Psalm Meditation 748
Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 19, 2014

Psalm 12
1 Help, O LORD, for there is no longer anyone who is godly; the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
2 They utter lies to each other; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongues we will prevail; our lips are our own—who is our master?”
5 “Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will now rise up,” says the LORD; “I will place them in the safety for which they long.”
6 The promises of the LORD are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.
7 You, O LORD, will protect us; you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among humankind.
(NRSV)

I take some comfort in knowing that folks have been voicing these complaints for generations. We bemoan the loss of faith, the loss of godliness, the loss of humility and the ignoring of the poor by those who have the power to do something to change these issues. It serves as a reminder that while God loves those with money, power and influence, the primary sphere of concern is among those who are left out of the upper echelons of society. Those who have money, power and influence have no need of an advocate; they are able to care for themselves and meet their own needs. It is those who are left out, pushed out and marginalized who need God.

God does work among the rich and powerful. God works by reminding each of us that just because we can take advantage of another doesn’t mean it is a good idea to do it. God pokes and prods us to look at life from the vantage point of the one we would otherwise dismiss as unworthy of our care and attention. We don’t always get it right as we look to the needs of others, however it is good to consider the other so that one day we think to meet one of ‘those’ people, build a relationship with them and ask how we might better meet each other’s needs.

God continues to work among us, even when we are tempted to use any power and influence we may have to our own advantage over those who have less. God continues to give hope and help and worth to those who would not otherwise have any and works among the powerful as a reminder to care for those in need despite the temptation to leave them behind as unnecessary and burdensome. The presence of God among serves to protect us from the vileness that tempts us on every side.

October 13, 2014
LCM