Psalm Meditation 863
Second Sunday of Christmas
January 1, 2016
Psalm 139
1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from far away.
3 You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue, O LORD, you know it completely.
5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is so high that I cannot attain it.
7 Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13 For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!
18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you.
19 O that you would kill the wicked, O God, and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me—
20 those who speak of you maliciously, and lift themselves up against you for evil!
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
22 I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts.
24 See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
(NRSV)
Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone in the world was like you, me, and Mary Poppins, “practically perfect in every way.” Life would be so much easier if it weren’t for all those pesky ‘others’ who do terrible things like disagree with us and cause us all manner of discomfort as we attempt to reconcile their humanity and condition as a child of God with the fact that they are wrong. It is as if there might be alternative routes to God and the fulfilling of God’s will in our lives. And it is likely true that you and I disagree on something that is important to at least one of us, ruining the vision of perfection with which we started.
I like the idea of our religious journey being like a bicycle wheel. The spokes come in from points all over the outer rim to the center hub. While we appear to be heading in different directions our goal is the same. Imagine a bicycle wheel with only one spoke to see what a problem it is for us all to be on the same path. As annoying as they can be, we need those who are traveling other routes to support us in our journey to the center point of God’s abiding presence.
We may not be at war with all those whose camps face ours. And our fight may not be with those against whom we are now fighting. It may be that our battle imagery is completely off course. What if our task is to learn from those with whom we disagree rather than to annihilate them with our weapons and tactics, our words and actions.
December 27, 2016
LCM
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Monday, December 19, 2016
Psalm Meditation 862
Christmas Day
December 25, 2016
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)
When the announcement is made that a skilled athlete is to become the highest paid player in the league, in the sport or in the world there is a hue and cry from folks that no one is worth that kind of money. When a CEO is given a salary package in the millions of dollars there is the same hue and cry about that. There are also rationalizations for that kind of money being paid in those arenas. The important part is that some person or group is willing to pay that amount for the skills and expertise of the recipient.
When it is discovered that there are folks who cannot get by on the money they are being paid there is a hue and cry about that from folks as well. There is also the rationalization that these folks have done something to deserve this kind of wage. We come up with the same kinds of reasons we use to explain the salaries of athletes and CEOs. It is the fault/responsibility of the poor person. These folks deserve to be poor for personal rather than systemic reasons.
The psalmist reminds us that God is one who complains about the wages of the poor, and about the systems that keep folks in poverty no matter what the reason. God looks on the plight of the poor and stands in judgment against those of us who do not think of the poor and the ways we can bring justice to the economic system in which we all live and work.
December 19, 2016
LCM
Christmas Day
December 25, 2016
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)
When the announcement is made that a skilled athlete is to become the highest paid player in the league, in the sport or in the world there is a hue and cry from folks that no one is worth that kind of money. When a CEO is given a salary package in the millions of dollars there is the same hue and cry about that. There are also rationalizations for that kind of money being paid in those arenas. The important part is that some person or group is willing to pay that amount for the skills and expertise of the recipient.
When it is discovered that there are folks who cannot get by on the money they are being paid there is a hue and cry about that from folks as well. There is also the rationalization that these folks have done something to deserve this kind of wage. We come up with the same kinds of reasons we use to explain the salaries of athletes and CEOs. It is the fault/responsibility of the poor person. These folks deserve to be poor for personal rather than systemic reasons.
The psalmist reminds us that God is one who complains about the wages of the poor, and about the systems that keep folks in poverty no matter what the reason. God looks on the plight of the poor and stands in judgment against those of us who do not think of the poor and the ways we can bring justice to the economic system in which we all live and work.
December 19, 2016
LCM
Monday, December 12, 2016
Psalm Meditation 861
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 18, 2016
Psalm 41
1 Happy are those who consider the poor; the LORD delivers them in the day of trouble.
2 The LORD protects them and keeps them alive; they are called happy in the land. You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.
3 The LORD sustains them on their sickbed; in their illness you heal all their infirmities.
4 As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
5 My enemies wonder in malice when I will die, and my name perish.
6 And when they come to see me, they utter empty words, while their hearts gather mischief; when they go out, they tell it abroad.
7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me.
8 They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me, that I will not rise again from where I lie.
9 Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.
10 But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them.
11 By this I know that you are pleased with me; because my enemy has not triumphed over me.
12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.
13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
(NRSV)
Most of us don’t know what it is to be poor so we have no sympathy for those who live in poverty. Popular wisdom is that those who are poor must have done something to bring this on themselves. Because of that the best course of action is to stand at a safe distance and counsel them to get jobs and education so that they can be just like us. In most cases, though, folks who are poor are caught in a systemic web of blocks and obstacles that keep them in the poverty to which they have been consigned. The psalmist tells us that this is not the way of God.
God calls us to consider the poor. To consider the plight of those relegated to a status of ‘other,’ people who are shuffled off and ignored. God asks us to work with individuals at the same time we are working to change the systems that keep segments of the population in poverty and on the brink of despair. As we consider those whose place is on the fringes of society and culture we become aware of the variety of ways people are helped and hurt by the current order of things.
The psalmist may have become ill due, in part, to ignoring the plight of the poor in general or a particular victim of poverty. Either way, we have the assurance that God is with us when we pay attention to those in poverty and will attend to us when we confess our sin in hopes of turning toward God and the people of God’s favor.
December 12, 2016
LCM
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 18, 2016
Psalm 41
1 Happy are those who consider the poor; the LORD delivers them in the day of trouble.
2 The LORD protects them and keeps them alive; they are called happy in the land. You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.
3 The LORD sustains them on their sickbed; in their illness you heal all their infirmities.
4 As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
5 My enemies wonder in malice when I will die, and my name perish.
6 And when they come to see me, they utter empty words, while their hearts gather mischief; when they go out, they tell it abroad.
7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me.
8 They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me, that I will not rise again from where I lie.
9 Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.
10 But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them.
11 By this I know that you are pleased with me; because my enemy has not triumphed over me.
12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.
13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
(NRSV)
Most of us don’t know what it is to be poor so we have no sympathy for those who live in poverty. Popular wisdom is that those who are poor must have done something to bring this on themselves. Because of that the best course of action is to stand at a safe distance and counsel them to get jobs and education so that they can be just like us. In most cases, though, folks who are poor are caught in a systemic web of blocks and obstacles that keep them in the poverty to which they have been consigned. The psalmist tells us that this is not the way of God.
God calls us to consider the poor. To consider the plight of those relegated to a status of ‘other,’ people who are shuffled off and ignored. God asks us to work with individuals at the same time we are working to change the systems that keep segments of the population in poverty and on the brink of despair. As we consider those whose place is on the fringes of society and culture we become aware of the variety of ways people are helped and hurt by the current order of things.
The psalmist may have become ill due, in part, to ignoring the plight of the poor in general or a particular victim of poverty. Either way, we have the assurance that God is with us when we pay attention to those in poverty and will attend to us when we confess our sin in hopes of turning toward God and the people of God’s favor.
December 12, 2016
LCM
Monday, December 5, 2016
Psalm Meditation 860
Third Sunday of Advent
December 11, 2016
Psalm 110
1 The LORD says to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 The LORD sends out from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes.
3 Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day you lead your forces on the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning, like dew, your youth will come to you.
4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses;
he will shatter heads over the wide earth.
7 He will drink from the stream by the path; therefore he will lift up his head.
(NRSV)
As with many peoples of the biblical time and place God and king were so intimately tied together as to be one. If the king goes out at God’s direction he will be victorious beyond the skill and numbers of the army itself. In fact, if the king goes out as the agent of God the people of the army will go to battle willing to sacrifice their lives for God and king. God directs the battle and fights in it to assure that our side wins so decisively that there will be no question as to who is the winner and who is the loser.
These days the commanders of armies no longer go out into the battle, and rulers of nations do not go out onto the battlefield. Skilled strategists direct the action from a distance and rulers make decisions from places other than the heat of battle. Going to battle led by a king or other ruler is a foreign concept to us, making this psalm a difficult one to connect with. It is easy to believe that God is as distant from our day to day battles as commanders and rulers are from war zones and battlegrounds.
However, God is with us. In the heat of our daily battles, in the joy of our daily victories, and in the give and take of a normal day. No matter what we face in a given moment of a day we have the psalmist’s assurance that God is present with us. When things are going well, God is there. When things are going badly, God is there. When things are going as we expect a normal day to progress, God is there. God may or may not be the direct cause of the events of the day, however God is with us.
December 5, 2016
LCM
Third Sunday of Advent
December 11, 2016
Psalm 110
1 The LORD says to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 The LORD sends out from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes.
3 Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day you lead your forces on the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning, like dew, your youth will come to you.
4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses;
he will shatter heads over the wide earth.
7 He will drink from the stream by the path; therefore he will lift up his head.
(NRSV)
As with many peoples of the biblical time and place God and king were so intimately tied together as to be one. If the king goes out at God’s direction he will be victorious beyond the skill and numbers of the army itself. In fact, if the king goes out as the agent of God the people of the army will go to battle willing to sacrifice their lives for God and king. God directs the battle and fights in it to assure that our side wins so decisively that there will be no question as to who is the winner and who is the loser.
These days the commanders of armies no longer go out into the battle, and rulers of nations do not go out onto the battlefield. Skilled strategists direct the action from a distance and rulers make decisions from places other than the heat of battle. Going to battle led by a king or other ruler is a foreign concept to us, making this psalm a difficult one to connect with. It is easy to believe that God is as distant from our day to day battles as commanders and rulers are from war zones and battlegrounds.
However, God is with us. In the heat of our daily battles, in the joy of our daily victories, and in the give and take of a normal day. No matter what we face in a given moment of a day we have the psalmist’s assurance that God is present with us. When things are going well, God is there. When things are going badly, God is there. When things are going as we expect a normal day to progress, God is there. God may or may not be the direct cause of the events of the day, however God is with us.
December 5, 2016
LCM
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