Psalm Meditation 596
Reign of Christ Sunday
November 20, 2010

Psalm 133
1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.
(NRSV)

I went to an auction at which I got a good deal or two and the congregation I served made some money, as they had the food concession at the sale. The wet blanket on this event, for me, was the knowledge that the family was having the sale because they could not agree on how to divide the belongings of their parents among themselves. It seemed good to them to have a sale in which family members could bid against each other, and the rest of the gathered folk, to get their hands on family treasures and heirlooms. It seems a shame that no one in the family could say or do anything to keep unity in the family, while also preserving family treasures.

The psalmist is aware that family unity is the lifeblood of a community. It is particularly important when the community consists of members of only two or three extended families. A feud in one of those families or between two of those families can tear apart a community. A congregation can also be split by a small group grasping for or hanging on to power. The psalmist reminds us that unity is so much more life giving than any other choice a family, community or congregation can make.

Working together, even when we disagree, is the sustaining nourishment of a community. Sometimes it is dew, just enough moisture to keep the area refreshed. Sometimes it is a gentle soaking rain that adds sustenance at a deeper level. While the quest for unity can be quite annoying at times, as we struggle with competing wants and needs, it does outlive any of the alternatives.

© November 14, 2010
LCM manifold@lightbound.com
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