Psalm Meditation 911
First Sunday of Advent
December 3, 2017
Psalm 123
1 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until he has mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.
(NRSV)
The image that comes to mind is of someone desperate to be included in a group of ‘cool kids’ in school. We willingly do things to humiliate ourselves because we were asked or told to do this thing. We may feel as if we have been included even as friends see that we are being treated as a court jester or a well trained pet. Because we are so desperate to be a part of the group we don’t notice that we are being treated more as a possession than as an equal in the group.
When we see that we are being treated badly we long for release from the contempt we have been experiencing and a return to the group of which we were a genuine part. For the psalmist this means turning to God for release from oppression and contempt. The situation is likely more involved and just as traumatic as the above treatment by the ‘cool kids.’ God does not pluck us out of trouble and set us back on the firm footing of a different group. God gives us the courage and wherewithal to see what we have become and to take the steps to leave one group in order to move into a group that includes us as an equal.
Having turned to God with the realization that the priorities of the world are not finally fulfilling we engage in building relationships with those we value and who value us in return. These new relationships, based in mutual love and respect, show us that much of what gives meaning to our lives cannot be held in our hands or stored in boxes. In the realm of God we are able to see others as unique children of God without considering social status or economic standing. As people of God we are able to give and receive the gifts each of us has to offer.
November 27, 2017
LCM
Monday, November 27, 2017
Monday, November 20, 2017
Psalm Meditation 910
Reign of Christ
November 26, 2017
Psalm 28
1 To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me, for if you are silent to me, I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who are workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors, while mischief is in their hearts.
4 Repay them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds; repay them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, or the work of his hands, he will break them down and build them up no more.
6 Blessed be the LORD, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
8 The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd, and carry them forever.
(NRSV)
There are those who believe that God will not listen to the prayer of a sinner, until that person has first prayed a ‘sinner’s prayer’ along the lines of Psalm 51. God is not able to hear a prayer until the person has prayed this prayer as an acknowledgement of sinfulness and the inability to achieve salvation without the presence of God. In this view God does not act in favor of anyone who has not accepted the salvation God offers.
I believe with John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist movement, that God is seeking us out from the start, actively loving us and acting with our best interest in mind. This puts the first move into the realm of God. We will not notice or name what goes on as God in our lives until we accept the love God offers, however God is actively working in our lives and responding to our heartfelt wants and needs way before we notice. God acts as a parent with a newborn providing care and nurture from the beginning.
Perhaps God acts and we perceive that action as we are willing and able. The psalmist hopes for and counts on the active presence of God in the life of the nation, delivering individuals and the whole people from that which threatens body and soul. God will also punish those who do damage among the people of God whether from within or from the outside. Salvation comes from God and we acknowledge and accept it as children of God.
November 20, 2017
LCM
Reign of Christ
November 26, 2017
Psalm 28
1 To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me, for if you are silent to me, I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who are workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors, while mischief is in their hearts.
4 Repay them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds; repay them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, or the work of his hands, he will break them down and build them up no more.
6 Blessed be the LORD, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
8 The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd, and carry them forever.
(NRSV)
There are those who believe that God will not listen to the prayer of a sinner, until that person has first prayed a ‘sinner’s prayer’ along the lines of Psalm 51. God is not able to hear a prayer until the person has prayed this prayer as an acknowledgement of sinfulness and the inability to achieve salvation without the presence of God. In this view God does not act in favor of anyone who has not accepted the salvation God offers.
I believe with John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist movement, that God is seeking us out from the start, actively loving us and acting with our best interest in mind. This puts the first move into the realm of God. We will not notice or name what goes on as God in our lives until we accept the love God offers, however God is actively working in our lives and responding to our heartfelt wants and needs way before we notice. God acts as a parent with a newborn providing care and nurture from the beginning.
Perhaps God acts and we perceive that action as we are willing and able. The psalmist hopes for and counts on the active presence of God in the life of the nation, delivering individuals and the whole people from that which threatens body and soul. God will also punish those who do damage among the people of God whether from within or from the outside. Salvation comes from God and we acknowledge and accept it as children of God.
November 20, 2017
LCM
Monday, November 13, 2017
Psalm Meditation 909
Proper 28
November 19, 2017
Psalm 25
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O LORD!
8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who are they that fear the LORD? He will teach them the way that they should choose.
13 They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land.
14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 O guard my life, and deliver me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all its troubles.
(NRSV)
Sometimes we get convinced that to be a person of God means never having to suffer, never having to be troubled, and never having to go through anything unpleasant. The psalmist reminds us that those who believe those things are not quite on the mark. We think it would be nice if we never had to suffer any pain, torment, or treachery. But would it? It is interesting to consider what our lives would be without the pain and suffering we go through. It would mean we never loved anyone or anything enough to sacrifice for them. It would mean we never cared about anyone enough to feel their pain and anguish. It would mean never making mistakes to learn and grow from, sometimes more than once. Being human is painful.
The psalmist also reminds us that in all of our suffering God is with us. We feel pain, sorrow, and sadness but not alone. We feel lonely and cut off from everything and everybody, however God is with us. At some point we find the wherewithal to face the rest of the world and we find the presence of God all around us and within us. It is God’s presence that has made it possible for us to get as far as we have gotten. We feel as if we have been plucked up out of the situation though it has been a longer, slower process than we see at the moment.
God does not keep us from pain and suffering so much as God redeems our pain and suffering. At some point we find strength, courage, and resolve to move forward because we have experienced pain. Much as we think it would be nice to live lives of lollipops, rainbows, and unicorns, most of us don’t learn things that way and we certainly don’t grow that way. We go through pain and suffering, and we go through it in the presence of God.
November 13, 2017
LCM
Proper 28
November 19, 2017
Psalm 25
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O LORD!
8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who are they that fear the LORD? He will teach them the way that they should choose.
13 They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land.
14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 O guard my life, and deliver me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all its troubles.
(NRSV)
Sometimes we get convinced that to be a person of God means never having to suffer, never having to be troubled, and never having to go through anything unpleasant. The psalmist reminds us that those who believe those things are not quite on the mark. We think it would be nice if we never had to suffer any pain, torment, or treachery. But would it? It is interesting to consider what our lives would be without the pain and suffering we go through. It would mean we never loved anyone or anything enough to sacrifice for them. It would mean we never cared about anyone enough to feel their pain and anguish. It would mean never making mistakes to learn and grow from, sometimes more than once. Being human is painful.
The psalmist also reminds us that in all of our suffering God is with us. We feel pain, sorrow, and sadness but not alone. We feel lonely and cut off from everything and everybody, however God is with us. At some point we find the wherewithal to face the rest of the world and we find the presence of God all around us and within us. It is God’s presence that has made it possible for us to get as far as we have gotten. We feel as if we have been plucked up out of the situation though it has been a longer, slower process than we see at the moment.
God does not keep us from pain and suffering so much as God redeems our pain and suffering. At some point we find strength, courage, and resolve to move forward because we have experienced pain. Much as we think it would be nice to live lives of lollipops, rainbows, and unicorns, most of us don’t learn things that way and we certainly don’t grow that way. We go through pain and suffering, and we go through it in the presence of God.
November 13, 2017
LCM
Monday, November 6, 2017
Psalm Meditation 908
Proper 27
November12, 2017
Psalm 126
1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
(NRSV)
There is something sad about a creek bed that has nothing but a small stream in it when it obviously has been wider and deeper in the recent past. The lack of water signals that something has changed for the worse in the area. In some cases the presence or lack of water is seasonal, in others it is a sign of a more lasting change. The Negeb is a desert area whose pools and streams get filled and connected during heavy rains. What is usually dry fills with water, to the relief of the people, plants, and animals who depend on the water that is available.
The nation may be coming out of a time of oppression of some kind. The psalmist asks that God restore the fortunes of the nation in the way the desert is restored by water. It may be a brief respite from the dry conditions, however it is sufficient to sustain life until the next time. Though they were conquered and oppressed as they planted seeds to feed their oppressors, they are now free and they harvest their crop for their own sustenance and enjoyment. What was a dry time has turned to a time of abundance.
When we go through dry and dusty times we feel as if they will last forever. Some last longer than others and some people and areas have deeper reserves to weather those times. The psalmist calls us to rejoice when those times of abundance return because they remind us that God is the one who brings us abundance in the world and in our lives.
November 6, 2017
LCM
Proper 27
November12, 2017
Psalm 126
1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
(NRSV)
There is something sad about a creek bed that has nothing but a small stream in it when it obviously has been wider and deeper in the recent past. The lack of water signals that something has changed for the worse in the area. In some cases the presence or lack of water is seasonal, in others it is a sign of a more lasting change. The Negeb is a desert area whose pools and streams get filled and connected during heavy rains. What is usually dry fills with water, to the relief of the people, plants, and animals who depend on the water that is available.
The nation may be coming out of a time of oppression of some kind. The psalmist asks that God restore the fortunes of the nation in the way the desert is restored by water. It may be a brief respite from the dry conditions, however it is sufficient to sustain life until the next time. Though they were conquered and oppressed as they planted seeds to feed their oppressors, they are now free and they harvest their crop for their own sustenance and enjoyment. What was a dry time has turned to a time of abundance.
When we go through dry and dusty times we feel as if they will last forever. Some last longer than others and some people and areas have deeper reserves to weather those times. The psalmist calls us to rejoice when those times of abundance return because they remind us that God is the one who brings us abundance in the world and in our lives.
November 6, 2017
LCM
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