Psalm Meditation 872
First Sunday in Lent
March 5, 2017
Psalm 114
1 When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
2 Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion.
3 The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back.
4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.
5 Why is it, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?
6 O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the God of Jacob,
8 who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.
(NRSV)
The presence of God can be scary and comforting at the same time. It is scary when we find ourselves in the presence of such overwhelming authority. This is the ability to both unsettle and calm the mountains, hills, and rivers. On a family picnic, we were being bothered by a large bee. In an attempt to shoo the bee away, dad made contact with a backhand swat that sent the bee careening off into space. It was a memorable show of authority between dad and bee.
It is comforting when we realize that everything included in God’s presence is involved in loving us. Dad was not confronting the bee to show off to us. He was protecting us. When rivers roll and mountains and hills skip and jump, God is with us. The events of the psalm are not acts of protection. The psalmist sees them as acts of awe as the waters run from God’s presence and the mountains and hills tremble at the approach of God. The psalmist sees the presence of God as an act of love as people enter this new land.
God is with us. Sometimes we feel judged by that presence and other times we feel comforted. I am convinced that the presence of God is always a loving presence. For God both acts of judgment and acts of comfort are acts of loving presence.
February 27, 2017
LCM
Monday, February 27, 2017
Monday, February 20, 2017
Psalm Meditation 871
Transfiguration Sunday
February 26, 2017
Psalm 87
1 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
2 the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah
4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; Philistia too, and Tyre, with Ethiopia—“This one was born there,” they say.
5 And of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in it”; for the Most High himself will establish it.
6 The LORD records, as he registers the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah
7 Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.”
(NRSV)
Roots are important for many of us. In these nomadic times it is important to have a place to which we can return, a place to call home. For some of us it is the house in which we grew up, for others it is a grandparent’s house, for still others it is a place visited with some regularity in our formative years. Where we call home leaves a mark on us that makes a difference in how we behave and in how we are treated by those who know our roots.
For the psalmist, Zion is home. It is an important piece of information to have about someone. There are folks who were born in cities and areas besides Zion who claim it as home. While it is a good thing to claim Zion as home, it is impressive to be able to claim Zion as both birthplace and home. To hear God declare one’s birthplace as Zion is a wondrous claim to be able to make. The claim to Zion as both birthplace and home does not mean that those born elsewhere can’t call Zion home, it simply adds an accolade for those who can claim both.
The most important piece of all is the claim of God on a person. In truth, it is much more impressive to be born in the presence of God than to be able to claim a particular geography as birthplace and home. While we may not realize or recognize that we have been born in the presence of God, we have been. Roots are important for many of us. We are rooted and grounded in the presence of God.
February 20, 2017
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Transfiguration Sunday
February 26, 2017
Psalm 87
1 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
2 the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah
4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; Philistia too, and Tyre, with Ethiopia—“This one was born there,” they say.
5 And of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in it”; for the Most High himself will establish it.
6 The LORD records, as he registers the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah
7 Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.”
(NRSV)
Roots are important for many of us. In these nomadic times it is important to have a place to which we can return, a place to call home. For some of us it is the house in which we grew up, for others it is a grandparent’s house, for still others it is a place visited with some regularity in our formative years. Where we call home leaves a mark on us that makes a difference in how we behave and in how we are treated by those who know our roots.
For the psalmist, Zion is home. It is an important piece of information to have about someone. There are folks who were born in cities and areas besides Zion who claim it as home. While it is a good thing to claim Zion as home, it is impressive to be able to claim Zion as both birthplace and home. To hear God declare one’s birthplace as Zion is a wondrous claim to be able to make. The claim to Zion as both birthplace and home does not mean that those born elsewhere can’t call Zion home, it simply adds an accolade for those who can claim both.
The most important piece of all is the claim of God on a person. In truth, it is much more impressive to be born in the presence of God than to be able to claim a particular geography as birthplace and home. While we may not realize or recognize that we have been born in the presence of God, we have been. Roots are important for many of us. We are rooted and grounded in the presence of God.
February 20, 2017
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Psalm Meditation 870
Seventh Sunday After Epiphany
February 19, 2017
Psalm 64
1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from the dread enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the scheming of evildoers,
3 who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from ambush at the blameless; they shoot suddenly and without fear.
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, “Who can see us?
6 Who can search out our crimes? We have thought out a cunningly conceived plot.” For the human heart and mind are deep.
7 But God will shoot his arrow at them; they will be wounded suddenly.
8 Because of their tongue he will bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake with horror.
9 Then everyone will fear; they will tell what God has brought about, and ponder what he has done.
10 Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him. Let all the upright in heart glory.
(NRSV)
It would be wonderful if God were as quick on the draw as we can be. Destroy all the evil people and get them out of our way so that we can continue to be the good people we have always been. Or, at least, the good people we intend to be. Or, the good people we think we are. What if there are people praying this psalm with us in mind? What if there are people who see as evil because of something we have done or left undone? What if there are people who believe that we have gotten what we have at their expense?
If that is the case, maybe it is a good thing that God is not as quick on the trigger as we would like when people pick on us. My sense is that people are not hated and attacked for being good people. People get attacked when there is either a perception of something wrong with those being attacked. In some cases the wrong that is perceived is a sense that the ones being attacked are other than, they are not really people, they are not really human, they do not matter to those doing the attacking. One of the best ways to get support for an attack is to convince a majority that ‘those people’ are not really people after all.
It has been going on since before this psalm was written and goes on today. People on both sides of a question or conflict will find a way to emphasize the ‘otherness’ of the people on the opposing side of the dispute. The psalmist has a great idea, “Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him. Let all the upright in heart glory.” When we turn to God we discover that there is true and false, sin and righteousness, right and wrong on every side of a conflict. As we turn to God we discover that we are in this life together and by the grace of God learn to live with those with whom we are gifted to live.
February 12, 2017
LCM
Seventh Sunday After Epiphany
February 19, 2017
Psalm 64
1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from the dread enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked, from the scheming of evildoers,
3 who whet their tongues like swords, who aim bitter words like arrows,
4 shooting from ambush at the blameless; they shoot suddenly and without fear.
5 They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, “Who can see us?
6 Who can search out our crimes? We have thought out a cunningly conceived plot.” For the human heart and mind are deep.
7 But God will shoot his arrow at them; they will be wounded suddenly.
8 Because of their tongue he will bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake with horror.
9 Then everyone will fear; they will tell what God has brought about, and ponder what he has done.
10 Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him. Let all the upright in heart glory.
(NRSV)
It would be wonderful if God were as quick on the draw as we can be. Destroy all the evil people and get them out of our way so that we can continue to be the good people we have always been. Or, at least, the good people we intend to be. Or, the good people we think we are. What if there are people praying this psalm with us in mind? What if there are people who see as evil because of something we have done or left undone? What if there are people who believe that we have gotten what we have at their expense?
If that is the case, maybe it is a good thing that God is not as quick on the trigger as we would like when people pick on us. My sense is that people are not hated and attacked for being good people. People get attacked when there is either a perception of something wrong with those being attacked. In some cases the wrong that is perceived is a sense that the ones being attacked are other than, they are not really people, they are not really human, they do not matter to those doing the attacking. One of the best ways to get support for an attack is to convince a majority that ‘those people’ are not really people after all.
It has been going on since before this psalm was written and goes on today. People on both sides of a question or conflict will find a way to emphasize the ‘otherness’ of the people on the opposing side of the dispute. The psalmist has a great idea, “Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him. Let all the upright in heart glory.” When we turn to God we discover that there is true and false, sin and righteousness, right and wrong on every side of a conflict. As we turn to God we discover that we are in this life together and by the grace of God learn to live with those with whom we are gifted to live.
February 12, 2017
LCM
Monday, February 6, 2017
Psalm Meditation 869
Sixth Sunday After Epiphany
February 12, 2017
Psalm 137
1 By the rivers of Babylon—there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there we hung up our harps.
3 For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How could we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither!
6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem’s fall, how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down! Down to its foundations!”
8 O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us!
9 Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!
(NRSV)
Most of the time the music we choose complements our mood in some fashion. When we are depressed and want to wallow in it for a moment we pick sad songs to amplify our mood. When it is time for that foul mood to lift off our shoulders for even a moment we turn to lighter fare. In some moods it is not the song but the singing that makes a difference; the act of lifting our voice in song is enough to lift our spirits and to change our mood. When we are already in a good mood a song can lift that goodness higher yet. All of that goes with having some say in what we are singing. Even in a choir or congregation there is a voluntary note in our participation.
I imagine that being in an oppressive situation and being forced to sing a happy song is a cruel joke played by the oppressor. This is the situation of the psalmist. Captured and carried off, they are forced to sing happy songs of their homeland. In a place where they feel abandoned by God, the psalmist and company are asked to sing a song about how wonderful God is. The intent of the captors is to deepen the funk of those who are already demoralized. And for the psalmist, it seems to have worked. Forced to remember home, the thought of the complete destruction of these captors and families rises to the minds of the captors.
At our best and most faithful there are those who can be transported by music in the midst of dire circumstances. Rather than being depressed by thoughts of home and God they are transported to a place of wholeness and peace in the midst of oppression. Instead of letting the weight of their situation crush the spirit of their song, they let the song lift their spirits out of the current crisis, at least for a moment.
February 6, 2017
LCM
Sixth Sunday After Epiphany
February 12, 2017
Psalm 137
1 By the rivers of Babylon—there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there we hung up our harps.
3 For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How could we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither!
6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.
7 Remember, O LORD, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem’s fall, how they said, “Tear it down! Tear it down! Down to its foundations!”
8 O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us!
9 Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!
(NRSV)
Most of the time the music we choose complements our mood in some fashion. When we are depressed and want to wallow in it for a moment we pick sad songs to amplify our mood. When it is time for that foul mood to lift off our shoulders for even a moment we turn to lighter fare. In some moods it is not the song but the singing that makes a difference; the act of lifting our voice in song is enough to lift our spirits and to change our mood. When we are already in a good mood a song can lift that goodness higher yet. All of that goes with having some say in what we are singing. Even in a choir or congregation there is a voluntary note in our participation.
I imagine that being in an oppressive situation and being forced to sing a happy song is a cruel joke played by the oppressor. This is the situation of the psalmist. Captured and carried off, they are forced to sing happy songs of their homeland. In a place where they feel abandoned by God, the psalmist and company are asked to sing a song about how wonderful God is. The intent of the captors is to deepen the funk of those who are already demoralized. And for the psalmist, it seems to have worked. Forced to remember home, the thought of the complete destruction of these captors and families rises to the minds of the captors.
At our best and most faithful there are those who can be transported by music in the midst of dire circumstances. Rather than being depressed by thoughts of home and God they are transported to a place of wholeness and peace in the midst of oppression. Instead of letting the weight of their situation crush the spirit of their song, they let the song lift their spirits out of the current crisis, at least for a moment.
February 6, 2017
LCM
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