Psalm Meditation 889
Proper 8
July 2, 2017
Psalm 81
1 Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our festal day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it a decree in Joseph, when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a voice I had not known:
6 “I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you called, and I rescued you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you; O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
11 “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
13 O that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the LORD would cringe before him, and their doom would last forever.
16 I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
(NRSV)
Humans seem to like the idea of one or more divine beings watching over us and teaching us how to live with each other, and maybe even those who are not like us. Prophets and teachers rise up to show us what it means to live in the presence of the holy ones who desire, and sometimes demand, our love and allegiance. And we are grateful to hear these voices and the advice and admonitions they offer to us as people of faith and practice. Our gratitude does have its limits. There comes a time when we would rather live our lives on our own terms.
In these times we look around for a set of divine beings who ask a little less of us, and in some cases ask more of us. In the case of the psalmist, there comes a realization that the people of Israel have moved away from the God of their ancestors and have taken to doing things their own way. They may continue to say that they are acting in the name of God, however their actions bear no resemblance to the ways they were taught as the ways of their God. The psalmist hears the voice of God saying that if people would return to the ways they were taught in previous generations there would not be the troubles they now face.
If only the Israelites were the only ones who ever rounded the edges and dulled the sharpness of their faith and faithfulness. I hope in most cases these things happen by inaction and inattention. There are times in which people knowingly twist the word and ways of God to suit their fancy. Because it is an easier way, a more agreeable way, no one bothers to mention that it is not God’s way by any stretch of the imagination. And so, God continues to call us back to lives of faith and action based on the word and work of God.
June 26, 2017
LCM
Monday, June 26, 2017
Monday, June 19, 2017
Psalm Meditation 888
Proper 7
June 25, 2017
Psalm 70
1 Be pleased, O God, to deliver me. O LORD, make haste to help me!
2 Let those be put to shame and confusion who seek my life. Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire to hurt me.
3 Let those who say, “Aha, Aha!” turn back because of their shame.
4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”
5 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!
(NRSV)
At times in our lives we feel as if everyone is out to get us; and sometimes they really are. The temptation is to curl up in a ball to protect ourselves from the onslaught of evil that seeks to do us in, and from that position to cry out for help and rescue. The psalmist cries out for the deliverance that only God can bring. The hope is that God will settle down next to us, scoop our balled up body of fear and anxiety into the divine lap to offer a moment of comfort, relief, and deliverance.
In the lap of God we may find sufficient comfort to uncurl ourselves enough to realize that we are not alone. We are not the only ones suffering, we are not even the only ones suffering these particular slings and arrows. We are surrounded by folks who love and care for us. They are waiting with a mix of patience and anxiety as we find ourselves able to rejoin this community and ask for what we want and need.
It starts with God who has the ability to hear our hearts and to meet us where we are; in our brightest and best as well as our darkest and worst. “O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!”
June 19, 2017
LCM
Proper 7
June 25, 2017
Psalm 70
1 Be pleased, O God, to deliver me. O LORD, make haste to help me!
2 Let those be put to shame and confusion who seek my life. Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire to hurt me.
3 Let those who say, “Aha, Aha!” turn back because of their shame.
4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”
5 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!
(NRSV)
At times in our lives we feel as if everyone is out to get us; and sometimes they really are. The temptation is to curl up in a ball to protect ourselves from the onslaught of evil that seeks to do us in, and from that position to cry out for help and rescue. The psalmist cries out for the deliverance that only God can bring. The hope is that God will settle down next to us, scoop our balled up body of fear and anxiety into the divine lap to offer a moment of comfort, relief, and deliverance.
In the lap of God we may find sufficient comfort to uncurl ourselves enough to realize that we are not alone. We are not the only ones suffering, we are not even the only ones suffering these particular slings and arrows. We are surrounded by folks who love and care for us. They are waiting with a mix of patience and anxiety as we find ourselves able to rejoin this community and ask for what we want and need.
It starts with God who has the ability to hear our hearts and to meet us where we are; in our brightest and best as well as our darkest and worst. “O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!”
June 19, 2017
LCM
Monday, June 12, 2017
Psalm Meditation 887
Proper 6 (Father’s Day)
June 18, 2017
Psalm 131
1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time on and forevermore
(NRSV)
There is nothing quite like the sensation of curling up on mom’s lap. For those for whom this is a pleasant memory, it is love, comfort, security, acceptance, and a host of other positive feelings all in one moment. It may be a distant memory of having fit on mom’s lap completely or a fairly recent experience of being in mom’s lap and spilling into the space next to her. The psalmist says this is what it can be like to be in the presence of God.
The first verse recognizes that we can come striding in as if we are equal to God, expecting our needs to be met on our orders and timeline. When this is our approach to God we will know what needs to be done, when it needs to done, and what to expect when God finally sees things in the proper light and does things our way. Most of the time we can expect to be disappointed for a variety of reasons. God seldom works on our timeline in the exact way we expect.
It is often when things don’t work out the way we hoped and planned that we find ourselves seeking the comfort of mom’s lap. We may or may not want mom to fix things. What we want is to know that we are loved and cared for despite and because of what is going on around us. God can be, is, that source of hope and comfort for us throughout our lives, as individuals all the way up through all of humanity.
June 12, 2017
LCM
Proper 6 (Father’s Day)
June 18, 2017
Psalm 131
1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time on and forevermore
(NRSV)
There is nothing quite like the sensation of curling up on mom’s lap. For those for whom this is a pleasant memory, it is love, comfort, security, acceptance, and a host of other positive feelings all in one moment. It may be a distant memory of having fit on mom’s lap completely or a fairly recent experience of being in mom’s lap and spilling into the space next to her. The psalmist says this is what it can be like to be in the presence of God.
The first verse recognizes that we can come striding in as if we are equal to God, expecting our needs to be met on our orders and timeline. When this is our approach to God we will know what needs to be done, when it needs to done, and what to expect when God finally sees things in the proper light and does things our way. Most of the time we can expect to be disappointed for a variety of reasons. God seldom works on our timeline in the exact way we expect.
It is often when things don’t work out the way we hoped and planned that we find ourselves seeking the comfort of mom’s lap. We may or may not want mom to fix things. What we want is to know that we are loved and cared for despite and because of what is going on around us. God can be, is, that source of hope and comfort for us throughout our lives, as individuals all the way up through all of humanity.
June 12, 2017
LCM
Monday, June 5, 2017
Psalm Meditation 886
Trinity Sunday
June 11, 2017
Psalm 20
1 The LORD answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. Selah
4 May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your plans.
5 May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.
6 Now I know that the LORD will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand.
7 Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the LORD our God.
8 They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and stand upright.
9 Give victory to the king, O LORD; answer us when we call.
(NRSV)
There are lots of ways to get into the ‘my dad can beat up your dad’ argument. We can argue that my dad is stronger, or smarter, or richer, or faster, or more experienced, or better at this or that. We can make the same arguments about our mothers, and siblings, and aunts and uncles. In some circles we can make the argument about deities. The reasoning behind the arguments is the claim to a champion, one who will stand with us, even stand up for us, in every situation in which we may find ourselves.
The psalmist points out that in a match-up between armaments our God is stronger than any weapon of war. While chariots and horses, guns and bombs can kill people in large numbers, God can save people in unprecedented numbers. It may be good to be able to beat up the bad guys and that is what the psalmist is asking God to do. It is also good to see the power of God at work in bringing enemies to the point of seeing a common humanity that draws us to live and work together with differences and similarities intact and appreciated.
Yes, the psalmist is asking for a military victory for us, the good guys. It is possible for us to read this as a reminder that God is neither as parochial nor mean spirited as we can be. God may well be calling us to rise and stand upright as our hearts long for victory in the name of God. Victory based in mercy, love, and justice more than in brute force.
June 5, 2017
LCM
Trinity Sunday
June 11, 2017
Psalm 20
1 The LORD answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you!
2 May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion.
3 May he remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. Selah
4 May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your plans.
5 May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.
6 Now I know that the LORD will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand.
7 Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the LORD our God.
8 They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and stand upright.
9 Give victory to the king, O LORD; answer us when we call.
(NRSV)
There are lots of ways to get into the ‘my dad can beat up your dad’ argument. We can argue that my dad is stronger, or smarter, or richer, or faster, or more experienced, or better at this or that. We can make the same arguments about our mothers, and siblings, and aunts and uncles. In some circles we can make the argument about deities. The reasoning behind the arguments is the claim to a champion, one who will stand with us, even stand up for us, in every situation in which we may find ourselves.
The psalmist points out that in a match-up between armaments our God is stronger than any weapon of war. While chariots and horses, guns and bombs can kill people in large numbers, God can save people in unprecedented numbers. It may be good to be able to beat up the bad guys and that is what the psalmist is asking God to do. It is also good to see the power of God at work in bringing enemies to the point of seeing a common humanity that draws us to live and work together with differences and similarities intact and appreciated.
Yes, the psalmist is asking for a military victory for us, the good guys. It is possible for us to read this as a reminder that God is neither as parochial nor mean spirited as we can be. God may well be calling us to rise and stand upright as our hearts long for victory in the name of God. Victory based in mercy, love, and justice more than in brute force.
June 5, 2017
LCM
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