Psalm Meditation 569
Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 15, 2011

Psalm 68:1-10,32-35
1 Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee before him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, let the wicked perish before God.
3 But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy.
4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds -- his name is the LORD-- be exultant before him.
5 Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.
6 God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land.
7 O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you restored your heritage when it languished;
10 your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens; listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel; and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel; he gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God!
(NRSV)

This psalm of victory has great imagery of bloody battle and celebration of the defeat of one’s foes, however that is not what caught my imagination for today. I am much more taken by the community images for the people of God. While it is right to give God credit for protecting widows and orphans, giving the desolate a home and leading prisoners to prosperity these things are accomplished through the people of God. While the majority of the psalm celebrates victory in battle I am much more taken by the victories over the obstacles of daily living.

It is up to the people of God to look out for widows and orphans, to give a home to the desolate and the freedom of prosperity to the prisoners. The most important way we do that is to welcome them into our faith communities as children of God first and foremost. There are certainly specific needs for the categories of widow, orphan, desolated and prisoner however we meet those needs for individual children of God.

One of the strengths of a community is the number of folks with something in common. The power of numbers makes it so much easier to get things done as folks work together toward a common goal. Another strength of a community is the variety of individuals with their particular strengths and needs meshing with the needs and strengths of those inside and outside of the community. God invites us to be a part of something bigger than ourselves as a part of a particular community, the family of God.

May 9, 2011