Psalm Meditation 599
Third Sunday of Advent
December 11, 2011

Psalm 74:1-11,19-23
1 O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?
2 Remember your congregation, which you acquired long ago, which you redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage. Remember Mount Zion, where you came to dwell.
3 Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary.
4 Your foes have roared within your holy place; they set up their emblems there.
5 At the upper entrance they hacked the wooden trellis with axes.
6 And then, with hatchets and hammers, they smashed all its carved work.
7 They set your sanctuary on fire; they desecrated the dwelling place of your name, bringing it to the ground.
8 They said to themselves, "We will utterly subdue them"; they burned all the meeting places of God in the land.
9 We do not see our emblems; there is no longer any prophet, and there is no one among us who knows how long.
10 How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever?
11 Why do you hold back your hand; why do you keep your hand in your bosom?
19 Do not deliver the soul of your dove to the wild animals; do not forget the life of your poor forever.
20 Have regard for your covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the haunts of violence.
21 Do not let the downtrodden be put to shame; let the poor and needy praise your name.
22 Rise up, O God, plead your cause; remember how the impious scoff at you all day long.
23 Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of your adversaries that goes up continually.
(NRSV)

There was a time when people believed that without a temple filled with the proper symbols and emblems it was impossible for a god to be with the people. While we know that God is with us in all times and places we do find ourselves most comfortable in our places of worship when all is as it has always been. We want all the symbols and furnishings in their proper places and in proper working order. We also find ourselves most comfortable if we are in our regular place, same seat, same row. I have served congregations that did not like the choir to take the center of the chancel for the Christmas and Easter Cantatas so that they did not block the view of the altar, seemingly thereby blocking access to God.

The important symbol of the presence of God is the faithful people of God. It is those who remain faithful in the face of persecution, in the face of being sidelined as irrelevant, in the face of having the faith commandeered by those with a power agenda of their own. Faithful people appreciate the value and comfort of familiar symbols in familiar places. They also know that there is more to the presence of God than whether a particular picture hangs in a particular place. More important is that the needs of people are being met in terms of justice and righteousness, with a touch of grace and mercy for all people everywhere.

It is likely that God enjoys opulence as much as any of us. It is more likely that God enjoys the folks who live out a commitment to achieve a sense of wholeness for as many people as possible, calling each of us to make sacrifices of time, effort, status, dogma and doctrine for the sake of the people with whom we live on a daily basis.

© December 5, 2010
LCM manifold@lightbound.com
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