Psalm Meditation 611
Second Sunday in Lent
March 4, 2012

Psalm 136:1-16,24-26
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;
4 who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;
5 who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever;
6 who spread out the earth on the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever;
7 who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;
8 the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever;
9 the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;
10 who struck Egypt through their firstborn, for his steadfast love endures forever;
11 and brought Israel out from among them, for his steadfast love endures forever;
12 with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, for his steadfast love endures forever;
13 who divided the Red Sea in two, for his steadfast love endures forever;
14 and made Israel pass through the midst of it, for his steadfast love endures forever;
15 but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for his steadfast love endures forever;
16 who led his people through the wilderness, for his steadfast love endures forever;
24 and rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever;
25 who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever.
26 O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.
(NRSV)

One of my pastoral counselor friends tells me that a person begins to believe anything that is heard at least ten times. If that is the case then each of us who reads this psalm will begin to believe that the steadfast love of God endures forever. That is a pretty important thing to know and believe. It is a constant assurance throughout Scripture, that the love of God lasts longer than any trial we may go through, that it lasts longer than any wandering from God might last. The steadfast love of God endures forever.

The next part is to believe that the steadfast love of God includes each one of us, that God loves me. (whichever ‘me’ might be reading this.) It is easy to say and believe that the steadfast love of God endures forever, it can be harder to know that the steadfast love of God includes me and countless others who have heard and accepted that the love of God is not an abstraction, it makes a difference in my life. To go from the general statement that the steadfast love of God endures forever to God loves me here and now is quite a leap of faith. It is a leap of faith that makes a difference.

Litanies have a single response so that those who do not read can participate in worship by reciting the peoples’ response at the appropriate time and so those who can read can hear the first part because they already know what they are going to say in response. It turns out that the single response also allows us to have a constant reminder through the litany of some aspect of God, in this case, the steadfast love of God endures forever.

© February 27, 2012