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