Psalm Meditation 850
World Communion Sunday
October 2, 2016
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)
This is a celebration of the place of humanity in creation. With a much more narrow view of the scope of creation than we have today, the psalmist is aware that humans are a relatively small part of it in terms of size. Despite our seeming insignificance God has given us a glory and honor more grand than we seem to warrant. In addition, humans have the added responsibility of caring for parts of creation with whom we share time and place. Even as the psalmist celebrates the place of humans in creation there is an awareness that it is all under the auspices of God.
While we are quick to accept our place at the top of the ladder of evolution and the food chain, we are not always so quick to recognize our responsibility to those on the rest of the ladder. Some folks excuse a lack of concern for creation by allowing that God will bring an end to us before we get a chance to use up all the resources available. Our attitudes can be compared to the way we view any set of rules. As children and youth, as those under the rules, we see rules as attempts to squelch our fun and creativity. As adults, as the makers of the rules, we see rules as a way to keep everyone safe, to keep the playing field as level as possible and to give the greatest number the greatest chance to succeed and excel.
Celebrate the place of humans in creation. Celebrate the majesty of God and the blessings bestowed on us by God’s creative power. Recognize, too, that we are a part of creation and have some responsibility for it. We are not over and above the creative process, something other than creatures, free to use and abuse it as we see fit. We live under the majestic authority of God rather than in the place of God.
September 26, 2016
LCM
Monday, September 26, 2016
Monday, September 19, 2016
Psalm Meditation 849
Proper 21
September 25, 2016
Psalm 45
1 My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty.
4 In your majesty ride on victoriously for the cause of truth and to defend the right; let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people 13 with all kinds of wealth. The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king; behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
(NRSV)
For those in the biblical age the king was the direct agent of God. In some cultures the king was considered divine during his reign and certainly after his death. For the people of YHWH, the king was God’s agent on earth and could be addressed as God due to the close association of the two. At the same time there was no illusion that the king was anything beyond a human being who served in the name of God. While this psalm is addressed to the king, at the time of a wedding, there are otherwise confusing references to God.
Historical records were not kind to some of the kings. There are stories of kings who were to act as agents of God who acted more as if they were gods, with no one to hold them accountable for their actions. They did what they wanted and felt no responsibility to act according to the rules and laws of YHWH. For some of those kings the biblical/historical record is only long enough to give his name, the number of years he reigned and that he did what was evil in the sight of God.
While most of us will not be named in history books that will be studied in schools across the world, we do well to choose whether we will follow the laws, rules, testimonies and examples of God and those who have gone before us in service to God or not. We may do well to follow the advice given to the bride in this psalm, “Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house,” By forgetting our people and houses we give ourselves over to God as those who serve God with a wholeness and holiness of heart.
September 19, 2016
LCM
Proper 21
September 25, 2016
Psalm 45
1 My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty.
4 In your majesty ride on victoriously for the cause of truth and to defend the right; let your right hand teach you dread deeds.
5 Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. Your royal scepter is a scepter of equity;
7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him;
12 the people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people 13 with all kinds of wealth. The princess is decked in her chamber with gold-woven robes;
14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king; behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In the place of ancestors you, O king, shall have sons; you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.
(NRSV)
For those in the biblical age the king was the direct agent of God. In some cultures the king was considered divine during his reign and certainly after his death. For the people of YHWH, the king was God’s agent on earth and could be addressed as God due to the close association of the two. At the same time there was no illusion that the king was anything beyond a human being who served in the name of God. While this psalm is addressed to the king, at the time of a wedding, there are otherwise confusing references to God.
Historical records were not kind to some of the kings. There are stories of kings who were to act as agents of God who acted more as if they were gods, with no one to hold them accountable for their actions. They did what they wanted and felt no responsibility to act according to the rules and laws of YHWH. For some of those kings the biblical/historical record is only long enough to give his name, the number of years he reigned and that he did what was evil in the sight of God.
While most of us will not be named in history books that will be studied in schools across the world, we do well to choose whether we will follow the laws, rules, testimonies and examples of God and those who have gone before us in service to God or not. We may do well to follow the advice given to the bride in this psalm, “Hear, O daughter, consider and incline your ear; forget your people and your father’s house,” By forgetting our people and houses we give ourselves over to God as those who serve God with a wholeness and holiness of heart.
September 19, 2016
LCM
Monday, September 12, 2016
Psalm Meditation 848
Proper 20
September 18, 2016
Psalm 106:1-16,40-48
1 Praise the LORD! O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Who can utter the mighty doings of the LORD, or declare all his praise?
3 Happy are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times.
4 Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you deliver them;
5 that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory in your heritage.
6 Both we and our ancestors have sinned; we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.
7 Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wonderful works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, so that he might make known his mighty power.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry; he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe, and delivered them from the hand of the enemy.
11 The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left.
12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.
13 But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.
14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert;
15 he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them.
16 They were jealous of Moses in the camp, and of Aaron, the holy one of the LORD.
40 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage;
41 he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes, and were brought low through their iniquity.
44 Nevertheless he regarded their distress when he heard their cry.
45 For their sake he remembered his covenant, and showed compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
46 He caused them to be pitied by all who held them captive.
47 Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
48 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
And let all the people say, “Amen.” Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
There are those who believe that God acts in response to our behavior, either with blessing or punishment. As if we have the power to sway God from an intended course of action through our action or lack thereof. Much like children who blame themselves for the divorce of their parents, our actions are not the cause of the behavior of those around us whose power is far beyond our own. The same goes for victims of abuse; it is not the actions of the abused that have caused abuse to be rained down on them. We do not have the power to change the minds, hearts and actions of those around us.
This does not mean that we are totally innocent in our actions. We have the power to withdraw, and to engage. Even if we push the buttons that bring on familiar actions, we are not the final cause of the actions and reactions of others. When we withdraw from the source of pain and of blessing, we do not alter the action of the other so much as we have distanced ourselves from the source. These children of God had gotten used to the blessings of God’s presence and believed they would receive them no matter how far afield they might wander. The psalmist reminds them that this is not the case.
God loves us and offers blessings to us. While we can’t remove ourselves from God’s love we can refuse to receive that love by a variety of blocks and barriers placed by actions and attitudes. As those before us, we place ever greater demands on God, expecting, not love but servitude. In this case God ceases to be one who loves us and becomes instead a vending machine of our needs and wants. The love of God continues even though our attitude has gone from love and appreciation to one of demand and expectation. It is not God who has changed. “43 Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes, and were brought low through their iniquity. 44 Nevertheless he regarded their distress when he heard their cry. 45 For their sake he remembered his covenant, and showed compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.” When we return to God we discover one who stands ready to love us in a variety of ways.
September 12, 2016
LCM
Proper 20
September 18, 2016
Psalm 106:1-16,40-48
1 Praise the LORD! O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Who can utter the mighty doings of the LORD, or declare all his praise?
3 Happy are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times.
4 Remember me, O LORD, when you show favor to your people; help me when you deliver them;
5 that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory in your heritage.
6 Both we and our ancestors have sinned; we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.
7 Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wonderful works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, so that he might make known his mighty power.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry; he led them through the deep as through a desert.
10 So he saved them from the hand of the foe, and delivered them from the hand of the enemy.
11 The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left.
12 Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.
13 But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.
14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert;
15 he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them.
16 They were jealous of Moses in the camp, and of Aaron, the holy one of the LORD.
40 Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he abhorred his heritage;
41 he gave them into the hand of the nations, so that those who hated them ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes, and were brought low through their iniquity.
44 Nevertheless he regarded their distress when he heard their cry.
45 For their sake he remembered his covenant, and showed compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
46 He caused them to be pitied by all who held them captive.
47 Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
48 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
And let all the people say, “Amen.” Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
There are those who believe that God acts in response to our behavior, either with blessing or punishment. As if we have the power to sway God from an intended course of action through our action or lack thereof. Much like children who blame themselves for the divorce of their parents, our actions are not the cause of the behavior of those around us whose power is far beyond our own. The same goes for victims of abuse; it is not the actions of the abused that have caused abuse to be rained down on them. We do not have the power to change the minds, hearts and actions of those around us.
This does not mean that we are totally innocent in our actions. We have the power to withdraw, and to engage. Even if we push the buttons that bring on familiar actions, we are not the final cause of the actions and reactions of others. When we withdraw from the source of pain and of blessing, we do not alter the action of the other so much as we have distanced ourselves from the source. These children of God had gotten used to the blessings of God’s presence and believed they would receive them no matter how far afield they might wander. The psalmist reminds them that this is not the case.
God loves us and offers blessings to us. While we can’t remove ourselves from God’s love we can refuse to receive that love by a variety of blocks and barriers placed by actions and attitudes. As those before us, we place ever greater demands on God, expecting, not love but servitude. In this case God ceases to be one who loves us and becomes instead a vending machine of our needs and wants. The love of God continues even though our attitude has gone from love and appreciation to one of demand and expectation. It is not God who has changed. “43 Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes, and were brought low through their iniquity. 44 Nevertheless he regarded their distress when he heard their cry. 45 For their sake he remembered his covenant, and showed compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love.” When we return to God we discover one who stands ready to love us in a variety of ways.
September 12, 2016
LCM
Monday, September 5, 2016
Psalm Meditation 847
Proper 19
September 11, 2016
Psalm 95
1 O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice!
8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.”
11 Therefore in my anger I swore, “They shall not enter my rest.”
(NRSV)
The psalmist can be seen drawing a distinction between our God and the gods of others. Those people have a god of the depths, a god of the mountains, a god of the sea, and of the earth. Our people have one God who created all of those things and rules over them. In part it is cultural competitiveness, as one group makes light of another in order to win some contest in which our side makes the rules and decides the outcome. We rig the contest so that we win. The question continues to this day; are there multiple deities from which to choose or is there one?
We make the statement of faith that there is only one God. Then it gets interesting. Some people go on to say that this group or that group couldn’t possibly worship our God because they have other demands placed on them by their faith. In other cases, there are multiple deities with separate names and attributes, with different realms of power and influence. Some of us are quick to dismiss these folks as not worshipping the God we worship. If there is only one God, and I believe that, each religion touches a differing interpretation of who God is and the demands placed on us because of that.
I tend to see friends and family in a positive light. I know people who do not hold the same opinion of these people. Is one of us right and one of us wrong? Perhaps. It is just as likely that we have had different sets of experiences with this person. Does it seem as if we are talking about two different people when we apply our various filters to our opinions on someone? Definitely. Despite our different experiences and opinions we have the same person in mind. If we can do that with each other, we can certainly do that with God, who is beyond our ability to know and comprehend fully.
September 5, 2016
LCM
Proper 19
September 11, 2016
Psalm 95
1 O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it, and the dry land, which his hands have formed.
6 O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would listen to his voice!
8 Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your ancestors tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation and said, “They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they do not regard my ways.”
11 Therefore in my anger I swore, “They shall not enter my rest.”
(NRSV)
The psalmist can be seen drawing a distinction between our God and the gods of others. Those people have a god of the depths, a god of the mountains, a god of the sea, and of the earth. Our people have one God who created all of those things and rules over them. In part it is cultural competitiveness, as one group makes light of another in order to win some contest in which our side makes the rules and decides the outcome. We rig the contest so that we win. The question continues to this day; are there multiple deities from which to choose or is there one?
We make the statement of faith that there is only one God. Then it gets interesting. Some people go on to say that this group or that group couldn’t possibly worship our God because they have other demands placed on them by their faith. In other cases, there are multiple deities with separate names and attributes, with different realms of power and influence. Some of us are quick to dismiss these folks as not worshipping the God we worship. If there is only one God, and I believe that, each religion touches a differing interpretation of who God is and the demands placed on us because of that.
I tend to see friends and family in a positive light. I know people who do not hold the same opinion of these people. Is one of us right and one of us wrong? Perhaps. It is just as likely that we have had different sets of experiences with this person. Does it seem as if we are talking about two different people when we apply our various filters to our opinions on someone? Definitely. Despite our different experiences and opinions we have the same person in mind. If we can do that with each other, we can certainly do that with God, who is beyond our ability to know and comprehend fully.
September 5, 2016
LCM
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