knows the world is a noisy place in which more noise can be tuned out as easily as we tune out most of the potential distractions to our daily lives. So God comes to us in a silence that allows us to step back from the noise for a moment to experience something very different from our everyday lives. At times it seems as if it is nothing more than another layer of noise. When we listen we discover it is the invitation to step into the presence of the holiness of God.
© November 22, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
Psalm Meditation 544
Reign of Christ Sunday
November 21, 2010
Psalm 63
1 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword, they shall be prey for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
(NRSV)
One of the great things about this psalm is that it adapts to my mood and need. When I am sad I find myself thirsting for God in a way that brings comfort to me. The feasting image lets me know that even though I am in no mood to feast at God’s table it is laid out for me to enjoy at any time. The battle imagery is a way of reminding myself that even the largest obstacles can be overcome in the presence of God. God is on my side, helping me overcome this particular set of obstacles that could be people or situations or the various internal adversaries I face at times. This psalm is a comforting reminder of the presence of God in all times and places.
When I am overjoyed by life I thirst for God the way some folks thirst for adventure. I can’t get enough; I want this feeling to go on forever. The steadfast love of God renews me with encouragement and a rekindling of the joy and excitement of life. The feasting imagery reminds me to fill myself with the presence of God so that I can move onward and upward to the next peak of joy. The battle imagery reminds me that there is nothing that can hold me down or hold me back when I am in the presence of God. This psalm is a humbling reminder that all I have comes from God.
In the ordinary days, when I am neither overjoyed nor depressed I am reminded that God is with me no matter what. Victories as well as defeats are things we do together. The treats and the trials are there to be shared with others and with God. The feast is laid out to be shared together and the battles against our internal and external adversaries can be joined with the help of others as well. God continues to watch over us, to be present with us in every aspect of life. Happy, sad and all the places in between God meets us and invites us to ever deeper relationship.
© November 15, 2010
Reign of Christ Sunday
November 21, 2010
Psalm 63
1 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword, they shall be prey for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
(NRSV)
One of the great things about this psalm is that it adapts to my mood and need. When I am sad I find myself thirsting for God in a way that brings comfort to me. The feasting image lets me know that even though I am in no mood to feast at God’s table it is laid out for me to enjoy at any time. The battle imagery is a way of reminding myself that even the largest obstacles can be overcome in the presence of God. God is on my side, helping me overcome this particular set of obstacles that could be people or situations or the various internal adversaries I face at times. This psalm is a comforting reminder of the presence of God in all times and places.
When I am overjoyed by life I thirst for God the way some folks thirst for adventure. I can’t get enough; I want this feeling to go on forever. The steadfast love of God renews me with encouragement and a rekindling of the joy and excitement of life. The feasting imagery reminds me to fill myself with the presence of God so that I can move onward and upward to the next peak of joy. The battle imagery reminds me that there is nothing that can hold me down or hold me back when I am in the presence of God. This psalm is a humbling reminder that all I have comes from God.
In the ordinary days, when I am neither overjoyed nor depressed I am reminded that God is with me no matter what. Victories as well as defeats are things we do together. The treats and the trials are there to be shared with others and with God. The feast is laid out to be shared together and the battles against our internal and external adversaries can be joined with the help of others as well. God continues to watch over us, to be present with us in every aspect of life. Happy, sad and all the places in between God meets us and invites us to ever deeper relationship.
© November 15, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Psalm Meditation 543
Twenty fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 14, 2010
Psalm 33
1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright.
2 Praise the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4 For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
13 The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all humankind.
14 From where he sits enthroned he watches all the inhabitants of the earth--
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds.
16 A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save.
18 Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and shield.
21 Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
(NRSV)
I will confess to a long standing prejudice against contemporary Christian music. The summary of my prejudice is: it is bad music with Christian lyrics and those are usually pretty bad too. I don’t know if the music has changed, if I have changed or if I was simply exposed to particularly bad examples of the genre, whatever the cause I do like at least some contemporary Christian music. All of that leads to zeroing in on verse three, “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”
I am pretty sure that I am not the only one who sometimes gives God less than my best while I worship, especially in those times I do not have some leadership role. I depend on the skills and gifts of others to carry me so I don’t have to give my best effort to God. We can find ourselves content with giving God ‘good enough’ instead of playing skillfully on the strings of the instruments we use to praise God. Neither God nor the psalmist ask for perfect execution of every task in worship. The psalmist reminds us to use our skills to the best of our ability at any particular day and time and to use the time leading up to those days to work on honing and building our skills for the sake of praising God.
I will only mention in passing the first part of the verse, sing a new song.
God is not an ogre who sets perfection as the minimum standard. God loves us and wants us to grow into the best that is possible for each of us. Rest assured that the love of God is steadfast and is not conditional on our contribution to the relationship. God does appreciate it when we give our best and God loves us no matter what. That is why our hearts are glad and our trust is in God’s holy name.
© November 8, 2010
Twenty fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 14, 2010
Psalm 33
1 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous. Praise befits the upright.
2 Praise the LORD with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings.
3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4 For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathered the waters of the sea as in a bottle; he put the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage.
13 The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all humankind.
14 From where he sits enthroned he watches all the inhabitants of the earth--
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all, and observes all their deeds.
16 A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save.
18 Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and shield.
21 Our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
(NRSV)
I will confess to a long standing prejudice against contemporary Christian music. The summary of my prejudice is: it is bad music with Christian lyrics and those are usually pretty bad too. I don’t know if the music has changed, if I have changed or if I was simply exposed to particularly bad examples of the genre, whatever the cause I do like at least some contemporary Christian music. All of that leads to zeroing in on verse three, “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”
I am pretty sure that I am not the only one who sometimes gives God less than my best while I worship, especially in those times I do not have some leadership role. I depend on the skills and gifts of others to carry me so I don’t have to give my best effort to God. We can find ourselves content with giving God ‘good enough’ instead of playing skillfully on the strings of the instruments we use to praise God. Neither God nor the psalmist ask for perfect execution of every task in worship. The psalmist reminds us to use our skills to the best of our ability at any particular day and time and to use the time leading up to those days to work on honing and building our skills for the sake of praising God.
I will only mention in passing the first part of the verse, sing a new song.
God is not an ogre who sets perfection as the minimum standard. God loves us and wants us to grow into the best that is possible for each of us. Rest assured that the love of God is steadfast and is not conditional on our contribution to the relationship. God does appreciate it when we give our best and God loves us no matter what. That is why our hearts are glad and our trust is in God’s holy name.
© November 8, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Psalm Meditation 542
Twenty fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 7, 2010
Psalm 3
1 O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying to me, "There is no help for you in God." Selah
3 But you, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Rise up, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Deliverance belongs to the LORD; may your blessing be on your people! Selah
(NRSV)
Every now and then I become aware of how well I have it in my life; how incredibly blessed I am in any number of ways. At times like these I become unnerved by psalms like this one. If things are going incredibly well for me it is possible that it is at the expense of someone else. If that is the case, it is entirely possible that I am one of those who is waiting to be struck on the cheek; to have my teeth broken by the delivering hand of God.
I am also aware that the psalmist had a concept of wealth as a very limited commodity. The only way one person could become wealthy was at the expense of one or more others. These days we are aware that while there are limits to resources there is quite likely enough to go around. When we think in terms of abundance rather than in limits we see that there is no need for any of us to hoard resources so that others can benefit from the abundance of God’s gifts including the world’s resources.
As a child of the 60s and 70s I often heard the phrase, “come the revolution …” as a way of saying that one day there would be a more equitable distribution of wealth and resources. This psalm serves as a reminder that we can wait for the revolution in which God will be the one who smacks the cheeks of those of us with an overabundance of resources or we can share our resources willingly now. We know that sports figures and business leaders don’t deserve the outrageous salaries they receive however there are folks willing to pay that kind of money. There are folks who know that we don’t deserve what we make either however we still cash our checks too. God delivers folk through revolution and through generosity; part of the choice of how God works belongs to us.
© November 1, 2010 (All Saint’s Day)
Twenty fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 7, 2010
Psalm 3
1 O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying to me, "There is no help for you in God." Selah
3 But you, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Rise up, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Deliverance belongs to the LORD; may your blessing be on your people! Selah
(NRSV)
Every now and then I become aware of how well I have it in my life; how incredibly blessed I am in any number of ways. At times like these I become unnerved by psalms like this one. If things are going incredibly well for me it is possible that it is at the expense of someone else. If that is the case, it is entirely possible that I am one of those who is waiting to be struck on the cheek; to have my teeth broken by the delivering hand of God.
I am also aware that the psalmist had a concept of wealth as a very limited commodity. The only way one person could become wealthy was at the expense of one or more others. These days we are aware that while there are limits to resources there is quite likely enough to go around. When we think in terms of abundance rather than in limits we see that there is no need for any of us to hoard resources so that others can benefit from the abundance of God’s gifts including the world’s resources.
As a child of the 60s and 70s I often heard the phrase, “come the revolution …” as a way of saying that one day there would be a more equitable distribution of wealth and resources. This psalm serves as a reminder that we can wait for the revolution in which God will be the one who smacks the cheeks of those of us with an overabundance of resources or we can share our resources willingly now. We know that sports figures and business leaders don’t deserve the outrageous salaries they receive however there are folks willing to pay that kind of money. There are folks who know that we don’t deserve what we make either however we still cash our checks too. God delivers folk through revolution and through generosity; part of the choice of how God works belongs to us.
© November 1, 2010 (All Saint’s Day)
Monday, October 25, 2010
Psalm Meditation 541
Twenty third Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 31, 2010
Psalm 122
1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"
2 Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem--built as a city that is bound firmly together.
4 To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers."
8 For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, "Peace be within you."
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.
(NRSV)
This psalm celebrates the arrival in Jerusalem of a band of pilgrims. There was an expectation that as many as were able would go to Jerusalem for this annual feast. Jerusalem is the home of the Temple and the center of the faith. In one sense it is a homecoming even for those who attend for the first time.
Each of us has a space, a place that feels like home for us. It may be our actual residence, the house in which we grew up, the place where a parent or parents live or a place that feels comfortable each time we go. There may be a family connection or it may be a feeling of comfort and wholeness that gives a sense of peace as we arrive or even as we bring the place to mind. My sense is that in some form or another God is in these places for us.
In one sense this home remains unchanged even though things are different each time we go. At its core the home-ness of it remains even though the physical characteristics change. Much like the essential God-ness of God is a constant even as God continually changes methods and forms of relating to us.
© October 25, 2010
Twenty third Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 31, 2010
Psalm 122
1 I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!"
2 Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem.
3 Jerusalem--built as a city that is bound firmly together.
4 To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David.
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls, and security within your towers."
8 For the sake of my relatives and friends I will say, "Peace be within you."
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your good.
(NRSV)
This psalm celebrates the arrival in Jerusalem of a band of pilgrims. There was an expectation that as many as were able would go to Jerusalem for this annual feast. Jerusalem is the home of the Temple and the center of the faith. In one sense it is a homecoming even for those who attend for the first time.
Each of us has a space, a place that feels like home for us. It may be our actual residence, the house in which we grew up, the place where a parent or parents live or a place that feels comfortable each time we go. There may be a family connection or it may be a feeling of comfort and wholeness that gives a sense of peace as we arrive or even as we bring the place to mind. My sense is that in some form or another God is in these places for us.
In one sense this home remains unchanged even though things are different each time we go. At its core the home-ness of it remains even though the physical characteristics change. Much like the essential God-ness of God is a constant even as God continually changes methods and forms of relating to us.
© October 25, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Psalm Meditation 540
Twenty second Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 24, 2010
Psalm 92
1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5 How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!
6 The dullard cannot know, the stupid cannot understand this:
7 though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever,
8 but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
9 For your enemies, O LORD, for your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.
10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap,
15 showing that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
(NRSV)
I know people who have made the choice to remain faithful and those who have chosen to let faith and other things go as they aged. It becomes obvious when someone says that they have already done a particular act of service and that it is time for the younger ones to step up. Yes, in some cases it does take a younger stronger person to do some particular task; those are not the ones I am troubled to hear. It is in the projects in which there are multiple levels of activity needed and they don’t want to do any of them. They seem to be no longer invested in any part of the project.
At the other end are the folks who put people half their age to shame with the variety and intensity of activity around congregation and home. These folks have made the choice to be actively engaged in life for as long as they are even remotely able. Their faithfulness of spirit is evident in their investment in the people around them. They thrive on the activity as well as the fellowship that goes into many a congregational project. Their lives are a testimony to their sense of gratitude to God for the gift of life and all it offers.
The task is not so much to decide what another person’s motives might be as it is to invest ourselves as thankfully and faithfully as possible into the work of God in the congregation and the rest of the world. The reward comes as much from having invested a bit of oneself as from any success of the project itself. It is good to give thanks to God and to sing God’s praises. It is good to live out our thanks and praise in strong, deep relationships that lead us and others deeper into the steadfast love of God.
© October 18, 2010
Twenty second Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 24, 2010
Psalm 92
1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5 How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!
6 The dullard cannot know, the stupid cannot understand this:
7 though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever,
8 but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
9 For your enemies, O LORD, for your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.
10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap,
15 showing that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
(NRSV)
I know people who have made the choice to remain faithful and those who have chosen to let faith and other things go as they aged. It becomes obvious when someone says that they have already done a particular act of service and that it is time for the younger ones to step up. Yes, in some cases it does take a younger stronger person to do some particular task; those are not the ones I am troubled to hear. It is in the projects in which there are multiple levels of activity needed and they don’t want to do any of them. They seem to be no longer invested in any part of the project.
At the other end are the folks who put people half their age to shame with the variety and intensity of activity around congregation and home. These folks have made the choice to be actively engaged in life for as long as they are even remotely able. Their faithfulness of spirit is evident in their investment in the people around them. They thrive on the activity as well as the fellowship that goes into many a congregational project. Their lives are a testimony to their sense of gratitude to God for the gift of life and all it offers.
The task is not so much to decide what another person’s motives might be as it is to invest ourselves as thankfully and faithfully as possible into the work of God in the congregation and the rest of the world. The reward comes as much from having invested a bit of oneself as from any success of the project itself. It is good to give thanks to God and to sing God’s praises. It is good to live out our thanks and praise in strong, deep relationships that lead us and others deeper into the steadfast love of God.
© October 18, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Psalm Meditation 539
Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Tim
October 17, 2010
Psalm 62
1 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken. 3 How long will you assail a person, will you batter your victim, all of you, as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4 Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence. They take pleasure in falsehood; they bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. (Selah)
5 For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. (Selah)
9 Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.
10 Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,
and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work.
(NRSV)
When we come right down to it, what do we really have in our lives besides relationships? We start with a relationship with ourselves. For some it is a good relationship as we think of ourselves pretty much as we are. For others we have a warped relationship with ourselves; giving ourselves too much or too little credit for who we are and we can do in the world. We have relationships with other people and with the things around us. We have a relationship with God in some form. The psalmist reminds us that we do well to work on our relationship with God because that is the one that will outlast all the others.
If people turn on us we can continue to count on God to be present with us. If we get caught up in the pursuit of stuff we will eventually lose it all and God will be there with us in our poverty. When it seem that the world is not fair God is there as we pick ourselves up and go on with what we have. Whatever happens in our lives God is the one who is right there with us. We can relish that relationship, we can ignore it or we can actively stand against God; and in each case God is with us.
God draws us into relationships with folks we would not have chosen if we ran our lives the way we sometimes think we do. We get thrown in with family and co-workers and congregation members with whom we have little in common and we wonder what we are doing with these people. And then somehow we discover that we have a bond with someone or maybe a few someones that makes all the rest of the group a cherished part of our lives. Our lives rest in God and that is good.
© October 11, 2010
Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Tim
October 17, 2010
Psalm 62
1 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken. 3 How long will you assail a person, will you batter your victim, all of you, as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4 Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence. They take pleasure in falsehood; they bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. (Selah)
5 For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him.
6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God.
8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. (Selah)
9 Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath.
10 Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them.
11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God,
and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work.
(NRSV)
When we come right down to it, what do we really have in our lives besides relationships? We start with a relationship with ourselves. For some it is a good relationship as we think of ourselves pretty much as we are. For others we have a warped relationship with ourselves; giving ourselves too much or too little credit for who we are and we can do in the world. We have relationships with other people and with the things around us. We have a relationship with God in some form. The psalmist reminds us that we do well to work on our relationship with God because that is the one that will outlast all the others.
If people turn on us we can continue to count on God to be present with us. If we get caught up in the pursuit of stuff we will eventually lose it all and God will be there with us in our poverty. When it seem that the world is not fair God is there as we pick ourselves up and go on with what we have. Whatever happens in our lives God is the one who is right there with us. We can relish that relationship, we can ignore it or we can actively stand against God; and in each case God is with us.
God draws us into relationships with folks we would not have chosen if we ran our lives the way we sometimes think we do. We get thrown in with family and co-workers and congregation members with whom we have little in common and we wonder what we are doing with these people. And then somehow we discover that we have a bond with someone or maybe a few someones that makes all the rest of the group a cherished part of our lives. Our lives rest in God and that is good.
© October 11, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
Psalm Meditation 538
Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 10, 2010
Psalm 32
1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.
7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the LORD.
11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
(NRSV)
I have been told, and have found it to be true that all shame is based in secrets. When we tell our secrets we have nothing to be ashamed of. The psalmist seems to have discovered this as well. As long as nothing was said the psalmist wasted away from the weight of the secret being kept and the fear of being discovered. Once the sin is acknowledged and confessed the burden is lifted and a new and deeper sense of peace is discovered.
Confession also brings support. The support can come from some surprising people and places. Through confession of faults, failings and foibles we discover that we are not the only ones who have ever had to deal with this particular situation. In some cases we discover that people we look up to and respect have dealt with similar situations. There will still be consequences to face in each and every situation; they do not magically disappear due to our confession.
When we no longer have a barrier between us and God we can more readily receive the steadfast love God offers to us. Without having to worry about protecting ourselves and our secrets from God we become more open to the instruction God offers in daily living. We no longer feel confined by our secrets and are free to deepen our relationship with God and with those around us.
© October 4, 2010
Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 10, 2010
Psalm 32
1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.
7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the LORD.
11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
(NRSV)
I have been told, and have found it to be true that all shame is based in secrets. When we tell our secrets we have nothing to be ashamed of. The psalmist seems to have discovered this as well. As long as nothing was said the psalmist wasted away from the weight of the secret being kept and the fear of being discovered. Once the sin is acknowledged and confessed the burden is lifted and a new and deeper sense of peace is discovered.
Confession also brings support. The support can come from some surprising people and places. Through confession of faults, failings and foibles we discover that we are not the only ones who have ever had to deal with this particular situation. In some cases we discover that people we look up to and respect have dealt with similar situations. There will still be consequences to face in each and every situation; they do not magically disappear due to our confession.
When we no longer have a barrier between us and God we can more readily receive the steadfast love God offers to us. Without having to worry about protecting ourselves and our secrets from God we become more open to the instruction God offers in daily living. We no longer feel confined by our secrets and are free to deepen our relationship with God and with those around us.
© October 4, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Psalm Meditation 537
Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 3, 2010
Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and his anointed, saying,
3 "Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us."
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the LORD has them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 "I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill."
7 I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my son; today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, with trembling
12 kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who take refuge in him.
(NRSV)
There is some war time bravado in this psalm. Some of the nations who have been conquered by Israel are plotting a rebellion and the psalmist lets them know that they are not simply rising against a king and nation, they are rising against the God of all creation as well. And Yahweh laughs at these other kings because they have no idea of the scope of power that is behind the king of Israel. God has placed the king on the throne and it would be foolish for anyone to attempt to go against the will of God in this matter.
I see this as war time bravado because I know from personal experience how easy it is to go against the will of God. I hear that voice in my head that some call conscience and that others recognize as the voice of God, and I still do what I had planned to do. So at least in individual instances it is possible to thwart the will of God and we do so on a regular basis.
At the same time, I know that God is infinitely patient and adaptable. When someone acts outside the will of God someone else is living in such a way that God is brought to bear on the situation in a new way. Since going against God’s will is based more in my own selfishness than in an intentional thwarting of God’s will I am able to live out God’s will for me in another set of circumstances. God continues to gather us into a divine embrace even as we wander off to do our own thing.
It is God’s desire and intent to love us and guide us in ways that lead us to a sense of joy and fulfillment in the presence of God and in the company of others who have chosen to follow the way that leads to refuge, peace and justice.
© September 27, 2010
Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 3, 2010
Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and his anointed, saying,
3 "Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us."
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the LORD has them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 "I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill."
7 I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my son; today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, with trembling
12 kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who take refuge in him.
(NRSV)
There is some war time bravado in this psalm. Some of the nations who have been conquered by Israel are plotting a rebellion and the psalmist lets them know that they are not simply rising against a king and nation, they are rising against the God of all creation as well. And Yahweh laughs at these other kings because they have no idea of the scope of power that is behind the king of Israel. God has placed the king on the throne and it would be foolish for anyone to attempt to go against the will of God in this matter.
I see this as war time bravado because I know from personal experience how easy it is to go against the will of God. I hear that voice in my head that some call conscience and that others recognize as the voice of God, and I still do what I had planned to do. So at least in individual instances it is possible to thwart the will of God and we do so on a regular basis.
At the same time, I know that God is infinitely patient and adaptable. When someone acts outside the will of God someone else is living in such a way that God is brought to bear on the situation in a new way. Since going against God’s will is based more in my own selfishness than in an intentional thwarting of God’s will I am able to live out God’s will for me in another set of circumstances. God continues to gather us into a divine embrace even as we wander off to do our own thing.
It is God’s desire and intent to love us and guide us in ways that lead us to a sense of joy and fulfillment in the presence of God and in the company of others who have chosen to follow the way that leads to refuge, peace and justice.
© September 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Psalm Meditation 536
Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 26, 2010
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.
(NRSV)
In some translations the first verse of this psalm is a question as it is here. In others it is a statement. “I lift up my eyes to the hills from where my help comes / will come.” It is an appropriate difference. There are times we know exactly where we can turn for help and other times we are not so sure. We know there is a source of help outside us somewhere we are simply unclear as to where that might be at this moment.
In both cases, whether it is a question or a statement, the psalmist is sure that the answer is the same. Help comes from Yahweh. God is a constant source of help and is already watching over us before we begin our search for help and comfort. Whether we turn to God immediately or cast about for some unknown source of help it is finally God who gives us the help and hope we need.
God is with us. God is with us in our celebrations as well as in our grief. God is with us as we shout out praises and as we shout angrily about the unfairness of the way things are going currently. God is with us in the easy and hard times between our celebrations and the low moments of our lives. Whether we are asking or stating where our help comes from we have the assurance of the psalmist and the host of folks who have taken this psalm as their own that it is God who gives us help and who keeps our lives.
© September 21, 2010
Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 26, 2010
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.
(NRSV)
In some translations the first verse of this psalm is a question as it is here. In others it is a statement. “I lift up my eyes to the hills from where my help comes / will come.” It is an appropriate difference. There are times we know exactly where we can turn for help and other times we are not so sure. We know there is a source of help outside us somewhere we are simply unclear as to where that might be at this moment.
In both cases, whether it is a question or a statement, the psalmist is sure that the answer is the same. Help comes from Yahweh. God is a constant source of help and is already watching over us before we begin our search for help and comfort. Whether we turn to God immediately or cast about for some unknown source of help it is finally God who gives us the help and hope we need.
God is with us. God is with us in our celebrations as well as in our grief. God is with us as we shout out praises and as we shout angrily about the unfairness of the way things are going currently. God is with us in the easy and hard times between our celebrations and the low moments of our lives. Whether we are asking or stating where our help comes from we have the assurance of the psalmist and the host of folks who have taken this psalm as their own that it is God who gives us help and who keeps our lives.
© September 21, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Psalm Meditation 535
Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 19, 2010
Psalm 91
1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust."
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day,
6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14 Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
(NRSV)
My father advised me to be a short range pessimist and a long range optimist. Even things don’t work out the way one would choose at this point it will work out in the long run. That this psalm is looking to the future may indicate that the psalmist is taking the same long view. I can see this psalm as advice to a group of young people who have not seen a lot of adversity and have no idea what to expect of the future. It paints a fairly rosy picture of the future. Rosy does not make it wrong. There are folks whose lives are not touched and marred by constant violence, sickness and dread. There are folks who live what some might call uneventful lives. There are folks for whom life works well.
The psalmist advises that one of the ways to prosper in life is to be faithful to God. It is not a guarantee that all will go well and the nothing bad will happen so much as it is a piece of advise from experience that taking refuge in God works out much better than going along without God. Is taking refuge in God some kind of magic spell that protects folks from evil and death? No. Does taking refuge in God make the evils of the world survivable by putting them in a deeper and wider perspective? Yes.
God makes no promise that we will never see trouble. God promises to be with us. Will terrible things happen to us and to those we love? It is possible. God will be with us in those times to give us the comfort that even the worst calamity will not last forever and that at the end of it we will continue to be in the presence of God.
© September 13, 2010
Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 19, 2010
Psalm 91
1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust."
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day,
6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14 Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
(NRSV)
My father advised me to be a short range pessimist and a long range optimist. Even things don’t work out the way one would choose at this point it will work out in the long run. That this psalm is looking to the future may indicate that the psalmist is taking the same long view. I can see this psalm as advice to a group of young people who have not seen a lot of adversity and have no idea what to expect of the future. It paints a fairly rosy picture of the future. Rosy does not make it wrong. There are folks whose lives are not touched and marred by constant violence, sickness and dread. There are folks who live what some might call uneventful lives. There are folks for whom life works well.
The psalmist advises that one of the ways to prosper in life is to be faithful to God. It is not a guarantee that all will go well and the nothing bad will happen so much as it is a piece of advise from experience that taking refuge in God works out much better than going along without God. Is taking refuge in God some kind of magic spell that protects folks from evil and death? No. Does taking refuge in God make the evils of the world survivable by putting them in a deeper and wider perspective? Yes.
God makes no promise that we will never see trouble. God promises to be with us. Will terrible things happen to us and to those we love? It is possible. God will be with us in those times to give us the comfort that even the worst calamity will not last forever and that at the end of it we will continue to be in the presence of God.
© September 13, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Psalm Meditation 534
Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 12, 2010
Psalm 61
1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I;
3 for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.
4 Let me abide in your tent forever, find refuge under the shelter of your wings. Selah
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
8 So I will always sing praises to your name, as I pay my vows day after day.
(NRSV)
God is a great place to turn in times of trouble, a fortress against the onslaught of stresses and strains that accompany problem situations. In normal times we are content to leave God in the background waiting for the next crisis. We know God is there we simply don’t let God’s presence make a difference in the choices and decisions we make on a daily basis. We know that if it doesn’t turn out well we can go running to God and it will suddenly be all better because God is there to fix it for us.
There are folks, and you may be one of them, for whom the relationship with God is a daily source of sustenance. These are the folks who spend time with God, who find sustenance in God’s presence and who allow God to make a difference in the choices they make. They find their lives influenced by God’s presence and are not content expecting God to follow them around to clean up the messes they make of their lives. God is a regular part of every day in their lives.
The folks with an abiding sense of the presence of God in their lives find themselves asking God to bless folks both within and outside their circle of influence. They bless folks they love, folks with whom they are familiar as well as those with whom they disagree on any number of things. They recognize that imperfections are a part of our human condition and that none of us is free from guilt in some degree. The most important part of the day for these folks is the time they spend in the presence of God singing praises and deepening the relationship with God that is so much a part of their lives that it spills into every other relationship of their lives.
© September 7, 2010
Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 12, 2010
Psalm 61
1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I;
3 for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.
4 Let me abide in your tent forever, find refuge under the shelter of your wings. Selah
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
8 So I will always sing praises to your name, as I pay my vows day after day.
(NRSV)
God is a great place to turn in times of trouble, a fortress against the onslaught of stresses and strains that accompany problem situations. In normal times we are content to leave God in the background waiting for the next crisis. We know God is there we simply don’t let God’s presence make a difference in the choices and decisions we make on a daily basis. We know that if it doesn’t turn out well we can go running to God and it will suddenly be all better because God is there to fix it for us.
There are folks, and you may be one of them, for whom the relationship with God is a daily source of sustenance. These are the folks who spend time with God, who find sustenance in God’s presence and who allow God to make a difference in the choices they make. They find their lives influenced by God’s presence and are not content expecting God to follow them around to clean up the messes they make of their lives. God is a regular part of every day in their lives.
The folks with an abiding sense of the presence of God in their lives find themselves asking God to bless folks both within and outside their circle of influence. They bless folks they love, folks with whom they are familiar as well as those with whom they disagree on any number of things. They recognize that imperfections are a part of our human condition and that none of us is free from guilt in some degree. The most important part of the day for these folks is the time they spend in the presence of God singing praises and deepening the relationship with God that is so much a part of their lives that it spills into every other relationship of their lives.
© September 7, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
Psalm Meditation 533
Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 5, 2010
Psalm 31:1-9,19-24
1 In you, O LORD, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name's sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
6 You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the LORD.
7 I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have taken heed of my adversities,
8 and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place.
9 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also.
19 O how abundant is your goodness that you have laid up for those who fear you, and accomplished for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of everyone!
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from human plots; you hold them safe under your shelter from contentious tongues.
21 Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was beset as a city under siege.
22 I had said in my alarm, "I am driven far from your sight." But you heard my supplications when I cried out to you for help.
23 Love the LORD, all you his saints. The LORD preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD.
(NRSV)
While the words from verse 5 are among those Jesus uses on the cross, my guess is that it is not the first time he had ever committed his spirit to the hand of God. Anyone who lives a life in God has committed that life to God multiple times. Every time we step out in faith to respond to the call of God in our lives we commit our spirits anew to the hand of God. When we make a sacrifice for the sake of God’s people we commit our spirits into the hand of God. When we opt for justice over comfort and convenience we commit our spirits into the hand of God. When we reach out to a person or group with the love of God we commit our spirits into the hand of God.
God does not offer us a free ride made up of lollipops and rainbows. God invites us to take risks, make sacrifices and do seemingly stupid stuff in order to build relationships with folks as people of God. By committing our spirits to God we find ourselves doing things we could not otherwise see ourselves doing. As we do those things some folks are drawn into closer relationship with God and we find ourselves moving closer and deeper into God. God offers us a journey made up of life changing risk after life changing risk.
Through it all God is with us. God gives us the courage to jump in with both feet and the ability to sense God’s presence with us in the most dire circumstances. The love of God for us and for those around us continues to give us the courage to worry less so that we confidently wait for Yahweh.
© August 30, 2010
Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 5, 2010
Psalm 31:1-9,19-24
1 In you, O LORD, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name's sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
6 You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the LORD.
7 I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have taken heed of my adversities,
8 and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place.
9 Be gracious to me, O LORD, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also.
19 O how abundant is your goodness that you have laid up for those who fear you, and accomplished for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of everyone!
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from human plots; you hold them safe under your shelter from contentious tongues.
21 Blessed be the LORD, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was beset as a city under siege.
22 I had said in my alarm, "I am driven far from your sight." But you heard my supplications when I cried out to you for help.
23 Love the LORD, all you his saints. The LORD preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD.
(NRSV)
While the words from verse 5 are among those Jesus uses on the cross, my guess is that it is not the first time he had ever committed his spirit to the hand of God. Anyone who lives a life in God has committed that life to God multiple times. Every time we step out in faith to respond to the call of God in our lives we commit our spirits anew to the hand of God. When we make a sacrifice for the sake of God’s people we commit our spirits into the hand of God. When we opt for justice over comfort and convenience we commit our spirits into the hand of God. When we reach out to a person or group with the love of God we commit our spirits into the hand of God.
God does not offer us a free ride made up of lollipops and rainbows. God invites us to take risks, make sacrifices and do seemingly stupid stuff in order to build relationships with folks as people of God. By committing our spirits to God we find ourselves doing things we could not otherwise see ourselves doing. As we do those things some folks are drawn into closer relationship with God and we find ourselves moving closer and deeper into God. God offers us a journey made up of life changing risk after life changing risk.
Through it all God is with us. God gives us the courage to jump in with both feet and the ability to sense God’s presence with us in the most dire circumstances. The love of God for us and for those around us continues to give us the courage to worry less so that we confidently wait for Yahweh.
© August 30, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Psalm Meditation 532
Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 29, 2010
Psalm 1
1 Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
(NRSV)
There are always folks who will give advice that sounds pretty good right now and then gets more and more bitter as time goes by. As we follow advice to cheat a person or group out of something we discover that the savings in that one area are more than taken up by the loss of integrity. We may even feel pretty good about ourselves in the short term only to have the loss of honesty and integrity eat away at us until we find a way to make amends. Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the folks who counsel sacrificing integrity and honesty for the sake of a short term gain.
Those short term gains left unchecked become like an addiction that has to be fed more and more often with larger and larger doses in order to keep that original buzz. It is much better to walk away from that heady sense of success at the expense of another than to have to keep taking more and more chances with ourselves. To keep our honesty, integrity and sense of self intact we do better to delight in relationships with people and God than in amassing more and more stuff. The trees planted by streams of water have a constant source of nourishment and refreshment that keeps them healthy and strong. The folks who keep constant in meaningful relationships also find themselves nourished in deep and sustaining ways.
The wicked drain themselves in the constant seeking after things that do not finally nourish or sustain. They are weakened rather than sustained by the constant search for that next conquest. Conquests and resources do not sustain nearly as well as relationships. In relationships we discover that much of what we need is present in some form in the people with whom we surround ourselves. We can spend our time and energy going after more and more resources or we can sustain and nourish ourselves by seeking to expand and deepen our relationships with God and those around us.
© August 23, 2010
Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 29, 2010
Psalm 1
1 Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
(NRSV)
There are always folks who will give advice that sounds pretty good right now and then gets more and more bitter as time goes by. As we follow advice to cheat a person or group out of something we discover that the savings in that one area are more than taken up by the loss of integrity. We may even feel pretty good about ourselves in the short term only to have the loss of honesty and integrity eat away at us until we find a way to make amends. Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the folks who counsel sacrificing integrity and honesty for the sake of a short term gain.
Those short term gains left unchecked become like an addiction that has to be fed more and more often with larger and larger doses in order to keep that original buzz. It is much better to walk away from that heady sense of success at the expense of another than to have to keep taking more and more chances with ourselves. To keep our honesty, integrity and sense of self intact we do better to delight in relationships with people and God than in amassing more and more stuff. The trees planted by streams of water have a constant source of nourishment and refreshment that keeps them healthy and strong. The folks who keep constant in meaningful relationships also find themselves nourished in deep and sustaining ways.
The wicked drain themselves in the constant seeking after things that do not finally nourish or sustain. They are weakened rather than sustained by the constant search for that next conquest. Conquests and resources do not sustain nearly as well as relationships. In relationships we discover that much of what we need is present in some form in the people with whom we surround ourselves. We can spend our time and energy going after more and more resources or we can sustain and nourish ourselves by seeking to expand and deepen our relationships with God and those around us.
© August 23, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Psalm Meditation 531
Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 22, 2010
Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
When I think of praise it is usually as a wild and noisy expression of faith. It is dancing and shouting and singing with great music that grabs my soul at its deepest part. It is a great image and I do enjoy that kind of worship from time to time. Many of my friends remind me that there are other ways to praise God than with dancing and exuberant displays of joyful faith. For that matter, as much as I enjoy experiencing that style of worship, it is not mine.
So how do those of us who don’t worship out loud praise God? Even when it does not come out in any visible way there is a well of joy from which praise comes. For some it is a deep well while for others it is more shallow. No matter the depth there is joy that leads us to praise God in some way. While the instruments and dance are obvious ways to praise God the quieter ways are not any more or any less meaningful to those of us who use them to praise God.
I imagine that one can go through the motions of praise no matter what the style of worship. Praise is not in the instruments or the dance any more than it is in the quiet stillness. Praise is in the heart and life of the folks involved. The method of praise is not nearly as important as the praise itself. It is good to praise God with music and dance. It is also good to praise God with silence and stillness. The important part is the last verse, “Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
© August 16, 2010
Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 22, 2010
Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
When I think of praise it is usually as a wild and noisy expression of faith. It is dancing and shouting and singing with great music that grabs my soul at its deepest part. It is a great image and I do enjoy that kind of worship from time to time. Many of my friends remind me that there are other ways to praise God than with dancing and exuberant displays of joyful faith. For that matter, as much as I enjoy experiencing that style of worship, it is not mine.
So how do those of us who don’t worship out loud praise God? Even when it does not come out in any visible way there is a well of joy from which praise comes. For some it is a deep well while for others it is more shallow. No matter the depth there is joy that leads us to praise God in some way. While the instruments and dance are obvious ways to praise God the quieter ways are not any more or any less meaningful to those of us who use them to praise God.
I imagine that one can go through the motions of praise no matter what the style of worship. Praise is not in the instruments or the dance any more than it is in the quiet stillness. Praise is in the heart and life of the folks involved. The method of praise is not nearly as important as the praise itself. It is good to praise God with music and dance. It is also good to praise God with silence and stillness. The important part is the last verse, “Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
© August 16, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Psalm Meditation 530
Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 15, 2010
Psalm 125
1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time on and forevermore.
3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous might not stretch out their hands to do wrong.
4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts.
5 But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways the LORD will lead away with evildoers. Peace be upon Israel!
(NRSV)
In biblical times and for some people today, God rewards goodness and punishes evil. So, if you are sick or you lose your job or things aren’t going well for you it is because God is mad at you and probably for something you did that was upsetting to God. As far as the health of the nation, that all depends on the goodness or wickedness of the leader. If the economy is good and the nation is at peace all must be right between God and the ruler. If the nation is doing badly in the current war and the economy is suffering it must be that God is upset with the current ruler.
While this is a comforting solution it does fly in the face of a God who chooses to love us no matter what. If it all comes down to our actions relative to the will of God for us we can always find actions to support our viewpoint. God has ample reason to be both pleased and annoyed by any person, group or nation to justify a perception of God’s wrath or favor. There is a place for personal responsibility for our actions summed up in the idea that we are punished by our sin more than we are punished for our sin. There is also a strong place for God actively and constantly seeking to draw us into ever deeper relationship.
As we concentrate on things that lead us away from the will and way of God we are less open to recognize the presence of God in our lives. As we are less aware of God’s presence our choices become more limited and less lofty. We find ourselves looking out for a limited and homogenous group of concerns and people. Through it all, God continues to love us and to invite us to make broader and deeper choices that lead to wholesome relationships and to a deep and abiding peace with God, others and within ourselves.
© August 9, 2010
Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 15, 2010
Psalm 125
1 Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people, from this time on and forevermore.
3 For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, so that the righteous might not stretch out their hands to do wrong.
4 Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts.
5 But those who turn aside to their own crooked ways the LORD will lead away with evildoers. Peace be upon Israel!
(NRSV)
In biblical times and for some people today, God rewards goodness and punishes evil. So, if you are sick or you lose your job or things aren’t going well for you it is because God is mad at you and probably for something you did that was upsetting to God. As far as the health of the nation, that all depends on the goodness or wickedness of the leader. If the economy is good and the nation is at peace all must be right between God and the ruler. If the nation is doing badly in the current war and the economy is suffering it must be that God is upset with the current ruler.
While this is a comforting solution it does fly in the face of a God who chooses to love us no matter what. If it all comes down to our actions relative to the will of God for us we can always find actions to support our viewpoint. God has ample reason to be both pleased and annoyed by any person, group or nation to justify a perception of God’s wrath or favor. There is a place for personal responsibility for our actions summed up in the idea that we are punished by our sin more than we are punished for our sin. There is also a strong place for God actively and constantly seeking to draw us into ever deeper relationship.
As we concentrate on things that lead us away from the will and way of God we are less open to recognize the presence of God in our lives. As we are less aware of God’s presence our choices become more limited and less lofty. We find ourselves looking out for a limited and homogenous group of concerns and people. Through it all, God continues to love us and to invite us to make broader and deeper choices that lead to wholesome relationships and to a deep and abiding peace with God, others and within ourselves.
© August 9, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Psalm Meditation 529
Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 8, 2010
Psalm 100
1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
(NRSV)
Traditional worship services and those of us who attend them are not usually filled with expressions of joyfulness. For that matter many congregations discourage anything too wild as far as outward display of emotion. That does not mean that folks in worship are as joyless and sour as we are sometimes painted. Some folks are joyless and sour to be sure, however many of us in worship are filled with joy and exuberance that we keep carefully tucked just under the surface.
We are glad to be in the presence of God and we are glad to be gathered with the people around us. We continue to gather together because these people continue to have a place in our hearts. Yes, there are some with whom we disagree on many things and yes, we miss them when they are absent for any reason. We find that we are a part of a family, a group that stretches our image of the kind of people with whom we get along.
In the midst of all the human faults and failings we bring together into our worship gatherings we discover the steadfast love of God. That love touches us, restores us, rekindles in us the awareness of the presence of God in our lives. We may feel as if we are gathering with reluctance or resentment even as we continue to gather into the presence of God on a regular basis. We allow ourselves to be reminded that God loves us as we are and that God faithfully stands with us in every part of life.
Enter the presence of God with joy, thanksgiving and praise. Some will make a joyful noise while the rest of us will feel the joy bubbling just under the surface in our worship.
© August 2, 2010
Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 8, 2010
Psalm 100
1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
(NRSV)
Traditional worship services and those of us who attend them are not usually filled with expressions of joyfulness. For that matter many congregations discourage anything too wild as far as outward display of emotion. That does not mean that folks in worship are as joyless and sour as we are sometimes painted. Some folks are joyless and sour to be sure, however many of us in worship are filled with joy and exuberance that we keep carefully tucked just under the surface.
We are glad to be in the presence of God and we are glad to be gathered with the people around us. We continue to gather together because these people continue to have a place in our hearts. Yes, there are some with whom we disagree on many things and yes, we miss them when they are absent for any reason. We find that we are a part of a family, a group that stretches our image of the kind of people with whom we get along.
In the midst of all the human faults and failings we bring together into our worship gatherings we discover the steadfast love of God. That love touches us, restores us, rekindles in us the awareness of the presence of God in our lives. We may feel as if we are gathering with reluctance or resentment even as we continue to gather into the presence of God on a regular basis. We allow ourselves to be reminded that God loves us as we are and that God faithfully stands with us in every part of life.
Enter the presence of God with joy, thanksgiving and praise. Some will make a joyful noise while the rest of us will feel the joy bubbling just under the surface in our worship.
© August 2, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
Psalm Meditation 528
Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 1, 2010
Psalm 75
1 We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks; your name is near. People tell of your wondrous deeds.
2 At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.
3 When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants, it is I who keep its pillars steady. Selah
4 I say to the boastful, "Do not boast," and to the wicked, "Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with insolent neck."
6 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up;
7 but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed; he will pour a draught from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will rejoice forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
(NRSV)
A couple of books have come out in the last few years making the point that several of the folks we see as self-made entrepreneurs have really been the beneficiaries of gifts and choices made by others. They have not made themselves by sweat and luck so much as they have been put in a position to succeed by family and other forces over which they had no control. Rather than being self-made they are where they are by the grace of God.
That they see themselves as self-made and that many others buy into that same idea does not alter the influence of God in their lives. Folks who are willing to give thanks to God for what they have been able to do are often relegated to the sidelines of the movers and shakers as religious nuts. It raises the question; what more could people accomplish if they were willing to give God the credit for their giftedness? Perhaps it really comes down to the realization the those who give God credit in their lives are more willing to share the credit for the success with many others and are not then seen as icons of business.
I have no idea what foaming wine is however it does not appear to be a good thing to drink. Given the choice between foaming wine and rejoicing in God the psalmist chooses to rejoice. Given a particular set of gifts, opportunities and grace people will be able to do great things. Some of those people will take the credit all for themselves while others will share it with those around them. The horn of victory sounds impressive when there is one person blowing on it from the top of the heap. It sounds louder and longer when there are several people sharing in the rejoicing. It sounds better still when God is a part of the sounding of the horn of victory.
© July 26, 2010
Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 1, 2010
Psalm 75
1 We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks; your name is near. People tell of your wondrous deeds.
2 At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.
3 When the earth totters, with all its inhabitants, it is I who keep its pillars steady. Selah
4 I say to the boastful, "Do not boast," and to the wicked, "Do not lift up your horn;
5 do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with insolent neck."
6 For not from the east or from the west and not from the wilderness comes lifting up;
7 but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.
8 For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed; he will pour a draught from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.
9 But I will rejoice forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.
10 All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.
(NRSV)
A couple of books have come out in the last few years making the point that several of the folks we see as self-made entrepreneurs have really been the beneficiaries of gifts and choices made by others. They have not made themselves by sweat and luck so much as they have been put in a position to succeed by family and other forces over which they had no control. Rather than being self-made they are where they are by the grace of God.
That they see themselves as self-made and that many others buy into that same idea does not alter the influence of God in their lives. Folks who are willing to give thanks to God for what they have been able to do are often relegated to the sidelines of the movers and shakers as religious nuts. It raises the question; what more could people accomplish if they were willing to give God the credit for their giftedness? Perhaps it really comes down to the realization the those who give God credit in their lives are more willing to share the credit for the success with many others and are not then seen as icons of business.
I have no idea what foaming wine is however it does not appear to be a good thing to drink. Given the choice between foaming wine and rejoicing in God the psalmist chooses to rejoice. Given a particular set of gifts, opportunities and grace people will be able to do great things. Some of those people will take the credit all for themselves while others will share it with those around them. The horn of victory sounds impressive when there is one person blowing on it from the top of the heap. It sounds louder and longer when there are several people sharing in the rejoicing. It sounds better still when God is a part of the sounding of the horn of victory.
© July 26, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
Psalm Meditation 527
Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 25, 2010
Psalm 50 selected verses
1 The mighty one, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
3 Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him.
4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 "Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!"
7 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.
12 "If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all that is in it is mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.
15 Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."
16 But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to recite my statutes, or take my covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.
18 You make friends with a thief when you see one, and you keep company with adulterers.
19 "You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your kin; you slander your own mother's child.
21 These things you have done and I have been silent; you thought that I was one just like yourself. But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you.
22 "Mark this, then, you who forget God, or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.
23 Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God."
(NRSV)
If you have ever done something good or polite for someone and they did not acknowledge your act you have an idea of what pushed God’s buttons in this psalm. Folks were going through the motions of sacrifice. They brought the right animals and went through the right motions and walked away unchanged. There were likely folk who performed their sacrifice with a great deal of resentment since they could have used that animal for themselves. In this psalm God reminds people that it is not the animal of sacrifice in which God is interested, God already has access to all the animals in creation. God is interested in receiving thanks from us.
It is often said that God does not need our thanks and praise. At one level this is true. God does not need our thanks and praise any more than we need to be thanked for anything we have done. When we let someone cut in front of us in a line of cars or people there is no law that requires the other to acknowledge our action. It does add a deeper element of joy to the transaction when our small sacrifice is acknowledged.
God will continue to be God and will continue to be gracious and generous and merciful to us no matter how we may respond. This psalm reminds us that the things we receive from God are gifts given out of God’s love for us. There is no requirement that we offer our thanks in return for any of the gifts we receive. We are reminded that as we offer thanks to God and to others we find ourselves more open to and better able to receive other gifts with a deeper sense of gratitude.
© July 19, 2010
Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 25, 2010
Psalm 50 selected verses
1 The mighty one, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
3 Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him.
4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 "Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!"
7 "Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.
12 "If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all that is in it is mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.
15 Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."
16 But to the wicked God says: "What right have you to recite my statutes, or take my covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.
18 You make friends with a thief when you see one, and you keep company with adulterers.
19 "You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your kin; you slander your own mother's child.
21 These things you have done and I have been silent; you thought that I was one just like yourself. But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you.
22 "Mark this, then, you who forget God, or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.
23 Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God."
(NRSV)
If you have ever done something good or polite for someone and they did not acknowledge your act you have an idea of what pushed God’s buttons in this psalm. Folks were going through the motions of sacrifice. They brought the right animals and went through the right motions and walked away unchanged. There were likely folk who performed their sacrifice with a great deal of resentment since they could have used that animal for themselves. In this psalm God reminds people that it is not the animal of sacrifice in which God is interested, God already has access to all the animals in creation. God is interested in receiving thanks from us.
It is often said that God does not need our thanks and praise. At one level this is true. God does not need our thanks and praise any more than we need to be thanked for anything we have done. When we let someone cut in front of us in a line of cars or people there is no law that requires the other to acknowledge our action. It does add a deeper element of joy to the transaction when our small sacrifice is acknowledged.
God will continue to be God and will continue to be gracious and generous and merciful to us no matter how we may respond. This psalm reminds us that the things we receive from God are gifts given out of God’s love for us. There is no requirement that we offer our thanks in return for any of the gifts we receive. We are reminded that as we offer thanks to God and to others we find ourselves more open to and better able to receive other gifts with a deeper sense of gratitude.
© July 19, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Psalm Meditation 526
Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 18, 2010
Psalm 25
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O LORD!
8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
11 For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who are they that fear the LORD? He will teach them the way that they should choose.
13 They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land.
14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 O guard my life, and deliver me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all its troubles.
(NRSV)
All indications are that God loves us beyond our ability to comprehend and we persist in seeing God as one who waits for us to screw up so we can be punished. When I was in high school my mother would ask about my friends use of drugs and alcohol. I remember feeling as if she were grilling me until someone pointed out that perhaps she was asking about my friends out of her love for me. She wanted to keep me from falling in with folks who might lead me into actions I would certainly regret later. Once I figured that out I was much more willing to answer her questions. Though I imagine it will be disputed by many loving mothers, the love of God is deeper and stronger than even a mother’s love.
Since God loves us, wants what is best for us and wants us to take the time to consider the consequences of our actions why is it that we spend so much energy being afraid of God? God does not sit back waiting for us to mess up so that new and exotic forms of punishment can be meted out to us. God loves us and wants us to have full and abundant lives that are fulfilling and, dare I say, fun. This does not mean that we are free to do all those things that give momentary pleasure and have high prices to pay later. God wants us to live with an awareness that our actions impact others as we are impacted by folks around us.
God loves us. God takes pleasure in teaching us to live in relationships. Some of the lessons are easy and some are difficult. To teach is to disciple. Discipline is to be taught through word and action even when it feels as if we are being punished. The goal is not the punishment so much as it is a means to teach us what it means to live in relationships. When those relationships connect us we discover we live in a community of God’s people.
© July 19, 2010
Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 18, 2010
Psalm 25
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness' sake, O LORD!
8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
11 For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who are they that fear the LORD? He will teach them the way that they should choose.
13 They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land.
14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 O guard my life, and deliver me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all its troubles.
(NRSV)
All indications are that God loves us beyond our ability to comprehend and we persist in seeing God as one who waits for us to screw up so we can be punished. When I was in high school my mother would ask about my friends use of drugs and alcohol. I remember feeling as if she were grilling me until someone pointed out that perhaps she was asking about my friends out of her love for me. She wanted to keep me from falling in with folks who might lead me into actions I would certainly regret later. Once I figured that out I was much more willing to answer her questions. Though I imagine it will be disputed by many loving mothers, the love of God is deeper and stronger than even a mother’s love.
Since God loves us, wants what is best for us and wants us to take the time to consider the consequences of our actions why is it that we spend so much energy being afraid of God? God does not sit back waiting for us to mess up so that new and exotic forms of punishment can be meted out to us. God loves us and wants us to have full and abundant lives that are fulfilling and, dare I say, fun. This does not mean that we are free to do all those things that give momentary pleasure and have high prices to pay later. God wants us to live with an awareness that our actions impact others as we are impacted by folks around us.
God loves us. God takes pleasure in teaching us to live in relationships. Some of the lessons are easy and some are difficult. To teach is to disciple. Discipline is to be taught through word and action even when it feels as if we are being punished. The goal is not the punishment so much as it is a means to teach us what it means to live in relationships. When those relationships connect us we discover we live in a community of God’s people.
© July 19, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Psalm Meditation 525
Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 11, 2010
Psalm 149
1 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
2 Let Israel be glad in its Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with victory.
5 Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with fetters and their nobles with chains of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment decreed. This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
Many of us were taught that the Old Testament God is the God of judgment while the New Testament God is the God of love. I think this psalm helps dispute that thinking. The psalmist reminds us that God takes pleasure in folk dancing, singing and making music. My experience has been that judgmental folk don’t take pleasure in much of anything, especially things that bring pleasure. While this particular psalm appears to celebrate a military victory the psalmist sees God as taking pleasure in the people.
It has been my experience that some of us who most quickly claim our God as the one who is loving and merciful are the ones who act as if God would rather destroy us for our sins, mistakes and errors than take any kind of pleasure in our lives and activities. I know that God judges us and disciplines us so there will be some angry or disappointed looks aimed our way by God. I also know that God loves us, wants us to be safe and polite and wants us to find joy and pleasure in life.
I believe the same God who made heaven and earth sent Jesus to remind us that there is actually some joy and fun in being faithful to the ways of our God, Yahweh. I believe Yahweh takes pleasure in a variety of victories as we celebrate them. God is parent, grandparent and favorite relative all in one cheering us on from the sidelines/stands/bleachers/audience as we do our best in our endeavors. It may be an actual victory or a personal best and God is cheering us on and celebrating with us in each of these.
© July 6, 2010
Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 11, 2010
Psalm 149
1 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
2 Let Israel be glad in its Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with victory.
5 Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with fetters and their nobles with chains of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment decreed. This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
Many of us were taught that the Old Testament God is the God of judgment while the New Testament God is the God of love. I think this psalm helps dispute that thinking. The psalmist reminds us that God takes pleasure in folk dancing, singing and making music. My experience has been that judgmental folk don’t take pleasure in much of anything, especially things that bring pleasure. While this particular psalm appears to celebrate a military victory the psalmist sees God as taking pleasure in the people.
It has been my experience that some of us who most quickly claim our God as the one who is loving and merciful are the ones who act as if God would rather destroy us for our sins, mistakes and errors than take any kind of pleasure in our lives and activities. I know that God judges us and disciplines us so there will be some angry or disappointed looks aimed our way by God. I also know that God loves us, wants us to be safe and polite and wants us to find joy and pleasure in life.
I believe the same God who made heaven and earth sent Jesus to remind us that there is actually some joy and fun in being faithful to the ways of our God, Yahweh. I believe Yahweh takes pleasure in a variety of victories as we celebrate them. God is parent, grandparent and favorite relative all in one cheering us on from the sidelines/stands/bleachers/audience as we do our best in our endeavors. It may be an actual victory or a personal best and God is cheering us on and celebrating with us in each of these.
© July 6, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
Psalm Meditation 524
Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 4, 2010
This marks 10 years of psalm meditations and the beginning of the 11th. It is still mostly fun to do and I thank you for continuing to receive these meditation from me. LCM
Psalm 124
1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side --let Israel now say--
2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when our enemies attacked us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone the raging waters.
6 Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
(NRSV)
We may not know for sure what it is like not to have God on our side, or more accurately not to be on the side of God, however we have probably had the ‘what it…’ sense of panic in a time of trial. To stand with nothing but our own defenses can be a terrifying moment. As we realize that we are not alone in this or any other trial we can relax a bit and focus on the task at hand rather than having to carry the full weight of the world and meet the task.
This doesn’t mean that each of us will survive every battle unscathed. We will be bruised and cut and otherwise wounded as we face the big and small battles of our lives and some will give their lives for the sake of God and the people of God. As we at least aim for a faithful relationship with God we will know that God is with us and that we are a part of a long line of those who have lived in the presence of God.
Some of us are very aware of the snares we have left broken by our dependence on God and God’s people. Some of us have managed not to take the bait of various snares because of a relationship with God. Some of us have never noticed the snares that have beckoned to us because of a relationship with God. In each case as we have broken free, resisted the bait and never even noticed the snare we have done so with a growing assurance of the presence of God and the people of God in our lives.
© June 28, 2010
Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 4, 2010
This marks 10 years of psalm meditations and the beginning of the 11th. It is still mostly fun to do and I thank you for continuing to receive these meditation from me. LCM
Psalm 124
1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side --let Israel now say--
2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when our enemies attacked us,
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us;
4 then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us;
5 then over us would have gone the raging waters.
6 Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth.
7 We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped.
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
(NRSV)
We may not know for sure what it is like not to have God on our side, or more accurately not to be on the side of God, however we have probably had the ‘what it…’ sense of panic in a time of trial. To stand with nothing but our own defenses can be a terrifying moment. As we realize that we are not alone in this or any other trial we can relax a bit and focus on the task at hand rather than having to carry the full weight of the world and meet the task.
This doesn’t mean that each of us will survive every battle unscathed. We will be bruised and cut and otherwise wounded as we face the big and small battles of our lives and some will give their lives for the sake of God and the people of God. As we at least aim for a faithful relationship with God we will know that God is with us and that we are a part of a long line of those who have lived in the presence of God.
Some of us are very aware of the snares we have left broken by our dependence on God and God’s people. Some of us have managed not to take the bait of various snares because of a relationship with God. Some of us have never noticed the snares that have beckoned to us because of a relationship with God. In each case as we have broken free, resisted the bait and never even noticed the snare we have done so with a growing assurance of the presence of God and the people of God in our lives.
© June 28, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Psalm Meditation 523
Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 27, 2010
Psalm 99
1 The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he!
4 Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the LORD, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy.
(NRSV)
We do things for lots of reasons. Some things we do out of fear; some things we do out of a sense of duty or obligation; some things we do for pleasure; some things because it is the right thing to do. Each of us has a reason or set of reasons for our worship and honor of God. For the psalmist there are nine verses worth of reasons for folk to worship God not least of which is the holiness of God.
In Greek, Roman and Norse religious lore divine beings do not worry about morality and ethics in their actions because they are not bound by those kinds of human concerns. The ends justify the means and selfish concerns are as good a reason to act as any other. Human motives also function as divine motives In contrast, Yahweh calls humans to live by a standard that includes ethics and morality. Yahweh models a way of being in which actions have the same consequences for people in the farms and marketplaces as they do for people in palaces and temples.
It is the holiness of Yahweh that is attractive. God calls us to a holiness that is engaged in the activities of Creation. We are not simply on our own separate path to God, we are a part of a community with gifts to offer and gifts to receive. In a community of faith we receive the call of God to a life of holiness based in our love for God and a love for each other. As we find ourselves in a closer relationship with God we find ourselves drawn closer to the people of God.
© June 21, 2010
Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 27, 2010
Psalm 99
1 The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he!
4 Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the LORD, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy.
(NRSV)
We do things for lots of reasons. Some things we do out of fear; some things we do out of a sense of duty or obligation; some things we do for pleasure; some things because it is the right thing to do. Each of us has a reason or set of reasons for our worship and honor of God. For the psalmist there are nine verses worth of reasons for folk to worship God not least of which is the holiness of God.
In Greek, Roman and Norse religious lore divine beings do not worry about morality and ethics in their actions because they are not bound by those kinds of human concerns. The ends justify the means and selfish concerns are as good a reason to act as any other. Human motives also function as divine motives In contrast, Yahweh calls humans to live by a standard that includes ethics and morality. Yahweh models a way of being in which actions have the same consequences for people in the farms and marketplaces as they do for people in palaces and temples.
It is the holiness of Yahweh that is attractive. God calls us to a holiness that is engaged in the activities of Creation. We are not simply on our own separate path to God, we are a part of a community with gifts to offer and gifts to receive. In a community of faith we receive the call of God to a life of holiness based in our love for God and a love for each other. As we find ourselves in a closer relationship with God we find ourselves drawn closer to the people of God.
© June 21, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
Psalm Meditation 522
Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 20, 2010
Psalm 74
1 O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember your congregation, which you acquired long ago, which you redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage. Remember Mount Zion, where you came to dwell.
3 Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary.
4 Your foes have roared within your holy place; they set up their emblems there.
12 Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the earth.
13 You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the dragons in the waters.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
15 You cut openings for springs and torrents; you dried up ever- flowing streams.
16 Yours is the day, yours also the night; you established the luminaries and the sun.
17 You have fixed all the bounds of the earth; you made summer and winter.
18 Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs, and an impious people reviles your name.
19 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild animals; do not forget the life of your poor forever.
20 Have regard for your covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the haunts of violence.
21 Do not let the downtrodden be put to shame; let the poor and needy praise your name.
22 Rise up, O God, plead your cause; remember how the impious scoff at you all day long.
23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of your adversaries that goes up continually.
(NRSV)
I probably spend way too much time feeling sorry for myself. When things don’t work out the way I expect I know that it is the end of the world for me. After awhile I find a new perspective and am able to get back into a much more contented frame of mind and heart. I rediscover that God is present and active in my life whether it is the way I would like or not. The part of my life over which I was despairing has not changed much if at all, however I remember that other parts of my life are more rich than the despair allowed me to see for a moment.
For the psalmist the Temple has been taken over by a conquering army and they have replaced the emblems of God with their own religious symbols. In most cultures of the day that would have meant that their familiar religion had now been replaced by the religion of their conquerors. Israel knew that Yahweh was not defeated each time the nation was overtaken. Yahweh stands on the side of the needy, downtrodden and oppressed. Empires might rise up over the people but they could not conquer Yahweh who is the creator and preserver of all that is.
Our concept of how God works may have changed a bit, however we continue to believe in and follow the creator and preserver of all that is. We may be beaten down for a moment or for a lifetime and we believe that God is with us through the triumphs and tragedies calling us to ever deeper relationships with God, with each other and with all.
© June 14, 2010
Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 20, 2010
Psalm 74
1 O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember your congregation, which you acquired long ago, which you redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage. Remember Mount Zion, where you came to dwell.
3 Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary.
4 Your foes have roared within your holy place; they set up their emblems there.
12 Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the earth.
13 You divided the sea by your might; you broke the heads of the dragons in the waters.
14 You crushed the heads of Leviathan; you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.
15 You cut openings for springs and torrents; you dried up ever- flowing streams.
16 Yours is the day, yours also the night; you established the luminaries and the sun.
17 You have fixed all the bounds of the earth; you made summer and winter.
18 Remember this, O LORD, how the enemy scoffs, and an impious people reviles your name.
19 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild animals; do not forget the life of your poor forever.
20 Have regard for your covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the haunts of violence.
21 Do not let the downtrodden be put to shame; let the poor and needy praise your name.
22 Rise up, O God, plead your cause; remember how the impious scoff at you all day long.
23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of your adversaries that goes up continually.
(NRSV)
I probably spend way too much time feeling sorry for myself. When things don’t work out the way I expect I know that it is the end of the world for me. After awhile I find a new perspective and am able to get back into a much more contented frame of mind and heart. I rediscover that God is present and active in my life whether it is the way I would like or not. The part of my life over which I was despairing has not changed much if at all, however I remember that other parts of my life are more rich than the despair allowed me to see for a moment.
For the psalmist the Temple has been taken over by a conquering army and they have replaced the emblems of God with their own religious symbols. In most cultures of the day that would have meant that their familiar religion had now been replaced by the religion of their conquerors. Israel knew that Yahweh was not defeated each time the nation was overtaken. Yahweh stands on the side of the needy, downtrodden and oppressed. Empires might rise up over the people but they could not conquer Yahweh who is the creator and preserver of all that is.
Our concept of how God works may have changed a bit, however we continue to believe in and follow the creator and preserver of all that is. We may be beaten down for a moment or for a lifetime and we believe that God is with us through the triumphs and tragedies calling us to ever deeper relationships with God, with each other and with all.
© June 14, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Psalm Meditation 521
Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 13, 2010
Psalm 49
1 Hear this, all you peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high, rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly, no ransom avails for one's life, there is no price one can give to God for it.
8 For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice
9 that one should live on forever and never see the grave.
10 When we look at the wise, they die; fool and dolt perish together and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands their own.
12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy, the end of those who are pleased with their lot. Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home.
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah
16 Do not be afraid when some become rich, when the wealth of their houses increases.
17 For when they die they will carry nothing away; their wealth will not go down after them.
18 Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy --for you are praised when you do well for yourself--
19 they will go to the company of their ancestors, who will never again see the light.
20 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
(NRSV)
It seems that a common definition of wealth is, anyone who has more than the one currently defining the term. It is a sliding scale that never includes the group of which the speaker is a part. The exception seems to be the folks who are in the millionaire/billionaire category who know they are wealthy and either that they are entitled to it or entrusted with it.
Wealth is often seen as a gift from God, a reward for one’s hard work and diligence. The folks who did at least some of the work to make the money for the wealthy are more likely to feel put upon or oppressed by the one who reaps the reward of their labor.
The psalmist reminds us that we need not worry when another becomes rich because it will not last. We may remember any good they do with their wealth for a generation or two but they will not be able to take their wealth with them beyond the grave. It is wealth in God that makes a lasting difference in people’s lives. When I am touched by one who has a rich relationship with God, I too become rich in God and can touch others with the same legacy of wealth. The riches that God offers last much longer and are more easily spread than the riches the world offers.
There are folks who have both money and a rich relationship with God and there are folks who have neither money or a relationship with God. If one is pressed to pursue one or the other the psalmist encourages us to look toward a lasting and fulfilling relationship with God.
© June 7, 2010
Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 13, 2010
Psalm 49
1 Hear this, all you peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high, rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly, no ransom avails for one's life, there is no price one can give to God for it.
8 For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice
9 that one should live on forever and never see the grave.
10 When we look at the wise, they die; fool and dolt perish together and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands their own.
12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy, the end of those who are pleased with their lot. Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home.
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah
16 Do not be afraid when some become rich, when the wealth of their houses increases.
17 For when they die they will carry nothing away; their wealth will not go down after them.
18 Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy --for you are praised when you do well for yourself--
19 they will go to the company of their ancestors, who will never again see the light.
20 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
(NRSV)
It seems that a common definition of wealth is, anyone who has more than the one currently defining the term. It is a sliding scale that never includes the group of which the speaker is a part. The exception seems to be the folks who are in the millionaire/billionaire category who know they are wealthy and either that they are entitled to it or entrusted with it.
Wealth is often seen as a gift from God, a reward for one’s hard work and diligence. The folks who did at least some of the work to make the money for the wealthy are more likely to feel put upon or oppressed by the one who reaps the reward of their labor.
The psalmist reminds us that we need not worry when another becomes rich because it will not last. We may remember any good they do with their wealth for a generation or two but they will not be able to take their wealth with them beyond the grave. It is wealth in God that makes a lasting difference in people’s lives. When I am touched by one who has a rich relationship with God, I too become rich in God and can touch others with the same legacy of wealth. The riches that God offers last much longer and are more easily spread than the riches the world offers.
There are folks who have both money and a rich relationship with God and there are folks who have neither money or a relationship with God. If one is pressed to pursue one or the other the psalmist encourages us to look toward a lasting and fulfilling relationship with God.
© June 7, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Psalm Meditation 520
Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 6, 2010
Psalm 24
1 The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it;
2 for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
5 They will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of their salvation.
6 Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah
(NRSV)
In a time before psychology became a science the best way to judge folk was by their actions. If their actions were pure then the person had to be pure. Now that we have psychology we discover that there is almost always a touch of selfishness behind even the purest of actions. We find ourselves weighing our options with an eye to both the cost and the promise involved in the performance of our simplest tasks. While I am grateful for the folks who gave us the basics of psychology, as well as those who continue to practice and refine the art and science of it I believe there are times we do well to let actions speak without dissecting motives.
If we have to find the dirty underbelly of each and every action we will discover that no one will be in the presence of God for longer than a few seconds. I am a firm believer in grace, especially God’s grace. However, this psalm is about our hands and hearts and not about grace. The psalmist had to have some folks in mind at the writing of the psalm or it would have painted a much more bleak picture of our chances of standing in the presence of God at the victory celebration.
While our motives may be suspect and our actions are sullied by our motives there is still a victory celebration and some people get to be in the presence of God for it. So when the gates are lifted up and the doors swing open we will do well to gather for the celebration. As we are able to recognize the glorious presence of God it may be the case that God will recognize in us the kind of people who will make for a great celebration and party. When it comes down to who is actually on the guest list I am counting on some surprises.
© June 1, 2010
Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 6, 2010
Psalm 24
1 The earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it;
2 for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false, and do not swear deceitfully.
5 They will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of their salvation.
6 Such is the company of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah
7 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O ancient doors! that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah
(NRSV)
In a time before psychology became a science the best way to judge folk was by their actions. If their actions were pure then the person had to be pure. Now that we have psychology we discover that there is almost always a touch of selfishness behind even the purest of actions. We find ourselves weighing our options with an eye to both the cost and the promise involved in the performance of our simplest tasks. While I am grateful for the folks who gave us the basics of psychology, as well as those who continue to practice and refine the art and science of it I believe there are times we do well to let actions speak without dissecting motives.
If we have to find the dirty underbelly of each and every action we will discover that no one will be in the presence of God for longer than a few seconds. I am a firm believer in grace, especially God’s grace. However, this psalm is about our hands and hearts and not about grace. The psalmist had to have some folks in mind at the writing of the psalm or it would have painted a much more bleak picture of our chances of standing in the presence of God at the victory celebration.
While our motives may be suspect and our actions are sullied by our motives there is still a victory celebration and some people get to be in the presence of God for it. So when the gates are lifted up and the doors swing open we will do well to gather for the celebration. As we are able to recognize the glorious presence of God it may be the case that God will recognize in us the kind of people who will make for a great celebration and party. When it comes down to who is actually on the guest list I am counting on some surprises.
© June 1, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Psalm Meditation 519
Trinity Sunday
May 30, 2010
Psalm 148
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and women alike, old and young together!
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
What would happen if we actually expressed the praise we feel bubbling up within us? I suppose we might sing or dance or laugh or cavort in ‘unseemly’ ways. And I wonder when it happened that began to see expressions of joy and praise as unseemly. When did we have it decided for us that anything that looks like celebration is a bad thing. The National Football League has even banned excessive celebration as ‘unsportsmanlike conduct.’ Yes, an in-your-face-I’m-better-than-you-are celebration is rude and unsportsmanlike. At the same time, most football players are really still kids with youthful enthusiasm. Is it possible to teach folks not to be nasty to each other rather than to say it is not nice to celebrate your accomplishments.?
All that to ask again, what would happen if we actually expressed the praise we feel bubbling up within us? We might actually be calmer, less prone to violence if we could burn off all of our excitement in praise instead of holding in every adrenaline based event until it explodes in an act of anger and violence. We might discover that dancing and laughing with gusto are not actually tools of the devil so much as they are expressions of vulnerability in the presence of the numinous, the holy. Some other emotional states that involve vulnerability might regain some of their respectability as gifts of God if we could see them as vehicles of praise rather than seeing them only as unseemly.
I don’t really expect any of us to begin using our bodies as vehicles of praise in worship this week. I do hope that some of us might be a bit less self conscious in our expressions of praise and that we might be a bit less judgmental around those who can and do use their bodies in giving praise to God. Some of us who are reluctant even to lift our hands as an act of worship might experiment in the privacy of our own homes. And those who will jump up and down and yell and scream as we watch a sporting event might wonder to ourselves what it would be like to express our praise to God in some like manner. And those of us who would rather take a beating than express any emotion with any more than a smile, a nod and maybe a wave, could go into the most private place we can find and raise a hand as if we were waiting to be called on in school just to see what it might feel like to praise God with reckless abandon.
© May 24, 2010
Trinity Sunday
May 30, 2010
Psalm 148
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and women alike, old and young together!
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
What would happen if we actually expressed the praise we feel bubbling up within us? I suppose we might sing or dance or laugh or cavort in ‘unseemly’ ways. And I wonder when it happened that began to see expressions of joy and praise as unseemly. When did we have it decided for us that anything that looks like celebration is a bad thing. The National Football League has even banned excessive celebration as ‘unsportsmanlike conduct.’ Yes, an in-your-face-I’m-better-than-you-are celebration is rude and unsportsmanlike. At the same time, most football players are really still kids with youthful enthusiasm. Is it possible to teach folks not to be nasty to each other rather than to say it is not nice to celebrate your accomplishments.?
All that to ask again, what would happen if we actually expressed the praise we feel bubbling up within us? We might actually be calmer, less prone to violence if we could burn off all of our excitement in praise instead of holding in every adrenaline based event until it explodes in an act of anger and violence. We might discover that dancing and laughing with gusto are not actually tools of the devil so much as they are expressions of vulnerability in the presence of the numinous, the holy. Some other emotional states that involve vulnerability might regain some of their respectability as gifts of God if we could see them as vehicles of praise rather than seeing them only as unseemly.
I don’t really expect any of us to begin using our bodies as vehicles of praise in worship this week. I do hope that some of us might be a bit less self conscious in our expressions of praise and that we might be a bit less judgmental around those who can and do use their bodies in giving praise to God. Some of us who are reluctant even to lift our hands as an act of worship might experiment in the privacy of our own homes. And those who will jump up and down and yell and scream as we watch a sporting event might wonder to ourselves what it would be like to express our praise to God in some like manner. And those of us who would rather take a beating than express any emotion with any more than a smile, a nod and maybe a wave, could go into the most private place we can find and raise a hand as if we were waiting to be called on in school just to see what it might feel like to praise God with reckless abandon.
© May 24, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Psalm Meditation 518
Pentecost Sunday
May 23, 2010
Psalm 123
1 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until he has mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.
(NRSV)
For most of us this psalm is not so much about us as against us. We are the folk mentioned in the last verse, the ones who are at ease heaping scorn and contempt on others. We don’t see ourselves as people of privilege because there are others who have more stuff who are more than willing to heap scorn and contempt on us. So, we are caught in the middle. I imagine there are folk working around us in near anonymity; folks we see and don’t know. At our worst we have gotten to the point of ignoring them. We notice more when they are not there than when they are.
Even the folks who make the effort to know the folks who work around them on a daily basis can’t know all the folk who do the vital services we tend to take for granted. The good thing is that some of the folks who do those dirty jobs take great pride in their work and know that going home tired dirty and under appreciated is a gift they give to those of us who don’t have those jobs and tasks.
Every now and then it is good for us to take a step back from our lives and see what kinds of tasks we know someone else does so that we are free to do things that may be more impressive but are not any more important. Wait for a sanitation workers strike to see how important it is to have regular trash pick up. Wait for a hotel workers strike to see how important it is to have a clean room when we check in. Wait for a day when the kitchen help at your favorite restaurant is too busy to washes dishes before using them to cook and serve your meal. Look to the workers in mines and fields who work for substandard wages so that we can have affordable, often cheap, prices. Take a moment to notice some of the tasks that usually go unnoticed. If it is not practical or possible to thank some of the folks who do those tasks take a moment to thank God for those people and to ask for forgiveness for all the times those folk have been heaped with scorn and contempt.
© May 17, 2010
Pentecost Sunday
May 23, 2010
Psalm 123
1 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until he has mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.
(NRSV)
For most of us this psalm is not so much about us as against us. We are the folk mentioned in the last verse, the ones who are at ease heaping scorn and contempt on others. We don’t see ourselves as people of privilege because there are others who have more stuff who are more than willing to heap scorn and contempt on us. So, we are caught in the middle. I imagine there are folk working around us in near anonymity; folks we see and don’t know. At our worst we have gotten to the point of ignoring them. We notice more when they are not there than when they are.
Even the folks who make the effort to know the folks who work around them on a daily basis can’t know all the folk who do the vital services we tend to take for granted. The good thing is that some of the folks who do those dirty jobs take great pride in their work and know that going home tired dirty and under appreciated is a gift they give to those of us who don’t have those jobs and tasks.
Every now and then it is good for us to take a step back from our lives and see what kinds of tasks we know someone else does so that we are free to do things that may be more impressive but are not any more important. Wait for a sanitation workers strike to see how important it is to have regular trash pick up. Wait for a hotel workers strike to see how important it is to have a clean room when we check in. Wait for a day when the kitchen help at your favorite restaurant is too busy to washes dishes before using them to cook and serve your meal. Look to the workers in mines and fields who work for substandard wages so that we can have affordable, often cheap, prices. Take a moment to notice some of the tasks that usually go unnoticed. If it is not practical or possible to thank some of the folks who do those tasks take a moment to thank God for those people and to ask for forgiveness for all the times those folk have been heaped with scorn and contempt.
© May 17, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Psalm Meditation 517
Seventh Sunday of Easter
May 16, 2010
Psalm 98
1 O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.
2 The LORD has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it.
8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy
9 at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
(NRSV)
In every generation there have been folks who know that the world is going to the dogs and that we are a short span from total destruction due to our sin and wickedness, but especially the sin and wickedness of those other folk who are way worse than we are at living out the will of God. I can see the point even as I disagree with it. I see most of us making long slow progress toward God and each other on many fronts.
At either extreme and at the points between on the scale of the world going to the dogs or to God we can recite this Psalm as we end each day relatively unscathed. If the world is an evil place then God is victorious each time the people of God get through the day with our lives more or less intact. If the world is making long slow progress toward the will of God we can see each day as a new victory for God and the people of God as we get better at living out and spreading deep peace to the people in our circle of influence.
God may be in every military victory we celebrate. God is certainly in the smaller victories in which we make the choice toward fulfilling relationships with God and with each other. As we celebrate victories of steadfast love and faithfulness over hate and greed we will find ourselves singing a new song to and about the living God. It will be a communal song of victory over evil tendencies rather than victory over folks we see as evil. We will celebrate together with music and perhaps a dance.
© May 10, 2010
Seventh Sunday of Easter
May 16, 2010
Psalm 98
1 O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.
2 The LORD has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it.
8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy
9 at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
(NRSV)
In every generation there have been folks who know that the world is going to the dogs and that we are a short span from total destruction due to our sin and wickedness, but especially the sin and wickedness of those other folk who are way worse than we are at living out the will of God. I can see the point even as I disagree with it. I see most of us making long slow progress toward God and each other on many fronts.
At either extreme and at the points between on the scale of the world going to the dogs or to God we can recite this Psalm as we end each day relatively unscathed. If the world is an evil place then God is victorious each time the people of God get through the day with our lives more or less intact. If the world is making long slow progress toward the will of God we can see each day as a new victory for God and the people of God as we get better at living out and spreading deep peace to the people in our circle of influence.
God may be in every military victory we celebrate. God is certainly in the smaller victories in which we make the choice toward fulfilling relationships with God and with each other. As we celebrate victories of steadfast love and faithfulness over hate and greed we will find ourselves singing a new song to and about the living God. It will be a communal song of victory over evil tendencies rather than victory over folks we see as evil. We will celebrate together with music and perhaps a dance.
© May 10, 2010
Monday, May 3, 2010
Psalm Meditation 516
Sixth Sunday of Easter / Festival of the Christian Home
May 9, 2010
Psalm 73:1-17,25-28
1 Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out with fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth.
10 Therefore the people turn and praise them, and find no fault in them.
11 And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"
12 Such are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all day long I have been plagued, and am punished every morning.
15 If I had said, "I will talk on in this way," I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 Indeed, those who are far from you will perish; you put an end to those who are false to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, to tell of all your works.
(NRSV)
In our fantasies many of us have more than enough money to do all the things we want to do and we have it all without sacrificing any part of who we currently are. The psalmist reminds us that the changes we will go through as we approach this fantasy begin with envy of those who have all the resources we would like to have for ourselves. In order to make fantasy reality we have to make choices and sacrifices other than the ones we make on a daily basis. We also have to put on a different set of blinders that keep us from seeing that the people we aspire to be also have pains and troubles even though they are very different from the ones with which we deal regularly.
No matter who we are and what we do there are things we do that are simply a part of who we are even though to others they seem to be amazing sacrifices. Many years ago I wished out loud that I had a million dollars. My father went through a brief list of worries, frets and fears that would be mine if I had that kind of money. I still think I would like to try it for awhile though it did make me aware that just because someone does not share my worries and concerns does not mean they have none. I do without millions so that I can enjoy the freedom from worrying about how to protect and preserve those millions.
As people of God we make choices with others in mind. We do without so that others are able to have a little. We go to worship even though there are other pressing matters, including the desire for rest and sleep that call to us as we get ready and go. We make choices that seem to be a waste of time and energy in order to make a difference in the life of folks unknown. We risk life and health because we have heard and responded to an invitation from God to serve others in some form as a way to be drawn ever nearer to God.
© May 3, 2010
Sixth Sunday of Easter / Festival of the Christian Home
May 9, 2010
Psalm 73:1-17,25-28
1 Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out with fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth.
10 Therefore the people turn and praise them, and find no fault in them.
11 And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"
12 Such are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all day long I have been plagued, and am punished every morning.
15 If I had said, "I will talk on in this way," I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 Indeed, those who are far from you will perish; you put an end to those who are false to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, to tell of all your works.
(NRSV)
In our fantasies many of us have more than enough money to do all the things we want to do and we have it all without sacrificing any part of who we currently are. The psalmist reminds us that the changes we will go through as we approach this fantasy begin with envy of those who have all the resources we would like to have for ourselves. In order to make fantasy reality we have to make choices and sacrifices other than the ones we make on a daily basis. We also have to put on a different set of blinders that keep us from seeing that the people we aspire to be also have pains and troubles even though they are very different from the ones with which we deal regularly.
No matter who we are and what we do there are things we do that are simply a part of who we are even though to others they seem to be amazing sacrifices. Many years ago I wished out loud that I had a million dollars. My father went through a brief list of worries, frets and fears that would be mine if I had that kind of money. I still think I would like to try it for awhile though it did make me aware that just because someone does not share my worries and concerns does not mean they have none. I do without millions so that I can enjoy the freedom from worrying about how to protect and preserve those millions.
As people of God we make choices with others in mind. We do without so that others are able to have a little. We go to worship even though there are other pressing matters, including the desire for rest and sleep that call to us as we get ready and go. We make choices that seem to be a waste of time and energy in order to make a difference in the life of folks unknown. We risk life and health because we have heard and responded to an invitation from God to serve others in some form as a way to be drawn ever nearer to God.
© May 3, 2010
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