Psalm Meditation 555
Fifth Sunday of Epiphany
February 6, 2011
Psalm 95
1 O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice!
8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation and said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways."
11 Therefore in my anger I swore, "They shall not enter my rest."
(NRSV)
When things are going well for us it is easier to sing and praise God than when things get rough. When things are not going our way we need to be reminded that God has already done more for us than we could acknowledge in a lifetime or two. This seems to be what the psalmist is doing here. There is the rehearsal, the remembering, of all that God has done so far which then ends with the reminder that God is not bound to act favorably toward us if we are too quick to find fault with God.
There have always been those who believe that we are treated the way we act toward God. If we question God too harshly we will be punished or ignored as God returns our attitude in divine measure. If we are faithful to God then God will certainly be faithful to us in a manner that is bigger and broader than ours as if God is the magnifying mirror image of us and our attitude and behavior.
While we do see God’s activity through the filter of our own attitudes and actions I believe that God is more than a larger mirror image of us. God has decided to love us and care for us and there is not anything we can do to change that. We can decide whether to return God’s love; we can’t make God stop loving us. God is the creator of all who chooses to love us. We can praise God for all of that and love God in return or we can wonder why God doesn’t jump through every hoop we set up to test God’s loyalty to us.
January 31, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Psalm Meditation 554
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany
January 30, 2011
Psalm 65
1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed,
2 O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come.
3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions.
4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.
6 By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might.
7 You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.
8 Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.
(NRSV)
From time to time we get so used to how a word is used that we forget what it means. We talk about the providence of God as if it had something to do with God’s majesty which in a sense it does. Providence is about God’s willingness to provide for our wants and needs on a grand scale. Providence is also about God’s willingness to provide for our individual wants and needs. This psalm celebrates the providence of God from the forgiveness of our transgressions to the beauty and majesty of the whole earth.
God works on the small scale, dealing with each of us as individuals with our particular strengths and needs. The presence and providence of God is not a set of cookie cutter solutions into which we have to fit ourselves. God chooses to be present with us and to provide for us as unique individuals. God forgives us for our particular sins rather than a simple blanket amnesty. From the outside it may appear to be a broad spectrum, general forgiveness of any and all sins and transgressions. In a relationship with God it is obvious how personal and specific God’s attention to each of us is.
God works on a broad and general scale providing the things all of us need on a regular basis. God provides sources of food and water to meet our needs for the nourishment of our bodies. God provides sunrises and sunsets that are both functional and beautiful to touch our hearts and souls with joy. God provides us with ordinary times so tat we are better able to experience and appreciate the extraordinary times. Whether we see God at work in our individual lives or in the more cosmic workings of creation the providence of God is a source of joy.
January 24, 2011
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany
January 30, 2011
Psalm 65
1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed,
2 O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come.
3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions.
4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.
6 By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might.
7 You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.
8 Those who live at earth's farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.
(NRSV)
From time to time we get so used to how a word is used that we forget what it means. We talk about the providence of God as if it had something to do with God’s majesty which in a sense it does. Providence is about God’s willingness to provide for our wants and needs on a grand scale. Providence is also about God’s willingness to provide for our individual wants and needs. This psalm celebrates the providence of God from the forgiveness of our transgressions to the beauty and majesty of the whole earth.
God works on the small scale, dealing with each of us as individuals with our particular strengths and needs. The presence and providence of God is not a set of cookie cutter solutions into which we have to fit ourselves. God chooses to be present with us and to provide for us as unique individuals. God forgives us for our particular sins rather than a simple blanket amnesty. From the outside it may appear to be a broad spectrum, general forgiveness of any and all sins and transgressions. In a relationship with God it is obvious how personal and specific God’s attention to each of us is.
God works on a broad and general scale providing the things all of us need on a regular basis. God provides sources of food and water to meet our needs for the nourishment of our bodies. God provides sunrises and sunsets that are both functional and beautiful to touch our hearts and souls with joy. God provides us with ordinary times so tat we are better able to experience and appreciate the extraordinary times. Whether we see God at work in our individual lives or in the more cosmic workings of creation the providence of God is a source of joy.
January 24, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Psalm Meditation 553
Third Sunday After Epiphany
January 23, 2011
Psalm 35 selected verses
1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me!
8 Let ruin come on them unawares. And let the net that they hid ensnare them; let them fall in it--to their ruin.
9 Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his deliverance.
10 All my bones shall say, "O LORD, who is like you? You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the weak and needy from those who despoil them."
11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me about things I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother; I went about as one who laments for a mother, bowed down and in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they gathered together against me; ruffians whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;
16 they impiously mocked more and more, gnashing at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O LORD, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my life from the lions!
22 You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me!
23 Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.
27 Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy and be glad, and say evermore, "Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant."
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.
(NRSV)
It is good that there are psalms available for times like these. When it seems that we are being unjustly accused by folks with the power and authority to make those accusations stick it is good to know that someone has had that feeling before us. It is also good to have a psalm like this so that we have words available to us that are not about either giving up or seeking vengeance. Even though the psalmist is asking God to avenge this series of hurtful acts it still takes the revenge away from us and puts it in the hands of God where it rightly belongs.
God knows both sides of the story in a way that none of the rest of us can. God sees our acts and knows how and why we did them. God also knows the acts and hearts of the folks coming against us. It is possible to justify thoughts and actions when we are convinced that the recipients of those thoughts and actions are acting out of the same decision making system that motivates us. God knows the inner workings of folks on both sides of the question. In many cases it seems that when we take the time to understand the other a lot of our assumptions are unfounded.
Turning the whole situation over to God allows the one who knows all the sides to sort out what is going on for the sake of a resolution on the personal and cosmic scale. Even the desire that the others fall into the pit they have dug then becomes a situation of understanding what it is like to be misunderstood by those even more power and authority.
God does not know us for the sake of gathering ammunition against us. God knows us out of love for us; all of us. God continues to prod us, cajole us and invite us into relationships with those like ourselves as well as with those who have made and will make other choices for any number of reasons.
January 17, 2011
Third Sunday After Epiphany
January 23, 2011
Psalm 35 selected verses
1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me!
8 Let ruin come on them unawares. And let the net that they hid ensnare them; let them fall in it--to their ruin.
9 Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his deliverance.
10 All my bones shall say, "O LORD, who is like you? You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the weak and needy from those who despoil them."
11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me about things I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother; I went about as one who laments for a mother, bowed down and in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they gathered together against me; ruffians whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;
16 they impiously mocked more and more, gnashing at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O LORD, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my life from the lions!
22 You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me!
23 Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.
27 Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy and be glad, and say evermore, "Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant."
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.
(NRSV)
It is good that there are psalms available for times like these. When it seems that we are being unjustly accused by folks with the power and authority to make those accusations stick it is good to know that someone has had that feeling before us. It is also good to have a psalm like this so that we have words available to us that are not about either giving up or seeking vengeance. Even though the psalmist is asking God to avenge this series of hurtful acts it still takes the revenge away from us and puts it in the hands of God where it rightly belongs.
God knows both sides of the story in a way that none of the rest of us can. God sees our acts and knows how and why we did them. God also knows the acts and hearts of the folks coming against us. It is possible to justify thoughts and actions when we are convinced that the recipients of those thoughts and actions are acting out of the same decision making system that motivates us. God knows the inner workings of folks on both sides of the question. In many cases it seems that when we take the time to understand the other a lot of our assumptions are unfounded.
Turning the whole situation over to God allows the one who knows all the sides to sort out what is going on for the sake of a resolution on the personal and cosmic scale. Even the desire that the others fall into the pit they have dug then becomes a situation of understanding what it is like to be misunderstood by those even more power and authority.
God does not know us for the sake of gathering ammunition against us. God knows us out of love for us; all of us. God continues to prod us, cajole us and invite us into relationships with those like ourselves as well as with those who have made and will make other choices for any number of reasons.
January 17, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Psalm Meditation 552
Second Sunday After Epiphany
January 16, 2011
Psalm 5
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; give heed to my sighing.
2 Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you.
5 The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouths; their hearts are destruction; their throats are open graves; they flatter with their tongues.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of their many transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover them with favor as with a shield.
(NRSV)
Most of us need to be reminded on a regular basis that we are loved. Jokes and stories abound of women who ask their husbands to express their love in some meaningful way. Men too long for the assurance that we are loved by those around us. Is it a flaw of insecurity on everyone’s part or simply the longing to be part of at least one deep and meaningful relationship in our lives? Perhaps it is a combination of these two, that we are insecure until we discover that we are not alone, that we have deep and meaningful relationships with at least one other person.
In this psalm the transition between giving glory to God and the request that God destroy our enemies is the acknowledgement that, “...I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.” Right in the middle of the glory of God and the request for the destruction of enemies is the reminder that we are unable to save ourselves; we need and long for the steadfast love of God. If it were not for our relationship with God we would find ourselves in the same position as our enemies. We would find ourselves awaiting destruction.
The best way to destroy enemies seems to be to make them into friends. I am aware that this is not always possible. I am aware that it is always preferable. Both religion and science are coming to agreement on the human need for relationships. Easy or hard, possible or impossible God calls us and invites us into loving relationships with the folks who populate our lives from close up and from a distance. First and foremost, God loves us and invites us to let ourselves be loved by God so that we can offer and receive that love from others.
January 10, 2011
Second Sunday After Epiphany
January 16, 2011
Psalm 5
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; give heed to my sighing.
2 Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you.
5 The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouths; their hearts are destruction; their throats are open graves; they flatter with their tongues.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of their many transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover them with favor as with a shield.
(NRSV)
Most of us need to be reminded on a regular basis that we are loved. Jokes and stories abound of women who ask their husbands to express their love in some meaningful way. Men too long for the assurance that we are loved by those around us. Is it a flaw of insecurity on everyone’s part or simply the longing to be part of at least one deep and meaningful relationship in our lives? Perhaps it is a combination of these two, that we are insecure until we discover that we are not alone, that we have deep and meaningful relationships with at least one other person.
In this psalm the transition between giving glory to God and the request that God destroy our enemies is the acknowledgement that, “...I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.” Right in the middle of the glory of God and the request for the destruction of enemies is the reminder that we are unable to save ourselves; we need and long for the steadfast love of God. If it were not for our relationship with God we would find ourselves in the same position as our enemies. We would find ourselves awaiting destruction.
The best way to destroy enemies seems to be to make them into friends. I am aware that this is not always possible. I am aware that it is always preferable. Both religion and science are coming to agreement on the human need for relationships. Easy or hard, possible or impossible God calls us and invites us into loving relationships with the folks who populate our lives from close up and from a distance. First and foremost, God loves us and invites us to let ourselves be loved by God so that we can offer and receive that love from others.
January 10, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
Psalm Meditation 551
Baptism of the Lord
January 9, 2011
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)
Sometimes it is important to look at something from a different perspective, to reinterpret the information at hand with a different worldview. In this psalm it seems that Israel did not win the battle at hand. They could certainly wallow in the parts of the battle that did not go their way and allow themselves to feel defeated. The psalmist chooses to emphasize that they were not defeated to the point of destruction. We didn’t win and we did not lose. One of these is due to the presence of God in our lives.
We are faced with some powerful forces on a daily basis. There are folks who give in to those forces and there are folks who manage to resist. It seems that the folks who resist are likely to have a support system of some kind that allows them to see beyond a momentary setback to other possibilities in the future. In the situation in this psalm God is present to give a different viewpoint. It was not a victory and it certainly was not a defeat. God has kept us from total annihilation in the face of these powerful forces.
Victory and defeat are not permanent states of being though it is easier to stay defeated than it is to stay victorious. God continues to offer each of us a sense of personal worth that allows us to get up, dust ourselves off and go on with our lives after each one of our defeats. At our best we also learn something or sharpen a skill that we will be able to put to good use in the future as we face new trials. God is with us in all times and places. God offers us a sense of hope, purpose and perspective that is longer and wider than what we can possibly have as individuals. God is with us and that is a good thing.
January 3, 2011
Baptism of the Lord
January 9, 2011
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)
Sometimes it is important to look at something from a different perspective, to reinterpret the information at hand with a different worldview. In this psalm it seems that Israel did not win the battle at hand. They could certainly wallow in the parts of the battle that did not go their way and allow themselves to feel defeated. The psalmist chooses to emphasize that they were not defeated to the point of destruction. We didn’t win and we did not lose. One of these is due to the presence of God in our lives.
We are faced with some powerful forces on a daily basis. There are folks who give in to those forces and there are folks who manage to resist. It seems that the folks who resist are likely to have a support system of some kind that allows them to see beyond a momentary setback to other possibilities in the future. In the situation in this psalm God is present to give a different viewpoint. It was not a victory and it certainly was not a defeat. God has kept us from total annihilation in the face of these powerful forces.
Victory and defeat are not permanent states of being though it is easier to stay defeated than it is to stay victorious. God continues to offer each of us a sense of personal worth that allows us to get up, dust ourselves off and go on with our lives after each one of our defeats. At our best we also learn something or sharpen a skill that we will be able to put to good use in the future as we face new trials. God is with us in all times and places. God offers us a sense of hope, purpose and perspective that is longer and wider than what we can possibly have as individuals. God is with us and that is a good thing.
January 3, 2011
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