Psalm Meditation 776
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 3, 2015
Psalm 66
1 Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth;
2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise.
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you.
4 All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Selah
5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot.
There we rejoiced in him,
7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations—let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Selah
8 Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard,
9 who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip.
10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the net; you laid burdens on our backs;
12 you let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a spacious place.
13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will pay you my vows,
14 those that my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fatlings, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.
17 I cried aloud to him, and he was extolled with my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened; he has given heed to the words of my prayer.
20 Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.
(NRSV)
There was a time in each of our lives that the only way we could make ourselves heard was through our voices. We cooed and cried and laughed and screamed to communicate our wants and needs to those around us. As our bodies developed we found new ways of communicating with those around us. We could smile and frown, walk and run, punch and pat to let folks know our needs and wants. At some point we learn to push the buttons of a keypad and we learn to write. At that point we have the ability to reach beyond the sound of our voice to touch folks in a variety of ways.
The psalmist uses the written word to reach through generations to touch us with this word of praise. All these years later we are invited to participate in the joy of being in the presence of God. Was this psalmist a person who could not express joy through singing and dancing or one who was skilled in a variety of means of communication? We will not know that any time soon. We know that this person was a psalmist who wanted to share the excitement and enthusiasm of having been blessed in a variety of ways by the ever present God.
Whether our words, actions and images go viral and spread across the world or are only heard and seen by the folks to whom we address them God hears and sees. Whether our words, actions and images are passed on through generations or are deleted, discarded and destroyed soon after they leave our presence God knows what we have done and said. God knows us and loves us no matter what. While the psalmist may have known that the steadfast love of God could be removed from us for some reason, I am convinced that the steadfast love of God is steadfast and lasts through all generations because it is the nature of God to love steadfastly. Praise God.
April 27, 2015
LCM
Monday, April 27, 2015
Monday, April 20, 2015
Psalm Meditation 775
Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2015
Psalm 116
1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I pray, save my life!”
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
6 The LORD protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
9 I walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10 I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
11 I said in my consternation, “Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
There are folks for whom faith is a quid pro quo (this for that) relationship with God. “As long as God gives me all that I need, want and ask for I will be faithful in return. I can even put up with an occasional miss on my wants but it can’t be a big one or I am out” These folks say and do all the right things to let us know that they are people of deep and abiding faith until something happens that is beyond their limit of acceptability. Once God has failed them in a big enough way they give no indication of ever having had any faith at all.
The psalmist, and countless others through the years, has been afflicted in a way that would make a person of quid pro quo faith dessert God. Folks like the psalmist remain faithful no matter what. They sense the abiding presence of God in the highest high and the lowest low of life and faith. Even when all is not well God is with us as a loving presence. Knowing that we are not alone in the best and worst of times makes things bearable. Knowing that God is with us in all times and places adds yet another dimension to our life in faith.
Those who look to God as a magical vending machine whose desire is to grant our every wish will soon find themselves disappointed by the activity of God in their lives. Those who see God as the one who loves us beyond measure and without condition will be in an ever deepening relationship with God. Along with the relationship with God, folks will find themselves in ever deepening relationships with folks who also look to God in love and awe. Those who see God as a source of loving presence will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.
April 20, 2015
LCM
Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2015
Psalm 116
1 I love the LORD, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: “O LORD, I pray, save my life!”
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful.
6 The LORD protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me.
7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
9 I walk before the LORD in the land of the living.
10 I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
11 I said in my consternation, “Everyone is a liar.”
12 What shall I return to the LORD for all his bounty to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD,
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
16 O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the LORD.
18 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
There are folks for whom faith is a quid pro quo (this for that) relationship with God. “As long as God gives me all that I need, want and ask for I will be faithful in return. I can even put up with an occasional miss on my wants but it can’t be a big one or I am out” These folks say and do all the right things to let us know that they are people of deep and abiding faith until something happens that is beyond their limit of acceptability. Once God has failed them in a big enough way they give no indication of ever having had any faith at all.
The psalmist, and countless others through the years, has been afflicted in a way that would make a person of quid pro quo faith dessert God. Folks like the psalmist remain faithful no matter what. They sense the abiding presence of God in the highest high and the lowest low of life and faith. Even when all is not well God is with us as a loving presence. Knowing that we are not alone in the best and worst of times makes things bearable. Knowing that God is with us in all times and places adds yet another dimension to our life in faith.
Those who look to God as a magical vending machine whose desire is to grant our every wish will soon find themselves disappointed by the activity of God in their lives. Those who see God as the one who loves us beyond measure and without condition will be in an ever deepening relationship with God. Along with the relationship with God, folks will find themselves in ever deepening relationships with folks who also look to God in love and awe. Those who see God as a source of loving presence will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.
April 20, 2015
LCM
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Psalm Meditation 774
Third Sunday of Easter
April 19, 2015
Psalm 35
1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me!
3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life. Let them be turned back and confounded who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.
8 Let ruin come on them unawares. And let the net that they hid ensnare them; let them fall in it—to their ruin.
9 Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his deliverance.
10 All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you? You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the weak and needy from those who despoil them.”
11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me about things I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother; I went about as one who laments for a mother, bowed down and in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they gathered together against me; ruffians whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;
16 they impiously mocked more and more, gnashing at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O LORD, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my life from the lions!
18 Then I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me, or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
20 For they do not speak peace, but they conceive deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it.”
22 You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me!
23 Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them say to themselves, “Aha, we have our heart’s desire.” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you up.”
26 Let all those who rejoice at my calamity be put to shame and confusion;
let those who exalt themselves against me be clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy and be glad, and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant.”
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.
(NRSV)
There comes a time that we are so weary of doing battle against those who rise against us that we must turn to God to carry on the fight for us. We may face human adversaries who have reason to contend with us. Their reasons may not make any sense to us, which seems to be the case for the psalmist. The lack of understanding between us and them is often a key ingredient in a battle. We join a battle when we believe that our side is worth defending. We turn to God when we know that we need help from one who is mightier and has more stamina than we have left for the fight. We know that God will stand with us in steadfast love.
Besides the external battles we may face internal struggles. There are battles within as we face physical, psychological or spiritual adversities. We know what we want for ourselves even as we feel the tremendous pressure on body, mind and spirit to go the easy route. We find ourselves tempted to give in or give up in the face of any and all of the forces that pull us away from what we know is the right path. We turn to God for help and comfort in the battle for our lives against a variety of forces.
While God may rise up against our enemies from within or without, what we can count on is that God will be with us in every situation. To experience the presence of God renews our energy, reshapes our perspective and gives a peace we cannot get anywhere else. In God we find rest. The battles continue to rage around us and within us, somehow it seems a little less daunting, a little more hopeful when we are in the presence of God.
April 14, 2015
LCM
Third Sunday of Easter
April 19, 2015
Psalm 35
1 Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!
2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and rise up to help me!
3 Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers; say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”
4 Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek after my life. Let them be turned back and confounded who devise evil against me.
5 Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
7 For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.
8 Let ruin come on them unawares. And let the net that they hid ensnare them; let them fall in it—to their ruin.
9 Then my soul shall rejoice in the LORD, exulting in his deliverance.
10 All my bones shall say, “O LORD, who is like you? You deliver the weak from those too strong for them, the weak and needy from those who despoil them.”
11 Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me about things I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good; my soul is forlorn.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting. I prayed with head bowed on my bosom,
14 as though I grieved for a friend or a brother; I went about as one who laments for a mother, bowed down and in mourning.
15 But at my stumbling they gathered in glee, they gathered together against me; ruffians whom I did not know tore at me without ceasing;
16 they impiously mocked more and more, gnashing at me with their teeth.
17 How long, O LORD, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my life from the lions!
18 Then I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you.
19 Do not let my treacherous enemies rejoice over me, or those who hate me without cause wink the eye.
20 For they do not speak peace, but they conceive deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land.
21 They open wide their mouths against me; they say, “Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it.”
22 You have seen, O LORD; do not be silent! O Lord, do not be far from me!
23 Wake up! Bestir yourself for my defense, for my cause, my God and my Lord!
24 Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.
25 Do not let them say to themselves, “Aha, we have our heart’s desire.” Do not let them say, “We have swallowed you up.”
26 Let all those who rejoice at my calamity be put to shame and confusion;
let those who exalt themselves against me be clothed with shame and dishonor.
27 Let those who desire my vindication shout for joy and be glad, and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant.”
28 Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all day long.
(NRSV)
There comes a time that we are so weary of doing battle against those who rise against us that we must turn to God to carry on the fight for us. We may face human adversaries who have reason to contend with us. Their reasons may not make any sense to us, which seems to be the case for the psalmist. The lack of understanding between us and them is often a key ingredient in a battle. We join a battle when we believe that our side is worth defending. We turn to God when we know that we need help from one who is mightier and has more stamina than we have left for the fight. We know that God will stand with us in steadfast love.
Besides the external battles we may face internal struggles. There are battles within as we face physical, psychological or spiritual adversities. We know what we want for ourselves even as we feel the tremendous pressure on body, mind and spirit to go the easy route. We find ourselves tempted to give in or give up in the face of any and all of the forces that pull us away from what we know is the right path. We turn to God for help and comfort in the battle for our lives against a variety of forces.
While God may rise up against our enemies from within or without, what we can count on is that God will be with us in every situation. To experience the presence of God renews our energy, reshapes our perspective and gives a peace we cannot get anywhere else. In God we find rest. The battles continue to rage around us and within us, somehow it seems a little less daunting, a little more hopeful when we are in the presence of God.
April 14, 2015
LCM
Monday, April 6, 2015
Psalm Meditation 773
Second Sunday of Easter
April 12, 2015
Psalm 85
1 LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 The LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
(NRSV)
We want to know that God is in charge in such a way that both good things and bad things are in the hands of God. At the same time we want to know that our behavior influences how God acts toward us. If we are good we get good things from God, if we are bad God turns from us and either leaves us unprotected or sends punishment our way. We want to know that God behaves by the same rules that we follow. We want to know that a set of actions leads to the same reaction in every case. If things are going well God is with us and if things are going poorly God is angry with us.
The psalmist follows this thought process. Things used to go well for us so God must have been with us in a good way. Now that we are going through a rough patch we must have done something to anger God. If we promise to be good then God will be good to us again and all will be well between us. Things will be going so well that we will notice the change immediately.
What if God loves us no matter what? When good things are happening God loves us beyond measure and stands with us in these good times. When bad things are happening God loves us beyond measure and stands with us in these bad times. No matter what God loves us. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more and nothing will make God loves us less. We can change the distance between us in our relationship with God, however we cannot change the love God has for us.
April 6, 2015
LCM
Second Sunday of Easter
April 12, 2015
Psalm 85
1 LORD, you were favorable to your land; you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
2 You forgave the iniquity of your people; you pardoned all their sin. Selah
3 You withdrew all your wrath; you turned from your hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us.
5 Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
6 Will you not revive us again, so that your people may rejoice in you?
7 Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that his glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 The LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him, and will make a path for his steps.
(NRSV)
We want to know that God is in charge in such a way that both good things and bad things are in the hands of God. At the same time we want to know that our behavior influences how God acts toward us. If we are good we get good things from God, if we are bad God turns from us and either leaves us unprotected or sends punishment our way. We want to know that God behaves by the same rules that we follow. We want to know that a set of actions leads to the same reaction in every case. If things are going well God is with us and if things are going poorly God is angry with us.
The psalmist follows this thought process. Things used to go well for us so God must have been with us in a good way. Now that we are going through a rough patch we must have done something to anger God. If we promise to be good then God will be good to us again and all will be well between us. Things will be going so well that we will notice the change immediately.
What if God loves us no matter what? When good things are happening God loves us beyond measure and stands with us in these good times. When bad things are happening God loves us beyond measure and stands with us in these bad times. No matter what God loves us. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more and nothing will make God loves us less. We can change the distance between us in our relationship with God, however we cannot change the love God has for us.
April 6, 2015
LCM
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