Psalm Meditation 785
Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 5, 2015
Psalm 83
1 O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
2 Even now your enemies are in tumult; those who hate you have raised their heads.
3 They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against those you protect.
4 They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more.”
5 They conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant—
6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, Moab and the Hagrites,
7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre;
8 Assyria also has joined them; they are the strong arm of the children of Lot. Selah
9 Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera and Jabin at the Wadi Kishon,
10 who were destroyed at En-dor, who became dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 who said, “Let us take the pastures of God for our own possession.”
13 O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.
14 As fire consumes the forest, as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,
15 so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane.
16 Fill their faces with shame, so that they may seek your name, O LORD.
17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever; let them perish in disgrace.
18 Let them know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.
(NRSV)
When YHWH was seen as a tribal deity, watching over one group of people, it was easier to know what the will of God was and who the enemies of God were. At that time YHWH wanted justice and righteousness for this one group of people and anyone who challenged the sovereignty of Israel was an enemy of both God and the people. Even then, the concept of justice and righteousness was hard to agree upon. At least the outside enemies were easy to identify; they were the folks who wanted to take the land and destroy the people who lived on the land given by YHWH.
As our concept of God broadened it became more and more difficult to see who the enemies of God were. In land wars there were people on both sides who claimed to follow the same God. We were still quick to proclaim that God was on our side even as those we fought against made the same claim. It is probably closer to the truth to say that God was with the people on both sides of the fight and was saddened that we chose such an evil way of settling our differences. There were truth and lies on both sides, as has often been the case.
While there are still the life and death battles of guns and bombs over resources, we also have battles of ideas as to what constitutes justice and righteousness. It is quite likely that there is sincerity on every side as we declare that we have the complete word of God in this matter. Here is where the difficulty arises. If one person or group can plumb the depths of the mind of God on any question we have a god that is too small to meet all the complexities of life as it has always been. The task we have before us is to refuse to draw hard lines about God’s truth in our discussions and disagreements. There is a kernel of truth, a word of justice and righteousness in each argument and idea. It is a process of listening to each other, a refusal to pick sides, all while keeping our hearts tuned to God.
June 29, 2015
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, June 29, 2015
Monday, June 22, 2015
Psalm Meditation 784
Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 28, 2015
Psalm 18:1-7,40-50
1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of perdition assailed me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine, like dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
43 You delivered me from strife with the peoples; you made me head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart, and came trembling out of their strongholds.
46 The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me;
48 who delivered me from my enemies; indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries; you delivered me from the violent.
49 For this I will extol you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.
50 Great triumphs he gives to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
(NRSV)
Most of us do not lead nations and armies so this psalm can appear to have no meaning for us as this king confronts enemies in the presence of God. While we do not have experience leading nations and unknown peoples we do have the experience of knowing that God is with us as we face enemies, adversaries and struggles in our lives. We may even know the satisfaction of having defeated one of those opponents in such a way that we will not have to fight that battle again. The presence of God makes a difference for us.
We revel in the knowledge that this particular enemy is so soundly defeated that there is nothing left but dust. It is an exhilarating feeling to know that this battle is over and this enemy will not rise again. There is a sense of relief and freedom that fills us as we realize that this is something with which we will never have to deal again. These battles are internal battles for many of us as we face our fears and unexamined decisions of years before. The important part is not the battleground so much as it is the recognition that we could not have won this victory without the presence of God.
Even in cases in which the battle is not finally and definitively won or lost we can find strength in the presence of God. As we win, this time, we are aware that the presence of God made this partial victory possible. As each successive battle becomes easier we are aware that it is in part due to the presence of God in our lives. Win or lose, the presence of God offers us the assurance that we are not alone. God and the people of God stand with us.
June 22, 2015
LCM
Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 28, 2015
Psalm 18:1-7,40-50
1 I love you, O LORD, my strength.
2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of perdition assailed me;
5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called upon the LORD; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears.
7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
40 You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.
41 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them; they cried to the LORD, but he did not answer them.
42 I beat them fine, like dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
43 You delivered me from strife with the peoples; you made me head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart, and came trembling out of their strongholds.
46 The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me;
48 who delivered me from my enemies; indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries; you delivered me from the violent.
49 For this I will extol you, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.
50 Great triumphs he gives to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever.
(NRSV)
Most of us do not lead nations and armies so this psalm can appear to have no meaning for us as this king confronts enemies in the presence of God. While we do not have experience leading nations and unknown peoples we do have the experience of knowing that God is with us as we face enemies, adversaries and struggles in our lives. We may even know the satisfaction of having defeated one of those opponents in such a way that we will not have to fight that battle again. The presence of God makes a difference for us.
We revel in the knowledge that this particular enemy is so soundly defeated that there is nothing left but dust. It is an exhilarating feeling to know that this battle is over and this enemy will not rise again. There is a sense of relief and freedom that fills us as we realize that this is something with which we will never have to deal again. These battles are internal battles for many of us as we face our fears and unexamined decisions of years before. The important part is not the battleground so much as it is the recognition that we could not have won this victory without the presence of God.
Even in cases in which the battle is not finally and definitively won or lost we can find strength in the presence of God. As we win, this time, we are aware that the presence of God made this partial victory possible. As each successive battle becomes easier we are aware that it is in part due to the presence of God in our lives. Win or lose, the presence of God offers us the assurance that we are not alone. God and the people of God stand with us.
June 22, 2015
LCM
Monday, June 15, 2015
Psalm Meditation 783
Father’s Day
June 21, 2015
Psalm 134
1 Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the LORD.
3 May the LORD, maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
(NRSV)
At some point we have done something so that God will do something for us in return. We believe somehow that we can get ahead of God in terms of actions and favors. A psalm like this one even opens up the possibility that maybe we can get ahead. If we bless God and lift up our hands, we will have earned a blessing from God. It sounds possible only because we leave out an important first step.
We bless God because of all that God has already done for us. Everything we do is in response to something that God has already done in our lives. Our blessings of God do not earn us favor, they serve to remind us how dependent we are on God for all that we have. We can’t get ahead of God when it comes to blessings bestowed on the other.
We will continue to look for ways we can get ahead of God so that we are owed something out of the rich storehouse of God. We will also continue to come up short in out doing God. It is because of who God is and what God does that we offer our blessings to God just as it is that God continually blesses us.
June 15, 2015
LCM
Father’s Day
June 21, 2015
Psalm 134
1 Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the LORD.
3 May the LORD, maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
(NRSV)
At some point we have done something so that God will do something for us in return. We believe somehow that we can get ahead of God in terms of actions and favors. A psalm like this one even opens up the possibility that maybe we can get ahead. If we bless God and lift up our hands, we will have earned a blessing from God. It sounds possible only because we leave out an important first step.
We bless God because of all that God has already done for us. Everything we do is in response to something that God has already done in our lives. Our blessings of God do not earn us favor, they serve to remind us how dependent we are on God for all that we have. We can’t get ahead of God when it comes to blessings bestowed on the other.
We will continue to look for ways we can get ahead of God so that we are owed something out of the rich storehouse of God. We will also continue to come up short in out doing God. It is because of who God is and what God does that we offer our blessings to God just as it is that God continually blesses us.
June 15, 2015
LCM
Monday, June 8, 2015
Psalm Meditation 782
Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 14, 2015
Psalm 67
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
2 that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us.
7 May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.
(NRSV)
When I think of praise, my first image is one of the noise and activity of people raising hands and voices in joyful celebration. Praising God for all the gifts given to us in a variety of situations. The next image is the excited noise of parents whose child has acted or reacted in a way that calls for positive reinforcement. A toddler learning to use good manners, a child learning to share with others, a young adult reaching a milestone of achievement each cry out for exclamations of praise. It is good to give and receive praise with the excitement that something good requires.
There is also the calm, quiet word of praise whispered into the ear of God, the ear of an adult child, or the ear of an accomplished friend or colleague. Though it comes quietly it is as heartfelt as the more noisy and active praise. These can be more memorable because they are more intensely personal. To offer praise to God, or to family, friend or colleague, in an intimate moment can draw us into deeper relationship.
There is a place for each type of praise. I believe that God appreciates hearing praise from our lips and hearts. Whether we express our praise with noise and motion or in quiet moments God is touched by our praise and our relationship together is deepened. “May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.”
June 8, 2015
LCM manifold@lightbound.com
lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Third Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 14, 2015
Psalm 67
1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
2 that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.
6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us.
7 May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.
(NRSV)
When I think of praise, my first image is one of the noise and activity of people raising hands and voices in joyful celebration. Praising God for all the gifts given to us in a variety of situations. The next image is the excited noise of parents whose child has acted or reacted in a way that calls for positive reinforcement. A toddler learning to use good manners, a child learning to share with others, a young adult reaching a milestone of achievement each cry out for exclamations of praise. It is good to give and receive praise with the excitement that something good requires.
There is also the calm, quiet word of praise whispered into the ear of God, the ear of an adult child, or the ear of an accomplished friend or colleague. Though it comes quietly it is as heartfelt as the more noisy and active praise. These can be more memorable because they are more intensely personal. To offer praise to God, or to family, friend or colleague, in an intimate moment can draw us into deeper relationship.
There is a place for each type of praise. I believe that God appreciates hearing praise from our lips and hearts. Whether we express our praise with noise and motion or in quiet moments God is touched by our praise and our relationship together is deepened. “May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.”
June 8, 2015
LCM manifold@lightbound.com
lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, June 1, 2015
Psalm Meditation 781
Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 7, 2015
Psalm 117
1 Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
When something happens on a regular basis we tend to block it out and take it for granted. We have a mantle clock that chimes every fifteen minutes and I have become so used to the chime that it does not register in my consciousness even when I am sitting in the same room as the clock. Guests in our house have been unable to sleep without disabling the clock for the night.
The love of God can be experienced the same way. We get so used to feeling God’s love for us that we forget how much God loves us. We get the sense that we have been abandoned by everyone and everything because the love that surrounds us fails to register. It takes an effort for our senses and hearts to register what already surrounds us on a regular basis.
Just as not everyone has a noisy clock, not everyone has experienced the love of God. It is not that they have gotten used to it, they have no awareness of it. Here is where the psalmist’s call impacts us. We who have experienced the love of God are invited to tell people about it in such a way that they know it is available to them in the same way it is to us. The steadfast love of God is for all people at all times.
June 1, 2015
LCM
Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 7, 2015
Psalm 117
1 Praise the LORD, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
When something happens on a regular basis we tend to block it out and take it for granted. We have a mantle clock that chimes every fifteen minutes and I have become so used to the chime that it does not register in my consciousness even when I am sitting in the same room as the clock. Guests in our house have been unable to sleep without disabling the clock for the night.
The love of God can be experienced the same way. We get so used to feeling God’s love for us that we forget how much God loves us. We get the sense that we have been abandoned by everyone and everything because the love that surrounds us fails to register. It takes an effort for our senses and hearts to register what already surrounds us on a regular basis.
Just as not everyone has a noisy clock, not everyone has experienced the love of God. It is not that they have gotten used to it, they have no awareness of it. Here is where the psalmist’s call impacts us. We who have experienced the love of God are invited to tell people about it in such a way that they know it is available to them in the same way it is to us. The steadfast love of God is for all people at all times.
June 1, 2015
LCM
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