Psalm Meditation 724
Third Sunday of Easter
May 4, 2014
Psalm 8
1 O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established;
4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.
6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet,
7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
(NRSV)
There are those who believe that since God has given us dominion over the earth and all its inhabitants, we are free to have our way with the earth in any way we choose. Imagine how long any sovereign would last ruling with that attitude about the people of the realm. Folks would rise up in rebellion, find a way to escape from the clutches of this despot or be killed off in short order. In some cultures which have rulers for life, the understanding is that the ruler has complete control of all the assets of the group and that the needs of the group are to be met out of those resources. The problems arise when the ruler believes the first part and forgets the second.
God has given us dominion over the earth. The question is, what kind of dominion are we to exercise? Are we to be rapacious despots who take what we want out of a misguided sense of privilege or are we to see ourselves as called to serve the greater good of meeting the needs of all those under our care? The example we have from God is one who serves to meet the needs of those of us under the divine banner.
There are folks who believe we have dominion over the earth and we have the right to take all that it offers with no thought of consequences. They think it is likely that the earth will end before we ever need to pay the price for our actions. There are other folks who believe we have no real rights on the earth and we do well to be as invisible as possible. Do not eat or drink or use any resource beyond the barest of minimums. A middle way is probably the way God calls us to follow. Take what we need, without being selfish, put back what we can without depriving ourselves. See ourselves as living with the earth and all its inhabitants and resources so that we can live long in the land that God has given to us.
April 28, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
Monday, April 21, 2014
Psalm Meditation 723
Second Sunday of Easter
April 27, 2014
Psalm 144
1 Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;
2 my rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues the peoples under me.
3 O LORD, what are human beings that you regard them, or mortals that you think of them?
4 They are like a breath; their days are like a passing shadow.
5 Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains so that they smoke.
6 Make the lightning flash and scatter them; send out your arrows and rout them.
7 Stretch out your hand from on high; set me free and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hand of aliens,
8 whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hands are false.
9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 the one who gives victory to kings, who rescues his servant David.
11 Rescue me from the cruel sword, and deliver me from the hand of aliens,
whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hands are false.
12 May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars, cut for the building of a palace.
13 May our barns be filled, with produce of every kind; may our sheep increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields,
14 and may our cattle be heavy with young. May there be no breach in the walls, no exile, and no cry of distress in our streets.
15 Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall; happy are the people whose God is the LORD.
(NRSV)
While our list of good things provided by God is a bit different from that of the psalmist we can still celebrate the overwhelming providence of God in our lives. Our battle skills are framed in terms of job performance and market share rather than swords and armies. Our children are still way above average in every category of comparison. Crops and livestock have been exchanged for other types of quantifiable possessions of excellent quality. Safety and security continue to be concerns we place in the hands of God.
The change in emphasis does not change our dependence on the providence of God. While not everyone looks to God as the source of all that is, those of us who do are willing to see the hand of God at work in every aspect of our lives. Some folks see God as the cause of all that happens, both good and bad, while others see God as present in all that happens. Either way, God provides us reasons for celebration, concern and comfort. God provides out of a rich store of blessings.
There are those for whom the current inventory of wealth and possessions is inadequate; there is a constant desire for more of something or everything. These folks will live in a state of continual disappointment. There will never be enough of anything. More ’stuff’ will increase the sense of emptiness since it will continue to be unsatisfying. Those who live in gratitude for what God provides will temper striving for more or better with a celebration and contentment of what is. The presence and providence of God is a great blessing than all of ‘stuff’ the world has to offer.
April 21, 2014
Second Sunday of Easter
April 27, 2014
Psalm 144
1 Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;
2 my rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues the peoples under me.
3 O LORD, what are human beings that you regard them, or mortals that you think of them?
4 They are like a breath; their days are like a passing shadow.
5 Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains so that they smoke.
6 Make the lightning flash and scatter them; send out your arrows and rout them.
7 Stretch out your hand from on high; set me free and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hand of aliens,
8 whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hands are false.
9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 the one who gives victory to kings, who rescues his servant David.
11 Rescue me from the cruel sword, and deliver me from the hand of aliens,
whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hands are false.
12 May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars, cut for the building of a palace.
13 May our barns be filled, with produce of every kind; may our sheep increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields,
14 and may our cattle be heavy with young. May there be no breach in the walls, no exile, and no cry of distress in our streets.
15 Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall; happy are the people whose God is the LORD.
(NRSV)
While our list of good things provided by God is a bit different from that of the psalmist we can still celebrate the overwhelming providence of God in our lives. Our battle skills are framed in terms of job performance and market share rather than swords and armies. Our children are still way above average in every category of comparison. Crops and livestock have been exchanged for other types of quantifiable possessions of excellent quality. Safety and security continue to be concerns we place in the hands of God.
The change in emphasis does not change our dependence on the providence of God. While not everyone looks to God as the source of all that is, those of us who do are willing to see the hand of God at work in every aspect of our lives. Some folks see God as the cause of all that happens, both good and bad, while others see God as present in all that happens. Either way, God provides us reasons for celebration, concern and comfort. God provides out of a rich store of blessings.
There are those for whom the current inventory of wealth and possessions is inadequate; there is a constant desire for more of something or everything. These folks will live in a state of continual disappointment. There will never be enough of anything. More ’stuff’ will increase the sense of emptiness since it will continue to be unsatisfying. Those who live in gratitude for what God provides will temper striving for more or better with a celebration and contentment of what is. The presence and providence of God is a great blessing than all of ‘stuff’ the world has to offer.
April 21, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
Psalm Meditation 722
Easter
April 20, 2014
Psalm 57
1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
(NRSV)
Every now and then things go from bad to wonderful. Sometimes that change is sudden and one is excited to be the first one up on a given morning and to greet the day with the loudest music one is able to produce. For some of us that is music of our own making, with instruments and voices, for others it involves cranking recorded music as high as possible. In some cases we can actually have the volume as loud as available, in other cases, only as loud as feasible without waking folks who are suddenly not as excited to be awake and celebrating as we ourselves are.
In these cases it may be a turn of events, something has happened in our external circumstances that changes our lives for the better. Something that has troubled us suddenly ends and leaves us with a feeling, not just of relief, a feeling of release. A weight lifts from our shoulders and is gone. It may be a sudden change of heart. A burden weighing on heart or soul disappears and our hearts beat freely, our souls once again take flight. Either way, we are able to join the psalmist in recognizing the hand of God at work in our lives in some way.
Whether God reaches in and stirs the pot of our lives, changing the way things are, or we become aware of God’s presence in our lives, giving us a new perspective, we know that God is with us. In a musical setting of the psalm’s refrain, verses 5 and 11, the verse is rendered, ‘Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory over all the earth be found.’ It is an appropriate phrasing of the last sentence. The glory of God is over all the earth, all the time. It is in our moments of heightened awareness due to joy that we are able to find the glory of the God in all the earth.
April 14, 2014
LCM
Easter
April 20, 2014
Psalm 57
1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
(NRSV)
Every now and then things go from bad to wonderful. Sometimes that change is sudden and one is excited to be the first one up on a given morning and to greet the day with the loudest music one is able to produce. For some of us that is music of our own making, with instruments and voices, for others it involves cranking recorded music as high as possible. In some cases we can actually have the volume as loud as available, in other cases, only as loud as feasible without waking folks who are suddenly not as excited to be awake and celebrating as we ourselves are.
In these cases it may be a turn of events, something has happened in our external circumstances that changes our lives for the better. Something that has troubled us suddenly ends and leaves us with a feeling, not just of relief, a feeling of release. A weight lifts from our shoulders and is gone. It may be a sudden change of heart. A burden weighing on heart or soul disappears and our hearts beat freely, our souls once again take flight. Either way, we are able to join the psalmist in recognizing the hand of God at work in our lives in some way.
Whether God reaches in and stirs the pot of our lives, changing the way things are, or we become aware of God’s presence in our lives, giving us a new perspective, we know that God is with us. In a musical setting of the psalm’s refrain, verses 5 and 11, the verse is rendered, ‘Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory over all the earth be found.’ It is an appropriate phrasing of the last sentence. The glory of God is over all the earth, all the time. It is in our moments of heightened awareness due to joy that we are able to find the glory of the God in all the earth.
April 14, 2014
LCM
Monday, April 7, 2014
Psalm Meditation 721
Palm Sunday
April 13, 2014
Psalm 107
1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town.
8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in misery and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they fell down, with no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;
14 he brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder.
15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;
20 he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction.
21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the mighty waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their calamity;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunkards, and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out from their distress;
29 he made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry live, and they establish a town to live in;
37 they sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle decrease.
39 When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of distress, and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad; and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43 Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
(NRSV)
No matter your distress or calamity, God is present in it offering presence, comfort, peace and an end to the difficulty. If only because God brings our problems to an end, we have reason to give thanks. When we are lost, in body, mind or spirit, God sets us on a path that leads us where we need to be. When we find ourselves imprisoned, in a prison of our own making or by the force of others, God brings light to the darkness and sets us free. When we are sick, God brings us healing and relief. When we are tempest-tossed, God is the one who calms the storms within and without. God is also the one who turns the good things of the wicked into bad things for them. According to the psalmist, God is the one who brings good things to good people and is the cause of suffering for evil people.
The works of God are a wonder worthy of our thanks. The first and foremost reason for giving God thanks is the steadfast love God has for us. God loves us no matter what. Whether we are good and righteous, or wicked and evil, the love of God is poured out on us. The folks who strive to live the way God calls us are the ones who will feel the love of God as a blessing and a reason for thanksgiving. The wicked and evil will feel the love of God as a thorn of judgment, if they feel God’s presence at all. Whether we know it or not, feel and experience it or not, the steadfast love of God is a gift available to each one of us.
The refrain of the psalm is a good refrain for us as well, “Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.” A couple of tweaks and changes, including changing ‘them’ to ‘us’ or ‘me,’ and this is an excellent reminder that God is with us. Sometimes the works of God include deliverance from our difficulties in the way we would like to have that happen. Other times the works of God include being present with us as we figure and find out what deliverance means in this particular situation. In every time the steadfast love of God is with us no matter what, and that is something for which we can be deeply thankful.
April 7, 2014
Palm Sunday
April 13, 2014
Psalm 107
1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town.
8 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in misery and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they fell down, with no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;
14 he brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder.
15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;
20 he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction.
21 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the mighty waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their calamity;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunkards, and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out from their distress;
29 he made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry live, and they establish a town to live in;
37 they sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle decrease.
39 When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of distress, and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad; and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43 Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
(NRSV)
No matter your distress or calamity, God is present in it offering presence, comfort, peace and an end to the difficulty. If only because God brings our problems to an end, we have reason to give thanks. When we are lost, in body, mind or spirit, God sets us on a path that leads us where we need to be. When we find ourselves imprisoned, in a prison of our own making or by the force of others, God brings light to the darkness and sets us free. When we are sick, God brings us healing and relief. When we are tempest-tossed, God is the one who calms the storms within and without. God is also the one who turns the good things of the wicked into bad things for them. According to the psalmist, God is the one who brings good things to good people and is the cause of suffering for evil people.
The works of God are a wonder worthy of our thanks. The first and foremost reason for giving God thanks is the steadfast love God has for us. God loves us no matter what. Whether we are good and righteous, or wicked and evil, the love of God is poured out on us. The folks who strive to live the way God calls us are the ones who will feel the love of God as a blessing and a reason for thanksgiving. The wicked and evil will feel the love of God as a thorn of judgment, if they feel God’s presence at all. Whether we know it or not, feel and experience it or not, the steadfast love of God is a gift available to each one of us.
The refrain of the psalm is a good refrain for us as well, “Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.” A couple of tweaks and changes, including changing ‘them’ to ‘us’ or ‘me,’ and this is an excellent reminder that God is with us. Sometimes the works of God include deliverance from our difficulties in the way we would like to have that happen. Other times the works of God include being present with us as we figure and find out what deliverance means in this particular situation. In every time the steadfast love of God is with us no matter what, and that is something for which we can be deeply thankful.
April 7, 2014
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