Psalm Meditation 621
Sixth Sunday of Easter/Mother’s Day
May 13, 2012

Psalm 138
1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything.
3 On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord, for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5 They shall sing of the ways of the Lord, for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.
(NRSV)

Most other thoughts are pushed out of my head as we continue to celebrate the birth of our granddaughter. The first verse sums it up pretty well, I give thanks with my whole heart and I sing praises to God. It is an interesting thing to ponder; there are babies born every day and they are usually outside our circle of awareness. I was recently in a hospital setting, surrounded by healthcare folks, and a lullaby came over the public address system. As far as I know, no one else even paused in what they were doing to welcome this new little life. I was probably only aware because I knew that it would not be long before we would be welcoming a new little life into our family circle. That we don’t notice does not mean that these other children are not miracles and treasures, it simply makes us aware that not all miracles are received in a similar fashion by everyone. For us this birth was a miracle. For the other folks in the waiting area the same event was simply an interruption in their waiting.

Some things that leave me breathless and overjoyed are non-events in the lives of others. Some things that are worthy of a victory celebration in my mind are cause for moaning and crying for someone else. For some, part of the joy of a decisive victory in a sporting event is being able to celebrate that victory in the face of someone who is a fan of the other team. Somehow, the dejection of the losers makes the victory even sweeter for some. In joy and sorrow, in victory and defeat, in all the times and places in between God is present with us in some way.

If we stop to think about it we could be overwhelmed by the number and variety of dangers that continually surround us. In one sense, it is amazing that any of us survive any given day. Storms, accidents, illness and purposeful violence surround us wherever we are. When we dwell on the hard parts of life we can become rough and cynical. When we are more inclined to see the good parts of life and the presence of God in all parts of life we live in hope for the present and the future. Though we walk in the midst of trouble God is with us and that is reason for hope.

© May 7, 2012