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
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Monday, May 20, 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
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
Monday, May 13, 2013
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
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
Monday, May 6, 2013
Psalm Meditation 673
Seventh Sunday of Easter
May 12, 2013
Psalm 59
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work evil; from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.Selah
6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths, with sharp words on their lips—for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
8 But you laugh at them, O LORD; you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget; make them totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath; consume them until they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob.Selah
14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for food, and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
(NRSV)
We may not have experience of living in a city occupied by an enemy army, however most of us have had experience with being bullied to some degree or another. An older sibling, an older, bigger kid in the neighborhood or at school, a co-worker, a spouse, any number of folks who think it is a show of power and authority to have others cower in fear around them. In most cases, those bullies have been bullied themselves, so they know how it feels to be bullied. Of the two feelings, they prefer the power of being the bully. The psalmist cries out to God for protection from a whole gang of bullies.
The cry to God rises out of the sense of powerlessness in the face of bullies. When a deliverer finally rises for us we get caught in a whirlwind of conflicting feelings. We want the bullies to leave us alone. The psalmist first asks God to make these oppressors suffer in such a way that folks will remember what a power they were, even as they see that they have been robbed of that power. In the same breath the psalmist calls for the complete destruction of these folks. In the presence of the deliverance of God we are able to express all the wild fantasies of our downtrodden hearts.
Once we know that we are safe in the arms of God we are able to calm down and leave the resolution of this issue to God. After letting God hear all the ways we would like to see this situation resolved to our satisfaction we turn it over to the steadfast love of God. This is the same love that has given us the freedom to vent our fear and anger in comforting safety. Will God exact the revenge for which we call, or will God find another way to show us the breadth and depth and width of the love we now experience?
May 6, 2013
Seventh Sunday of Easter
May 12, 2013
Psalm 59
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work evil; from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.Selah
6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths, with sharp words on their lips—for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
8 But you laugh at them, O LORD; you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget; make them totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath; consume them until they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob.Selah
14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for food, and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
(NRSV)
We may not have experience of living in a city occupied by an enemy army, however most of us have had experience with being bullied to some degree or another. An older sibling, an older, bigger kid in the neighborhood or at school, a co-worker, a spouse, any number of folks who think it is a show of power and authority to have others cower in fear around them. In most cases, those bullies have been bullied themselves, so they know how it feels to be bullied. Of the two feelings, they prefer the power of being the bully. The psalmist cries out to God for protection from a whole gang of bullies.
The cry to God rises out of the sense of powerlessness in the face of bullies. When a deliverer finally rises for us we get caught in a whirlwind of conflicting feelings. We want the bullies to leave us alone. The psalmist first asks God to make these oppressors suffer in such a way that folks will remember what a power they were, even as they see that they have been robbed of that power. In the same breath the psalmist calls for the complete destruction of these folks. In the presence of the deliverance of God we are able to express all the wild fantasies of our downtrodden hearts.
Once we know that we are safe in the arms of God we are able to calm down and leave the resolution of this issue to God. After letting God hear all the ways we would like to see this situation resolved to our satisfaction we turn it over to the steadfast love of God. This is the same love that has given us the freedom to vent our fear and anger in comforting safety. Will God exact the revenge for which we call, or will God find another way to show us the breadth and depth and width of the love we now experience?
May 6, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)