Psalm Meditation 968
Epiphany
January 6, 2019
Psalm 146
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
There are those who never meet a stranger. I have a feeling that most of those folks, like most of us, do not go striding confidently into an area in order to meet people with whom they have nothing in common. We don’t make it a habit to meet people who are nothing like us. Some of us are quick to make assumptions about ‘those people,’ and we are not usually kind in our assessment and assumption of them. Others are willing to reserve judgment until we have more information about them. Either way, we perceive them as ‘other’ and as strangers.
God, much to our chagrin at times, keeps reminding us that strangers are special people. There are multiple stories in Scripture about those who have welcomed strangers into their dwelling places and discovered that the strangers are divine representatives. By welcoming these particular strangers they have opened themselves to a word and task from God. How might our lives be different if Abraham had not welcomed the stranger who announced the birth of Isaac? Would it have happened anyway, or is it necessary to be open to new people in order to be opened to new experiences?
There is a special place in God’s heart for the people on the margins of society. We like to proclaim that wealth and influence are signs of God’s favor, however God has a special fondness for strangers, widows, and orphans. Perhaps the wealth God calls us to is the wonderful variety of people around us. What if our wealth is not calculated by our jobs, bank accounts, and other holdings, but by our generosity of spirit and our willingness to meet new people, and face new challenges?
December 31, 2018
LCM
Monday, December 31, 2018
Monday, December 24, 2018
Psalm Meditation 967
First Sunday After Christmas
December 30, 2018
Psalm 55
1 Give ear to my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself from my supplication.
2 Attend to me, and answer me; I am troubled in my complaint. I am distraught
3 by the noise of the enemy, because of the clamor of the wicked. For they bring trouble upon me, and in anger they cherish enmity against me.
4 My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.
6 And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;
7 truly, I would flee far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8 I would hurry to find a shelter for myself from the raging wind and tempest.”
9 Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech; for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11 ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.
12 It is not enemies who taunt me—I could bear that; it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me—I could hide from them.
13 But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend,
14 with whom I kept pleasant company; we walked in the house of God with the throng.
15 Let death come upon them; let them go down alive to Sheol; for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.
16 But I call upon God, and the LORD will save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he will hear my voice.
18 He will redeem me unharmed from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.
19 God, who is enthroned from of old, Selah will hear, and will humble them—because they do not change, and do not fear God.
20 My companion laid hands on a friend and violated a covenant with me
21 with speech smoother than butter, but with a heart set on war; with words that were softer than oil, but in fact were drawn swords.
22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
23 But you, O God, will cast them down into the lowest pit; the bloodthirsty and treacherous shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.
(NRSV)
Sometimes friends have a falling out that turns them against each other. Sometimes a friend turns into an enemy or adversary for reasons unknown to us. It may be something we said or did, and it may be something someone else said about us that turns a friend away. We wonder what we could have done to cause or contribute to this turn of events. Even if we do not know the cause, the friendship is obviously at an end. And it is deeply painful to lose a friend, more so to gain an enemy. Not only is there the loss of friendship, there is also an adversary who has intimate knowledge of our strengths and weaknesses.
Sometimes people befriend us for the sole purpose of getting that intimate knowledge of us. They want to hear our innermost secrets so they can get to know us quickly and deeply. When they feel they have enough information, the relationship ends and we have lost a friend, though they have not. It makes us feel hurt and used. The pain may last longer than that of a genuine broken friendship because of the embarrassment we feel at not being more perceptive.
God does work in our lives. People who make a habit of turning on friends eventually find themselves with no friends at all. Those they betrayed and those to whom they betrayed old friends will leave them to themselves. God sustains us in times of trial and betrayal and allows us to use what we have learned to sustain others as they go through the trial of loss and betrayal. God is with us.
December 24, 2018
LCM
First Sunday After Christmas
December 30, 2018
Psalm 55
1 Give ear to my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself from my supplication.
2 Attend to me, and answer me; I am troubled in my complaint. I am distraught
3 by the noise of the enemy, because of the clamor of the wicked. For they bring trouble upon me, and in anger they cherish enmity against me.
4 My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.
6 And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;
7 truly, I would flee far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8 I would hurry to find a shelter for myself from the raging wind and tempest.”
9 Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech; for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11 ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.
12 It is not enemies who taunt me—I could bear that; it is not adversaries who deal insolently with me—I could hide from them.
13 But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend,
14 with whom I kept pleasant company; we walked in the house of God with the throng.
15 Let death come upon them; let them go down alive to Sheol; for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.
16 But I call upon God, and the LORD will save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he will hear my voice.
18 He will redeem me unharmed from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.
19 God, who is enthroned from of old, Selah will hear, and will humble them—because they do not change, and do not fear God.
20 My companion laid hands on a friend and violated a covenant with me
21 with speech smoother than butter, but with a heart set on war; with words that were softer than oil, but in fact were drawn swords.
22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
23 But you, O God, will cast them down into the lowest pit; the bloodthirsty and treacherous shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.
(NRSV)
Sometimes friends have a falling out that turns them against each other. Sometimes a friend turns into an enemy or adversary for reasons unknown to us. It may be something we said or did, and it may be something someone else said about us that turns a friend away. We wonder what we could have done to cause or contribute to this turn of events. Even if we do not know the cause, the friendship is obviously at an end. And it is deeply painful to lose a friend, more so to gain an enemy. Not only is there the loss of friendship, there is also an adversary who has intimate knowledge of our strengths and weaknesses.
Sometimes people befriend us for the sole purpose of getting that intimate knowledge of us. They want to hear our innermost secrets so they can get to know us quickly and deeply. When they feel they have enough information, the relationship ends and we have lost a friend, though they have not. It makes us feel hurt and used. The pain may last longer than that of a genuine broken friendship because of the embarrassment we feel at not being more perceptive.
God does work in our lives. People who make a habit of turning on friends eventually find themselves with no friends at all. Those they betrayed and those to whom they betrayed old friends will leave them to themselves. God sustains us in times of trial and betrayal and allows us to use what we have learned to sustain others as they go through the trial of loss and betrayal. God is with us.
December 24, 2018
LCM
Monday, December 17, 2018
Psalm Meditation 966
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 23, 2018
Psalm 96
1 O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The LORD is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.”
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
(NRSV)
Children make a lot of their activities into races and contests, each vying to be the fastest, strongest, smartest, biggest; each vying to be the winner. One of my brothers told about playing cards with a child. The game this child wanted to play was ‘cards.’ When my brother asked about the rules of the game, he was given a set of rules. As the game progressed those rules changed repeatedly, making it more likely that the child making the rules would win. Children love to play, and they really love to win.
Children are not the only ones who change and rig the rules to make it easier for ‘us’ to win. One of the ways to make winning easier is make ‘them’ seem like bad people, or better yet, into sub-human species that make them easier to manipulate, oppress, and destroy. We tell stories about them that have just enough truth in them to make them believable, especially since we want to see ‘them’ in the worst light anyway. We do this with games, wars, wealth, and religion. We convince ourselves that ‘those’ people worship idols, while ‘we’ worship the one true God.
It is entirely possible that each group is given a different view of the one true God in hopes that we will one day be able to put together a more complete picture of who God is, what it takes to worship, and what it means to worship and serve. When we draw battle lines, we miss out on the richness of human experience including the experience of God. Perhaps God intends that we talk to each other, learn from each other, find some ways to live and serve together for a common good, a way that emphasizes cooperation as more impressive than winning.
December 17, 2018
LCM
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 23, 2018
Psalm 96
1 O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, “The LORD is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.”
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
(NRSV)
Children make a lot of their activities into races and contests, each vying to be the fastest, strongest, smartest, biggest; each vying to be the winner. One of my brothers told about playing cards with a child. The game this child wanted to play was ‘cards.’ When my brother asked about the rules of the game, he was given a set of rules. As the game progressed those rules changed repeatedly, making it more likely that the child making the rules would win. Children love to play, and they really love to win.
Children are not the only ones who change and rig the rules to make it easier for ‘us’ to win. One of the ways to make winning easier is make ‘them’ seem like bad people, or better yet, into sub-human species that make them easier to manipulate, oppress, and destroy. We tell stories about them that have just enough truth in them to make them believable, especially since we want to see ‘them’ in the worst light anyway. We do this with games, wars, wealth, and religion. We convince ourselves that ‘those’ people worship idols, while ‘we’ worship the one true God.
It is entirely possible that each group is given a different view of the one true God in hopes that we will one day be able to put together a more complete picture of who God is, what it takes to worship, and what it means to worship and serve. When we draw battle lines, we miss out on the richness of human experience including the experience of God. Perhaps God intends that we talk to each other, learn from each other, find some ways to live and serve together for a common good, a way that emphasizes cooperation as more impressive than winning.
December 17, 2018
LCM
Monday, December 10, 2018
Psalm Meditation 965
Third Sunday of Advent
December 16, 2018
Psalm 105
1 O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually.
5 Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
6 O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.”
12 When they were few in number, of little account, and strangers in it,
13 wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,
14 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account,
15 saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”
16 When he summoned famine against the land, and broke every staff of bread,
17 he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18 His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19 until what he had said came to pass, the word of the LORD kept testing him.
20 The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free.
21 He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions,
22 to instruct his officials at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom.
23 Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
24 And the LORD made his people very fruitful, and made them stronger than their foes,
25 whose hearts he then turned to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants.
26 He sent his servant Moses, and Aaron whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them, and miracles in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and made the land dark; they rebelled against his words.
29 He turned their waters into blood, and caused their fish to die.
30 Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.
32 He gave them hail for rain, and lightning that flashed through their land.
33 He struck their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke, and the locusts came, and young locusts without number;
35 they devoured all the vegetation in their land, and ate up the fruit of their ground.
36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the first issue of all their strength.
37 Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold, and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it.
39 He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night.
40 They asked, and he brought quails, and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant.
43 So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.
44 He gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
45 that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
When the intent is to give glory to God, it is possible to leave out some of the details of the relationship. We have record of the conflicts and simply choose to ignore them in this particular case. Since it is God who is being glorified there is no need to mention the ways the people involved got at cross purposes with God. There is no need to mention the disputes, grumblings, and machinations of the people involved. There is no mention of Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery out of jealousy, or of the accusation’s from Potiphar's wife that got him put into the king’s prison. There is no mention of the king who did not know Joseph and enslaved the people.
This psalm is about God. There are many other psalms and writings that go into more detail about things not going as smoothly as this psalm indicates. Sometimes it is good to set aside the conflicts and disagreements as we think about God, as well as when we think about people. One of my seminary professors told our class that when giving the eulogy at a funeral it is important to paint a complete picture of the deceased. That does not mean telling all the bad things there are about a person so much as a reminder that none of us is perfect and that our faults and flaws contribute to who we are. In the history of salvation, there have been bumps along the way as we have not followed the will of God as closely as possible. God, however, has done great things that need to be lifted up, and sometimes lifted up without mention of the conflicts involved.
There are times for brutal honesty, in which we tell the good, the bad, and the in-between about a situation and relationships. Other times we have a different intent and we may leave out some of the details for the sake of the task at hand. When we want to give glory to God for the events in salvation history, there is no reason to put in our side of the story. When we want to tell the story of our salvation, it is important to bring up all the ways we have stood in the way of our own salvation so that we can see the patience God continually displays for our sakes.
December 10, 2018
LCM
Third Sunday of Advent
December 16, 2018
Psalm 105
1 O give thanks to the LORD, call on his name, make known his deeds among the peoples.
2 Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wonderful works.
3 Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.
4 Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually.
5 Remember the wonderful works he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he has uttered,
6 O offspring of his servant Abraham, children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
7 He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He is mindful of his covenant forever, of the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant that he made with Abraham, his sworn promise to Isaac,
10 which he confirmed to Jacob as a statute, to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
11 saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.”
12 When they were few in number, of little account, and strangers in it,
13 wandering from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people,
14 he allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account,
15 saying, “Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”
16 When he summoned famine against the land, and broke every staff of bread,
17 he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave.
18 His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron;
19 until what he had said came to pass, the word of the LORD kept testing him.
20 The king sent and released him; the ruler of the peoples set him free.
21 He made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions,
22 to instruct his officials at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom.
23 Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob lived as an alien in the land of Ham.
24 And the LORD made his people very fruitful, and made them stronger than their foes,
25 whose hearts he then turned to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants.
26 He sent his servant Moses, and Aaron whom he had chosen.
27 They performed his signs among them, and miracles in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and made the land dark; they rebelled against his words.
29 He turned their waters into blood, and caused their fish to die.
30 Their land swarmed with frogs, even in the chambers of their kings.
31 He spoke, and there came swarms of flies, and gnats throughout their country.
32 He gave them hail for rain, and lightning that flashed through their land.
33 He struck their vines and fig trees, and shattered the trees of their country.
34 He spoke, and the locusts came, and young locusts without number;
35 they devoured all the vegetation in their land, and ate up the fruit of their ground.
36 He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the first issue of all their strength.
37 Then he brought Israel out with silver and gold, and there was no one among their tribes who stumbled.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it.
39 He spread a cloud for a covering, and fire to give light by night.
40 They asked, and he brought quails, and gave them food from heaven in abundance.
41 He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.
42 For he remembered his holy promise, and Abraham, his servant.
43 So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing.
44 He gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the wealth of the peoples,
45 that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
When the intent is to give glory to God, it is possible to leave out some of the details of the relationship. We have record of the conflicts and simply choose to ignore them in this particular case. Since it is God who is being glorified there is no need to mention the ways the people involved got at cross purposes with God. There is no need to mention the disputes, grumblings, and machinations of the people involved. There is no mention of Joseph’s brothers selling him into slavery out of jealousy, or of the accusation’s from Potiphar's wife that got him put into the king’s prison. There is no mention of the king who did not know Joseph and enslaved the people.
This psalm is about God. There are many other psalms and writings that go into more detail about things not going as smoothly as this psalm indicates. Sometimes it is good to set aside the conflicts and disagreements as we think about God, as well as when we think about people. One of my seminary professors told our class that when giving the eulogy at a funeral it is important to paint a complete picture of the deceased. That does not mean telling all the bad things there are about a person so much as a reminder that none of us is perfect and that our faults and flaws contribute to who we are. In the history of salvation, there have been bumps along the way as we have not followed the will of God as closely as possible. God, however, has done great things that need to be lifted up, and sometimes lifted up without mention of the conflicts involved.
There are times for brutal honesty, in which we tell the good, the bad, and the in-between about a situation and relationships. Other times we have a different intent and we may leave out some of the details for the sake of the task at hand. When we want to give glory to God for the events in salvation history, there is no reason to put in our side of the story. When we want to tell the story of our salvation, it is important to bring up all the ways we have stood in the way of our own salvation so that we can see the patience God continually displays for our sakes.
December 10, 2018
LCM
Monday, December 3, 2018
Psalm Meditation 964
Second Sunday of Advent
December 9, 2018
Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD; see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
(NRSV)
“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” Some days the most important part of this verse is the reminder to be still. We can get so agitated, inside and out, by all that needs to be done that we lose track of God. Even when, especially when, what we are doing has great value to us and those around us, it is important to stop from time to time, take a deep breath, and know that we are in the presence of God. By taking a moment to be still we realize that God is with us and we gain a wider perspective on our lives.
Waters will continue to roar, nations will continue to totter, and wars will continue to rage around us. We will be impacted by these events directly and indirectly. We will know people who are in the way of devastating events. Some of us will know people who are responsible for the terrors that surround us. We can get caught up in the seriousness of all that is going on and feel the hope drain out of us as things spiral down and all seems lost. We may begin to wonder where God is in the midst of these trials. Is God cause or cure of the hardships of life?
Being still and knowing that YHWH is God gives us a long perspective. In the midst of all the suffering, we see God as a refuge from rather than the cause of all the devastation around us. In both life and death God will be with us in a way that is impossible for anyone or anything else. God will stand with us when we are able to stand up to, ‘the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.’ God will sit with us when our energy has faded and we are overwhelmed by the tiniest thing. “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.”
December 3, 2018
LCM
Second Sunday of Advent
December 9, 2018
Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD; see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
(NRSV)
“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” Some days the most important part of this verse is the reminder to be still. We can get so agitated, inside and out, by all that needs to be done that we lose track of God. Even when, especially when, what we are doing has great value to us and those around us, it is important to stop from time to time, take a deep breath, and know that we are in the presence of God. By taking a moment to be still we realize that God is with us and we gain a wider perspective on our lives.
Waters will continue to roar, nations will continue to totter, and wars will continue to rage around us. We will be impacted by these events directly and indirectly. We will know people who are in the way of devastating events. Some of us will know people who are responsible for the terrors that surround us. We can get caught up in the seriousness of all that is going on and feel the hope drain out of us as things spiral down and all seems lost. We may begin to wonder where God is in the midst of these trials. Is God cause or cure of the hardships of life?
Being still and knowing that YHWH is God gives us a long perspective. In the midst of all the suffering, we see God as a refuge from rather than the cause of all the devastation around us. In both life and death God will be with us in a way that is impossible for anyone or anything else. God will stand with us when we are able to stand up to, ‘the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.’ God will sit with us when our energy has faded and we are overwhelmed by the tiniest thing. “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.”
December 3, 2018
LCM
Monday, November 26, 2018
Psalm Meditation 963
First Sunday of Advent
December 2, 2018
Psalm 7
1 O LORD my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me,
2 or like a lion they will tear me apart; they will drag me away, with no one to rescue.
3 O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands,
4 if I have repaid my ally with harm or plundered my foe without cause,
5 then let the enemy pursue and overtake me, trample my life to the ground, and lay my soul in the dust. Selah
6 Rise up, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake, O my God; you have appointed a judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered around you, and over it take your seat on high.
8 The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.
9 O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous, you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God.
10 God is my shield, who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day.
12 If one does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and strung his bow;
13 he has prepared his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.
14 See how they conceive evil, and are pregnant with mischief, and bring forth lies.
15 They make a pit, digging it out, and fall into the hole that they have made.
16 Their mischief returns upon their own heads, and on their own heads their violence descends.
17 I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.
(NRSV)
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if God repaid evil with punishment immediately? Well, as long as that punishment did not include us at all. We are okay with swift retaliation against those who have done some evil against us while we appreciate God’s mercy and patience when we are involved in the evil. The difficulty is that each of us is so far from innocence whether we are able to see our guilt or not. Even though the psalmist gives God permission to dole out any deserved punishment most of us are sure that we don’t really deserve the bad things we get.
Perhaps the reason God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love is to give us plenty of time to recognize and repent of our sin. Our goal is to live out the will of God for ourselves and to draw others into that same life of faithfulness. Our methods could be seen as violence against those we want to save. Some folks believe they are doing a butterfly a favor by pulling it out of its cocoon as soon as it opens. We see ourselves as helping the process by speeding it up. It turns out that we do tremendous damage by not letting it come out at its own speed. What if our attempts to get others where we are does damage to their development?
There are evil people in the world. There are people who perform evil acts. And there are people whose actions are evil though their intention is to do good for themselves and people like them, and maybe even for those who see their actions as evil and destructive. God is willing and able to sort out actions from motives. God is willing and able to be patient with each one of us as we come to realize that our best intentions led to evil consequences and we are drawn to repentance. God is willing and able to watch over us as those who have done evil to us realize that their best intentions led to evil consequences and they are drawn to repentance
November 26, 2018
LCM
First Sunday of Advent
December 2, 2018
Psalm 7
1 O LORD my God, in you I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me,
2 or like a lion they will tear me apart; they will drag me away, with no one to rescue.
3 O LORD my God, if I have done this, if there is wrong in my hands,
4 if I have repaid my ally with harm or plundered my foe without cause,
5 then let the enemy pursue and overtake me, trample my life to the ground, and lay my soul in the dust. Selah
6 Rise up, O LORD, in your anger; lift yourself up against the fury of my enemies; awake, O my God; you have appointed a judgment.
7 Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered around you, and over it take your seat on high.
8 The LORD judges the peoples; judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.
9 O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous, you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God.
10 God is my shield, who saves the upright in heart.
11 God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day.
12 If one does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and strung his bow;
13 he has prepared his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts.
14 See how they conceive evil, and are pregnant with mischief, and bring forth lies.
15 They make a pit, digging it out, and fall into the hole that they have made.
16 Their mischief returns upon their own heads, and on their own heads their violence descends.
17 I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.
(NRSV)
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if God repaid evil with punishment immediately? Well, as long as that punishment did not include us at all. We are okay with swift retaliation against those who have done some evil against us while we appreciate God’s mercy and patience when we are involved in the evil. The difficulty is that each of us is so far from innocence whether we are able to see our guilt or not. Even though the psalmist gives God permission to dole out any deserved punishment most of us are sure that we don’t really deserve the bad things we get.
Perhaps the reason God is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love is to give us plenty of time to recognize and repent of our sin. Our goal is to live out the will of God for ourselves and to draw others into that same life of faithfulness. Our methods could be seen as violence against those we want to save. Some folks believe they are doing a butterfly a favor by pulling it out of its cocoon as soon as it opens. We see ourselves as helping the process by speeding it up. It turns out that we do tremendous damage by not letting it come out at its own speed. What if our attempts to get others where we are does damage to their development?
There are evil people in the world. There are people who perform evil acts. And there are people whose actions are evil though their intention is to do good for themselves and people like them, and maybe even for those who see their actions as evil and destructive. God is willing and able to sort out actions from motives. God is willing and able to be patient with each one of us as we come to realize that our best intentions led to evil consequences and we are drawn to repentance. God is willing and able to watch over us as those who have done evil to us realize that their best intentions led to evil consequences and they are drawn to repentance
November 26, 2018
LCM
Monday, November 19, 2018
Psalm Meditation 962
Reign of Christ
November 25, 2018
Psalm 144
1 Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;
2 my rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues the peoples under me.
3 O LORD, what are human beings that you regard them, or mortals that you think of them?
4 They are like a breath; their days are like a passing shadow.
5 Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains so that they smoke.
6 Make the lightning flash and scatter them; send out your arrows and rout them.
7 Stretch out your hand from on high; set me free and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hand of aliens,
8 whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hands are false.
9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 the one who gives victory to kings, who rescues his servant David.
11 Rescue me from the cruel sword, and deliver me from the hand of aliens, whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hands are false.
12 May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars, cut for the building of a palace.
13 May our barns be filled, with produce of every kind; may our sheep increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields,
14 and may our cattle be heavy with young. May there be no breach in the walls, no exile, and no cry of distress in our streets.
15 Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall; happy are the people whose God is the LORD.
(NRSV)
A great way to turn an adversary into an enemy is to demonize them. Turn folks into aliens who only deal in falsehood and violence and we are well on our way to having an enemy with whom we need no contact whatsoever. If we can’t bring ourselves to paint ‘those people’ as liars, killers, and cheats we can at least paint them as idiots who wouldn’t know the truth if it came up and slapped them in the face. Currently, we are even doing this with each other. People of other parties and perspectives, people with strong beliefs with which we disagree are branded as evil and alien.
Interestingly, when we meet face to face we can carry on conversations as if we saw the other as mistaken rather than pure evil. It is from a distance that we are able to fire our various slings and arrows. The distance is not always geographic, it can also be in ways that are more psychological than physical. If I already believe that you are one of ‘them’ the barriers I place between us will be insurmountable even by contact.
When we see ‘those’ people as children of God, as redeemed by the same power and presence as ourselves, we begin to heal our rifts and divisions. When we can look past our disagreements to see a person with faults and flaws as well as with hopes and dreams, we see a whole person with whom we have a disagreement rather than an evil presence taking up space in a world that belongs to me and my kind. I am sure that God loves more folks than any one of us believes is possible. “Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall; happy are the people whose God is the LORD.”
November 19, 2018
LCM
Reign of Christ
November 25, 2018
Psalm 144
1 Blessed be the LORD, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle;
2 my rock and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues the peoples under me.
3 O LORD, what are human beings that you regard them, or mortals that you think of them?
4 They are like a breath; their days are like a passing shadow.
5 Bow your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains so that they smoke.
6 Make the lightning flash and scatter them; send out your arrows and rout them.
7 Stretch out your hand from on high; set me free and rescue me from the mighty waters, from the hand of aliens,
8 whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hands are false.
9 I will sing a new song to you, O God; upon a ten-stringed harp I will play to you,
10 the one who gives victory to kings, who rescues his servant David.
11 Rescue me from the cruel sword, and deliver me from the hand of aliens, whose mouths speak lies, and whose right hands are false.
12 May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars, cut for the building of a palace.
13 May our barns be filled, with produce of every kind; may our sheep increase by thousands, by tens of thousands in our fields,
14 and may our cattle be heavy with young. May there be no breach in the walls, no exile, and no cry of distress in our streets.
15 Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall; happy are the people whose God is the LORD.
(NRSV)
A great way to turn an adversary into an enemy is to demonize them. Turn folks into aliens who only deal in falsehood and violence and we are well on our way to having an enemy with whom we need no contact whatsoever. If we can’t bring ourselves to paint ‘those people’ as liars, killers, and cheats we can at least paint them as idiots who wouldn’t know the truth if it came up and slapped them in the face. Currently, we are even doing this with each other. People of other parties and perspectives, people with strong beliefs with which we disagree are branded as evil and alien.
Interestingly, when we meet face to face we can carry on conversations as if we saw the other as mistaken rather than pure evil. It is from a distance that we are able to fire our various slings and arrows. The distance is not always geographic, it can also be in ways that are more psychological than physical. If I already believe that you are one of ‘them’ the barriers I place between us will be insurmountable even by contact.
When we see ‘those’ people as children of God, as redeemed by the same power and presence as ourselves, we begin to heal our rifts and divisions. When we can look past our disagreements to see a person with faults and flaws as well as with hopes and dreams, we see a whole person with whom we have a disagreement rather than an evil presence taking up space in a world that belongs to me and my kind. I am sure that God loves more folks than any one of us believes is possible. “Happy are the people to whom such blessings fall; happy are the people whose God is the LORD.”
November 19, 2018
LCM
Monday, November 12, 2018
Psalm Meditation 961
Proper 28
November 18, 2018
Psalm 57
1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
(NRSV)
Children have a habit of looking parents in the eye as they break the rules they have been given. I have discovered they do the same thing to grandparents. It is annoying, to say the least, and can be dangerous depending on the rule. They can test our promises of love and protection in the same way. When the psalmist writes, “I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey;” I know there are those who have done that in order to see if God will rescue them.
One of my professors in seminary opened a class session with the question, “As parents, how do you know you have lost control of your children?” None of us answered because we didn’t want to admit that we ever lost control of our children so he answered his own question. “You know you have lost control when you have to reach out and physically restrain your children.” He continued, “God does not lose control.” If we happen to lie down among lions, or are forced to lie down among them, God will be with us. If we choose to lie down among lions in order to test God’s presence, God will be with us. No matter what, there will be consequences. God is with us. That does not mean we will be delivered from the consequences of our actions.
The love of God reaches from the heights to the depths and on every side of us. We can doubt it and ignore it. We can test it to disprove it. We can test it until we learn to trust it. No matter what, God is with us, offering us steadfast love and presence. God does not save us by snatching us out of harm’s way, God saves us by being with us and loving us in every situation in which we find ourselves. “For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.”
November 12, 2018
LCM
Proper 28
November 18, 2018
Psalm 57
1 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by.
2 I cry to God Most High, to God who fulfills his purpose for me.
3 He will send from heaven and save me, he will put to shame those who trample on me. Selah God will send forth his steadfast love and his faithfulness.
4 I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey; their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues sharp swords.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down. They dug a pit in my path, but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
7 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing and make melody.
8 Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
9 I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
10 For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds.
11 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.
(NRSV)
Children have a habit of looking parents in the eye as they break the rules they have been given. I have discovered they do the same thing to grandparents. It is annoying, to say the least, and can be dangerous depending on the rule. They can test our promises of love and protection in the same way. When the psalmist writes, “I lie down among lions that greedily devour human prey;” I know there are those who have done that in order to see if God will rescue them.
One of my professors in seminary opened a class session with the question, “As parents, how do you know you have lost control of your children?” None of us answered because we didn’t want to admit that we ever lost control of our children so he answered his own question. “You know you have lost control when you have to reach out and physically restrain your children.” He continued, “God does not lose control.” If we happen to lie down among lions, or are forced to lie down among them, God will be with us. If we choose to lie down among lions in order to test God’s presence, God will be with us. No matter what, there will be consequences. God is with us. That does not mean we will be delivered from the consequences of our actions.
The love of God reaches from the heights to the depths and on every side of us. We can doubt it and ignore it. We can test it to disprove it. We can test it until we learn to trust it. No matter what, God is with us, offering us steadfast love and presence. God does not save us by snatching us out of harm’s way, God saves us by being with us and loving us in every situation in which we find ourselves. “For your steadfast love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness extends to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.”
November 12, 2018
LCM
Wednesday, November 7, 2018
Psalm Meditation 960
Proper 27
November11, 2018
Psalm 94
1 O LORD, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve!
3 O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the orphan,
7 and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
8 Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, he who teaches knowledge to humankind, does he not chastise?
11 The LORD knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath.
12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law,
13 giving them respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot is slipping,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who contrive mischief by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out.
(NRSV)
We like to see ourselves as the protagonists, the ones God will rescue from the evil oppressors. God will take our weakness and turn it into strength. God will take our victimhood and allow us to rise up as conquerors. God will take our precarious footing and place us on steady ground. That is the way we like to look at these psalms. What if these are written by and for the people we readily take advantage? We if this psalm is written by those we fail to notice, and if we do notice we discount them as inconsequential? What if we are the bad guys?
Most of us are able to look up and see people with more power and influence than we ever hope to wield. We see those who can buy and sell us and we feel as if we are victims because of our lack. We feel oppressed because someone up there can tell us what to do. We feel righteously indignant because there are those whose independence makes us feel dependent. We look up and see that ‘those’ people need lessons in how to treat people like us. We could, and don’t look down to see those who are looking up at us with the same sense of oppression.
While we like to be the ones God rescues from the bad and reckless big people, many of us are bad and reckless to those who look up at us from lower rungs on the ladder of wealth and power. Each of us does well to consider how those with less than we might see us. Are we seen as kind and generous or angry and stingy? Are we seen as gentle and understanding or as insistent bullies? Are we perceived as those who lead people to God or those who drive people to God? Are we the good people we see ourselves to be or as those in need of discipline and training at the hand of God? Do we look to God for strength or do we stand against God in iniquity?
November 7, 2018
LCM
Proper 27
November11, 2018
Psalm 94
1 O LORD, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve!
3 O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the orphan,
7 and they say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.”
8 Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, he who teaches knowledge to humankind, does he not chastise?
11 The LORD knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath.
12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law,
13 giving them respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, “My foot is slipping,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who contrive mischief by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will repay them for their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out.
(NRSV)
We like to see ourselves as the protagonists, the ones God will rescue from the evil oppressors. God will take our weakness and turn it into strength. God will take our victimhood and allow us to rise up as conquerors. God will take our precarious footing and place us on steady ground. That is the way we like to look at these psalms. What if these are written by and for the people we readily take advantage? We if this psalm is written by those we fail to notice, and if we do notice we discount them as inconsequential? What if we are the bad guys?
Most of us are able to look up and see people with more power and influence than we ever hope to wield. We see those who can buy and sell us and we feel as if we are victims because of our lack. We feel oppressed because someone up there can tell us what to do. We feel righteously indignant because there are those whose independence makes us feel dependent. We look up and see that ‘those’ people need lessons in how to treat people like us. We could, and don’t look down to see those who are looking up at us with the same sense of oppression.
While we like to be the ones God rescues from the bad and reckless big people, many of us are bad and reckless to those who look up at us from lower rungs on the ladder of wealth and power. Each of us does well to consider how those with less than we might see us. Are we seen as kind and generous or angry and stingy? Are we seen as gentle and understanding or as insistent bullies? Are we perceived as those who lead people to God or those who drive people to God? Are we the good people we see ourselves to be or as those in need of discipline and training at the hand of God? Do we look to God for strength or do we stand against God in iniquity?
November 7, 2018
LCM
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Psalm Meditation 959
All Saint’s Sunday
November 4, 2018
Psalm 107
1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in misery and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they fell down, with no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;
14 he brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder.
15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;
20 he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the mighty waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their calamity;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunkards, and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out from their distress;
29 he made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry live, and they establish a town to live in;
37 they sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle decrease.
39 When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of distress, and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad; and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43 Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
(NRSV)
‘Those’ people are often seen as a single group who all think and behave as one. We can ask anyone we see as other what ‘their’ people think and do in a given situation so that we have a handle on the entire group. It seems so easy. All of ‘’those’ people are alike as far as I’m concerned so it must be possible to discover who ‘they’ are by asking one person all the questions we might have about a given religion, race, political party, or age group that is not our own.
The psalmist goes through the variety of ways people found themselves separated from God. Some wandered, looking for a place to live. Some sat, living in a darkness not of their own making. Some were sickened by their own sin. Some worked on the sea, the home of chaos. In a variety of ways people found themselves in need of the steadfast love of God and cried out for it. Whether we see the psalmist’s people as ‘them’ because they are of a different time and generation, or because they are of a different faith we can see that there is no one way for ‘them’ to act.
They all cry out to God and are met by the steadfast love of God where they are. And God provides what they need to escape the current predicament as they move back into the presence of God. We too can be met by God no matter our circumstances, no matter our needs and wants. The steadfast love of God finds us where we are, offers us what we lack, and moves us into the presence of God.
October 30, 2018
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
All Saint’s Sunday
November 4, 2018
Psalm 107
1 O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in misery and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they fell down, with no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;
14 he brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder.
15 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
16 For he shatters the doors of bronze, and cuts in two the bars of iron.
17 Some were sick through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities endured affliction;
18 they loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.
19 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;
20 he sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from destruction.
21 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
22 And let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.
23 Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the mighty waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the LORD, his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven, they went down to the depths; their courage melted away in their calamity;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunkards, and were at their wits’ end.
28 Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out from their distress;
29 he made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.
33 He turns rivers into a desert, springs of water into thirsty ground,
34 a fruitful land into a salty waste, because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
35 He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.
36 And there he lets the hungry live, and they establish a town to live in;
37 they sow fields, and plant vineyards, and get a fruitful yield.
38 By his blessing they multiply greatly, and he does not let their cattle decrease.
39 When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of distress, and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad; and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43 Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
(NRSV)
‘Those’ people are often seen as a single group who all think and behave as one. We can ask anyone we see as other what ‘their’ people think and do in a given situation so that we have a handle on the entire group. It seems so easy. All of ‘’those’ people are alike as far as I’m concerned so it must be possible to discover who ‘they’ are by asking one person all the questions we might have about a given religion, race, political party, or age group that is not our own.
The psalmist goes through the variety of ways people found themselves separated from God. Some wandered, looking for a place to live. Some sat, living in a darkness not of their own making. Some were sickened by their own sin. Some worked on the sea, the home of chaos. In a variety of ways people found themselves in need of the steadfast love of God and cried out for it. Whether we see the psalmist’s people as ‘them’ because they are of a different time and generation, or because they are of a different faith we can see that there is no one way for ‘them’ to act.
They all cry out to God and are met by the steadfast love of God where they are. And God provides what they need to escape the current predicament as they move back into the presence of God. We too can be met by God no matter our circumstances, no matter our needs and wants. The steadfast love of God finds us where we are, offers us what we lack, and moves us into the presence of God.
October 30, 2018
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, October 22, 2018
Psalm Meditation 958
Proper 25
October 28, 2018
Psalm 44
1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our ancestors have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:
2 you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free;
3 for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm give them victory; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your countenance, for you delighted in them.
4 You are my King and my God; you command victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push down our foes; through your name we tread down our assailants.
6 For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.
7 But you have saved us from our foes, and have put to confusion those who hate us.
8 In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
9 Yet you have rejected us and abased us, and have not gone out with our armies.
10 You made us turn back from the foe, and our enemies have gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter, and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You have sold your people for a trifle, demanding no high price for them.
13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, the derision and scorn of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face
16 at the words of the taunters and revilers, at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has come upon us, yet we have not forgotten you, or been false to your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from your way,
19 yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals, and covered us with deep darkness.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God, or spread out our hands to a strange god,
21 would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Because of you we are being killed all day long, and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not cast us off forever!
24 Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For we sink down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.
(NRSV)
It seems to be a new phenomenon, for us to believe we can save ourselves in the name of God, however it shows up in this psalm. As we look to the past we can see the hand of God in the victories that have brought us to where we are today. If there is the slightest setback or delay in the hand of God coming to our rescue we find ourselves ready to jump in to do what we see needs to be done in order to protect ourselves from harm at the hand of our enemies. We are well aware of what God intends to happen to us. It is God’s intention that we have everything we want and need. If there is any delay in those good things coming our way, it falls to us to secure it for ourselves, and always we act in the name of God.
What if. What if what we desire for ourselves is not what God sees as desirable, holy or acceptable for us. What if we are acting in our own self-interest rather than in the interest and will of God for us? There is a distinctive line between what we want and when we want it, and what God wants for us and when. It is when we are acting on our own that God seems to delay in stepping up to help us achieve these goal and objectives. When we get fixated on something it is hard to see that it may not be anywhere near what is good and holy for us. It is difficult to see that God is not in this. It is difficult to see that we are acting out of fear and selfishness rather than the direction of God.
God is with us in every time and place so it is easy for us to see that presence as support of every selfish, harebrained scheme that comes to mind. God is not interested in money, wealth, and power at the expense of relationships. God would rather we lose out on some of the ‘stuff’ around us if it means we turn to the people around us to achieve some common goal. That God is with us does not mean that we are actively pursuing the will of God. God may be poking and prodding us in a different direction than the one we have chosen. God may be active in setting up the roadblocks we encounter as a way to point us toward a new direction. God is always with us, but that may not mean what we think it means. “Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.”
October 22, 2018
LCM
Proper 25
October 28, 2018
Psalm 44
1 We have heard with our ears, O God, our ancestors have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:
2 you with your own hand drove out the nations, but them you planted; you afflicted the peoples, but them you set free;
3 for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm give them victory; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your countenance, for you delighted in them.
4 You are my King and my God; you command victories for Jacob.
5 Through you we push down our foes; through your name we tread down our assailants.
6 For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me.
7 But you have saved us from our foes, and have put to confusion those who hate us.
8 In God we have boasted continually, and we will give thanks to your name forever. Selah
9 Yet you have rejected us and abased us, and have not gone out with our armies.
10 You made us turn back from the foe, and our enemies have gotten spoil.
11 You have made us like sheep for slaughter, and have scattered us among the nations.
12 You have sold your people for a trifle, demanding no high price for them.
13 You have made us the taunt of our neighbors, the derision and scorn of those around us.
14 You have made us a byword among the nations, a laughingstock among the peoples.
15 All day long my disgrace is before me, and shame has covered my face
16 at the words of the taunters and revilers, at the sight of the enemy and the avenger.
17 All this has come upon us, yet we have not forgotten you, or been false to your covenant.
18 Our heart has not turned back, nor have our steps departed from your way,
19 yet you have broken us in the haunt of jackals, and covered us with deep darkness.
20 If we had forgotten the name of our God, or spread out our hands to a strange god,
21 would not God discover this? For he knows the secrets of the heart.
22 Because of you we are being killed all day long, and accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
23 Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not cast us off forever!
24 Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression?
25 For we sink down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground.
26 Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.
(NRSV)
It seems to be a new phenomenon, for us to believe we can save ourselves in the name of God, however it shows up in this psalm. As we look to the past we can see the hand of God in the victories that have brought us to where we are today. If there is the slightest setback or delay in the hand of God coming to our rescue we find ourselves ready to jump in to do what we see needs to be done in order to protect ourselves from harm at the hand of our enemies. We are well aware of what God intends to happen to us. It is God’s intention that we have everything we want and need. If there is any delay in those good things coming our way, it falls to us to secure it for ourselves, and always we act in the name of God.
What if. What if what we desire for ourselves is not what God sees as desirable, holy or acceptable for us. What if we are acting in our own self-interest rather than in the interest and will of God for us? There is a distinctive line between what we want and when we want it, and what God wants for us and when. It is when we are acting on our own that God seems to delay in stepping up to help us achieve these goal and objectives. When we get fixated on something it is hard to see that it may not be anywhere near what is good and holy for us. It is difficult to see that God is not in this. It is difficult to see that we are acting out of fear and selfishness rather than the direction of God.
God is with us in every time and place so it is easy for us to see that presence as support of every selfish, harebrained scheme that comes to mind. God is not interested in money, wealth, and power at the expense of relationships. God would rather we lose out on some of the ‘stuff’ around us if it means we turn to the people around us to achieve some common goal. That God is with us does not mean that we are actively pursuing the will of God. God may be poking and prodding us in a different direction than the one we have chosen. God may be active in setting up the roadblocks we encounter as a way to point us toward a new direction. God is always with us, but that may not mean what we think it means. “Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love.”
October 22, 2018
LCM
Monday, October 15, 2018
Psalm Meditation 957
Proper 24
October 21, 2018
Psalm 9
1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before you.
4 For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity.
9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion. Declare his deeds among the peoples.
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O Lord. See what I suffer from those who hate me; you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14 so that I may recount all your praises, and, in the gates of daughter Zion, rejoice in your deliverance.
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16 The Lord has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19 Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord; let the nations know that they are only human. Selah
(NRSV)
According to research, the lower one sinks into poverty that leads to loss of control in life the more deeply one trusts in God. In our prosperity gospel emphasis it would seem that the more one gets, the more one would accept that there is a god who rewards us with riches and punishes ‘those people’ with the poverty they deserve. However, it those who have nothing, and few prospects of getting anything, who are the most likely to believe in God, who rescues the downtrodden and oppressed. It may be that God keeps folks from sinking further into lack of resources and God may offer a bit of help and hope to rise above the current state.
In the depths of need God is there to offer solace and comfort to those who otherwise have no hope and no prospects for survival except by the grace and mercy of God. The psalmist knows that those who have something to lose, will lose it one day. The riches and resources will dry up, be taken away by others, or the owner will die, leaving the resources for another to claim. Those who have nothing but faith in God will always God’s presence in life, in death, in life beyond death.
While we are tempted to see ourselves on the side of God as we read Scripture, chances are good in this case that we can number ourselves among the oppressors and those who hold others down by our sins of omission or of commission. Fortunately, God is gracious and merciful to oppressor and oppressed alike. We can use a portion of our wherewithal to help those who are oppressed stay where they are and perhaps take a step toward the level of ease and comfort in which we live, by the grace of God.
October 15, 2018
LCM
Proper 24
October 21, 2018
Psalm 9
1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before you.
4 For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity.
9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion. Declare his deeds among the peoples.
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O Lord. See what I suffer from those who hate me; you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14 so that I may recount all your praises, and, in the gates of daughter Zion, rejoice in your deliverance.
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16 The Lord has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19 Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord; let the nations know that they are only human. Selah
(NRSV)
According to research, the lower one sinks into poverty that leads to loss of control in life the more deeply one trusts in God. In our prosperity gospel emphasis it would seem that the more one gets, the more one would accept that there is a god who rewards us with riches and punishes ‘those people’ with the poverty they deserve. However, it those who have nothing, and few prospects of getting anything, who are the most likely to believe in God, who rescues the downtrodden and oppressed. It may be that God keeps folks from sinking further into lack of resources and God may offer a bit of help and hope to rise above the current state.
In the depths of need God is there to offer solace and comfort to those who otherwise have no hope and no prospects for survival except by the grace and mercy of God. The psalmist knows that those who have something to lose, will lose it one day. The riches and resources will dry up, be taken away by others, or the owner will die, leaving the resources for another to claim. Those who have nothing but faith in God will always God’s presence in life, in death, in life beyond death.
While we are tempted to see ourselves on the side of God as we read Scripture, chances are good in this case that we can number ourselves among the oppressors and those who hold others down by our sins of omission or of commission. Fortunately, God is gracious and merciful to oppressor and oppressed alike. We can use a portion of our wherewithal to help those who are oppressed stay where they are and perhaps take a step toward the level of ease and comfort in which we live, by the grace of God.
October 15, 2018
LCM
Psalm Meditation 957
Proper 24
October 21, 2018
Psalm 9
1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before you.
4 For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity.
9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion. Declare his deeds among the peoples.
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O Lord. See what I suffer from those who hate me; you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14 so that I may recount all your praises, and, in the gates of daughter Zion, rejoice in your deliverance.
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16 The Lord has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19 Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord; let the nations know that they are only human. Selah
(NRSV)
According to research, the lower one sinks into poverty that leads to loss of control in life the more deeply one trusts in God. In our prosperity gospel emphasis it would seem that the more one gets, the more one would accept that there is a god who rewards us with riches and punishes ‘those people’ with the poverty they deserve. However, it those who have nothing, and few prospects of getting anything, who are the most likely to believe in God, who rescues the downtrodden and oppressed. It may be that God keeps folks from sinking further into lack of resources and God may offer a bit of help and hope to rise above the current state.
In the depths of need God is there to offer solace and comfort to those who otherwise have no hope and no prospects for survival except by the grace and mercy of God. The psalmist knows that those who have something to lose, will lose it one day. The riches and resources will dry up, be taken away by others, or the owner will die, leaving the resources for another to claim. Those who have nothing but faith in God will always God’s presence in life, in death, in life beyond death.
While we are tempted to see ourselves on the side of God as we read Scripture, chances are good in this case that we can number ourselves among the oppressors and those who hold others down by our sins of omission or of commission. Fortunately, God is gracious and merciful to oppressor and oppressed alike. We can use a portion of our wherewithal to help those who are oppressed stay where they are and perhaps take a step toward the level of ease and comfort in which we live, by the grace of God.
October 15, 2018
LCM psalm 9, psalms
Proper 24
October 21, 2018
Psalm 9
1 I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before you.
4 For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the Lord sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity.
9 The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion. Declare his deeds among the peoples.
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O Lord. See what I suffer from those who hate me; you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14 so that I may recount all your praises, and, in the gates of daughter Zion, rejoice in your deliverance.
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16 The Lord has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19 Rise up, O Lord! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you.
20 Put them in fear, O Lord; let the nations know that they are only human. Selah
(NRSV)
According to research, the lower one sinks into poverty that leads to loss of control in life the more deeply one trusts in God. In our prosperity gospel emphasis it would seem that the more one gets, the more one would accept that there is a god who rewards us with riches and punishes ‘those people’ with the poverty they deserve. However, it those who have nothing, and few prospects of getting anything, who are the most likely to believe in God, who rescues the downtrodden and oppressed. It may be that God keeps folks from sinking further into lack of resources and God may offer a bit of help and hope to rise above the current state.
In the depths of need God is there to offer solace and comfort to those who otherwise have no hope and no prospects for survival except by the grace and mercy of God. The psalmist knows that those who have something to lose, will lose it one day. The riches and resources will dry up, be taken away by others, or the owner will die, leaving the resources for another to claim. Those who have nothing but faith in God will always God’s presence in life, in death, in life beyond death.
While we are tempted to see ourselves on the side of God as we read Scripture, chances are good in this case that we can number ourselves among the oppressors and those who hold others down by our sins of omission or of commission. Fortunately, God is gracious and merciful to oppressor and oppressed alike. We can use a portion of our wherewithal to help those who are oppressed stay where they are and perhaps take a step toward the level of ease and comfort in which we live, by the grace of God.
October 15, 2018
LCM psalm 9, psalms
Monday, October 8, 2018
Psalm Meditation 956
Proper 23
October 14, 2018
Psalm 142
1 With my voice I cry to the LORD; with my voice I make supplication to the LORD.
2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit is faint, you know my way. In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look on my right hand and see—there is no one who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me.
5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low. Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
7 Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.
(NRSV)
Sometimes the restraints we feel are of our own making. We feel put upon by external influences even when the real pressure is from within. Someone cautions us to stay out of the street because there is a lot of traffic today and then that person walks away. The warning is external. If we stay out of the traffic, the pressure is all from within us. Most of us become aware of the difference in adolescence. We hear the cautions and warnings and heed them. While the constraints have been internalized we may experience them as external.
Other times we wish we still had the physical restraints because we have become dependent on them. When we have learned to ride a bicycle with training wheels, it is a scary experience to take those first few rides without them. We have freedom we are not quite sure we are ready to experience. It takes a few rides to recognize that we have internalized the help the training wheels give. We have our own sense of balance that is not dependent on the extra set of wheels.
Is the psalmist feeling lost and alone due to being trusted with new skills or responsibilities or actually being ignored by friend and foe alike? Either way, the psalmist looks to God for help and comfort. We don’t know if there is a need for comfort from a sense of abandonment or encouragement in a new test of skill and responsibility. Both are daunting. The two experiences can feel similar. And God is available to the psalmist and to us in either situation. God can sit with us when we feel abandoned from being ignored and can cheer us on when we feel abandoned in the pressure of acting on our own.
October 8, 2018
LCM
Proper 23
October 14, 2018
Psalm 142
1 With my voice I cry to the LORD; with my voice I make supplication to the LORD.
2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit is faint, you know my way. In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look on my right hand and see—there is no one who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me.
5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low. Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
7 Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.
(NRSV)
Sometimes the restraints we feel are of our own making. We feel put upon by external influences even when the real pressure is from within. Someone cautions us to stay out of the street because there is a lot of traffic today and then that person walks away. The warning is external. If we stay out of the traffic, the pressure is all from within us. Most of us become aware of the difference in adolescence. We hear the cautions and warnings and heed them. While the constraints have been internalized we may experience them as external.
Other times we wish we still had the physical restraints because we have become dependent on them. When we have learned to ride a bicycle with training wheels, it is a scary experience to take those first few rides without them. We have freedom we are not quite sure we are ready to experience. It takes a few rides to recognize that we have internalized the help the training wheels give. We have our own sense of balance that is not dependent on the extra set of wheels.
Is the psalmist feeling lost and alone due to being trusted with new skills or responsibilities or actually being ignored by friend and foe alike? Either way, the psalmist looks to God for help and comfort. We don’t know if there is a need for comfort from a sense of abandonment or encouragement in a new test of skill and responsibility. Both are daunting. The two experiences can feel similar. And God is available to the psalmist and to us in either situation. God can sit with us when we feel abandoned from being ignored and can cheer us on when we feel abandoned in the pressure of acting on our own.
October 8, 2018
LCM
Monday, October 1, 2018
Psalm Meditation 955
Proper 22
October 7, 2018
Psalm 59
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work evil; from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths, with sharp words on their lips—for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
8 But you laugh at them, O LORD; you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget; make them totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath; consume them until they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah
14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for food, and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
(NRSV)
When things are not going our way we are tempted to believe that God is asleep, at the very least, not paying attention. We wonder how God could let us suffer when we have been so good and faithful in our relationship with God. The psalmist calls on God, “You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.” Since we are in trouble God must be asleep.
We can’t imagine that, after promising to be with us all the time, God would let us suffer at the hands of evildoers of any kind. Since it does happen, what is going on in the mind and heart of God? It could be that God is using this as an opportunity to teach us self-sufficiency. It could be that it is not as big an issue for God as it is for us. It could be that we are in the wrong and God is prodding us to acknowledge, confess, and repent of our current course of action. It could be that the folks on the other side of the conflict are also wrong and we all need to suck it up, apologize, reconcile, and move on.
If God is not doing what we would expect God to do, that does not mean that God is not active in the situation at hand. In those times, it is good to sit back and look at where God is at work. By seeing the hand of God we can adjust our thoughts, words, and behavior to line up with God. We don’t want to be those who, “Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.” We want to be the people who, “will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.”
October 1, 2018
LCM
Proper 22
October 7, 2018
Psalm 59
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; protect me from those who rise up against me.
2 Deliver me from those who work evil; from the bloodthirsty save me.
3 Even now they lie in wait for my life; the mighty stir up strife against me. For no transgression or sin of mine, O LORD,
4 for no fault of mine, they run and make ready. Rouse yourself, come to my help and see!
5 You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil. Selah
6 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
7 There they are, bellowing with their mouths, with sharp words on their lips—for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?”
8 But you laugh at them, O LORD; you hold all the nations in derision.
9 O my strength, I will watch for you; for you, O God, are my fortress.
10 My God in his steadfast love will meet me; my God will let me look in triumph on my enemies.
11 Do not kill them, or my people may forget; make them totter by your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
12 For the sin of their mouths, the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride. For the cursing and lies that they utter,
13 consume them in wrath; consume them until they are no more. Then it will be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah
14 Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.
15 They roam about for food, and growl if they do not get their fill.
16 But I will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.
17 O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
(NRSV)
When things are not going our way we are tempted to believe that God is asleep, at the very least, not paying attention. We wonder how God could let us suffer when we have been so good and faithful in our relationship with God. The psalmist calls on God, “You, LORD God of hosts, are God of Israel. Awake to punish all the nations; spare none of those who treacherously plot evil.” Since we are in trouble God must be asleep.
We can’t imagine that, after promising to be with us all the time, God would let us suffer at the hands of evildoers of any kind. Since it does happen, what is going on in the mind and heart of God? It could be that God is using this as an opportunity to teach us self-sufficiency. It could be that it is not as big an issue for God as it is for us. It could be that we are in the wrong and God is prodding us to acknowledge, confess, and repent of our current course of action. It could be that the folks on the other side of the conflict are also wrong and we all need to suck it up, apologize, reconcile, and move on.
If God is not doing what we would expect God to do, that does not mean that God is not active in the situation at hand. In those times, it is good to sit back and look at where God is at work. By seeing the hand of God we can adjust our thoughts, words, and behavior to line up with God. We don’t want to be those who, “Each evening they come back, howling like dogs and prowling about the city.” We want to be the people who, “will sing of your might; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been a fortress for me and a refuge in the day of my distress.”
October 1, 2018
LCM
Monday, September 24, 2018
Psalm Meditation 954
Proper 21
September 30, 2018
Psalm 92
1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD , to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O LORD , have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5 How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!
6 The dullard cannot know, the stupid cannot understand this:
7 though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever,
8 but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
9 For your enemies, O LORD, for your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.
10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap,
15 showing that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
(NRSV)
Sometimes it is good to spend some time thanking God, to go through the list of good things that have happened because the LORD is present among us. The psalmist has a list of things that God has done and is doing, from loving us to delivering us from the people and circumstances that have held us down. The psalmist includes a jab at those who can’t or won’t see that God is always at work doing great things with and for us.
We can each make our own list of good things that God causes and permits to go on in and around us. There is an accomplishment that to the untrained eye we have done by ourselves. We are able to thank God for giving us the strength, stamina, motivation, and willingness to complete. There is a conflict that has loomed before us that we have faced and brought to resolution by the help, grace, and presence of God. We have seen God at work around us in a way that lifts our spirits and makes us grateful. Our list can be small or large, and we give thanks to God.
Some have the eloquence and ability to rival the words and phrases of the psalmist, while others make a list of bullet points for which they are thankful. God knows our gifts. The important part is the list, the ability to see God at work in the ordinary as well as the extra-ordinary. “For you, O LORD , have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.”
September 24, 2018
LCM
Proper 21
September 30, 2018
Psalm 92
1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD , to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O LORD , have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5 How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!
6 The dullard cannot know, the stupid cannot understand this:
7 though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever,
8 but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
9 For your enemies, O LORD, for your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.
10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap,
15 showing that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
(NRSV)
Sometimes it is good to spend some time thanking God, to go through the list of good things that have happened because the LORD is present among us. The psalmist has a list of things that God has done and is doing, from loving us to delivering us from the people and circumstances that have held us down. The psalmist includes a jab at those who can’t or won’t see that God is always at work doing great things with and for us.
We can each make our own list of good things that God causes and permits to go on in and around us. There is an accomplishment that to the untrained eye we have done by ourselves. We are able to thank God for giving us the strength, stamina, motivation, and willingness to complete. There is a conflict that has loomed before us that we have faced and brought to resolution by the help, grace, and presence of God. We have seen God at work around us in a way that lifts our spirits and makes us grateful. Our list can be small or large, and we give thanks to God.
Some have the eloquence and ability to rival the words and phrases of the psalmist, while others make a list of bullet points for which they are thankful. God knows our gifts. The important part is the list, the ability to see God at work in the ordinary as well as the extra-ordinary. “For you, O LORD , have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.”
September 24, 2018
LCM
Monday, September 17, 2018
Psalm Meditation 953
Proper 20
September 23, 2018
Psalm 109
1 Do not be silent, O God of my praise.
2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.
3 They beset me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.
4 In return for my love they accuse me, even while I make prayer for them.
5 So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6 They say, “Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand on his right.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin.
8 May his days be few; may another seize his position.
9 May his children be orphans, and his wife a widow.
10 May his children wander about and beg; may they be driven out of the ruins they inhabit.
11 May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil.
12 May there be no one to do him a kindness, nor anyone to pity his orphaned children.
13 May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation.
14 May the iniquity of his father be remembered before the LORD , and do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before the LORD continually, and may his memory be cut off from the earth.
16 For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted to their death.
17 He loved to curse; let curses come on him. He did not like blessing; may it be far from him.
18 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat, may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones.
19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around himself, like a belt that he wears every day.”
20 May that be the reward of my accusers from the LORD , of those who speak evil against my life.
21 But you, O Lord my Lord, act on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is pierced within me.
23 I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
26 Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love.
27 Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD , have done it.
28 Let them curse, but you will bless. Let my assailants be put to shame; may your servant be glad.
29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle.
30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD ; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
(NRSV)
It is easy to get into accusation matches, blaming those around us for the evil that comes to us. If we listen closely we discover that many of those same accusations are being used against us by the very people we are accusing. In some cases we are simply copying the charges that others level against us, in most cases both sides are mutually guilty. We have done and sad bad things about the other because ‘they started it.’ One side either starts out with more power or is able to shift the power dynamic by bringing in allies and supporters who believe that they are the wronged party.
The psalmist brings God into the mix. God has a way of sorting through the messy situations we find ourselves in. There is something fair and impartial about God, something that won’t let us take an accusation against another farther than it needs to go. An elementary teacher I know used to short circuit the tattling that runs rampant through elementary classes by asking the student doing the tattling how they had contributed to the situation. ‘What did you do to start or continue to the situation you are trying to get someone else in trouble for?’ Denial was the first response; when pressed they could let the teacher know what they had done to keep the conflict going to the point that someone needed to intervene to put a stop to it. God has a way of keeping an eye on each one of us, already knowing how we participated in the escalation of the conflict, and bringing us to repentance and forgiveness.
There are situations in which one party is singled out so that those in power can exercise their dominance over the people around them. Some people are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and they get chosen as the target of the influential and powerful people around them. Other times we add fuel to a fire that would have gone out on its own if we had only let it. Either way it is good to bring God into the situation. Looking through the eyes of God we can see where we need to lean on God for the strength to face the evil tide in which we have been taken up, and where we need to offer those around us our own repentance for our evil acts and forgiveness for those evil done against us. Either way God, “stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.”
September 17, 2018
LCM
Proper 20
September 23, 2018
Psalm 109
1 Do not be silent, O God of my praise.
2 For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.
3 They beset me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.
4 In return for my love they accuse me, even while I make prayer for them.
5 So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
6 They say, “Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand on his right.
7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin.
8 May his days be few; may another seize his position.
9 May his children be orphans, and his wife a widow.
10 May his children wander about and beg; may they be driven out of the ruins they inhabit.
11 May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil.
12 May there be no one to do him a kindness, nor anyone to pity his orphaned children.
13 May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation.
14 May the iniquity of his father be remembered before the LORD , and do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15 Let them be before the LORD continually, and may his memory be cut off from the earth.
16 For he did not remember to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and the brokenhearted to their death.
17 He loved to curse; let curses come on him. He did not like blessing; may it be far from him.
18 He clothed himself with cursing as his coat, may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones.
19 May it be like a garment that he wraps around himself, like a belt that he wears every day.”
20 May that be the reward of my accusers from the LORD , of those who speak evil against my life.
21 But you, O Lord my Lord, act on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me.
22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is pierced within me.
23 I am gone like a shadow at evening; I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting; my body has become gaunt.
25 I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
26 Help me, O LORD my God! Save me according to your steadfast love.
27 Let them know that this is your hand; you, O LORD , have done it.
28 Let them curse, but you will bless. Let my assailants be put to shame; may your servant be glad.
29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor; may they be wrapped in their own shame as in a mantle.
30 With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD ; I will praise him in the midst of the throng.
31 For he stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.
(NRSV)
It is easy to get into accusation matches, blaming those around us for the evil that comes to us. If we listen closely we discover that many of those same accusations are being used against us by the very people we are accusing. In some cases we are simply copying the charges that others level against us, in most cases both sides are mutually guilty. We have done and sad bad things about the other because ‘they started it.’ One side either starts out with more power or is able to shift the power dynamic by bringing in allies and supporters who believe that they are the wronged party.
The psalmist brings God into the mix. God has a way of sorting through the messy situations we find ourselves in. There is something fair and impartial about God, something that won’t let us take an accusation against another farther than it needs to go. An elementary teacher I know used to short circuit the tattling that runs rampant through elementary classes by asking the student doing the tattling how they had contributed to the situation. ‘What did you do to start or continue to the situation you are trying to get someone else in trouble for?’ Denial was the first response; when pressed they could let the teacher know what they had done to keep the conflict going to the point that someone needed to intervene to put a stop to it. God has a way of keeping an eye on each one of us, already knowing how we participated in the escalation of the conflict, and bringing us to repentance and forgiveness.
There are situations in which one party is singled out so that those in power can exercise their dominance over the people around them. Some people are simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and they get chosen as the target of the influential and powerful people around them. Other times we add fuel to a fire that would have gone out on its own if we had only let it. Either way it is good to bring God into the situation. Looking through the eyes of God we can see where we need to lean on God for the strength to face the evil tide in which we have been taken up, and where we need to offer those around us our own repentance for our evil acts and forgiveness for those evil done against us. Either way God, “stands at the right hand of the needy, to save them from those who would condemn them to death.”
September 17, 2018
LCM
Monday, September 10, 2018
Psalm Meditation 952
Proper 19
September 16, 2018
Psalm 42
1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help
6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me.
8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, “Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
(NRSV)
“Where is your God?” is a question we each have to deal with at some point in our lives. Someone will ask us to prove the existence of the divine in some form or other. And when we can’t offer them satisfactory proof they will consider themselves successful in debunking our faith. Without objective, verifiable, repeatable evidence the existence of divinity fails the tests of the scientific method and is thereby proven false. Or worse, we go through a crisis and ask the question internally. When we can’t find the answer in a verifiable way we move away from our previous assurance.
The enlightenment helped us do great damage to faith. It was the beginning of the scientific method, asking questions, running experiments and coming to objective, verifiable, repeatable conclusions. Science was so much fun we began to subject everything to the scientific method. If it couldn’t be proven, it wasn’t real. Folks set out to prove that the Bible is true, literal, and straight from the hand of God. There is an amazing amount of gymnastics involved in the process, twisting words, meanings, and concepts to fit into science. There were other parts of the Bible that had to be downplayed or ignored to fit into the science of the enlightenment and beyond.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. “ (Hebrews 11:1) Questions about God are not science questions, they are faith questions. In faith we are not looking for proof, we are looking for assurance. When we have faith, the world has not changed. The events of the world are the same, our actions in it are not that different than they were prior to coming to faith. The difference is a sense of assurance that we are not alone, that we do not have to do everything ourselves, that we do not suffer in isolation.
“Where is your God?” asks us to look for answers without looking for proof. If something can be proven there is no need for faith in order to believe. Faith questions are not about proof, they are about intuition, gut feeling, assurance, you know, faith.
September 10, 2018
LCM
Proper 19
September 16, 2018
Psalm 42
1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, “Where is your God?”
4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help
6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me.
8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?”
10 As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, “Where is your God?”
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
(NRSV)
“Where is your God?” is a question we each have to deal with at some point in our lives. Someone will ask us to prove the existence of the divine in some form or other. And when we can’t offer them satisfactory proof they will consider themselves successful in debunking our faith. Without objective, verifiable, repeatable evidence the existence of divinity fails the tests of the scientific method and is thereby proven false. Or worse, we go through a crisis and ask the question internally. When we can’t find the answer in a verifiable way we move away from our previous assurance.
The enlightenment helped us do great damage to faith. It was the beginning of the scientific method, asking questions, running experiments and coming to objective, verifiable, repeatable conclusions. Science was so much fun we began to subject everything to the scientific method. If it couldn’t be proven, it wasn’t real. Folks set out to prove that the Bible is true, literal, and straight from the hand of God. There is an amazing amount of gymnastics involved in the process, twisting words, meanings, and concepts to fit into science. There were other parts of the Bible that had to be downplayed or ignored to fit into the science of the enlightenment and beyond.
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. “ (Hebrews 11:1) Questions about God are not science questions, they are faith questions. In faith we are not looking for proof, we are looking for assurance. When we have faith, the world has not changed. The events of the world are the same, our actions in it are not that different than they were prior to coming to faith. The difference is a sense of assurance that we are not alone, that we do not have to do everything ourselves, that we do not suffer in isolation.
“Where is your God?” asks us to look for answers without looking for proof. If something can be proven there is no need for faith in order to believe. Faith questions are not about proof, they are about intuition, gut feeling, assurance, you know, faith.
September 10, 2018
LCM
Monday, September 3, 2018
Psalm Meditation 951
Proper 18
September 9, 2018
Psalm 11
1 In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to me, “Flee like a bird to the mountains;
2 for look, the wicked bend the bow, they have fitted their arrow to the string, to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
4 The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind.
5 The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, and his soul hates the lover of violence.
6 On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulfur; a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.
(NRSV)
In a Bible study years ago, as we talked about our relationship with God, Margaret told us that she and her neighbor had each lost a son in war. The neighbor said, “If there was a God, my son would not have died.” Margaret said, “If it hadn’t been for God, I never would have made it through the death of my son.” Two people going through similar experiences coming to radically different conclusions. They each suffered a great loss and dealt with that loss in a different way.
The psalmist is being warned to flee from the prospect of suffering at the hands of the wicked. These are shots in the dark, taken to threaten and intimidate those toward whom the shots are loosed. ‘It isn’t personal.’ is what the archer will say. There was no aiming involved or a specific target in eye or mind. It was a shot in the dark. The psalmist is willing to take a chance, trusting in the presence of God.
As Margaret and her neighbor demonstrate, the presence of God is no guarantee that no one will be hurt. The presence of God guarantees only that God is with us no matter what. Whether we live or die, are injured or whole, righteous or wicked God is with us. God rains judgment on the wicked to purify them. God welcomes the upright into the place where God is met face to face.
September 3, 2018
LCM
Proper 18
September 9, 2018
Psalm 11
1 In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to me, “Flee like a bird to the mountains;
2 for look, the wicked bend the bow, they have fitted their arrow to the string, to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”
4 The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind.
5 The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked, and his soul hates the lover of violence.
6 On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulfur; a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.
(NRSV)
In a Bible study years ago, as we talked about our relationship with God, Margaret told us that she and her neighbor had each lost a son in war. The neighbor said, “If there was a God, my son would not have died.” Margaret said, “If it hadn’t been for God, I never would have made it through the death of my son.” Two people going through similar experiences coming to radically different conclusions. They each suffered a great loss and dealt with that loss in a different way.
The psalmist is being warned to flee from the prospect of suffering at the hands of the wicked. These are shots in the dark, taken to threaten and intimidate those toward whom the shots are loosed. ‘It isn’t personal.’ is what the archer will say. There was no aiming involved or a specific target in eye or mind. It was a shot in the dark. The psalmist is willing to take a chance, trusting in the presence of God.
As Margaret and her neighbor demonstrate, the presence of God is no guarantee that no one will be hurt. The presence of God guarantees only that God is with us no matter what. Whether we live or die, are injured or whole, righteous or wicked God is with us. God rains judgment on the wicked to purify them. God welcomes the upright into the place where God is met face to face.
September 3, 2018
LCM
Monday, August 27, 2018
Psalm Meditation 950
Proper 17
September 2, 2018
Psalm 140
1 Deliver me, O LORD, from evildoers; protect me from those who are violent,
2 who plan evil things in their minds and stir up wars continually.
3 They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s, and under their lips is the venom of vipers. Selah
4 Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent who have planned my downfall.
5 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net, along the road they have set snares for me. Selah
6 I say to the LORD, “You are my God; give ear, O LORD, to the voice of my supplications.”
7 O LORD, my Lord, my strong deliverer, you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot. Selah
9 Those who surround me lift up their heads; let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
10 Let burning coals fall on them! Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise!
11 Do not let the slanderer be established in the land; let evil speedily hunt down the violent!
12 I know that the LORD maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall live in your presence.
(NRSV)
When someone attacks us it is tempting to ask God to let us get back at them. ‘Let me be the one who exacts revenge for the terrible things they have done to me. Let me rise up and beat them down.’ We like the idea of getting back at the folks who have treated us badly. Some of the psalms look forward to destroying our enemies and adversaries, including causing the death of their children. There is something brutally, cathartically satisfying about being the one who gets to show ‘those’ people that there is a price to pay for picking on ‘us.’
This psalmist asks God to be the one who exercises judgment on ‘those’ people. While there is a list of preferred punishments: burning coals on their heads, being flung into pits, having the mischief of their lips overwhelm them just to name a few, the psalmist leaves it in the hands of God. This is a good idea. It is possible that what seems punishment in our eyes is nothing to our adversaries. There are people who enjoy things that are torture to us and are tortured by what gives us great joy. Since God knows each of us well we can leave the judgment to the one who knows what judgment to exact.
Leaving judgment in the hands of God can be satisfying, frustrating, and educational. God metes our proper and appropriate judgment, eventually. The slow pace of judgment can be frustrating. We want large and immediate action when it comes to those who stand against us and God moves in slow small ways. Judgment can be educational when we discover that the one at fault is not our opponent but ourselves. In this case the slow pace of God’s judgment gives us time to recognize the errors or our ways, apologize, ask forgiveness, and change before we feel the full force of God’s discipline.
August 27, 2018
LCM
Proper 17
September 2, 2018
Psalm 140
1 Deliver me, O LORD, from evildoers; protect me from those who are violent,
2 who plan evil things in their minds and stir up wars continually.
3 They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s, and under their lips is the venom of vipers. Selah
4 Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent who have planned my downfall.
5 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net, along the road they have set snares for me. Selah
6 I say to the LORD, “You are my God; give ear, O LORD, to the voice of my supplications.”
7 O LORD, my Lord, my strong deliverer, you have covered my head in the day of battle.
8 Do not grant, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot. Selah
9 Those who surround me lift up their heads; let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
10 Let burning coals fall on them! Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise!
11 Do not let the slanderer be established in the land; let evil speedily hunt down the violent!
12 I know that the LORD maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor.
13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall live in your presence.
(NRSV)
When someone attacks us it is tempting to ask God to let us get back at them. ‘Let me be the one who exacts revenge for the terrible things they have done to me. Let me rise up and beat them down.’ We like the idea of getting back at the folks who have treated us badly. Some of the psalms look forward to destroying our enemies and adversaries, including causing the death of their children. There is something brutally, cathartically satisfying about being the one who gets to show ‘those’ people that there is a price to pay for picking on ‘us.’
This psalmist asks God to be the one who exercises judgment on ‘those’ people. While there is a list of preferred punishments: burning coals on their heads, being flung into pits, having the mischief of their lips overwhelm them just to name a few, the psalmist leaves it in the hands of God. This is a good idea. It is possible that what seems punishment in our eyes is nothing to our adversaries. There are people who enjoy things that are torture to us and are tortured by what gives us great joy. Since God knows each of us well we can leave the judgment to the one who knows what judgment to exact.
Leaving judgment in the hands of God can be satisfying, frustrating, and educational. God metes our proper and appropriate judgment, eventually. The slow pace of judgment can be frustrating. We want large and immediate action when it comes to those who stand against us and God moves in slow small ways. Judgment can be educational when we discover that the one at fault is not our opponent but ourselves. In this case the slow pace of God’s judgment gives us time to recognize the errors or our ways, apologize, ask forgiveness, and change before we feel the full force of God’s discipline.
August 27, 2018
LCM
Monday, August 20, 2018
Psalm Meditation 949
Proper 16
August 26, 2018
Psalm 61
1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I;
3 for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.
4 Let me abide in your tent forever, find refuge under the shelter of your wings. Selah
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
8 So I will always sing praises to your name, as I pay my vows day after day.
(NRSV)
When we were in England many years ago we visited the valley from which we get our last name. Some of us climbed up to the cave in the hillside. From the mouth of the cave we could look over the valley. At least one of us climbed the rest of the way to stand on the outcrop over the mouth of the cave. The view was both frightening and exhilarating. From his place on the edge of the rock face my brother could look down on the valley and saw birds flying in the sky below him. It must have been this kind of rock to which the psalmist anticipated being led.
To be able to see every direction and to be able to look down on friend and foe alike gives one a great sense of security. That kind of view makes it difficult to be surprised by any type of approach. It is a great and comforting view. When God is the one who has led us to that point, we can rest assured that it is a safe place from all but the most concentrated attack. To know that God is with us in the place adds greatly to the sense of security.
Sometimes our high place is a physical place. A place from which we can look down in every direction to see who and what is coming our way. Sometimes our high place is a spiritual place from which we can get a sense of what is coming so that we are prepared for almost anything that comes our way. In many of those cases, a good bit of our preparation involves being wholly/holy in the presence of God. In the presence of God we can see beyond our own sight. In the presence of God we can see a vision of what is and of what can be.
August 20, 2018
LCM
Proper 16
August 26, 2018
Psalm 61
1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint.
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I;
3 for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.
4 Let me abide in your tent forever, find refuge under the shelter of your wings. Selah
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
8 So I will always sing praises to your name, as I pay my vows day after day.
(NRSV)
When we were in England many years ago we visited the valley from which we get our last name. Some of us climbed up to the cave in the hillside. From the mouth of the cave we could look over the valley. At least one of us climbed the rest of the way to stand on the outcrop over the mouth of the cave. The view was both frightening and exhilarating. From his place on the edge of the rock face my brother could look down on the valley and saw birds flying in the sky below him. It must have been this kind of rock to which the psalmist anticipated being led.
To be able to see every direction and to be able to look down on friend and foe alike gives one a great sense of security. That kind of view makes it difficult to be surprised by any type of approach. It is a great and comforting view. When God is the one who has led us to that point, we can rest assured that it is a safe place from all but the most concentrated attack. To know that God is with us in the place adds greatly to the sense of security.
Sometimes our high place is a physical place. A place from which we can look down in every direction to see who and what is coming our way. Sometimes our high place is a spiritual place from which we can get a sense of what is coming so that we are prepared for almost anything that comes our way. In many of those cases, a good bit of our preparation involves being wholly/holy in the presence of God. In the presence of God we can see beyond our own sight. In the presence of God we can see a vision of what is and of what can be.
August 20, 2018
LCM
Monday, August 13, 2018
Psalm Meditation 948
Proper 15
August 19, 2018
Psalm 90
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning;
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh.
10 The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
13 Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!
(NRSV)
As children we don’t understand the reasoning behind parental anger. There are times we are sure that anger is totally unreasonable and unjustified. “I was just …, how could anyone be upset with me for doing that? “ We might believe that our parents keep track of each slipup, mistake, etc. so that when we have gotten enough points against us we get punished for something that doesn’t even matter. In some cases we believe that we are being punished for having too much fun. Those old fuddy-duddy parents don’t remember what it was like to be our age and how much fun it was to do whatever we got punished for doing.
When we get to be adults, and perhaps parents ourselves, we see our past behavior in a different light. Some of the things that appeared to be pure fun have consequences that we never considered at the time. Some of the activities that seemed harmless are fraught with danger lurking just beneath the surface. One wrong move would have been enough to cause terrible and lasting damage to ourselves or one of our companions in a particular adventure. We realize that our parents were able to see things that we could not. We realize that what came out as anger was fear for our safety. We realize that what felt like punishment was discipline, teaching us with limited consequences that our actions matter. And it was done out of love for us.
We see God as angry with us when the consequences of our actions come crashing down on us. We can’t imagine why God is so mean and vindictive about so many small things. Several years ago I heard, ‘we are not so much punished for our sins as we are punished by our sins.’ God does not stand over us waiting for an excuse to zap us, or willy-nilly visit us with punishments, trials, and calamities. Sadly, we can be caught by the sins of others as we pay the price for their deeds. God is not out to get us. God loves us and wants what the psalmist wants, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!
August 13, 2018
LCM
Proper 15
August 19, 2018
Psalm 90
1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.
3 You turn us back to dust, and say, “Turn back, you mortals.”
4 For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past, or like a watch in the night.
5 You sweep them away; they are like a dream, like grass that is renewed in the morning;
6 in the morning it flourishes and is renewed; in the evening it fades and withers.
7 For we are consumed by your anger; by your wrath we are overwhelmed.
8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your countenance.
9 For all our days pass away under your wrath; our years come to an end like a sigh.
10 The days of our life are seventy years, or perhaps eighty, if we are strong; even then their span is only toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.
11 Who considers the power of your anger? Your wrath is as great as the fear that is due you.
12 So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.
13 Turn, O LORD! How long? Have compassion on your servants!
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, so that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 Make us glad as many days as you have afflicted us, and as many years as we have seen evil.
16 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!
(NRSV)
As children we don’t understand the reasoning behind parental anger. There are times we are sure that anger is totally unreasonable and unjustified. “I was just …, how could anyone be upset with me for doing that? “ We might believe that our parents keep track of each slipup, mistake, etc. so that when we have gotten enough points against us we get punished for something that doesn’t even matter. In some cases we believe that we are being punished for having too much fun. Those old fuddy-duddy parents don’t remember what it was like to be our age and how much fun it was to do whatever we got punished for doing.
When we get to be adults, and perhaps parents ourselves, we see our past behavior in a different light. Some of the things that appeared to be pure fun have consequences that we never considered at the time. Some of the activities that seemed harmless are fraught with danger lurking just beneath the surface. One wrong move would have been enough to cause terrible and lasting damage to ourselves or one of our companions in a particular adventure. We realize that our parents were able to see things that we could not. We realize that what came out as anger was fear for our safety. We realize that what felt like punishment was discipline, teaching us with limited consequences that our actions matter. And it was done out of love for us.
We see God as angry with us when the consequences of our actions come crashing down on us. We can’t imagine why God is so mean and vindictive about so many small things. Several years ago I heard, ‘we are not so much punished for our sins as we are punished by our sins.’ God does not stand over us waiting for an excuse to zap us, or willy-nilly visit us with punishments, trials, and calamities. Sadly, we can be caught by the sins of others as we pay the price for their deeds. God is not out to get us. God loves us and wants what the psalmist wants, “Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands—O prosper the work of our hands!
August 13, 2018
LCM
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Psalm Meditation 947
Proper 14
August 12, 2018
Psalm 111
1 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.
3 Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the LORD is gracious and merciful.
5 He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.
(NRSV)
I thought this psalm was about praise and fear of the LORD and maybe next time it will be. This time it is about God providing for those who live in fear. This fear is not being scared, it is being in awe of God. It is the myterium tremendum, being excited and frightened all at once. It is wanting to approach and run away so that all one can do is stand and tremble. God sees our dilemma and provides sustenance out of a great love for us.
That providence feeds our excitement, that God cares enough to attend to us. The food God offers touches body and soul in a way that lets us know how very loved we are. In the presence of God we see ourselves as included in the depth and width of people who make up the family of God. We tremble with excitement as we partake of the sustaining bounty that God provides for us.
The providence of God scares us. There is something frightening about being noticed by those who have authority over us. We want what God offers to us even as we recognize that getting close enough to partake in the food we are offered also puts us close enough to be drawn in to something that has the potential of drawing us in a way that might make us disappear.
We stand in the presence of God, on the verge of running away from and into God’s hands. Will we be nurtured or crushed? “The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.” We continue to be in awe, to be trembling messes longing to be redeemed, longing to be drawn into the comfort of God’s loving presence.
August 7, 2018
LCM
Proper 14
August 12, 2018
Psalm 111
1 Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them.
3 Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.
4 He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the LORD is gracious and merciful.
5 He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.
(NRSV)
I thought this psalm was about praise and fear of the LORD and maybe next time it will be. This time it is about God providing for those who live in fear. This fear is not being scared, it is being in awe of God. It is the myterium tremendum, being excited and frightened all at once. It is wanting to approach and run away so that all one can do is stand and tremble. God sees our dilemma and provides sustenance out of a great love for us.
That providence feeds our excitement, that God cares enough to attend to us. The food God offers touches body and soul in a way that lets us know how very loved we are. In the presence of God we see ourselves as included in the depth and width of people who make up the family of God. We tremble with excitement as we partake of the sustaining bounty that God provides for us.
The providence of God scares us. There is something frightening about being noticed by those who have authority over us. We want what God offers to us even as we recognize that getting close enough to partake in the food we are offered also puts us close enough to be drawn in to something that has the potential of drawing us in a way that might make us disappear.
We stand in the presence of God, on the verge of running away from and into God’s hands. Will we be nurtured or crushed? “The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness.” We continue to be in awe, to be trembling messes longing to be redeemed, longing to be drawn into the comfort of God’s loving presence.
August 7, 2018
LCM
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Psalm Meditation 946
Proper 13
August 5, 2018
Psalm 40
1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.
4 Happy are those who make the LORD their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.
5 You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted.
6 Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”
9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD.
10 I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
11 Do not, O LORD, withhold your mercy from me; let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever.
12 For evils have encompassed me without number; my iniquities have overtaken me, until I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me.
14 Let all those be put to shame and confusion who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire my hurt.
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”
16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the LORD!”
17 As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.
(NRSV)
In my first year of ministry I was told it didn’t sound like I believed what I was preaching. I had to admit, to myself at least, that I was telling folks what I thought they wanted to hear. It was a very helpful critique that has influenced my preaching ever since. I was reminded of the incident when the psalmist says, “I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD.” One of the blessings of preaching is having the privilege of telling people about the deliverance God offers. Pastors have the honor and obligation to remind folks that God is with us all the time.
Some people want to hear that God is vengeful and will lash out at us for the smallest of infractions. At the very least we want to hear that God is out to get all of ‘them.’ When what we want to know is that God can dish out punishment with what appears to us to be great glee a word of grace and deliverance can be jarring. We want to know that shame, confusion, and dishonor await those who stand against us. And yet, God offers deliverance and salvation.
As in the case with the one who criticized my early preaching, we can be delivered by those who stand against us. Sometimes, our enemies, adversaries, and opponents are the ones who remind us of the deliverance and salvation that God offers to “all who seek you rejoice and [are] glad in you...” Whether the intent is to move us closer to God or to destroy us, those who stand against us can be the ones who remind us, who demonstrate to us, the presence and deliverance of God in our lives.
July 31, 2018
LCM
Proper 13
August 5, 2018
Psalm 40
1 I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry.
2 He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD.
4 Happy are those who make the LORD their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.
5 You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted.
6 Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required.
7 Then I said, “Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me.
8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.”
9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD.
10 I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
11 Do not, O LORD, withhold your mercy from me; let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever.
12 For evils have encompassed me without number; my iniquities have overtaken me, until I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails me.
13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me.
14 Let all those be put to shame and confusion who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire my hurt.
15 Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, Aha!”
16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the LORD!”
17 As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.
(NRSV)
In my first year of ministry I was told it didn’t sound like I believed what I was preaching. I had to admit, to myself at least, that I was telling folks what I thought they wanted to hear. It was a very helpful critique that has influenced my preaching ever since. I was reminded of the incident when the psalmist says, “I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD.” One of the blessings of preaching is having the privilege of telling people about the deliverance God offers. Pastors have the honor and obligation to remind folks that God is with us all the time.
Some people want to hear that God is vengeful and will lash out at us for the smallest of infractions. At the very least we want to hear that God is out to get all of ‘them.’ When what we want to know is that God can dish out punishment with what appears to us to be great glee a word of grace and deliverance can be jarring. We want to know that shame, confusion, and dishonor await those who stand against us. And yet, God offers deliverance and salvation.
As in the case with the one who criticized my early preaching, we can be delivered by those who stand against us. Sometimes, our enemies, adversaries, and opponents are the ones who remind us of the deliverance and salvation that God offers to “all who seek you rejoice and [are] glad in you...” Whether the intent is to move us closer to God or to destroy us, those who stand against us can be the ones who remind us, who demonstrate to us, the presence and deliverance of God in our lives.
July 31, 2018
LCM
Monday, July 23, 2018
Psalm Meditation 945
Proper 12
July 29, 2018
Psalm 13
1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
(NRSV)
As soon as things fail to go the worse than we planned we are tempted to feel abandoned by God. At least until something happens around us that really does feel as if God has walked away and left us where we stand. The temptation is to believe that God is the one who left us and that it was done on purpose. My wife and I often get separated while shopping because one of us, usually me, gets distracted by something. When I look up I am alone and have to catch up, find my way back.
There are times in which God leaves us so that we can discover a strength, a skill, a need that we would not know we had any other way. As scary as it can be to be left to our own devices, there comes a time when it is important to learn that we are capable. The first morning that mom didn’t lay out socks with our school outfits, my little brother and I went downstairs to let mom know that she forgot. She let us know that she did not forget, she thought that we were old enough to pick out our own socks. Within a few days we were picking out clothes ourselves. We had not been abandoned or forgotten, we had been trusted.
While it may feel as if we are abandoned, we are not. Whether we have been separated from God due to choice on the part of one of us, or due to some randomness around us, God is with us, God is present in a way that may be beyond our ability to see at the moment. We may learn a skill or discover a strength we would rather not have, and still, God is with us, surrounding us with steadfast love.
July 23, 2018
LCM
Proper 12
July 29, 2018
Psalm 13
1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
5 But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.
(NRSV)
As soon as things fail to go the worse than we planned we are tempted to feel abandoned by God. At least until something happens around us that really does feel as if God has walked away and left us where we stand. The temptation is to believe that God is the one who left us and that it was done on purpose. My wife and I often get separated while shopping because one of us, usually me, gets distracted by something. When I look up I am alone and have to catch up, find my way back.
There are times in which God leaves us so that we can discover a strength, a skill, a need that we would not know we had any other way. As scary as it can be to be left to our own devices, there comes a time when it is important to learn that we are capable. The first morning that mom didn’t lay out socks with our school outfits, my little brother and I went downstairs to let mom know that she forgot. She let us know that she did not forget, she thought that we were old enough to pick out our own socks. Within a few days we were picking out clothes ourselves. We had not been abandoned or forgotten, we had been trusted.
While it may feel as if we are abandoned, we are not. Whether we have been separated from God due to choice on the part of one of us, or due to some randomness around us, God is with us, God is present in a way that may be beyond our ability to see at the moment. We may learn a skill or discover a strength we would rather not have, and still, God is with us, surrounding us with steadfast love.
July 23, 2018
LCM
Monday, July 16, 2018
Psalm Meditation 944
Proper 11
July 22, 2018
Psalm 138
1 I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything.
3 On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5 They shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD.
6 For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me.
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.
(NRSV)
‘Thank you’ seems to be so easy to say until it comes to actually saying it. The words do come trippingly off the tongue of some folks, and they obviously mean it when they say, “thank you.” The rest of us feel the weight of the baggage that these two little words carry. To say ‘thank you’ acknowledges that I am beholden to you in some way. You have given me something in the way of time, effort, energy, goods, or services. To say ‘thank you’ means that I am not the rugged individual so highly prized in the world in which we live. To say ‘thank you’ acknowledges our dependence on each other.
The psalmist pauses to give thanks for a rich variety of ways that God is active among us. In this psalm the thanks are for loving us, being faithful to us, and providing us the spiritual resources to meet the challenges and opportunities of our lives. Sometimes we take all this for granted so it is a good reminder to pause In the middle of whatever is going on in our lives to give thanks for all that God does among us. Giving thanks to God is a good habit to form. If we get to the point in which our habit becomes going through the motions and saying the words without the meaning, it is good to break free of the habit and give thanks from our hearts.
Givng thanks is hard. It is hard to thank the people around us and it is hard to thank God. Every exercise is hard at first. Lifting weights, taking first steps, writing the first paragraph, initiating a conversation each take effort and energy. Each of these activities get easier the more we do them. It is a good idea to step back from our habits to make sure we are using proper form, that we are making progress toward a goal rather than being stuck at a comfortable pace. Giving thanks to God, saying ‘thank you’ to the people around us is good exercise. To give thanks with our whole hearts is great exercise.
July 16, 2018
LCM
Proper 11
July 22, 2018
Psalm 138
1 I give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise;
2 I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness; for you have exalted your name and your word above everything.
3 On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O LORD, for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5 They shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD.
6 For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me.
8 The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.
(NRSV)
‘Thank you’ seems to be so easy to say until it comes to actually saying it. The words do come trippingly off the tongue of some folks, and they obviously mean it when they say, “thank you.” The rest of us feel the weight of the baggage that these two little words carry. To say ‘thank you’ acknowledges that I am beholden to you in some way. You have given me something in the way of time, effort, energy, goods, or services. To say ‘thank you’ means that I am not the rugged individual so highly prized in the world in which we live. To say ‘thank you’ acknowledges our dependence on each other.
The psalmist pauses to give thanks for a rich variety of ways that God is active among us. In this psalm the thanks are for loving us, being faithful to us, and providing us the spiritual resources to meet the challenges and opportunities of our lives. Sometimes we take all this for granted so it is a good reminder to pause In the middle of whatever is going on in our lives to give thanks for all that God does among us. Giving thanks to God is a good habit to form. If we get to the point in which our habit becomes going through the motions and saying the words without the meaning, it is good to break free of the habit and give thanks from our hearts.
Givng thanks is hard. It is hard to thank the people around us and it is hard to thank God. Every exercise is hard at first. Lifting weights, taking first steps, writing the first paragraph, initiating a conversation each take effort and energy. Each of these activities get easier the more we do them. It is a good idea to step back from our habits to make sure we are using proper form, that we are making progress toward a goal rather than being stuck at a comfortable pace. Giving thanks to God, saying ‘thank you’ to the people around us is good exercise. To give thanks with our whole hearts is great exercise.
July 16, 2018
LCM
Monday, July 9, 2018
Psalm Meditation 943
Proper 10
July 15, 2018
Psalm 63
1 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword, they shall be prey for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
(NRSV)
Most days it is possible to make it through the day without giving much thought to what a gift family and friends are. We take them for granted because they have always been around and we expect them to continue being around. And then something happens. Something monumental happens. Something that brings us to the realization that these people are a special group of people. It may be an addition to the group or a loss within the group that helps us realize how special and important each person is to this group of people.
We do this with God as well. We go on our merry way, knowing that God will always be around and will be somewhere between present and distant in our lives. And something happens. We experience God as particularly present or absent for us. The psalmist discovers that the presence of God is something worth seeking. I get a sense that the psalmist is approaching from a distance, looking in with longing to where God is. Having discovered a desire for God the psalmist approaches with a new appreciation for all the ways God has been and can be present.
When we decide to seek God we discover that the presence of God is a rich feast for our souls and senses. We find that God has been present far longer than we realized at the time. God has been supporting us in ways that were once outside our awareness. Our gratitude is deepened and we look for other ways God has been watching over us and holding us up in the trials and triumphs of our lives. We find ourselves saying with the psalmist, “O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
July 9, 2018
LCM
Proper 10
July 15, 2018
Psalm 63
1 O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.
3 Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.
4 So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.
5 My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips
6 when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7 for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy.
8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword, they shall be prey for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be stopped.
(NRSV)
Most days it is possible to make it through the day without giving much thought to what a gift family and friends are. We take them for granted because they have always been around and we expect them to continue being around. And then something happens. Something monumental happens. Something that brings us to the realization that these people are a special group of people. It may be an addition to the group or a loss within the group that helps us realize how special and important each person is to this group of people.
We do this with God as well. We go on our merry way, knowing that God will always be around and will be somewhere between present and distant in our lives. And something happens. We experience God as particularly present or absent for us. The psalmist discovers that the presence of God is something worth seeking. I get a sense that the psalmist is approaching from a distance, looking in with longing to where God is. Having discovered a desire for God the psalmist approaches with a new appreciation for all the ways God has been and can be present.
When we decide to seek God we discover that the presence of God is a rich feast for our souls and senses. We find that God has been present far longer than we realized at the time. God has been supporting us in ways that were once outside our awareness. Our gratitude is deepened and we look for other ways God has been watching over us and holding us up in the trials and triumphs of our lives. We find ourselves saying with the psalmist, “O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
July 9, 2018
LCM
Monday, July 2, 2018
Psalm Meditation 942
Proper 9
July 8, 2018
Psalm 88
1 O LORD, God of my salvation, when, at night, I cry out in your presence,
2 let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry.
3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the Pit; I am like those who have no help,
5 like those forsaken among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in the depths of the Pit, in the regions dark and deep.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah
8 You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a thing of horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call on you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the shades rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But I, O LORD, cry out to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O LORD, why do you cast me off? Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Wretched and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am desperate.
16 Your wrath has swept over me; your dread assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long; from all sides they close in on me.
18 You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me; my companions are in darkness.
(NRSV)
There is something comforting about knowing that I am not alone, I am not the only one to have ever experienced something as dark as this psalm. At my lowest point I can look at this psalm and realize that I am not the only one who has felt abandoned by God and the people around me. With this psalm I realize that my worst has not been as bad as it could be. I have always had someone who loves me, even if I felt cut off from them at the moment.
The psalmist feels totally abandoned, by companions as well as by God. Yet, the psalm is addressed to God. In the midst of feeling completely and utterly alone, the psalmist continues to be aware that God is close enough to hear this cry for help and comfort. The psalmist continues to believe that in the bleakest darkness God can hear the cry of one who feels lost and separated from God.
Each of us has had a worst day of our lives, a day in which we both question the existence of God and feel ourselves asking God why we have been abandoned. My worst day may be more or less intense than yours, however we have each been aware of what a terrible day each of us has had. We may have more to come, the worst may be behind us, or we may be living in the worst days right now. This psalm is the only one that ends without a word of hope. May we feel the comforting presence of God even in this dark psalm.
July 2, 2018
LCM
Proper 9
July 8, 2018
Psalm 88
1 O LORD, God of my salvation, when, at night, I cry out in your presence,
2 let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry.
3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the Pit; I am like those who have no help,
5 like those forsaken among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in the depths of the Pit, in the regions dark and deep.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah
8 You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a thing of horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call on you, O LORD; I spread out my hands to you.
10 Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the shades rise up to praise you? Selah
11 Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon?
12 Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness?
13 But I, O LORD, cry out to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
14 O LORD, why do you cast me off? Why do you hide your face from me?
15 Wretched and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am desperate.
16 Your wrath has swept over me; your dread assaults destroy me.
17 They surround me like a flood all day long; from all sides they close in on me.
18 You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me; my companions are in darkness.
(NRSV)
There is something comforting about knowing that I am not alone, I am not the only one to have ever experienced something as dark as this psalm. At my lowest point I can look at this psalm and realize that I am not the only one who has felt abandoned by God and the people around me. With this psalm I realize that my worst has not been as bad as it could be. I have always had someone who loves me, even if I felt cut off from them at the moment.
The psalmist feels totally abandoned, by companions as well as by God. Yet, the psalm is addressed to God. In the midst of feeling completely and utterly alone, the psalmist continues to be aware that God is close enough to hear this cry for help and comfort. The psalmist continues to believe that in the bleakest darkness God can hear the cry of one who feels lost and separated from God.
Each of us has had a worst day of our lives, a day in which we both question the existence of God and feel ourselves asking God why we have been abandoned. My worst day may be more or less intense than yours, however we have each been aware of what a terrible day each of us has had. We may have more to come, the worst may be behind us, or we may be living in the worst days right now. This psalm is the only one that ends without a word of hope. May we feel the comforting presence of God even in this dark psalm.
July 2, 2018
LCM
Monday, June 25, 2018
Psalm Meditation 941
Proper 8
July 1, 2018
Psalm 113
1 Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD; praise the name of the LORD.
2 Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time on and forevermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the LORD is to be praised.
4 The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high,
6 who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.
9 He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
We have a tendency to think that we are like God in a slightly smaller size and that God is like us only bigger. If we were willing to work at it we could be like God. We tempt ourselves with thoughts of being in charge of some part of Creation. ‘If I were in control of the weather, it would never rain again, at least not when I have plans.’ ‘If I were God I would make sure there was no suffering or injustice.’ ‘If I were God none of this kind of stuff would happen to people who don’t deserve it.’ And a variety of other kinds of statements and thoughts about what it means to be God.
We are made in the image of God, likely in the same way a teddy bear is made in the image of a bear. We have the basic characteristics of intelligence, compassion, and a concern for both mercy and justice, however we are missing important elements and attributes that are a part of God. We are close enough to God that we can strive to live as God directs us even as we are far enough from being God that we can never achieve God-ness.
We can praise, bless, and appreciate who God is among us without ever hoping to be other than God directed humans. We can strive for justice, hope and plan for equality among ourselves, and live out the call to be the people God wants us to be. We are adopted children of God. That means we are loved in a special way. Praise the LORD!
June 25, 2018
LCM
Proper 8
July 1, 2018
Psalm 113
1 Praise the LORD! Praise, O servants of the LORD; praise the name of the LORD.
2 Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time on and forevermore.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting the name of the LORD is to be praised.
4 The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like the LORD our God, who is seated on high,
6 who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?
7 He raises the poor from the dust, and lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people.
9 He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
We have a tendency to think that we are like God in a slightly smaller size and that God is like us only bigger. If we were willing to work at it we could be like God. We tempt ourselves with thoughts of being in charge of some part of Creation. ‘If I were in control of the weather, it would never rain again, at least not when I have plans.’ ‘If I were God I would make sure there was no suffering or injustice.’ ‘If I were God none of this kind of stuff would happen to people who don’t deserve it.’ And a variety of other kinds of statements and thoughts about what it means to be God.
We are made in the image of God, likely in the same way a teddy bear is made in the image of a bear. We have the basic characteristics of intelligence, compassion, and a concern for both mercy and justice, however we are missing important elements and attributes that are a part of God. We are close enough to God that we can strive to live as God directs us even as we are far enough from being God that we can never achieve God-ness.
We can praise, bless, and appreciate who God is among us without ever hoping to be other than God directed humans. We can strive for justice, hope and plan for equality among ourselves, and live out the call to be the people God wants us to be. We are adopted children of God. That means we are loved in a special way. Praise the LORD!
June 25, 2018
LCM
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