Psalm Meditation 637
Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 2, 2012
Psalm 22:1,16-31
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning?
16 For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shriveled;
17 I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me;
18 they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.
19 But you, O LORD, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid!
20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog!
21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me.
22 I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
23 You who fear the LORD, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
24 For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him.
25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the LORD. May your hearts live forever!
27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him.
28 For dominion belongs to the LORD, and he rules over the nations.
29 To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him.
30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord,
31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it.
(NRSV)
Most of us have experienced abandonment in some form. We have been left alone too long by those we love or we have been left out of a conversation or activity even as the conversation or activity goes on around us. Whether it has been intentional or accidental, the feeling of abandonment is just as devastating. Some of us have felt abandoned by God. When that feeling comes to someone else, it is easy to assume that they have moved away from God. When it happens to me, it is not that easy. I already feel abandoned so the added burden of it being my fault can make it that much worse. In the midst of that feeling of abandonment it is more important to find out how to bring it to an end than to find out who is at fault.
In our human interactions, we may decide that it is time to move on to a different set of relationships when we feel abandoned while we are in the presence of others. We may decide there is something we can do to become more active in the life of the group. Or we may decide that we are content on the edges of this particular group. Our decision spurs us to a new set of actions in and around the life of this particular group. Whether we are successful in our strategy or not, we have taken the initiative in this interaction.
In our relationship with God we make similar decisions. We may decide that it is time to move on, that God is simply a human construct we no longer need in our lives. We may decide that we are the ones who walked away and take steps to get back into the presence of God. We may decide that we are content to be on the edge of a relationship with God. The psalmist chooses to know that God is present and that the sense of abandonment is temporary. It continues to be a real sense of abandonment even as the psalmist acknowledges the presence of God in some, currently, unknown , and real, way.
August 27, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Psalm Meditation 636
Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 26, 2012
Psalm 141
1 I call upon you, O LORD; come quickly to me; give ear to my voice when I call to you.
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not turn my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with those who work iniquity; do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let the righteous strike me; let the faithful correct me. Never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head, for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.
6 When they are given over to those who shall condemn them, then they shall learn that my words were pleasant.
7 Like a rock that one breaks apart and shatters on the land, so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.
8 But my eyes are turned toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless.
9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me, and from the snares of evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I alone escape.
(NRSV)
We find what we expect to find. When we expect to find good in people it jumps out at us in a variety of ways. When we expect to discover that we are surrounded are by bad people we will experience all sorts of evil from those around us. It might even be that two different people will experience the same person in different ways. The one looking for evil will find all the faults and flaws in a person. The one looking for good will find the redeeming qualities in that same person. The psalmist asks God for help in finding people with whom to spend time.
The psalmist does not want to learn evil attitudes, or wicked deeds from the kind of people who have those attitudes and do those deeds. It can be an interesting crowd. I don’t believe that any sane person sees their own deeds as evil. They/we find ways to justify thoughts and actions until they become normal actions and reactions. By banding together with like minded folk there is a layer of insulation between this type of normal and the way society defines normal.
The psalmist asks God for help in choosing folks whose lives are tuned to the ways of God. There is a longing to be taught how to live in the presence of God even though it is a difficult process. As in any discipline, the hard work pays off when one is called upon to live out one’s training in high stress circumstances. To keep our focus on God points us in a direction that leads to a life of fulfillment beyond that of self-centered pursuits. The presence of God in our lives gives us a place of refuge. Choosing to keep company with those who keep company with God gives us defenses against the temptations with which we are surrounded on a regular basis.
August 20, 2012
Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 26, 2012
Psalm 141
1 I call upon you, O LORD; come quickly to me; give ear to my voice when I call to you.
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not turn my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with those who work iniquity; do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let the righteous strike me; let the faithful correct me. Never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head, for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.
6 When they are given over to those who shall condemn them, then they shall learn that my words were pleasant.
7 Like a rock that one breaks apart and shatters on the land, so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.
8 But my eyes are turned toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless.
9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me, and from the snares of evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I alone escape.
(NRSV)
We find what we expect to find. When we expect to find good in people it jumps out at us in a variety of ways. When we expect to discover that we are surrounded are by bad people we will experience all sorts of evil from those around us. It might even be that two different people will experience the same person in different ways. The one looking for evil will find all the faults and flaws in a person. The one looking for good will find the redeeming qualities in that same person. The psalmist asks God for help in finding people with whom to spend time.
The psalmist does not want to learn evil attitudes, or wicked deeds from the kind of people who have those attitudes and do those deeds. It can be an interesting crowd. I don’t believe that any sane person sees their own deeds as evil. They/we find ways to justify thoughts and actions until they become normal actions and reactions. By banding together with like minded folk there is a layer of insulation between this type of normal and the way society defines normal.
The psalmist asks God for help in choosing folks whose lives are tuned to the ways of God. There is a longing to be taught how to live in the presence of God even though it is a difficult process. As in any discipline, the hard work pays off when one is called upon to live out one’s training in high stress circumstances. To keep our focus on God points us in a direction that leads to a life of fulfillment beyond that of self-centered pursuits. The presence of God in our lives gives us a place of refuge. Choosing to keep company with those who keep company with God gives us defenses against the temptations with which we are surrounded on a regular basis.
August 20, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Psalm Meditation 635
Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 19, 2012
Psalm 111
1 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.
3 Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the LORD is gracious and merciful.
5 He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.
(NRSV)
We tend to find the things we seek. When we are looking for things that have or will go wrong, we will find them in bucketsful. When we are looking for things to go well, we will concentrate on the good things. When we are looking for reasons to blame God and others for the ill twists and turns of our lives, we discover ample cause to give God and others blame. When we are looking for reasons to give God thanks we can find all sorts of reasons. I imagine that there are as many reasons to complain as there are to praise, depending on the focus we bring to any given situation.
I once read that Woody Hayes, long time Ohio State football coach, would walk out for the first practice and say to the players, “First string over here; second string over there.” With notable exceptions on both sides, he discovered that folks separated themselves pretty accurately. He noted that we live into our expectations of ourselves. The psalmist invites us to see ourselves as blessed by God. God is gracious, merciful, provident, mindful, steadfast, faithful and just. The list goes on in the psalm and in our awareness. We see God reflected in our own expectations.
My hope is that even the most negative and cynical among us can teach ourselves to live into the invitation to praise offered by the psalmist. As we look for reasons to praise God and lift up those praises we will find that we are able to see even more reasons to praise. Like walking from the darkness into the light, we discover that our vision improves with time, practice and patience. We go from squinting in pain to an ever deeper appreciation of all that is now illuminated. We tend to find the things we seek. My hope for each of us is that we will seek the things of God.
August 13, 2012
Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 19, 2012
Psalm 111
1 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.
3 Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the LORD is gracious and merciful.
5 He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.
(NRSV)
We tend to find the things we seek. When we are looking for things that have or will go wrong, we will find them in bucketsful. When we are looking for things to go well, we will concentrate on the good things. When we are looking for reasons to blame God and others for the ill twists and turns of our lives, we discover ample cause to give God and others blame. When we are looking for reasons to give God thanks we can find all sorts of reasons. I imagine that there are as many reasons to complain as there are to praise, depending on the focus we bring to any given situation.
I once read that Woody Hayes, long time Ohio State football coach, would walk out for the first practice and say to the players, “First string over here; second string over there.” With notable exceptions on both sides, he discovered that folks separated themselves pretty accurately. He noted that we live into our expectations of ourselves. The psalmist invites us to see ourselves as blessed by God. God is gracious, merciful, provident, mindful, steadfast, faithful and just. The list goes on in the psalm and in our awareness. We see God reflected in our own expectations.
My hope is that even the most negative and cynical among us can teach ourselves to live into the invitation to praise offered by the psalmist. As we look for reasons to praise God and lift up those praises we will find that we are able to see even more reasons to praise. Like walking from the darkness into the light, we discover that our vision improves with time, practice and patience. We go from squinting in pain to an ever deeper appreciation of all that is now illuminated. We tend to find the things we seek. My hope for each of us is that we will seek the things of God.
August 13, 2012
Monday, August 6, 2012
Psalm Meditation 634
Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 12, 2012
Psalm 81
1 Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our festal day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it a decree in Joseph, when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a voice I had not known:
6 "I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you called, and I rescued you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. (Selah)
8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you; O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
11 "But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
13 O that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their doom would last forever.
16 I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."
(NRSV)
With my Puritan/American upbringing things like verse 4 catch me off guard. God not only wants us to celebrate, it is a statute, a law, that we do it? We can get so caught up in being serious, and right, and perfect that we forget to celebrate and enjoy what life in God brings to us. I am reminded of advice from those who work in the public eye. They have discovered that the hard work is in the practice and preparation time. The hours of perfecting technique and connecting the dots from one skill to the next finally give way to the performance that is done with near reckless abandon. There comes a time when the driving motivation is celebration.
If only we would let go and celebrate we could open ourselves to the abundance God offers to us. That abundance is probably not the kinds of things you can hold in your hands; the abundance of God is so much more than anything that can be held in one’s hands. God offers things like hope and peace and a sense of abundance that goes beyond the ‘stuff’ of life. According to the psalmist, if we were to submit ourselves to God we would spend less time fretting over things that currently drive us. We would be less concerned with worldly matters and more concerned with things of God.
Our stubborn hearts, following our own counsels, have gotten us into all sorts of fights and arguments with good and bad ideas on every side. These stubborn hearts don’t lead us to God. Stubbornness doesn’t really lead anywhere, it digs in and camps out with no intention of moving for any reason. To walk in the way of God is to move somewhere, to give and take in some way that leads to more relationships than battlegrounds. To walk in the way of God gives more credence to people than theories. To walk in the way of God leads to celebration.
August 6, 2012
Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 12, 2012
Psalm 81
1 Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our festal day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it a decree in Joseph, when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a voice I had not known:
6 "I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you called, and I rescued you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. (Selah)
8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you; O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
11 "But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
13 O that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their doom would last forever.
16 I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you."
(NRSV)
With my Puritan/American upbringing things like verse 4 catch me off guard. God not only wants us to celebrate, it is a statute, a law, that we do it? We can get so caught up in being serious, and right, and perfect that we forget to celebrate and enjoy what life in God brings to us. I am reminded of advice from those who work in the public eye. They have discovered that the hard work is in the practice and preparation time. The hours of perfecting technique and connecting the dots from one skill to the next finally give way to the performance that is done with near reckless abandon. There comes a time when the driving motivation is celebration.
If only we would let go and celebrate we could open ourselves to the abundance God offers to us. That abundance is probably not the kinds of things you can hold in your hands; the abundance of God is so much more than anything that can be held in one’s hands. God offers things like hope and peace and a sense of abundance that goes beyond the ‘stuff’ of life. According to the psalmist, if we were to submit ourselves to God we would spend less time fretting over things that currently drive us. We would be less concerned with worldly matters and more concerned with things of God.
Our stubborn hearts, following our own counsels, have gotten us into all sorts of fights and arguments with good and bad ideas on every side. These stubborn hearts don’t lead us to God. Stubbornness doesn’t really lead anywhere, it digs in and camps out with no intention of moving for any reason. To walk in the way of God is to move somewhere, to give and take in some way that leads to more relationships than battlegrounds. To walk in the way of God gives more credence to people than theories. To walk in the way of God leads to celebration.
August 6, 2012
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