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
Monday, 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)
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