Psalm Meditation 575
Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 26, 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)

Sometimes the best example is a bad example, as in, “If God will do good things for a person this lowly God will certainly do good things for you.” In this case the psalmist chose to use a few of the best examples. “Since Moses, Aaron and Samuel called on God and followed the rules God gave them, if you want God to pay attention to you it would be good to follow those same rules.” I am convinced that God loves us and cares for us whether we follow that rules or not. I believe that is the nature of God. I also believe that those who follow the rules and laws given by God are more likely to be aware of the presence of God in their lives.

If you want God to love you, then you don’t need to do anything at all. God loves you no matter what. If you want to have a relationship with God then there are things that need to be done for the sake of that relationship. When I ask young couples moving toward a wedding what the rules of their marriage will be they are often at a loss. They believe a marriage doesn’t need rules. So I ask, is it okay for one or both to be unfaithful in the marriage. Either way they answer is one of the rules. Is it okay for one or both to hit the other? Again, either way the answer is one of the rules. My hope for couples is that the answer to both questions is no. The one that leads to the deeper and longer lasting relationship is the right answer.

If you want to be in a relationship with God, pay attention to what God wants out of the relationship just as God pays attention to your wants and needs. Talk to God, keep the rules (that is, listen to God) and participate in worship in some form on a regular basis. (that is, spend some time with some people who are also important to God.) It really is as simple as it sounds. It still takes some time and some practice, however God is there cheering you on and there is a community of folk who also work and sometimes struggle at a relationship with the God of Moses, Aaron, Samuel and countless others.

© June 20, 2010