Psalm Meditation 707
Second Sunday After Christmas
January 5, 2014

Psalm 96
1 O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The LORD is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.”
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
(NRSV)

It sometimes seems that the folks who look forward to God’s judgment the most are some of the ones who will be judged most harshly. These folks are so sure that God setting things right is the same as setting things in the order they see fit. I am afraid they are in for a disappointment. God’s way and my way are rarely the same because I want revenge and a renewal of my own sense of dignity and order. God leans toward mercy and steadfast love.

I imagine that God is a bit less lenient with those of us who claim to speak for God in a voice and accent that fly in the face of God’s genuine intent for those God loves and with chesed/agape’/unconditional love. The number of folk we turn away from God with our arrogant words and deeds will likely be met with some stern looks and words. God’s ire will likely not get in the way of God’s saving love, however it will certainly leave us humbled, at the very least.

As we sing our songs and revel in the greatness of God we do well not to get so caught up in our celebrations that we begin to feel that we are heirs to that greatness by some word or act of our own. Any glint of salvation, righteous and truth we receive is a gift God gives to us. Granted, some are more open to receive these gifts than others, that does not mean that they are not set before each of us in some wonder filled way. Sing and rejoice in God’s glory.

December 30, 2013

Psalm Meditation 706
First Sunday after Christmas
December 29, 2013

Psalm 5
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; give heed to my sighing.
2 Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you.
5 The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouths; their hearts are destruction; their throats are open graves; they flatter with their tongues.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of their many transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover them with favor as with a shield.
(NRSV)

There are folks who can brag in such a way that all who hear their boasts are proud to know them. There are folks who can make humble statements in a way that folks know they are covering pride with humility. Verse 11 strikes me as a kind of test case for pride versus humility in the presence of God. For those who are genuinely humble, the emphasis will be on the refuge God offers. When they recite this verse it will sound like an invitation, letting everyone know that the refuge of God is open to any and all who will accept it with an open heart.

The folks who wear humility as a mask for their pride will make this verse sound like a weapon. They will let you know that the refuge of God is an exclusive club and that likely as not you are neither a current member of this club nor are you welcome to become one. The actual words of the verse are the same for those in both groups, it is the tone in which they are shared that makes a difference. Interestingly, the folks who make the refuge of God sound as if it were an exclusive club may not actually be members. Those who would restrict the refuge of God to people like ‘us’ against ‘them’ haven’t quite gotten the concept of the power of God’s steadfast love.

It is the steadfast love of God that makes the invitation to the refuge God offers. We have not done anything to deserve God’s love, we are invited out of God’s great love for us. The folks who make refuge in God an exclusive club are the folks who enter God’s house as if they are owners rather than as guests. The folks who live in the refuge of the steadfast love of God find themselves filled with wonder and awe as they are welcomed into God’s loving presence.

A very merry Christmas to you and yours.

December 23, 2013

Psalm Meditation 705
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 22, 2013

Psalm 147
1 Praise the LORD! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The LORD lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;
11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you.
14 He grants peace within your borders; he fills you with the finest of wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down hail like crumbs— who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)

December is supposed to be this great, joyous time of preparation whether you go by the church calendar and call it Advent or by the secular designation of Christmas/holiday season. What if it isn’t a season of joy? What if, instead of great joy, this season fills us with sadness for any number of reasons? For many it is a time of remembering those who are no longer with us. For others it is a reminder that we do not have the resources to make this season as bright and full of stuff as advertisers tell us we should. For still others it is a season of darkness from the lack of long periods of sunlight. No matter the reason we are filled with darkness, the psalmist reminds us that even in the darkest times God is with us.

Though we talk about darkness as if it were a presence, it is an absence. Darkness is the absence of light. It can feel as if we are carrying darkness with us in this and any season of the year. It is good to know that even in the darkest times God is with us. God is not quick to fix things for us, however God is quick to be with us in every situation in which we put or find ourselves. In those moments we are able to sense God’s presence we notice that God brings light into our lives. “The LORD lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground.” It won’t happen all at once for most of us and God may work through people and a variety of other means to lift us up, however, God is with us, offering light in our darkness.

Whether you are one who loves this season of the year, one for whom it brings little but sadness and dread, or you are somewhere in between, God is present with us, offering to lift us up and hold us up. God takes great pleasure in us, and that is something wonderful. When someone is happy to be with us even at our worst, it can lift us up a bit. When that person also brings a sense of peace with them we find ourselves a bit more at peace as well. God is happy to be with us and brings a peace beyond our ability to fathom. That is good news.

December 16, 2013
LCM

Psalm Meditation 704
Third Sunday of Advent
December 15, 2013

Psalm 54
1 Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your might.
2 Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For the insolent have risen against me, the ruthless seek my life; they do not set God before them. Selah
4 But surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will repay my enemies for their evil. In your faithfulness, put an end to them.
6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
(NRSV)

Insolent, ruthless enemies can be identifiable as specific groups or persons who are out to get us for any number of reasons. Those same enemies can rise up within us and make our lives just as miserable, if not more, as those from outside. From wherever the threat comes it can wear on us, grind on us and bring us to our knees.

No matter the locale of our particular enemies, God is with us as we rise against those forces that have taken us down. Some are willing to say that God will take down our enemies and remove them far from us. Others see the presence of God, knowing we are not alone, as sufficient. The rest of us are caught between wanting God to take away our enemies and wanting God to stand with us as we face them ourselves.

Whether our enemies are interior or exterior, whether God stands for us or with us, it is good to know that God is with us. We can give joyful thanks for the presence of God in our lives.

December 9, 2013
LCM

Psalm Meditation 703
Second Sunday of Advent
December 8, 2013

Psalm 104
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul.O LORD my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty,
2 wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
3 you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind,
4 you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers.
5 You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken.
6 You cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
8 They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys to the place that you appointed for them.
9 You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.
10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills,
11 giving drink to every wild animal; the wild asses quench their thirst.
12 By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches.
13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
14 You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use,
to bring forth food from the earth,
15 and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart.
16 The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 In them the birds build their nests; the stork has its home in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the coneys.
19 You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.
20 You make darkness, and it is night, when all the animals of the forest come creeping out.
21 The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they withdraw and lie down in their dens.
23 People go out to their work and to their labor until the evening.
24 O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there,
    living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
27 These all look to you to give them their food in due season;
28 when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD rejoice in his works—
32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more.
Bless the LORD, O my soul. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)

I understand the thinking behind the last verse, that if it weren’t for sinners and wicked folks this world would be a perfect place. Today, though, it sounds selfish. ‘This is such a great place, I hate to share it with people who aren’t like me, people who don’t appreciate these things as I do, people who don’t deserve the nice things I have earned.’ With a worldview based on preserving ‘our’ group by keeping ‘your’ group at a distance, those who are not like us are seen as a threat. Even those inside the group who don’t live up to the rules of the covenant community are seen as dangerous folks.

Strict adherence to the rules, as well as a leaning toward isolationism are the best ways to get a group started. Once the body gets going well it can be opened up to new people, new ideas and new ways of doing things. No matter how long the group has been around or how open it has become, there will always be those who want the group to go back to those founding principles, including the desire to close the group to influences beyond the original core beliefs, practices and identifications. That is not all bad. Those who are opposed to change can be a healthy corrective to those who are ready to branch out in new directions. Sometimes the folks who are willing to stretch the boundaries of the group are the majority and sometimes the folks who emphasize the core precepts of the group win the day. In the transition from one majority to the other there is conflict in the group.

In times of conflict folks on both sides of the growth versus origin question will find themselves putting emphasis on the verse that asks God to do away with the folks who aren’t like ‘us.’ While it is a part of the process it does get us to lose sight of the rest of the psalm that praises God for all the great things that are gifts to us and all other parts of creation. It might be good, even in the midst of a pitched battle within our own group small or large, to step back from the battle and see all the wonders that God provides for us. God does not provide these great things because we are pure or because we are expanding the definition of what it means to be a part of the group. God provides these gifts out of a deep and abiding love for us, on every side of the question or conflict. When we see that it is not one side or the other that has earned God’s love perhaps we can take a deep breath and appreciate the intentions and practices of the folks on the other side.

December 2, 2013

Psalm Meditation 702
First Sunday of Advent
December 1, 2013

Psalm 47
1 Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy.
2 For the LORD, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Selah
5 God has gone up with a shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm.
8 God is king over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted.
(NRSV)

From time to time, folks dispute the question of applause in worship. Is it okay, acceptable, appropriate to clap in worship. I have never gotten a sense that we have arrived at a mutually agreeable answer to the question; this may be our answer. Congregations tend to applaud after a musical part of the worship service. The opening, prelude, is often received with applause by members of the congregation. Folks who are not inclined to speak or shout words of praise are more willing to clap in appreciation. Anthems too are received with applause. From the musicians’ side, they feel they have given their music as a gift, to God and the congregation, and applause makes it feel as if it were a performance. Caught between the desire to give thanks and the desire to give a gift we are caught in conflicting motivations in worship.

When children, especially those too young to have a verbal response, are filled with joy they clap their hands as an expression of that joy. The psalmist begins with the exhortation to clap our hands as an expression of joy in the presence of God. While clapping is an expression of appreciation for the hard work that went into a performance, it is also an expression of joy and excitement in worship. While it may not be appropriate in every situation in worship, it is certainly an ancient practice to clap our hands when we are overcome with the excitement of a moment in worship. And some folks do have an undercurrent of exuberance in their lives that finds expression in worship by clapping their hands.

Should worshipers clap for each part of the worship service? Please, no. Should those of us who lead worship discourage folks from fully participating in worship, even in ways that might make us uncomfortable? No, as long as it is worshipful. What we who lead offer as a gift to God and to the congregation is up to us. How folks receive that is up to them. Is it okay, acceptable, appropriate to clap in worship? Yes, it is. Can it get disruptive if folks clap for everything, prayers, announcements, hymns, sermons and sacraments? Yes it can. Am I clapping as an act of thanksgiving and praise? Feel free to do so. Am I clapping as a way to draw attention to myself or to be a disruption to the flow of the worship service? It would be better to refrain.

November 25, 2013
LCM

Psalm Meditation 701
Reign of Christ Sunday
November 24, 2013

Psalm 97
1 The LORD is king! Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him, and consumes his adversaries on every side.
4 His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness; and all the peoples behold his glory.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, those who make their boast in worthless idols; all gods bow down before him.
8 Zion hears and is glad, and the towns of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O God.
9 For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
10 The LORD loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful; he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light dawns for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
(NRSV)

In the midst of the cold war between the United States and the Soviet Union, I remember what a shock it was to hear that the Soviet Union was geographically larger than the US. How could the best country in the world not also be the biggest. Through the years I have discovered that the biggest is not always the best and mine is not always better than that of another. Sometimes that other is better, sometimes worse and sometimes simply different.

When it comes to God I have also had a change of heart and mind. The older I get the more radical becomes my monotheism. Rather than worrying about whether one or another religious faith worships the same God I worship, I am inclined to believe that there is only one God who is experienced and interpreted differently from person to person and faith to faith. So, for me, the worshippers of other gods have chosen to split attributes of God into multiple parts to make God more comprehensible.

I would like to think that our conception of God is the most complete and comprehensive. At the very least it is the one most meaningful to me. So whether there is a nation that is larger than my own, this is home for me. It is the one best suited to my current set of needs, wants and wishes. Whether there is one God or a panoply, the one God of the Bible, Yahweh, is the one in whom I will rejoice and the one to whom I will give thanks.

November 18, 2013

Psalm Meditation 700
Twenty sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 17, 2013

Psalm 4
1 Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the LORD has set apart the faithful for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
4 When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.
6 There are many who say, “O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O LORD!”
7 You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound.
8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety.
(NRSV)

The psalmist believes that our actions have a direct effect on the way God treats us. If we turn away from proper practice of our faith God turns away from us and leaves us to the consequences of our sin. As long as we do the right thing, go through the proper rituals and have some personal investment in the process God will be good to us. As soon as we stop doing what God has asked of us we are left alone.

I too believe that our actions have an effect on the presence of God in our lives but in a different way. As we fail to live out of love, forgiveness and generosity we wander away from the way that leads to the presence of God. It is not that we are abandoned so much as we lose the ability or the willingness to see and experience the presence of God in our lives. Once we stop practicing the presence of God we begin to lose the ability to see God in all times and spaces.

Both viewpoints acknowledge that we are separated from God as a consequence of our actions. In one view God walks away from us, in the other we walk away from God. We have some responsibility either way, the difference is in the view of God. For the psalmist, God can be provoked into moving away from us. In the other view, we move away from God and are left to pay the consequences. God is always with us, always available to us, it is we who choose to ignore that God is with us. Even then, God seeks us out, invites us, calls us into a relationship that seeks out God’s abiding presence among us.

November 11, 2013

Psalm Meditation 699
Twenty fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 10, 2013

Psalm 148
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host!
3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for he commanded and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9 Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and women alike, old and young together!
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is exalted;
    his glory is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful,
    for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)

There are folks who will say that God does not need our praise, that God really does not need anything from us. In one sense that is true. We have nothing that does not come from God, so if God wanted what we have it would simply be a matter of not giving it to us so that God would have it. On the other hand, as a believer in free will, I believe that God finds deep joy in anything we return freely. I imagine that God is particularly pleased when we offer praise and love of our own free will.

When we offer something to our children, especially young children, and do not let go completely until they say those magic words, ‘thank you.’ it is not because we are unfulfilled without their thanks. Our intent is to teach them the words that will one day be attached to the sentiment of thankfulness. While God does not have an ego that needs to be stroked by our constant words of praise, it may be that God enjoys our praise in the same way our hearts are gladdened when our children don’t have to be coached into saying, ‘thank you.’

The definitions of thanks and praise that I was given years ago is that thanks are given for what is done while praise is given for who one is. We thank God for all the gifts we receive on some regular basis. The psalmist reminds, invites and encourages us to offer our praise for who God is among us.

November 3, 2013

Psalm Meditation 698
All Saints Sunday
November 3, 2013

Psalm 53
1 Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts; there is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God.
3 They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one.
4 Have they no knowledge, those evildoers, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?
5 There they shall be in great terror, in terror such as has not been. For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly; they will be put to shame, for God has rejected them.
6 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
(NRSV)

I know some very intelligent people who do not believe in God. They are convinced that if something cannot be proved by scientific method, it is not true. Ever since the Enlightenment folks have gone through the mental, philosophical, theological, scientific gymnastics to either prove or disprove the existence of God. The arguments have given us some interesting ‘proofs’ as to why and how God either does or does not exist. It was in response to the Enlightenment that folks came up with bibilical literalism; if the Bible is not 100% true and error free, then it is completely false. Sadly, this argument came from folks defending the existence of God.

I know this is not the kind of fool to whom the psalmist refers. The psalmist means the folks who act as if there is no God, no one to call them to account for their actions within the community. They act against both God and the community standards of behavior. For the psalmist there is no distinction between the standards of God and the standards of the community. The fools of the psalm are those who flaunt their bad behavior because they have the resources to ignore their upbringing in the community.

I do agree with the psalmist that those who do not believe in God are foolish. They refuse to see that there may actually be an entire broad sphere of existence that is beyond proof. They limit themselves to those things that can be proved and conjectured through scientific method and miss those things that are only available to those willing to take the leap of faith. The cool thing about faith is that it cannot be proved or independently tested in any way. People of faith offer the proof of their own lives and the difference their faith makes in how they face the events of a day.

October 28, 2013

Psalm Meditation 697
Twenty third Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 27, 2013

Psalm 103
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The LORD works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion for his children, so the LORD has compassion for those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for mortals, their days are like grass; they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,
18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
19 The LORD has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding,
    obedient to his spoken word.
21 Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will.
22 Bless the LORD, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the LORD, O my soul.
(NRSV)

The first two verses of this psalm were my wake up call from time to time when dad had the task of waking my younger brother and me. He would stand at the door and recite them with gentleness and enthusiasm. It is possible that he used other verses of psalms, hymns or poems on other mornings but this is the one I remember hearing. It was a reminder, or has become one, to start the day with a sense of holiness, thanksgiving and gratitude for all that God is and does among us.

There are folks who respond to a ‘good morning’ with a ‘what’s good about it?’ How might folks react if we ran through even a partial list of the psalmist’s reasons to bless God. ‘What’s good about this morning? God is good as we are offered forgiveness, redemption, vindication, justice, mercy, grace and steadfast love at the hand of God.’ That might be a little intense for someone who is off to a cynical start to the day, however it might be good to click those off in our own heads before we respond, ‘I wish you a good morning.’

As a morning person, I am inclined to bless God then. For those who function best at other times of the day it is good to spend a moment at the high point of the day remembering that God is with us, blesses us, loves us beyond our ability to comprehend, and enjoys our company in the moments we pause to reflect on the presence and blessings of God in our lives and the lives of those around us. Bless the LORD.

October 21, 2013

Psalm Meditation 696
Twenty second Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 20, 2013

Psalm 48
1 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain,
2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north,
the city of the great King.
3 Within its citadels God has shown himself a sure defense.
4 Then the kings assembled, they came on together.
5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic, they took to flight;
6 trembling took hold of them there, pains as of a woman in labor,
7 as when an east wind shatters the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes forever. Selah
9 We ponder your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.
10 Your name, O God, like your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with victory.
11 Let Mount Zion be glad, let the towns of Judah rejoice because of your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion, go all around it, count its towers,
13 consider well its ramparts; go through its citadels, that you may tell the next generation
14 that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide forever.
(NRSV)

Jerusalem was built in a wonderfully strategic place that made it difficult to attack and easy to defend. The psalmist could have celebrated the ingenuity of the folks who founded the city on such a great spot. The psalm could have praised the folks who formulated the military strategies that went with the excellent positioning of the city. The psalmist chose instead to give the praise to God.

It was the inspiration and direction of God that led folks to build the city in this place. It was the creative genius and power of God to make a place on which the city could be founded. It was the steadfast love of God that chose this people to live in this place over anyone else. It was God who had the first and final say in the choices that made Jerusalem an advantageous spot for a variety of activities.

In our emphasis on individuality we play up the skills of people and down play the contribution God has made to who we are and what we do. It is the gifts of God at work in the lives of individuals and groups that makes it possible for folks to do what they do. There is likely a happy median between taking all the credit for our skills and actions and giving the credit to God and keeping none for ourselves. God gives us gifts and we use them to the best of our willingness and ability. We do well to acknowledge our abilities and accomplishments even as we give thanks to God.

October 14, 2013

Psalm Meditation 695
Twenty first Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 13, 2013

Psalm 98
1 O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things.
His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.
2 The LORD has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.
4 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises.
5 Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it.
8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy
9 at the presence of the LORD, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
(NRSV)

Sing a new song! It has such a great joyous ring to it, until we realize all that is involved in participating in that kind of newness. Someone has to write words and music that capture the joy of the moment. Folks have to learn both new words and new music at the same time. There is the frustration of all this newness at once. New may be good in some things, but having this kind of newness thrust on us can get unnerving. The excitement of the newness wears off fairly quickly when we are confronted with the full weight and meaning of that newness.

At the same time, when there is an event as momentous as a victory at the hand of God, something new seems appropriate and worth the struggle involved in bringing this new song of celebration to full life. At moments in the life of a community, something new is the only thing that will fit. We make that sacrifices needed to bring this new song of celebration to life as a project of the whole community as a way to praise, thank and honor God. It is worth all the effort and energy invested.

Somewhere between the frustration and the excitement that new things bring to us we find ourselves thinking of how frustrated and excited God must be as we make the choices that lead us sometimes closer to and sometimes farther from a relationship with God. In that moment the sacrifices we make to praise God seem pretty small. In that moment the praise we offer with all our hearts seems too little to match the magnitude and majesty of the works God does among us. And so we find ourselves refocused on the endeavor to sing a new song, a song of praise to God for this moment of marvelous joy.

October 7, 2013

Psalm Meditation 694
Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 6, 2013

Psalm 3
1 O LORD, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying to me, “There is no help for you in God.”Selah
3 But you, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud to the LORD, and he answers me from his holy hill.Selah
5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Rise up, O LORD! Deliver me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Deliverance belongs to the LORD; may your blessing be on your people! Selah
(NRSV)

Several years ago, the congregation I was serving at the time had a Miracle Sunday with the goal of $5,000.00. On the day of the offering at least one person confided in the church Council chair that they did not believe we could raise that much money in a single day. When the chair told me the story afterward she said she simply smiled and nodded because she already had more than half of the goal in her pocket, received from those who could not attend that day and wanted to contribute to the cause. I was reminded of that experience when I read the second and third verses of the psalm.

There are those who are quick to tell folks that God could not possibly be present in this or any other situation in life. All we need to do is smile and nod because we know that God is with us as “a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.” Despite appearances to the contrary, we already know that God is with us in this and every event and situation of our lives. That does not mean that we will be rescued from any and all tragedy, free from the trials and tribulations of life. It means that the presence of God will give us comfort and hope now and into the future.

The life events of those who trust in God will not be that much different than for those who do not. The difference will be in the way folks will deal with those events, how they move on from what has happened in the assurance that God is with us to deliver and bless us.

September 30, 2013

Psalm Meditation 693
Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 29, 2013

Psalm 149
1 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
2 Let Israel be glad in its Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with victory.
5 Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with fetters and their nobles with chains of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment decreed. This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)

It is my understanding that Israel was very good at defending itself as a military power but was not large or powerful enough to pose a threat to any of the surrounding nations. But if we were, here is what we would do. We would rush in and take our vengeance on all those who have risen against us. We would punish them and drag their kings and nobles into our royal halls and parade them as symbols of our mighty power. And we would do all this to the glory of God.

It is likely that each of us has a dream of success and victory in a chosen field. We get the promotion that puts us where we believe we belong, we score the victory in the sport of our choosing and get congratulated by the folks who are heroes to us now. We make an impression on that person or group that will shoot us into the stratosphere of popularity. And the psalmist reminds us that it is not all about us. The psalmist reminds us to praise the LORD in the midst of our victory.

Whether we really are the most talented person in the field, strive to be that person, or content ourselves with fantasies of success we do well to remember to give credit to God. God has given us gifts, skills and the drive to use them. God has given us dreams that will drive us to be successful one day. God has given us a sense of contentment in the midst of a culture of success at all costs. No matter where we are in and around the culture in which we find ourselves we do well to know that God is with us.

September 23, 2013

Psalm Meditation 692
Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 22, 2013

Psalm 52
1 Why do you boast, O mighty one, of mischief done against the godly? All day long
2 you are plotting destruction. Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery.
3 You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth. Selah
4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.
5 But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous will see, and fear, and will laugh at the evildoer, saying,
7 “See the one who would not take refuge in God, but trusted in abundant riches, and sought refuge in wealth!”
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
9 I will thank you forever, because of what you have done. In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good.
(NRSV)

We are quick to attach evil motives to those who disagree with us, especially when those folks mount violent attacks against us. While it is possible that their entire intent is evil, it is also possible that their intent is good, positive and honorable. Their actions may be violent and destructive even as they look to a positive and peaceful outcome. The folks who participated in the Crusades had the laudable goal of winning back the Holy Land for the glory of Christ. The part about totally discounting the faith and even humanity of the folks who lived there continues to give Christians a bad reputation in parts of the world.

Some of the evils we have experienced in recent years have been a response to the actions of Christians during the Crusades. That does not make either side good or right in the actions carried out, it simply gives a window into the thought processes of the folks who are seen by others as evil. I do believe that there is evil in the world and that simply because we have a way to justify our actions does not mean that those actions are not seen as evil by someone else. At some point in our lives we have railed against the unfairness of our parents as they asked or demanded a certain course of action. While we saw them as terrible parents they saw themselves as people acting out of love in the best interest of us, their children.

What is evil to me is justifiable and even laudable to you. At times, it is a matter of whether we are giving or receiving an action that defines it as evil. Yes, there is evil. Yes, there are evil people. Yes, sometimes it is ‘them’ who do the evil deeds, Yes, sometimes it is ‘us’ who do the evil. As our hearts and lives are more finely tuned to God we are confronted by the evils we have perpetrated on others. We can find ways to justify our actions or we can find ways to repent and move forward in our relationship with God and with the people with whom we live and work.

September 16, 2013

Psalm Meditation 691
Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 15, 2013

Psalm 102 (selected verses)
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you.
5 Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my skin.
6 I am like an owl of the wilderness, like a little owl of the waste places.
7 I lie awake; I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.
8 All day long my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse.
11 My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.
12 But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; your name endures to all generations.
13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to favor it; the appointed time has come.
14 For your servants hold its stones dear, and have pity on its dust.
15 The nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth your glory.
16 For the LORD will build up Zion; he will appear in his glory.
17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their prayer.
18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD:
19 that he looked down from his holy height, from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die;
21 so that the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem,
22 when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.
25 Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. you change them like clothing, and they pass away;
27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.
28 The children of your servants shall live secure; their offspring shall be established in your presence.
(NRSV)

We tend to believe that God looks with favor on those who have wealth, popularity and possessions. It only seems right that the folks with lots of stuff have all that stuff because of God’s blessing on their lives. At least, that is the thinking of those of us who have more than a large percentage of the world’s population will ever dream of having. While there are those who have lots more than we have, there are considerably more who have a lot less than we have. It is always tempting to believe that we are among those blessed by God.

The psalmist reminds us that our God, Yahweh, has a heart for those who do not have a lot of stuff. God gives a different set of rich blessings to those who do not have a lot of material resources at their command. For several years research has shown that the most generous class of folks are those who are in poverty. They know what it is like to be without and if they can help someone else they are willing to do as they are able. As folks share limited resources, they also build strong communities based on shared suffering as well as shared resources. While having stuff may seem to be more fun, having a community full of relationships is more lasting and more fulfilling.

Those of us with stuff do well to build relationships with those who seem to be in want. It is possible that they will teach us how to live with less as they teach us about their real needs. We might also learn the importance of relationships, over having everything we think we might need. While God really does love each of us, it is those who relish the importance of relationship with God and with others who are most attuned to the love God offers.

September 9, 2013

Psalm Meditation 690
Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 8, 2013

Psalm 49
1 Hear this, all you peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high, rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life, there is no price one can give to God for it.
8 For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice,
9 that one should live on forever and never see the grave.
10 When we look at the wise, they die; fool and dolt perish together and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands their own.
12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy, the end of those who are pleased with their lot.Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home.
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.Selah
16 Do not be afraid when some become rich, when the wealth of their houses increases.
17 For when they die they will carry nothing away; their wealth will not go down after them.
18 Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy —for you are praised when you do well for yourself—
19 they will go to the company of their ancestors, who will never again see the light.
20 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
(NRSV)

In the psalmist’s time, it was believed that there was a limited amount of wealth available so the only way anyone could get rich was at the expense of someone else. In order for me to get rich I would have to take the resources out of your hands, land out from under your feet, food out of your mouth and so on. The folks who did get wealthy around the psalmist were thought to be guilty of great evil since they had, for all intents and purposes stolen their wealth from others.

We know that, while wealth is an ever expanding pool, it is often true that folks become rich by using the labor and resources of others. Sometimes those others are compensated for their labor and resources, fairly or not. Other times the resources are claimed in a way that requires no reimbursement, even though fairness might dictate otherwise.

The psalmist tells us not to worry about the folks who get rich because their wealth will not last beyond their own lifetime. When they die the riches they have worked so hard to attain will remain here on earth while they will be lost to Sheol. Since the psalmist and the folks addressed by the psalm have spent lives laboring after the things of God they know they will be redeemed from Sheol into the presence of God.

Eventually, we reap the reward of our efforts. Those who seek wealth will achieve that and will die. Those who seek a relationship with God will find that and will live in the presence of God.

September 3, 2013

Psalm Meditation 689
Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 1, 2013

Psalm 99
1 The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he!
4 Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the LORD, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy.
(NRSV)

At some point in our faith development it is important to ask questions about the beliefs with which we have been raised so that we can claim them as our own or modify them to fit our own way of perceiving who God is in our lives. In this psalm it seems that the psalmist is answering some of the questions about why we worship God.

We worship a God who loves justice, equity and righteousness. This is not a God who decides how to act as a situation arises, this is a God who acts out of a sense of what is just, what is right and what gives folks a sense of equality in their lives. We worship because God has been around a long time and has a long and rich history with us. From Moses and Aaron to Samuel to the present we have seen God in action. We worship a God who is quick to forgive without being a push over, who demands consequences in the midst of being forgiving. We worship a God who is dependable in any given situation and in long term faithfulness.

Go ahead and ask the questions about why we as a body choose to worship the God who has chosen us and calls us to live out the same sense of justice, history and forgiveness we have received. Our God is big enough to be comfortable with the questions, confident enough to be with us no matter what answers we may find, patient enough to continually invite us into an ever deepening relationship whether we accept the invitation or not. God is not troubled by our questions or our answers, in part because our God is holy.

August 26, 2013

Psalm Meditation 688
Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 25, 2013

Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the LORD has them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, with trembling
12 kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who take refuge in him.
(NRSV)

The psalmist describes God in terms of the most powerful person known at the time: a king. Kings held absolute power over their subjects and were held to the standards of the divine beings who had placed them in this position. For many cultures of the day and time, those divine beings had no real standards except their own wishes and desires. Since it was the divine way, whatever the king chose to do was the way the world worked in any given situation. Those who had any influence with the king could sway royal decision making through gifts, promises, threats and flattery. It was a difficult image of God for those who had no power or influence.

The God of Israel held to a standard of faithfulness, righteousness and steadfast love, so the king was held to this same standard. The Bible makes clear that not every king felt bound by God’s standards of behavior. It was a mark of a great king to behave according to the laws of God and to treat subjects with the same faithfulness, righteousness and steadfast love exhibited by God.

While we no longer see God in the same light as the psalmist, we do see ourselves as bound to God through the faithfulness, righteousness and steadfast love we continue to experience through our relationship with God. We also continue to find comfort as we take refuge in God in the face of the wide variety of trials and temptations we confront on a regular basis.

August 19, 2013

Psalm Meditation 687
Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 18, 2013

Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)

Sound, noise, volume; there is something about being joyful that cries out for ways to express ourselves with energetic loudness. Bodies need a way to express the full extent of our joy and it comes out in movement and sound. The psalmist encourages us to praise God in ways that draw attention to our celebration. The physical expressions of joy lead people to ask what is making us lose control and opens us to offer our praises all over again to those who have asked.

This is one way of many to offer God our praise. There are many of us who do not like to draw attention to ourselves at the heights of joy or any other time in our lives. This does not mean that we do not feel the same need to offer God our praise. It is not that one way is right and the other way wrong, it is simply two of the many ways to offer God our praise.

Whether you are one to jump up and down while making a joyful noise or one who stays still and calm on the outside while joy bounces around your insides it is good to offer praises to God who is the source of all things. No matter how we may choose to offer our praises, it is good to praise the Lord.

August 12, 2013

Psalm Meditation 686
Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 11, 2013

Psalm 51
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
19 then you will delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
(NRSV)

There is something wonderful about being clean and then putting on clean clothes or climbing into a bed with clean sheets. It is good to get into a vehicle when it is new or even to get in after it has been cleaned out and swept. Clean things are so excellent, it is amazing that anyone would fight so hard to keep from getting to that place. At some point in our lives most of us have fought someone’s urging that we get clean in some way; either our own bodies or some part of our surroundings.

If it is so wonderful to be clean, how do we let ourselves and our surroundings get in such a state? We convince ourselves that it is easier to let things slide than to clean up little at a time. Eventually, we either get used to things as they are or we step in to do the hard work of cleaning. We may even have to ask for help with the task The psalmist asks God for a thorough cleansing from sin and iniquity. A piece of paper here, a book there, a pile of mail in another corner and suddenly a desk is covered in ‘stuff’ that was important enough to save but not quite important enough to get done immediately. An unkind word here, a judgment there, a pile of looking down our noses at folks without knowing the whole story and suddenly we are covered in sin and iniquity. It all piles up and it becomes important to deal with all of these things before they overpower us.

God is more than willing to help us restore right relationships with God and others (you are on your own to get your desk clean.) The psalmist reminds us that God is not nearly as interested in appearance and rituals, important as they are, as God is interested in our hearts. During a regular cleaning routine, or an I-can’t-take-this-anymore clean, take a moment also to see to identifying and clear out some of the sin and iniquity that is piling up inside. It may make the outside cleaning go a little more smoothly. It will certainly make for a lighter spirit in the presence of God and others.

August 5, 2013

Psalm Meditation 685
Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 4, 2013

Psalm 101
1 I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O LORD, I will sing.
2 I will study the way that is blameless. When shall I attain it? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is base. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
4 Perverseness of heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
5 One who secretly slanders a neighbor I will destroy. A haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not tolerate.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, so that they may live with me; whoever walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit shall remain in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue in my presence.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all evildoers from the city of the LORD.
(NRSV)

In a culture in which everything can be turned into a competition, this psalm begins as the rules of a contest. While it doesn’t say it, I find myself reading in the rest of the sentence, ‘and I will do it better than anyone else.’ Not only will I do all of these things better, I am willing to do them at the expense of everyone else as well. Not only will I destroy those who don’t follow the rules I will destroy those who don’t follow as closely or as well as I do. I will be the last one standing and I will be the favorite of God.

And then the psalmist gets to verse 6. “I will look with favor on the faithful of the land, so that they may live with me;…” I lose the focus on competition and see one who is striving toward a quality of life in which any number of folks may share as they desire. The emphasis continues to be on living a life of quality in the presence of God even as the focus shifts from a solitary pursuit to a striving together toward a goal of community excellence based in a strong relationship with God and with each other.

While it may not take much to get competitive juices flowing, the psalmist reminds us that there is another way. We can work together, encouraging and building each other up so that we grow toward God in a way that flies in the face of the competitive urge within us. Instead of having to be the best we can be our best. As we strive together, learning from and teaching those around us, we will build up a community based on relationships rather than on competition.

July 29, 2013

Psalm Meditation 684
Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 28, 2013

Psalm 50
1 The mighty one, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.
2 Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.
3 Our God comes and does not keep silence, before him is a devouring fire, and a mighty tempest all around him.
4 He calls to the heavens above and to the earth, that he may judge his people:
5 “Gather to me my faithful ones, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice!”
6 The heavens declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge.Selah
7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak, O Israel, I will testify against you. I am God, your God.
8 Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you; your burnt offerings are continually before me.
9 I will not accept a bull from your house, or goats from your folds.
10 For every wild animal of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know all the birds of the air, and all that moves in the field is mine.
12 “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all that is in it is mine.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?
14 Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High.
15 Call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
16 But to the wicked God says: “What right have you to recite my statutes, or take my covenant on your lips?
17 For you hate discipline, and you cast my words behind you.
18 You make friends with a thief when you see one, and you keep company with adulterers.
19 “You give your mouth free rein for evil, and your tongue frames deceit.
20 You sit and speak against your kin; you slander your own mother’s child.
21 These things you have done and I have been silent; you thought that I was one just like yourself.
But now I rebuke you, and lay the charge before you.
22 “Mark this, then, you who forget God, or I will tear you apart, and there will be no one to deliver.
23 Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God.”
(NRSV)

There are times for each of us in which we simply go through the motions of worship or some other act of service. Our hearts are not in it. A part of us wants to join in this act of worship with the whole congregation and another part wants to be doing something else. Even as we resent having to make this particular sacrifice at this particular time, we find ourselves drawn in to be with the people of God. In addition to times of worship we may feel the dual pull to perform an act of ministry, service or mission even as we wonder if we are actually helping this person or group by our activity. This psalm is not about those times.

This psalm is about the people who go through the motions with no intention of being touched or changed by having done these things. It is for show and nothing more. It is going through the motions to give them license to do what they would rather be doing the rest of the week. There probably aren’t as many of this kind of people as we want to believe. Yes, there are those who compartmentalize their lives, who believe that faith and worship are one thing and the rest of life is separate from worship and faith practices. They are sincere in their worship, it simply doesn’t touch the rest of their daily activity.

We are invited to bring thankful hearts into the presence of God. Yes, God is present in all of life, however there are places and times in which we are more attuned to God’s presence. God invites us to bring thankfulness into those times as an acknowledgment of the salvation God offers and gives.

July 22, 2013

Psalm Meditation 683
Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 21, 2013

Psalm 100
1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing.
3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
(NRSV)

There are times in which we feel as if our emotions control us and there is nothing we can do to make ourselves feel any different than we do at a particular moment. This psalm reminds us that we have control over our actions and that our actions can make a difference in our emotions. In the middle of a bad day, we can lift our mood by singing a song, or dancing a dance, letting the outward expression of joy filter into the innermost parts of our being.

The psalmist doesn’t say we have to feel the joy, we are invited and encouraged to go through the motions with a sense of openness to the presence of God in our lives. It is possible that by being available to God we may find ourselves feeling the joy in the noise we are making. As we feel the joy, even a little bit of it, our worship goes from an outward expression to an inner experience. As our worship becomes heartfelt we know that God seeks out a relationship with us and we find ourselves wanting to draw closer to the presence of God.

Willingly going through the motions of worship will not take us from the depths of despair to the heights of joy. Expressions of joyful worship are likely to help us feel a bit of the joy that is available to us in the presence of God. Knowing that God is with us can lift us up a bit so that we can see that we are not alone, that we are in this together with God.

July 15, 2013

Psalm Meditation 682
Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 14, 2013

Psalm 1
1 Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers;
2 but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night.
3 They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
(NRSV)

What is the advice of the wicked? It would be interesting if it changed from time to time and situation to situation, however it is almost always the same, ‘Take the easy way, the thoughtless way, the selfish way; that’s the way for us to go.’ The way that takes no real effort and reaps instant, high rewards is the wicked way. The risks are usually pretty high, and pretty well hidden, at least at the beginning.

Those the psalmist calls ‘the righteous’ make the effort to discover the will of God, give thought to how best to live that out and put in the time and energy to see that through. The rewards come more slowly and are the kinds of rewards that are held in the heart rather than in the hands or the bank. It takes more effort to get started on the way of righteousness, and in some sense in gets easier as time goes by, as lives are touched and hearts are warmed on a regular basis.

The way of the wicked looks attractive at first and gets uglier as time passes. The way of the righteous looks difficult at first and while some parts get easier as time passes, the continuing challenges to become deeper and broader have a way of keeping things interesting.

July 8, 2013

meditation 681 (150)

Psalm Meditation 681
Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 7, 2013

Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)

I sang “Lord of the Dance” at an ecumenical Lenten service many years ago and after the service a member of one of the other congregations told me that the only reason he didn’t walk out of the service as soon as I started singing was out of respect for me. Obviously, he hated the song, especially as it implied that Jesus would do something he thought of as uncomfortable if not downright evil. I started to argue with him that there are several references to dancing in Scripture but he would have none of it. It became easier to thank him for his respect for me than to convince him that while there might be some less than faithful types of dancing, it was not necessary to paint all dancing with the same broad brush.

This final psalm calls us, invites us to use all the resources at our disposal to lift our praises to God. Wind instruments, stringed instruments, percussion instruments as well our bodies can be employed in giving God praise. One of my friends reminds me on a regular basis that each of us does not have the same gifts to be employed in praise. That is, we do not have the freedom to express ourselves in each of these modes of praise. The point of the psalm is to let loose, to the best of our ability, in praising God for all that goes on in and around us because we feel the hand of God upon us. It is also important to recognize the presence of those voices in our heads that keep us from some of these expressions of praise.

The poor guy in the Lenten service had that voice in his head saying that all dance is bad. There are some wonderful expressions of dance as a form of worship, especially in the cultural context of the particular congregation. Whether we are comfortable praising God with dance or not, the psalmist reminds us to give God our praise in the best way we can and to do it with our whole heart, life, being.

July 1, 2013

Psalm Meditation 680
Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 30, 2013

Psalm 120
1 In my distress I cry to the LORD, that he may answer me:
2 “Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.”
3 What shall be given to you? And what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?
4 A warrior’s sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!
5 Woe is me, that I am an alien in Meshech, that I must live among the tents of Kedar.
6 Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.
7 I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
(NRSV)

Many of us have moments in which we feel we do not belong among the people who make up our lives, including our own families. We begin to feel alienated from all we have previously known and held dear. What we want appears to be the opposite of what all the folks around us desire. At the very least, the psalmist lets us know that we are neither the first nor the only to ever feel set apart by conflicting belief systems with those around us.

The psalmist also reminds us that there is a place for us among the people of God. Certainly not that we will always agree with those around us, however we do have an assurance that we are in a place in which honesty is more highly prized than conformity. At the same time, because we are in a relationship with God and the people of God, we do well to prize loving honesty over brutal honesty; to temper our honesty with a concern for the well-being of others.

At times, each of us will feel alone in a particular thought, belief or desired course of action, even among those we love. Some of us will find ourselves in situations in which we are resident aliens, to use the biblical phrase, among people with whom we do not agree on any number of questions. Being in the minority does not make us wrong any more than it makes us right. Know that God is with us and that we are not as alone as it may seem.

June 24, 2013

Psalm Meditation 679
Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 23, 2013

Psalm 90
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning;
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath;  our years come to an end like a sigh.
10 The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong;
even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
13 Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!
(NRSV)

One of the worst parts about knowing that something is going to end is that we spend so much time worrying about when and how that might be that we forget to enjoy it as it happens. Those of us who worry too much about when and how are the ones who read the last couple of pages of a book to see how it is going to end. It lets us decide if we want to keep reading, it opens some of the secrets of the action. In one sense it lets us relax since we know how it is going to end. In another sense it takes some of the wonder and expectation out of it simply because we know too much about where it is going. Knowing that there will be an end also sets us up to be disappointed when we come to the place in which we ask the question, “is that all?”

One of the best parts about knowing that something is going to end is that it becomes very precious to us and we find joy in treasuring each moment. Eating an ice cream cone is a delicate balance between savoring each delicious taste and getting it all eaten before it melts away completely. If we eat too fast we take the risk of ‘brain freeze.’ If we eat too slow we run the risk of having it melt down to nothing without us. Done well, we can continue to savor the tastes and moments of that ice cream and cone even after it is actually finished.

With the psalmist, we have some idea that there is more to the story. We know that life is filled with moments of despair, illness, pain and any number of bad and terrible things. We also know that there are moments of deep and abiding joy, that there are relationships to treasure long after the day to day parts of them are past, that how we look at something can determine whether it is finally good or not. We know that God is the final victor without giving away all the surprises, even as we go through each of the moments that make up our lives.

June 17, 2013

Psalm Meditation 678
Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 16, 2013

Psalm 60
1 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry; now restore us!
2 You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
3 You have made your people suffer hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us reel.
4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you, to rally to it out of bowshot. Selah
5 Give victory with your right hand, and answer us, so that those whom you love may be rescued.
6 God has promised in his sanctuary: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem, and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet; Judah is my scepter.
8 Moab is my washbasin; on Edom I hurl my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
11 O grant us help against the foe, for human help is worthless.
12 With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.
(NRSV)

I have been wondering which is the more accurate description of the sense of abandonment we feel outside the presence of God. Does God actually walk away from us, reject us, as was the thinking of the psalmist and folks of that age, or do we walk away from God and at some point feel the distance between us? The best answer seems to be that it doesn’t matter who walks away, the sense of distance, rejection and abandonment are the same. And even if it is God who walks away, it is due to some infidelity to God on our part.

Whoever it is who walked away, God is more than ready to reconnect in the relationship when we decide it is what we want. Just as God does not force us into the relationship in the first place, God does not force us to return to a relationship when it has been torn open. While the psalmist is concerned over a military conflict, asking God to return to the battle, we are more often concerned with the day to day conflicts between right and wrong.

If only the battles over right and wrong had a clear delineation of which is which. In our daily conflicts there are compelling yet competing priorities on every side. We each believe our own side has the proper priorities and worldview or we would not have chosen that side in the first place. In any case, it is important to align ourselves with the priorities we believe come from God and to have a willingness to change our hearts and minds as we sense that we may have misunderstood what it is that is important to God.

June 10, 2013

Psalm Meditation 677
Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 9, 2013

Psalm 30
1 I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
3 O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O LORD, you had established me as a strong mountain;
you hid your face; I was dismayed.
8 To you, O LORD, I cried, and to the LORD I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! O LORD, be my helper!”
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing;
    you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
(NRSV)

There are life events, good and bad, that define who we are in a lot of ways. According to the psalmist, one of the ways those events define us is through the relationships that see us through those life events. The psalmist discovered that it is not health or prosperity that get us through the day. Health and prosperity come and go without much warning. What gets the psalmist through the trials of life is a relationship with God.

For folks in the psalmist’s day, good things happened because of God’s favor and bad things happened because of God’s anger with them. It is still tempting to allow the passing thought that good things are a reward for faithful action and bad things are punishment for some lapse of faithfulness on our part. I find much more comfort in believing that God is with us in all these events, good and bad. As people of free will we make choices that have consequences. Some of those are good and some are bad; both the choice and consequence. There are times in which we also receive the consequences of the actions of others through no responsibility of our own. One of the best ways to weather the good, bad and in-between of life is through strong relationships.

Even for the psalmist, who believes that God causes good and bad things, a relationship with God is an important part of life. Believing that God is with us through thick and thin, good and bad is important for us as well. We will suffer and celebrate, grieve and rejoice, so a set of strong relationships makes those times more bearable. The psalmist went through adversity, prosperity, loss and illness with an assurance of the presence of God in each one of those times. The psalmist invites us to join in praise and thanks forever.

June 3, 2013

Psalm Meditation 676
Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 2, 2013

Psalm 149
1 Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
2 Let Israel be glad in its Maker; let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
4 For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with victory.
5 Let the faithful exult in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two-edged swords in their hands,
7 to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with fetters and their nobles with chains of iron,
9 to execute on them the judgment decreed. This is glory for all his faithful ones. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)

When I was growing up there was a lot more emphasis on the sovereignty and transcendence of God. We spent a lot more time talking about how distant God is from us and how much God appreciates it when we are well behaved and respectful in the presence of God. I don’t remember when that changed; I know that it did. We went from emphasizing the transcendence to focusing on the immanence, or close presence, of God. This psalm allows an emphasis either way. In several of the verses, God is high above us as a sovereign ruler. In verse 4 God enjoys being around us and celebrates with us rather than sitting back and being entertained by us.

Both are parts of the personality of God and it is a good idea to keep both in mind as we think of God. At any given time we are going to choose the one that fits the time, the place, the event, as well as our own sense of relationship with God. Not surprisingly, different people will make different choices in the same situation. Weekly worship services can give a great deal of comfort if the planners and leaders of the service share our choice on how God is present to us that day. It can be unnerving to the point of distraction if the service is planned with a different emphasis than the one we bring to worship that day.

I imagine that folks around whom we would be uncomfortable, due to their celebrity status in an area we follow, have friends who treat them as they have always treated them. While we go starry-eyed and tongue-tied in their presence, their friends are perfectly comfortable around them. The same is true of God. There are folks who know that God is to be treated with the respect due to one way above our place and station. There are others for whom God is first and foremost a friend and companion despite the differences in power, prestige and influence.

It is not wrong to treat God as an honored guest in our encounters and relationships with God. At the same time, it is not wrong to treat God as a trusted friend and companion in our relationship and encounters. It might do us good from time to time to put a bit more emphasis on the trait that we usually don’t emphasize. By doing so we broaden our concept and experience of the holy and living God who is among us as a friend and companion.

May 28, 2013

Psalm Meditation 675
Trinity Sunday
May 26, 2013

Psalm 119:81-96
81 My soul languishes for your salvation;
    I hope in your word.
82 My eyes fail with watching for your promise;
    I ask, “When will you comfort me?”
83 For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke,
    yet I have not forgotten your statutes.
84 How long must your servant endure?
    When will you judge those who persecute me?
85 The arrogant have dug pitfalls for me;
    they flout your law.
86 All your commandments are enduring;
    I am persecuted without cause; help me!
87 They have almost made an end of me on earth;
    but I have not forsaken your precepts.
88 In your steadfast love spare my life,
    so that I may keep the decrees of your mouth.
89 The LORD exists forever;
    your word is firmly fixed in heaven.
90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
    you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
91 By your appointment they stand today,
    for all things are your servants.
92 If your law had not been my delight,
    I would have perished in my misery.
93 I will never forget your precepts,
    for by them you have given me life.
94 I am yours; save me,
    for I have sought your precepts.
95 The wicked lie in wait to destroy me,
    but I consider your decrees.
96 I have seen a limit to all perfection,
    but your commandment is exceedingly broad.
(NRSV)

This psalm is 176 verses long and is divided into 22 sets of eight verses, a set for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The psalm is a celebration of the laws and precepts of God which are life giving and life saving.

Imagine life with no laws, not simply anarchy but a world in which nothing is dependable; no cause and effect, no sense of order and no assurance that what happens in one instance will happen in a similar instance. It would be beyond chaos and randomness. It is possible that this is the void into which God spoke the first word of creation. By speaking that first word, ‘let there be light,’ an order was given to what became the universe. With each successive word of creation more order and definition was given to the void. And while we are guilty of over-ordering our sphere of influence with rules that benefit the rule makers, it is beyond our ability to imagine a place in which no rules of any kind would apply.

The psalmist celebrates that even when the rules have been broken and no longer seem to apply to some people, the laws and precepts of God stand. In the midst of chaos and randomness it is good to know that there is something dependable within our grasp. For the psalmist it is the laws and precepts of God which are kept in heaven where folks who break and bend laws cannot touch them. Those who relish the presence of God can use God’s laws as a touchstone, a place of safety and comfort.

The psalmist reminds us that the presence of God offers us a point of dependability in the midst of any uncertainty. The laws and precepts of God give us hope in the face of all that comes our way.

May 20, 2013
LCM

Psalm Meditation 674
Day of Pentecost
May 19, 2013

Psalm 89 (selected verses)
1 I will sing of your steadfast love, O LORD, forever; with my mouth I will proclaim your faithfulness to all generations.
2 I declare that your steadfast love is established forever; your faithfulness is as firm as the heavens.
3 You said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to my servant David:
4 ‘I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations.’” Selah
5 Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones.
6 For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD,
7 a God feared in the council of the holy ones, great and awesome above all that are around him?
8 O LORD God of hosts, who is as mighty as you, O LORD? Your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.
13 You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O LORD, in the light of your countenance;
19 Then you spoke in a vision to your faithful one, and said: I have set the crown on one who is mighty, I have exalted one chosen from the people.
20 I have found my servant David; with my holy oil I have anointed him;
21 my hand shall always remain with him; my arm also shall strengthen him.
22 The enemy shall not outwit him, the wicked shall not humble him.
23 I will crush his foes before him and strike down those who hate him.
24 My faithfulness and steadfast love shall be with him; and in my name his horn shall be exalted.
30 If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my ordinances,
31 if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments,
32 then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with scourges;
33 but I will not remove from him my steadfast love, or be false to my faithfulness.
35 Once and for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David.
49 Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
50 Remember, O Lord, how your servant is taunted; how I bear in my bosom the insults of the peoples,
51 with which your enemies taunt, O LORD, with which they taunted the footsteps of your anointed.
52 Blessed be the LORD forever. Amen and Amen.
(NRSV)

The history of the kings of the Davidic dynasty is spotty at best. One of the difficulties with them is their willingness to accept the steadfast love of God without also accepting the responsibility to live as if the presence of God mattered in their lives. My guess is that these were not conscious choices so much as assumptions on the part of the kings. They assumed that things would go along as they had always gone without a lot of change one way or the other. If they thought of God at all, it was as one more being standing ready to do whatever was asked or demanded of them.

While we don’t have the power of a king, there are times in which we believe that God stands ready to do for us whatever it is we ask, because we are simply that important to God. Folks ask for things so that God won’t be embarrassed to be seen with them, folks ask for the weather to clear so that they can be about the business of God without delay or interruption, just to name two. God does answer these prayers in some form. In some cases the weather clears or we receive the items for which we have asked and we know that we are so precious or important in the sight of God that God will do whatever we ask. In most cases we receive the assurance from God that God loves us and is more impressed by faithfulness than the stuff with which we surround ourselves. Or, God reminds us that our schedules can be adjusted and that safety is more important than prompt arrivals.

When we begin to feel a sense of entitlement with God, we may still receive all for which we ask. It will not be because we have actually earned it as much as it will be because God loves us. Most of the time, our prayers serve to remind us that it is we who are to live in the presence of God, which may mean adjusting our wants and needs to line up with God. And when things don’t go as either God or we would like, our prayers remind us that the steadfast love of God is with us in all of the events of life.

May 13, 2013