Psalm Meditation 1020
Epiphany Sunday
January 5, 2020
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)
Most of us are content to do what we do on a daily basis without asking for help. As creatures of habit we go through our routines without a lot of thought about what we are doing or how we go about it. It sounds boring to put it that way, however, most of us are content with a regular routine with just enough difference that we can keep track of what day it is. When something out of the ordinary happens, something outside of our going through the motions routine, we are caught off guard and feel the need for extra prayer.
The psalmist describes a variety of ‘ordinary’ experiences that people have in the course of their lives. Some wander, some are in prison, some are sick, some work on the sea, and some as merchants for those sea-faring folk. Each of these groups have reason to cry out to God for deliverance from something out of the ordinary routine. In each case God delivered them from that which gave them reason to pray. It wasn’t about deserving help so much as it was asking for help and having God give more than what was requested.
Some call it a ‘fox hole conversion’ when we cry out to God at a time of extraordinary need. It describes those who turn to God for extra help when there is extra need. My experience is that those with deep and active faith do the same thing. They pray constantly and manage to find a way to pray more or with more urgency when there is an extra need for themselves or another. Either way, the psalmist assures us that God responds out of great love for us. “Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”
December 30, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, December 30, 2019
Monday, December 23, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1019
First Sunday After Christmas
December 29, 2019
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)
Taking responsibility for something that goes bad is not an easy thing to do. It is easier to make ourselves into victims than it is to accept responsibility for our actions when the consequences of a series of events leads to a bad result for us. I was caught by the caveat the psalmist makes in verses 3-5, ‘if I have done any of the things of which I am accused, let the full force of retaliation come to me. I am willing to die and be consigned to hell if I am guilty.’ The psalmist begins with the admission of the possibility of personal responsibility.
Once that is settled the psalmist asks God to rise up, preside over a trial, and punish those who have done evil and mischief. Since the psalmist was not struck down mid-sentence the psalm lays out the fate of those who are unrepentantly evil. God is not one to shrug off the evils we bring on others. One of my mentors said, “We are not so much punished for our sin as we are by our sin.” Our actions have consequences and someone has to receive the promise or pay the cost for those actions. It would be fair if we could count on the perpetrator of sin and evil paying the price for any evil act. We know that it is usually an innocent person who bears the brunt of another’s evil. When someone is careless or reckless, at best, callous, at worst, behind the wheel of a vehicle someone else gets hurt or killed by the driver’s actions.
My favorite substitute teacher would not allow a student to tattle on another without first admitting what they had done to cause or complicate the situation. When confronted with the possibility of shared guilt and punishment, the tattling lessened considerably in the classes my wife, my favorite sub, taught. The psalmist models a way to pray against those we feel are out to get us. We start with the possibility that we bear some of the guilt for what is happening to us and around us. Once we get that log out of our own eye we can see clearly to ask God to judge the rest of the guilty parties as well. “I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.”
December 23, 2019
LCM
First Sunday After Christmas
December 29, 2019
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)
Taking responsibility for something that goes bad is not an easy thing to do. It is easier to make ourselves into victims than it is to accept responsibility for our actions when the consequences of a series of events leads to a bad result for us. I was caught by the caveat the psalmist makes in verses 3-5, ‘if I have done any of the things of which I am accused, let the full force of retaliation come to me. I am willing to die and be consigned to hell if I am guilty.’ The psalmist begins with the admission of the possibility of personal responsibility.
Once that is settled the psalmist asks God to rise up, preside over a trial, and punish those who have done evil and mischief. Since the psalmist was not struck down mid-sentence the psalm lays out the fate of those who are unrepentantly evil. God is not one to shrug off the evils we bring on others. One of my mentors said, “We are not so much punished for our sin as we are by our sin.” Our actions have consequences and someone has to receive the promise or pay the cost for those actions. It would be fair if we could count on the perpetrator of sin and evil paying the price for any evil act. We know that it is usually an innocent person who bears the brunt of another’s evil. When someone is careless or reckless, at best, callous, at worst, behind the wheel of a vehicle someone else gets hurt or killed by the driver’s actions.
My favorite substitute teacher would not allow a student to tattle on another without first admitting what they had done to cause or complicate the situation. When confronted with the possibility of shared guilt and punishment, the tattling lessened considerably in the classes my wife, my favorite sub, taught. The psalmist models a way to pray against those we feel are out to get us. We start with the possibility that we bear some of the guilt for what is happening to us and around us. Once we get that log out of our own eye we can see clearly to ask God to judge the rest of the guilty parties as well. “I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.”
December 23, 2019
LCM
Monday, December 16, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1018
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 22, 2019
Psalm 82
1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.”
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
(NRSV)
We like to believe that we are loyal to the God of the Bible, however this psalm asks us to question who and what it is we worship. In the midst of the gods, the God of the children of Abraham addresses the others with a call to justice, impartiality, preference to the weak and the orphan, maintaining the rights of the lowly and destitute, and rescue of the weak and needy from the wicked. If we hear a call to do other than that, we have chosen a different god to follow than the one we profess.
The comforting thing, I guess, is that people have been attempting to tame and domesticate God for a long time. As long as people believe that it is the job of God to uphold the nation, the empire, we are in danger of moving away from the God of the Bible. When God wants me to be rich at your expense, we are in danger. When God supports the government over and against the people being governed, we are in danger. When God agrees with everything we believe, we are in danger. Through psalms and prophets God calls us back to concern for those whose voices cannot be heard over the cries for more power.
If you are like me you have already gone through your list of those who need to reassess their loyalty to the God of the Bible. And, for some reason, my own name is not at the top of the list. Copy and paste your own name to the top of the list, and then delete the rest of the names on that list, and I will do the same. It is so much easier to see how to fix all those ‘other’ people, since it takes so little effort to come up with everything that needs to changed, and list the steps to take to accomplish those changes. When we look to our own need for change, we can’t stop with the list, we have to add energy and activity to make the needed changes. “Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!”
December 16, 2019
LCM
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 22, 2019
Psalm 82
1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.”
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
(NRSV)
We like to believe that we are loyal to the God of the Bible, however this psalm asks us to question who and what it is we worship. In the midst of the gods, the God of the children of Abraham addresses the others with a call to justice, impartiality, preference to the weak and the orphan, maintaining the rights of the lowly and destitute, and rescue of the weak and needy from the wicked. If we hear a call to do other than that, we have chosen a different god to follow than the one we profess.
The comforting thing, I guess, is that people have been attempting to tame and domesticate God for a long time. As long as people believe that it is the job of God to uphold the nation, the empire, we are in danger of moving away from the God of the Bible. When God wants me to be rich at your expense, we are in danger. When God supports the government over and against the people being governed, we are in danger. When God agrees with everything we believe, we are in danger. Through psalms and prophets God calls us back to concern for those whose voices cannot be heard over the cries for more power.
If you are like me you have already gone through your list of those who need to reassess their loyalty to the God of the Bible. And, for some reason, my own name is not at the top of the list. Copy and paste your own name to the top of the list, and then delete the rest of the names on that list, and I will do the same. It is so much easier to see how to fix all those ‘other’ people, since it takes so little effort to come up with everything that needs to changed, and list the steps to take to accomplish those changes. When we look to our own need for change, we can’t stop with the list, we have to add energy and activity to make the needed changes. “Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!”
December 16, 2019
LCM
Monday, December 9, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1017
Third Sunday of Advent
December 15, 2019
Psalm 56
1 Be gracious to me, O God, for people trample on me; all day long foes oppress me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long, for many fight against me. O Most High,
3 when I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid; what can flesh do to me?
5 All day long they seek to injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They stir up strife, they lurk, they watch my steps. As they hoped to have my life,
7 so repay them for their crime; in wrath cast down the peoples, O God!
8 You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your record?
9 Then my enemies will retreat in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I am not afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me?
12 My vows to you I must perform, O God; I will render thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, so that I may walk before God in the light of life.
(NRSV)
Most of my enemies are not people. My actual enemies are ideas. Therefore, the people I count as enemies, opponents, and adversaries are not really the enemy. If either I or they have a change of heart I can just as easily count those same people among my compatriots. With the exception of leading voices I don’t know who my enemies are by name and I am sure they do not know mine. Yet we count ourselves as enemies.
There are people we choose as enemies, people we decide to oppose at every turn for reasons that seem good at the time. If those folks have made a name for themselves in our area of interest and influence, we can oppose them face to face. Even then we are inclined to send others in to do the actual battle while we call the shots. If we get too close we may discover that there is something there worth getting to know, love, and appreciate. Chosen enemies have as much to do with who we are as who they are.
The psalmist states that no matter what, we can turn to God. Are we feeling persecuted? We can turn to God. Are we feeling ignored? We can turn to God. Are we eaten up by grief? We can turn to God. “My vows to you I must perform, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. For you have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, so that I may walk before God in the light of life.”
December 9, 2019
LCM
Third Sunday of Advent
December 15, 2019
Psalm 56
1 Be gracious to me, O God, for people trample on me; all day long foes oppress me;
2 my enemies trample on me all day long, for many fight against me. O Most High,
3 when I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I am not afraid; what can flesh do to me?
5 All day long they seek to injure my cause; all their thoughts are against me for evil.
6 They stir up strife, they lurk, they watch my steps. As they hoped to have my life,
7 so repay them for their crime; in wrath cast down the peoples, O God!
8 You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your record?
9 Then my enemies will retreat in the day when I call. This I know, that God is for me.
10 In God, whose word I praise, in the Lord, whose word I praise,
11 in God I trust; I am not afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me?
12 My vows to you I must perform, O God; I will render thank offerings to you.
13 For you have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, so that I may walk before God in the light of life.
(NRSV)
Most of my enemies are not people. My actual enemies are ideas. Therefore, the people I count as enemies, opponents, and adversaries are not really the enemy. If either I or they have a change of heart I can just as easily count those same people among my compatriots. With the exception of leading voices I don’t know who my enemies are by name and I am sure they do not know mine. Yet we count ourselves as enemies.
There are people we choose as enemies, people we decide to oppose at every turn for reasons that seem good at the time. If those folks have made a name for themselves in our area of interest and influence, we can oppose them face to face. Even then we are inclined to send others in to do the actual battle while we call the shots. If we get too close we may discover that there is something there worth getting to know, love, and appreciate. Chosen enemies have as much to do with who we are as who they are.
The psalmist states that no matter what, we can turn to God. Are we feeling persecuted? We can turn to God. Are we feeling ignored? We can turn to God. Are we eaten up by grief? We can turn to God. “My vows to you I must perform, O God; I will render thank offerings to you. For you have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, so that I may walk before God in the light of life.”
December 9, 2019
LCM
Monday, December 2, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1016
Second Sunday of Advent
December 8, 2019
Psalm 131
1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.
3 O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time on and forevermore.
(NRSV)
There is something healing about being drawn into someone’s core, whether it be a lap or not. That area is so vital, filled with life giving and life sustaining organs, that to be allowed in is the height of vulnerability from the comforter. To be trusted within the center of another’s being is a display of love, and comfort, which is at once deeply calming and highly vulnerable for the one being held. It is a wonder—filled feeling for both
Imagine yourself that calm and quiet in the presence of God. In some ways, the two images are the same. To be cuddled, cradled, and calmed is to be in the presence of God. To be conscious of the comfort of a flesh and blood person as well as the presence of God is the peace the psalmist is communicating in this psalm.
From the position of a comforted soul in the presence of God, the psalmist invites each of us to the hope that rises from this level of trust and vulnerability. There is no demand or request from God on the part of the psalmist, simply pleasure in the healing presence of God.
December 2, 2019
LCM
Second Sunday of Advent
December 8, 2019
Psalm 131
1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.
3 O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time on and forevermore.
(NRSV)
There is something healing about being drawn into someone’s core, whether it be a lap or not. That area is so vital, filled with life giving and life sustaining organs, that to be allowed in is the height of vulnerability from the comforter. To be trusted within the center of another’s being is a display of love, and comfort, which is at once deeply calming and highly vulnerable for the one being held. It is a wonder—filled feeling for both
Imagine yourself that calm and quiet in the presence of God. In some ways, the two images are the same. To be cuddled, cradled, and calmed is to be in the presence of God. To be conscious of the comfort of a flesh and blood person as well as the presence of God is the peace the psalmist is communicating in this psalm.
From the position of a comforted soul in the presence of God, the psalmist invites each of us to the hope that rises from this level of trust and vulnerability. There is no demand or request from God on the part of the psalmist, simply pleasure in the healing presence of God.
December 2, 2019
LCM
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1015
First Sunday of Advent
December 1, 2019
Psalm 31
1 In you, O Lord, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
6 You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have taken heed of my adversities,
8 and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place.
9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away.
11 I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the whispering of many—terror all around!—as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
16 Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.
17 Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord, for I call on you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be stilled that speak insolently against the righteous with pride and contempt.
19 O how abundant is your goodness that you have laid up for those who fear you, and accomplished for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of everyone!
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from human plots; you hold them safe under your shelter from contentious tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was beset as a city under siege.
22 I had said in my alarm, “I am driven far from your sight.” But you heard my supplications when I cried out to you for help.
23 Love the Lord, all you his saints. The Lord preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.
(NRSV)
The theme running through this psalm is God’s steadfast love. In affliction, in grief, in the adversities and animosities of our daily lives the love of God is there to support us and uplift us. When we are caught up in illness and injury God loves us and supports us. When folks around us ask what we did to deserve such a fate, adding shame in addition to all else that is going on within us, the love of God stands firm within us. It points us to health as it releases us from any need to buy into the shame folks want to heap on to us.
When we are grieving the steadfast love of God is patient with us. When everyone around us is weary of our grief, perhaps counseling us to move on, God offers comfort and presence out of love for us. God encourages us to deal with it at our own pace without dwelling in it. Yes, there will be days of wallowing in our grief as well as days of facing it with hope and grace, always, always, always under the banner of God’s steadfast love.
When we face adversity and animosity, whether of our own making or not, God is a loving presence with us. The steadfast love of God allows us to see where we are at fault so that we can ask forgiveness and make reparations as well as seeing where we are the target of another’s ire.
It is a two way street of sorts. In order to receive the love of God we have to be open to it. Steadfast love is always present, as God is always present in each of our lives. When we are open to it and aware of it, we can feel the love of God in every part of life.
November 26, 2019
LCM
First Sunday of Advent
December 1, 2019
Psalm 31
1 In you, O Lord, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me.
2 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.
3 You are indeed my rock and my fortress; for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
4 take me out of the net that is hidden for me, for you are my refuge.
5 Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.
6 You hate those who pay regard to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord.
7 I will exult and rejoice in your steadfast love, because you have seen my affliction; you have taken heed of my adversities,
8 and have not delivered me into the hand of the enemy; you have set my feet in a broad place.
9 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also.
10 For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away.
11 I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me.
12 I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel.
13 For I hear the whispering of many—terror all around!—as they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors.
16 Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.
17 Do not let me be put to shame, O Lord, for I call on you; let the wicked be put to shame; let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.
18 Let the lying lips be stilled that speak insolently against the righteous with pride and contempt.
19 O how abundant is your goodness that you have laid up for those who fear you, and accomplished for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of everyone!
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them from human plots; you hold them safe under your shelter from contentious tongues.
21 Blessed be the Lord, for he has wondrously shown his steadfast love to me when I was beset as a city under siege.
22 I had said in my alarm, “I am driven far from your sight.” But you heard my supplications when I cried out to you for help.
23 Love the Lord, all you his saints. The Lord preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily.
24 Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord.
(NRSV)
The theme running through this psalm is God’s steadfast love. In affliction, in grief, in the adversities and animosities of our daily lives the love of God is there to support us and uplift us. When we are caught up in illness and injury God loves us and supports us. When folks around us ask what we did to deserve such a fate, adding shame in addition to all else that is going on within us, the love of God stands firm within us. It points us to health as it releases us from any need to buy into the shame folks want to heap on to us.
When we are grieving the steadfast love of God is patient with us. When everyone around us is weary of our grief, perhaps counseling us to move on, God offers comfort and presence out of love for us. God encourages us to deal with it at our own pace without dwelling in it. Yes, there will be days of wallowing in our grief as well as days of facing it with hope and grace, always, always, always under the banner of God’s steadfast love.
When we face adversity and animosity, whether of our own making or not, God is a loving presence with us. The steadfast love of God allows us to see where we are at fault so that we can ask forgiveness and make reparations as well as seeing where we are the target of another’s ire.
It is a two way street of sorts. In order to receive the love of God we have to be open to it. Steadfast love is always present, as God is always present in each of our lives. When we are open to it and aware of it, we can feel the love of God in every part of life.
November 26, 2019
LCM
Monday, November 18, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1014
Reign of Christ
November 24, 2019
Psalm 106 (selected verses)
1 Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord, or declare all his praise?
3 Happy are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times.
4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people; help me when you deliver them;
5 that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory in your heritage.
6 Both we and our ancestors have sinned; we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.
7 Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wonderful works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea.
13 But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.
14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert;
15 he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them.
16 They were jealous of Moses in the camp, and of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.
19 They made a calf at Horeb and worshiped a cast image.
24 Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise.
28 Then they attached themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;
29 they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them.
32 They angered the Lord at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account;
33 for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke words that were rash.
34 They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them,
35 but they mingled with the nations and learned to do as they did.
42 Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes, and were brought low through their iniquity.
47 Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. And let all the people say, “Amen.” Praise the Lord!
(NRSV)
In these days of short attention spans, there is a summary style called, Tl;dr. It is shorthand for Too long; didn’t read. If something goes more than a couple of paragraphs there is a Tl;dr at the beginning or end of the story to give people a one or two sentence summary of the whole story. If that piques your interest you can read the whole thing, if the short description is all you want the Tl;dr will suffice.
These summaries are not new. Book length academic papers and stock offerings begin with an ‘abstract’ that gives the outline, the basics, of the full proposal. This psalm is a Tl;dr of the Book of Exodus from a particular point of view. If you don’t want to read the whole book, here is a summary. If you don’t want to read the whole Psalm, I have cut out several verses to hit the important points. This Psalm reminds people that sins of the people are not anything new, our ancestors gave allegiance to God a number of times and then forgot their pledge, as well as God, when things evened out again.
We can summarize anything to carry our own point of view. We pick and choose words, phrases, concepts that support our thinking and edit the Tl;dr to get our own point across. Was the exodus forty years of rescue by God, pledges of allegiance from the people, forgetting those pledges, and starting the process all over again? Yes, it was. Is there more to it than that? Yes, there is. This is where a group of families and clans became a people. This is where a people came to know and love YHWH as their God. This is the fits and starts of a people who drew us in to life in God, who helped us become who we are. We communicate our biases and preconceived notions all the time; it is important to know ours as well as those of who we follow.
November 18, 2019
LCM
Reign of Christ
November 24, 2019
Psalm 106 (selected verses)
1 Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord, or declare all his praise?
3 Happy are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times.
4 Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people; help me when you deliver them;
5 that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory in your heritage.
6 Both we and our ancestors have sinned; we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly.
7 Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wonderful works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea.
13 But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.
14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert;
15 he gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them.
16 They were jealous of Moses in the camp, and of Aaron, the holy one of the Lord.
19 They made a calf at Horeb and worshiped a cast image.
24 Then they despised the pleasant land, having no faith in his promise.
28 Then they attached themselves to the Baal of Peor, and ate sacrifices offered to the dead;
29 they provoked the Lord to anger with their deeds, and a plague broke out among them.
32 They angered the Lord at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account;
33 for they made his spirit bitter, and he spoke words that were rash.
34 They did not destroy the peoples, as the Lord commanded them,
35 but they mingled with the nations and learned to do as they did.
42 Their enemies oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their power.
43 Many times he delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes, and were brought low through their iniquity.
47 Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. And let all the people say, “Amen.” Praise the Lord!
(NRSV)
In these days of short attention spans, there is a summary style called, Tl;dr. It is shorthand for Too long; didn’t read. If something goes more than a couple of paragraphs there is a Tl;dr at the beginning or end of the story to give people a one or two sentence summary of the whole story. If that piques your interest you can read the whole thing, if the short description is all you want the Tl;dr will suffice.
These summaries are not new. Book length academic papers and stock offerings begin with an ‘abstract’ that gives the outline, the basics, of the full proposal. This psalm is a Tl;dr of the Book of Exodus from a particular point of view. If you don’t want to read the whole book, here is a summary. If you don’t want to read the whole Psalm, I have cut out several verses to hit the important points. This Psalm reminds people that sins of the people are not anything new, our ancestors gave allegiance to God a number of times and then forgot their pledge, as well as God, when things evened out again.
We can summarize anything to carry our own point of view. We pick and choose words, phrases, concepts that support our thinking and edit the Tl;dr to get our own point across. Was the exodus forty years of rescue by God, pledges of allegiance from the people, forgetting those pledges, and starting the process all over again? Yes, it was. Is there more to it than that? Yes, there is. This is where a group of families and clans became a people. This is where a people came to know and love YHWH as their God. This is the fits and starts of a people who drew us in to life in God, who helped us become who we are. We communicate our biases and preconceived notions all the time; it is important to know ours as well as those of who we follow.
November 18, 2019
LCM
Monday, November 11, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1013
Proper 28
November 17, 2019
Psalm 6
1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.
3 My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O Lord—how long?
4 Turn, O Lord, save my life; deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise?
6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eyes waste away because of grief; they grow weak because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror; they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.
(NRSV)
When we feel abandoned or disciplined by God our temptation is to bargain with God, to go through the list of things we will do and the ways we will act if God will get us out of this. At our best we probably realize that our promises hold as much water as a stereotypical political promise. We tell God what sounds good, what we are willing to do forever in the pressure of the moment, and will lose incentive to do once we are back on solid footing with God and the world.
The interesting thing in this psalm is that the psalmist doesn’t make promises, there is a reminder of what God would be missing in the event of the psalmists death. “For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise?” God is treated as a ruler who is more interested in personal gain than in serving those being ruled. The psalmist reminds God, ‘I can’t praise you if I am dead, especially in the nothingness of Sheol.’ The bargaining is not, ‘here’s what I will do.’ the bargaining is, ‘here is what you will miss if you let me go.’
No matter what our image of God may be we are tempted to negotiate when things are not going our way. I imagine that God is not swayed by our negotiating skills as much as by the steadfast love with which God surrounds us on a full time basis. God is aware of the sincerity of our promises in the moment as well as how easily we will forget them as soon as things smooth out for us. God is aware of what will be missing if we are no longer able to offer our praise to God. As much as God enjoys the comradery of our time together, threatening to withhold our praise is not what gets God to act in our favor. God loves us beyond measure and offers it to us in every time and place, sometimes we notice.
November 11, 2019
LCM
Proper 28
November 17, 2019
Psalm 6
1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger, or discipline me in your wrath.
2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are shaking with terror.
3 My soul also is struck with terror, while you, O Lord—how long?
4 Turn, O Lord, save my life; deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love.
5 For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise?
6 I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears; I drench my couch with my weeping.
7 My eyes waste away because of grief; they grow weak because of all my foes.
8 Depart from me, all you workers of evil, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.
9 The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord accepts my prayer.
10 All my enemies shall be ashamed and struck with terror; they shall turn back, and in a moment be put to shame.
(NRSV)
When we feel abandoned or disciplined by God our temptation is to bargain with God, to go through the list of things we will do and the ways we will act if God will get us out of this. At our best we probably realize that our promises hold as much water as a stereotypical political promise. We tell God what sounds good, what we are willing to do forever in the pressure of the moment, and will lose incentive to do once we are back on solid footing with God and the world.
The interesting thing in this psalm is that the psalmist doesn’t make promises, there is a reminder of what God would be missing in the event of the psalmists death. “For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who can give you praise?” God is treated as a ruler who is more interested in personal gain than in serving those being ruled. The psalmist reminds God, ‘I can’t praise you if I am dead, especially in the nothingness of Sheol.’ The bargaining is not, ‘here’s what I will do.’ the bargaining is, ‘here is what you will miss if you let me go.’
No matter what our image of God may be we are tempted to negotiate when things are not going our way. I imagine that God is not swayed by our negotiating skills as much as by the steadfast love with which God surrounds us on a full time basis. God is aware of the sincerity of our promises in the moment as well as how easily we will forget them as soon as things smooth out for us. God is aware of what will be missing if we are no longer able to offer our praise to God. As much as God enjoys the comradery of our time together, threatening to withhold our praise is not what gets God to act in our favor. God loves us beyond measure and offers it to us in every time and place, sometimes we notice.
November 11, 2019
LCM
Monday, November 4, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1012
Proper 27
November 10, 2019
Psalm 81
1 Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our festal day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it a decree in Joseph, when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a voice I had not known:
6 “I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you called, and I rescued you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you; O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
11 “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
13 O that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their doom would last forever.
16 I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
(NRSV)
The activity of God is easier to see in the past than in the present. We know that God was at work in the life of the psalmist because we can see it. Even when one of the psalmists is lamenting, wondering if God is at work in that particular time, we can see that it is God working for the good of the people. The psalmist is able to recount the activity of God in the past without knowing that the voice being heard is the voice of God.
Though we can see God at work in the past we have trouble seeing God at work in the present tense of our lives. We cry out in prayer for God to help us in whatever trouble we find ourselves not realizing how active God is until we look back at the situation from a distance. The perspective of the long view helps us see all the places God was at work in our lives, giving us hope, comfort, and steadfast love.
In the midst of a crisis we do not have any awareness of the help and hope available to us. I know of people who had to be rescued from drowning in water that came up to their waist. The swift current, panic and other conditions kept them from being able to see beyond their immediate need. The presence and providence of God are always a part of our lives. God continues to feed us and sustain us even if we are not aware that it is God at work among us.
November 4, 2019
LCM
Proper 27
November 10, 2019
Psalm 81
1 Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, sound the tambourine, the sweet lyre with the harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the full moon, on our festal day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it a decree in Joseph, when he went out over the land of Egypt. I hear a voice I had not known:
6 “I relieved your shoulder of the burden; your hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you called, and I rescued you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8 Hear, O my people, while I admonish you; O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god.
10 I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it.
11 “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels.
13 O that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!
14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their doom would last forever.
16 I would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
(NRSV)
The activity of God is easier to see in the past than in the present. We know that God was at work in the life of the psalmist because we can see it. Even when one of the psalmists is lamenting, wondering if God is at work in that particular time, we can see that it is God working for the good of the people. The psalmist is able to recount the activity of God in the past without knowing that the voice being heard is the voice of God.
Though we can see God at work in the past we have trouble seeing God at work in the present tense of our lives. We cry out in prayer for God to help us in whatever trouble we find ourselves not realizing how active God is until we look back at the situation from a distance. The perspective of the long view helps us see all the places God was at work in our lives, giving us hope, comfort, and steadfast love.
In the midst of a crisis we do not have any awareness of the help and hope available to us. I know of people who had to be rescued from drowning in water that came up to their waist. The swift current, panic and other conditions kept them from being able to see beyond their immediate need. The presence and providence of God are always a part of our lives. God continues to feed us and sustain us even if we are not aware that it is God at work among us.
November 4, 2019
LCM
Monday, October 28, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1011
All Saints Sunday
November 3, 2019
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)
Friendship is a wonderful thing; to have a person or group to share important and unimportant events, to bear one another’s burdens, to know each other’s secrets, to be the shelter from the storm for each other. There are the surface friendships in which we gather around an event or interest without really knowing each other very well. Even then, if we need help in that event or interest we know one of our friends will step up to help us. There are the deeper, long lasting friendships that grow into relationships that last through all the changes that individuals go through, including attitudes and inclinations.
When a friendship goes bad it is a terrible thing. The psalmist appears to be dealing with a friendship that has gone deeply sour. Not only is there a sudden distance, the rogue friend is now using information garnered from years together to inflict significant damage to the psalmist. I have an image of two people who sit next to each other in the sanctuary out of habit. In the midst of the psalm, verses 12—14, the psalmist turns to that neighbor knowing it is that person who has been spreading information that had been offered in confidence. From this moment the relationship that took years to build is ended. The psalmist calls on God to be judge against this person who has taken advantage of a friend for selfish reasons.
Tempting as it can be to turn on a friend for the sake of gain in another camp, it is not really worth the price everyone has to pay. The one betrayed loses a friend and perhaps a reputation. The betrayer gains something new that is often short-lived, as a new group of friends recognizes how readily the betrayer will compromise a friendship. God is a great friend, a model for human friendships. While the friendship of God is wonderful, we do well to cultivate and cherish friendships among ourselves. If we find that we are growing apart, we can allow the drift to continue or recommit ourselves to the relationship. We can turn a friend into an enemy by treachery and betrayal, however, the psalmist cautions against it.
October 28, 2019
LCM
All Saints Sunday
November 3, 2019
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)
Friendship is a wonderful thing; to have a person or group to share important and unimportant events, to bear one another’s burdens, to know each other’s secrets, to be the shelter from the storm for each other. There are the surface friendships in which we gather around an event or interest without really knowing each other very well. Even then, if we need help in that event or interest we know one of our friends will step up to help us. There are the deeper, long lasting friendships that grow into relationships that last through all the changes that individuals go through, including attitudes and inclinations.
When a friendship goes bad it is a terrible thing. The psalmist appears to be dealing with a friendship that has gone deeply sour. Not only is there a sudden distance, the rogue friend is now using information garnered from years together to inflict significant damage to the psalmist. I have an image of two people who sit next to each other in the sanctuary out of habit. In the midst of the psalm, verses 12—14, the psalmist turns to that neighbor knowing it is that person who has been spreading information that had been offered in confidence. From this moment the relationship that took years to build is ended. The psalmist calls on God to be judge against this person who has taken advantage of a friend for selfish reasons.
Tempting as it can be to turn on a friend for the sake of gain in another camp, it is not really worth the price everyone has to pay. The one betrayed loses a friend and perhaps a reputation. The betrayer gains something new that is often short-lived, as a new group of friends recognizes how readily the betrayer will compromise a friendship. God is a great friend, a model for human friendships. While the friendship of God is wonderful, we do well to cultivate and cherish friendships among ourselves. If we find that we are growing apart, we can allow the drift to continue or recommit ourselves to the relationship. We can turn a friend into an enemy by treachery and betrayal, however, the psalmist cautions against it.
October 28, 2019
LCM
Monday, October 21, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1010
Proper 25
October 27, 2019
Psalm 130
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.
8 It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
(NRSV)
We expend a lot of energy comparing ourselves to each other as if our lives are a competition, especially those we don’t know well. When someone talks about being at their lowest we find comfort in knowing that our lowest was deeper than theirs. If that someone does have a deeper low than ours we content ourselves knowing that they are probably crazy, at least they were at that lowest point. We have trouble empathizing with those outside of our circle of friends and family so it is easier to compete with them.
Even though my deepest point is different from yours, and our deepest point is different from theirs, we have already reached our lowest point so far. Some of us may go lower yet, others have already hit their lowest point. Each of us has a point of contact with the psalmist. We have a place in the timeline of our lives that is the depths from which we were sure we could not rise alone. In that time we identify with the psalmist, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!” Since we can’t rise from this point alone we put our hope in the presence of God.
At that lowest point we feel disgusting, angry, and unloved, or as a friend said it, we feel, ‘helpless, hopeless, and worthless.’ In turning to God we find steadfast love that is uncompromising and unconditional in seeing each of us as persons of sacred worth. As that love touches us we begin to feel again. We know that we are loved, held, and redeemed from this worst moment so far. We know that we could hold our own in the competition for the lowest of low points. We also know that whether or not our lowest is the definition of ultimate suffering or not, we are loved beyond measure and redeemed from the depths.
October 21, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Proper 25
October 27, 2019
Psalm 130
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord.
2 Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord! For with the Lord there is steadfast love, and with him is great power to redeem.
8 It is he who will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.
(NRSV)
We expend a lot of energy comparing ourselves to each other as if our lives are a competition, especially those we don’t know well. When someone talks about being at their lowest we find comfort in knowing that our lowest was deeper than theirs. If that someone does have a deeper low than ours we content ourselves knowing that they are probably crazy, at least they were at that lowest point. We have trouble empathizing with those outside of our circle of friends and family so it is easier to compete with them.
Even though my deepest point is different from yours, and our deepest point is different from theirs, we have already reached our lowest point so far. Some of us may go lower yet, others have already hit their lowest point. Each of us has a point of contact with the psalmist. We have a place in the timeline of our lives that is the depths from which we were sure we could not rise alone. In that time we identify with the psalmist, “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!” Since we can’t rise from this point alone we put our hope in the presence of God.
At that lowest point we feel disgusting, angry, and unloved, or as a friend said it, we feel, ‘helpless, hopeless, and worthless.’ In turning to God we find steadfast love that is uncompromising and unconditional in seeing each of us as persons of sacred worth. As that love touches us we begin to feel again. We know that we are loved, held, and redeemed from this worst moment so far. We know that we could hold our own in the competition for the lowest of low points. We also know that whether or not our lowest is the definition of ultimate suffering or not, we are loved beyond measure and redeemed from the depths.
October 21, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1009
Proper 24
October 20, 2019
Psalm 30
1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed.
8 To you, O Lord, I cried, and to the Lord I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!”
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
(NRSV)
As parents, when we are dealing with a child due to unacceptable behavior, it is not the child that draws our ire, it is the behavior. As children being disciplined, punished, or scolded we take the whole situation quite personally, knowing that we are personally disliked by the parent on the other side of our situation. We curl up and withdraw or stand firm and defiant. Either way, we have taken this as personal judgement against us as people. In the heat of the moment we do not feel like persons of sacred worth, we feel more like scolded puppies.
The psalmist points out that being disciplined by God puts us in a similar situation. We feel as if we are being punished more than we deserve, we feel as if it is our personhood being judged as unworthy, and we are tempted to turn away from God since we are not worthy anyway. The psalmist says, “[God’s] anger is but for a moment; [God’s] favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” It is a reminder that God does not hate us, God loves us. Even when we have done something sinful, God continues to love us. It is God’s love for us that leads to our discipline.
God is not out to destroy us through punishment, God is out to teach us through discipline. Any correction can feel like a personal attack; most corrections are out of love, whether it be God or another doing the correcting. Even though we may feel pain in the moment, there is good that can come out of being disciplined/taught. “You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.”
October 13, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Proper 24
October 20, 2019
Psalm 30
1 I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
3 O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O Lord, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed.
8 To you, O Lord, I cried, and to the Lord I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me! O Lord, be my helper!”
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
(NRSV)
As parents, when we are dealing with a child due to unacceptable behavior, it is not the child that draws our ire, it is the behavior. As children being disciplined, punished, or scolded we take the whole situation quite personally, knowing that we are personally disliked by the parent on the other side of our situation. We curl up and withdraw or stand firm and defiant. Either way, we have taken this as personal judgement against us as people. In the heat of the moment we do not feel like persons of sacred worth, we feel more like scolded puppies.
The psalmist points out that being disciplined by God puts us in a similar situation. We feel as if we are being punished more than we deserve, we feel as if it is our personhood being judged as unworthy, and we are tempted to turn away from God since we are not worthy anyway. The psalmist says, “[God’s] anger is but for a moment; [God’s] favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” It is a reminder that God does not hate us, God loves us. Even when we have done something sinful, God continues to love us. It is God’s love for us that leads to our discipline.
God is not out to destroy us through punishment, God is out to teach us through discipline. Any correction can feel like a personal attack; most corrections are out of love, whether it be God or another doing the correcting. Even though we may feel pain in the moment, there is good that can come out of being disciplined/taught. “You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever.”
October 13, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, October 7, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1008
Proper 23
October 13, 2019
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)
What is the best thing that has ever happened to you and where did you see God present in that? Some will say, “Jesus” and leave it at that. Others will not be able to come up anything at all. For the psalmist that series of event is what we know as the exodus from Egypt, along with some introduction of how the people got there. By the phrasing of the psalm it is obvious that the psalmist wasn’t even around for the events themselves, however the events touched in the psalm were defining moments for the people with whom the psalmist lives, works and worships. The original participants in these exodus events probably agree with the psalmist as far as the import of the events lifted up by the psalmist, however I know they did not have the same perception of the events as the psalmist has. The psalmist leaves out the conflict and the harsh words that were spoken between God, Moses, and the people.
Years alter our memories. Conflicts that have since worked out for good are remembered as less intense than they actually were. As the stories are passed on to the next generation a lot of the heat of the original confrontation is forgotten in the telling and re-telling. The psalmist remembers that God provided quail when the people requested sustenance without mentioning the unkindness that passed between God, Moses, and the people as the request was made. The psalmist remembers that it was God who provided what was needed rather than remembering the emotion that was part of the original situation.
We may remember that there was anger, raise voices, and threats without those parts of the event being worth mentioning in the telling of the story. We will remember that it was a world changing event while knowing, even though it felt like it at the time, it was not the end of the world. As our lives change, there are events that are the end of the world as we know it, and we make new ways to define and live in the world. My hope is that you find the presence of God in each life altering event.
October 7, 2019
LCM
Proper 23
October 13, 2019
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)
What is the best thing that has ever happened to you and where did you see God present in that? Some will say, “Jesus” and leave it at that. Others will not be able to come up anything at all. For the psalmist that series of event is what we know as the exodus from Egypt, along with some introduction of how the people got there. By the phrasing of the psalm it is obvious that the psalmist wasn’t even around for the events themselves, however the events touched in the psalm were defining moments for the people with whom the psalmist lives, works and worships. The original participants in these exodus events probably agree with the psalmist as far as the import of the events lifted up by the psalmist, however I know they did not have the same perception of the events as the psalmist has. The psalmist leaves out the conflict and the harsh words that were spoken between God, Moses, and the people.
Years alter our memories. Conflicts that have since worked out for good are remembered as less intense than they actually were. As the stories are passed on to the next generation a lot of the heat of the original confrontation is forgotten in the telling and re-telling. The psalmist remembers that God provided quail when the people requested sustenance without mentioning the unkindness that passed between God, Moses, and the people as the request was made. The psalmist remembers that it was God who provided what was needed rather than remembering the emotion that was part of the original situation.
We may remember that there was anger, raise voices, and threats without those parts of the event being worth mentioning in the telling of the story. We will remember that it was a world changing event while knowing, even though it felt like it at the time, it was not the end of the world. As our lives change, there are events that are the end of the world as we know it, and we make new ways to define and live in the world. My hope is that you find the presence of God in each life altering event.
October 7, 2019
LCM
Monday, September 30, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1007
Proper 22
October 6, 2019
Psalm 5
1 Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my sighing.
2 Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you.
5 The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouths; their hearts are destruction; their throats are open graves; they flatter with their tongues.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of their many transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover them with favor as with a shield.
(NRSV)
We are better at recognizing when those around us do things to earn their place in the presence of God. We might not be as good at seeing that at work in our lives. When we do something because we should, we are trying to earn someone else’s love and respect. One of my teachers said that ‘should, ought, must, and supposed to,’ rise from external influence. We do those things because someone else is driving our decision making. It could be family, friend, or boss who is pressing us to do what they want done. If we are acting because we feel as if God is pushing us, we are attempting to earn God’s love.
The other side of the expectation list is, ‘want, wish, hope, desire, and feel like’ doing things. This side of the list is from internal influence. We act because there is something within us drives our action. In between the two lists is, ‘need to, and have to.’ We ‘need to’ do something because of external influence, ‘should...’, or from something inside us, ‘want…’. On the ‘want’ side of the list we act from our own motivation. Gratitude rises from the ‘want’ side. In verse 7 of this psalm, the entering, bowing, and awe in the temple are responses to the steadfast love of God. The response is not demanded by God, it is the psalmist’s heartfelt desire in the experience of God’s love.
There are days in which we serve God and others out of sense of duty, because we can’t find the motivation within ourselves. Most days we serve God because there is something within us that is looking for a way to offer our joy and gratitude as a response to all that God does for us. The psalmist enters the temple in response to God’s steadfast love rather than out of a sense of obligation, as a way to earn the love of God. Worship and service done out of obligation leads to resentment and burn out. Worship and service done in response to God’s love leads to rejoicing, blessing, and awe.
September 30, 2019
LCM
Proper 22
October 6, 2019
Psalm 5
1 Give ear to my words, O Lord; give heed to my sighing.
2 Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
3 O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you.
5 The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies; the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
8 Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouths; their hearts are destruction; their throats are open graves; they flatter with their tongues.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of their many transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O Lord; you cover them with favor as with a shield.
(NRSV)
We are better at recognizing when those around us do things to earn their place in the presence of God. We might not be as good at seeing that at work in our lives. When we do something because we should, we are trying to earn someone else’s love and respect. One of my teachers said that ‘should, ought, must, and supposed to,’ rise from external influence. We do those things because someone else is driving our decision making. It could be family, friend, or boss who is pressing us to do what they want done. If we are acting because we feel as if God is pushing us, we are attempting to earn God’s love.
The other side of the expectation list is, ‘want, wish, hope, desire, and feel like’ doing things. This side of the list is from internal influence. We act because there is something within us drives our action. In between the two lists is, ‘need to, and have to.’ We ‘need to’ do something because of external influence, ‘should...’, or from something inside us, ‘want…’. On the ‘want’ side of the list we act from our own motivation. Gratitude rises from the ‘want’ side. In verse 7 of this psalm, the entering, bowing, and awe in the temple are responses to the steadfast love of God. The response is not demanded by God, it is the psalmist’s heartfelt desire in the experience of God’s love.
There are days in which we serve God and others out of sense of duty, because we can’t find the motivation within ourselves. Most days we serve God because there is something within us that is looking for a way to offer our joy and gratitude as a response to all that God does for us. The psalmist enters the temple in response to God’s steadfast love rather than out of a sense of obligation, as a way to earn the love of God. Worship and service done out of obligation leads to resentment and burn out. Worship and service done in response to God’s love leads to rejoicing, blessing, and awe.
September 30, 2019
LCM
Monday, September 23, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1006
Proper 21
September 29, 2019
Psalm 80
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
4 O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches;
11 it sent out its branches to the sea, and its shoots to the River.
12 Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted.
16 They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance.
17 But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself.
18 Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.
19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
(NRSV)
Out of this whole psalm, one sentence continues to jump out at me, “Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.” I too have said something like this and it has been as false for me as it was for the psalmist and the people of that time. When we are in a situation from which we see no easy way out, we call on God to help us. As a part of our request we make this deal, ‘if you get me out of this, I will do that for you for the rest of my life.’ Most of the time, our promises are sincere in the moment. Other times, we are aware that we are making a promise that we can’t possibly keep—and we make it anyway. Verse 18 strikes me as this kind of promise.
There is, by the time of the psalm, a long history of people making and breaking promises to each other and to God with varying degrees of sincerity. Without questioning the intent of the psalmist to keep this word, it seems a foolish promise to make for a whole nation and forever. I know I am reading my own guilt into this, remembering one particular bargaining session in which I made a promise I knew I was unable/unwilling to keep. In high school I promised God that I would go to church at least once a week for the rest of my life if God would get my brothers and me out of the ditch we were in. I was especially intent on God getting us out of this one because I had been partially responsible for getting us in there in the first place.
I have no doubt that God loves to hear from us, no matter what it going on in our lives. The celebrations, the intercessions, and laments are all connections we initiate with God to deepen the relationship God initiated with us. Because God knows us better than we know ourselves, I imagine that there is a certain amount of eye rolling on God’s part when we make promises that are sincere even though there is no way we can live out the promise. And more serious eye rolls when we make promises that we both know are disingenuous/insincere even as we make them. Fortunately, God is with us and loves us no matter what.
September 23, 2019
LCM
Proper 21
September 29, 2019
Psalm 80
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
4 O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches;
11 it sent out its branches to the sea, and its shoots to the River.
12 Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted.
16 They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance.
17 But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself.
18 Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.
19 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
(NRSV)
Out of this whole psalm, one sentence continues to jump out at me, “Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.” I too have said something like this and it has been as false for me as it was for the psalmist and the people of that time. When we are in a situation from which we see no easy way out, we call on God to help us. As a part of our request we make this deal, ‘if you get me out of this, I will do that for you for the rest of my life.’ Most of the time, our promises are sincere in the moment. Other times, we are aware that we are making a promise that we can’t possibly keep—and we make it anyway. Verse 18 strikes me as this kind of promise.
There is, by the time of the psalm, a long history of people making and breaking promises to each other and to God with varying degrees of sincerity. Without questioning the intent of the psalmist to keep this word, it seems a foolish promise to make for a whole nation and forever. I know I am reading my own guilt into this, remembering one particular bargaining session in which I made a promise I knew I was unable/unwilling to keep. In high school I promised God that I would go to church at least once a week for the rest of my life if God would get my brothers and me out of the ditch we were in. I was especially intent on God getting us out of this one because I had been partially responsible for getting us in there in the first place.
I have no doubt that God loves to hear from us, no matter what it going on in our lives. The celebrations, the intercessions, and laments are all connections we initiate with God to deepen the relationship God initiated with us. Because God knows us better than we know ourselves, I imagine that there is a certain amount of eye rolling on God’s part when we make promises that are sincere even though there is no way we can live out the promise. And more serious eye rolls when we make promises that we both know are disingenuous/insincere even as we make them. Fortunately, God is with us and loves us no matter what.
September 23, 2019
LCM
Monday, September 16, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1005
Proper 20
September 22, 2019
Psalm 54
1 Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your might.
2 Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For the insolent have risen against me, the ruthless seek my life; they do not set God before them. Selah
4 But surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will repay my enemies for their evil. In your faithfulness, put an end to them.
6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
(NRSV)
Some days there is nothing better than to stick your thumbs in your ears, stick out your tongue, and do a victory dance in the face of those who have been picking on you. It is especially rich if you can do all that right behind your protector, so only your adversary can see you. Even knowing that it may start the cycle all over again as soon as the protector walks away, it seems worth it for right now.
Unless that protector sees your victory dance and invites you into a conversation about being a gracious winner. At best, it will be a quiet invitation out of view and earshot of the recently vanquished adversary. At worst, you will be called out right there in front of those folks, giving them fresh fuel for the next fire. The conversation will remind you that victory dances and gloating are neither helpful nor healthy. Even the inner gloating that lays the hint of a smirk on your face is not the way to treat anyone.
The psalmist calls on God to be the protector, as in times past, to beat the enemy out of existence. While we may interpret the actions of God as wrathful and destructive, the true path of God is to find a way to draw all of us together so that we can enter the realm of God as brothers and sisters (who still have our share of disagreements) rather than as armed camps of ‘us’ against ‘them.’
September 16, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Proper 20
September 22, 2019
Psalm 54
1 Save me, O God, by your name, and vindicate me by your might.
2 Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For the insolent have risen against me, the ruthless seek my life; they do not set God before them. Selah
4 But surely, God is my helper; the Lord is the upholder of my life.
5 He will repay my enemies for their evil. In your faithfulness, put an end to them.
6 With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For he has delivered me from every trouble, and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies.
(NRSV)
Some days there is nothing better than to stick your thumbs in your ears, stick out your tongue, and do a victory dance in the face of those who have been picking on you. It is especially rich if you can do all that right behind your protector, so only your adversary can see you. Even knowing that it may start the cycle all over again as soon as the protector walks away, it seems worth it for right now.
Unless that protector sees your victory dance and invites you into a conversation about being a gracious winner. At best, it will be a quiet invitation out of view and earshot of the recently vanquished adversary. At worst, you will be called out right there in front of those folks, giving them fresh fuel for the next fire. The conversation will remind you that victory dances and gloating are neither helpful nor healthy. Even the inner gloating that lays the hint of a smirk on your face is not the way to treat anyone.
The psalmist calls on God to be the protector, as in times past, to beat the enemy out of existence. While we may interpret the actions of God as wrathful and destructive, the true path of God is to find a way to draw all of us together so that we can enter the realm of God as brothers and sisters (who still have our share of disagreements) rather than as armed camps of ‘us’ against ‘them.’
September 16, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, September 9, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1004
Proper 19
September 15, 2019
Psalm 129
1 “Often have they attacked me from my youth”—let Israel now say—
2 “often have they attacked me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed on my back; they made their furrows long.”
4 The Lord is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked.
5 May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward.
6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops that withers before it grows up,
7 with which reapers do not fill their hands or binders of sheaves their arms,
8 while those who pass by do not say, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you! We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
(NRSV)
The phrase that jumped out at me for today is, “yet they have not prevailed against me.” When we have been attacked, whether it be physically, spiritually, or emotionally, the temptation is to see ourselves as victims. We feel beaten down and defeated, as if we will never be able to survive another onslaught on that level. That may or may not be true. What is important for this time, for today, is that we survived. Our adversary has beaten us and is still standing, however, we are alive, we have not been completely defeated. We are able to be cared for, alone or with help, in a way that will get us back on our feet.
We are not unchanged or unscathed. We have been broken and defeated, “yet they have not prevailed against me.” We will need some time to heal, and to do that we will need support. One of the supports we can count on is the presence of God. While the psalmist says that God will deal with those who have hurt us, I believe it is more important to realize that God is with us. God becomes our chief supporter, holding on to us in the face of this attack. We will never see the world through the lens we once used, our innocence is gone, and our trust has a mature nuance to it. However, we feel the hand of God holding us as we move from innocence to maturity.
It is likely that we will join the psalmist in encouraging God to go get all the folks responsible for our pain and suffering. We will look on their destruction with a certain glee. And then we will discover that God does not work that way. God is not one we can call upon to destroy our enemies with fire and violence. If we could, how many of our adversaries would have called down fire and violence on us? Nope, God works through healing presence, through grace, through peace, through love. We can ask God to rain fire on our enemies, and it will not happen because God does not work that way. God will hold us closer and whisper the reminder, “yet they have not prevailed against me.”
September 9, 2019
LCM
Proper 19
September 15, 2019
Psalm 129
1 “Often have they attacked me from my youth”—let Israel now say—
2 “often have they attacked me from my youth, yet they have not prevailed against me.
3 The plowers plowed on my back; they made their furrows long.”
4 The Lord is righteous; he has cut the cords of the wicked.
5 May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward.
6 Let them be like the grass on the housetops that withers before it grows up,
7 with which reapers do not fill their hands or binders of sheaves their arms,
8 while those who pass by do not say, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you! We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
(NRSV)
The phrase that jumped out at me for today is, “yet they have not prevailed against me.” When we have been attacked, whether it be physically, spiritually, or emotionally, the temptation is to see ourselves as victims. We feel beaten down and defeated, as if we will never be able to survive another onslaught on that level. That may or may not be true. What is important for this time, for today, is that we survived. Our adversary has beaten us and is still standing, however, we are alive, we have not been completely defeated. We are able to be cared for, alone or with help, in a way that will get us back on our feet.
We are not unchanged or unscathed. We have been broken and defeated, “yet they have not prevailed against me.” We will need some time to heal, and to do that we will need support. One of the supports we can count on is the presence of God. While the psalmist says that God will deal with those who have hurt us, I believe it is more important to realize that God is with us. God becomes our chief supporter, holding on to us in the face of this attack. We will never see the world through the lens we once used, our innocence is gone, and our trust has a mature nuance to it. However, we feel the hand of God holding us as we move from innocence to maturity.
It is likely that we will join the psalmist in encouraging God to go get all the folks responsible for our pain and suffering. We will look on their destruction with a certain glee. And then we will discover that God does not work that way. God is not one we can call upon to destroy our enemies with fire and violence. If we could, how many of our adversaries would have called down fire and violence on us? Nope, God works through healing presence, through grace, through peace, through love. We can ask God to rain fire on our enemies, and it will not happen because God does not work that way. God will hold us closer and whisper the reminder, “yet they have not prevailed against me.”
September 9, 2019
LCM
Monday, September 2, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1003
Proper 18
September 8, 2019
Psalm 29
1 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
(NRSV)
Some voices command attention. It has very little to do with the volume of the voice, it is a quality of the sound that makes us want to listen. The person behind the voice has a way of using it that is both compelling and soothing. God has one of those voices. There is enough power in the voice of God to break a cedar tree, there is a gentleness in God’s voice that brings peace and encouragement to those who hear it. While the voice of God can bring about scary events, That same voice can bring us calm in the midst of storms and trials.
There are those whose attempts at imitating the voice of God include volume and frightening words. If they can get us to tremble and react with fear they feel as if they have copied the voice of God. They bring no comfort because their interest is in power and control. To them, the voice of God is the voice power, the voice that grabs people at their more fearful, their most vulnerable and tells them that their fears are justified. If only they will listen and follow, we will destroy our enemies. Sadly, once one enemy is destroyed, we are told that there is a new enemy who is at least as great a threat as the previous.
There are others who imitate the voice of God with words and tone of comfort. In the face of evil threat it is their voice that offers words of calm so that we can face any enemy or adversary with the full use of our rationality and companion strengths. They draw us in to a world view of meeting challenges in a way that brings out our best. The psalmist sees God in this light. Within the power to break things with a word, the voice of God leads us to the peace of confidence in God. We are blessed in the glorious presence of God.
September 2, 2019
LCM
Proper 18
September 8, 2019
Psalm 29
1 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name; worship the Lord in holy splendor.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!”
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people! May the Lord bless his people with peace!
(NRSV)
Some voices command attention. It has very little to do with the volume of the voice, it is a quality of the sound that makes us want to listen. The person behind the voice has a way of using it that is both compelling and soothing. God has one of those voices. There is enough power in the voice of God to break a cedar tree, there is a gentleness in God’s voice that brings peace and encouragement to those who hear it. While the voice of God can bring about scary events, That same voice can bring us calm in the midst of storms and trials.
There are those whose attempts at imitating the voice of God include volume and frightening words. If they can get us to tremble and react with fear they feel as if they have copied the voice of God. They bring no comfort because their interest is in power and control. To them, the voice of God is the voice power, the voice that grabs people at their more fearful, their most vulnerable and tells them that their fears are justified. If only they will listen and follow, we will destroy our enemies. Sadly, once one enemy is destroyed, we are told that there is a new enemy who is at least as great a threat as the previous.
There are others who imitate the voice of God with words and tone of comfort. In the face of evil threat it is their voice that offers words of calm so that we can face any enemy or adversary with the full use of our rationality and companion strengths. They draw us in to a world view of meeting challenges in a way that brings out our best. The psalmist sees God in this light. Within the power to break things with a word, the voice of God leads us to the peace of confidence in God. We are blessed in the glorious presence of God.
September 2, 2019
LCM
Monday, August 26, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1002
Proper 17
September 1, 2019
Psalm 104
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty,
2 wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
3 you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind,
4 you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers.
5 You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken.
6 You cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
8 They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys to the place that you appointed for them.
9 You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.
10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills,
11 giving drink to every wild animal; the wild asses quench their thirst.
12 By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches.
13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
14 You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth,
15 and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart.
16 The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 In them the birds build their nests; the stork has its home in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the coneys.
19 You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.
20 You make darkness, and it is night, when all the animals of the forest come creeping out.
21 The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they withdraw and lie down in their dens.
23 People go out to their work and to their labor until the evening.
24 O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
27 These all look to you to give them their food in due season;
28 when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—
32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!
(NRSV)
It is easy to take all of God’s works and gifts for granted, to become so used to all around us that we fail to notice and appreciate all that God has done and is doing in the world. The psalmist takes the time to look around at the world, to see as much as possible of all that God has done. The psalmist also points out at least one of the beneficiaries of these wonderful gifts God has given to the world. The psalmist may be sitting on a hillside observing each of these animals enjoying the fruits of God’s good creation. In a visual sweep, the psalmist looks side to side as well as up and down to take in and point out as much of the scene as possible.
The psalmist appears to be so excited to see this whole panorama, that the psalm gets written in the random order in which everything is observed. We might be tempted to write, revise, and edit these observations in a greater to lesser order. The scene opens the eyes of the psalmist in such a way that there is no other way to write it down than in the order in which things reveal themselves to this awe-struck writer.
It is possible to go through a day without looking up, or even outside ourselves. In some cases, it is possible to spend a day without making any contact with the natural world. We go from house to car to parking garage to office and back again without so much as a hint of fresh air or unfiltered sunshine. We get so caught up in the obligations of the day that we don’t make time to see, experience, and appreciate the world in which we live On some of those days, it is good to remind ourselves of the goodness of God and creation by reading a psalm along the lines of this one. It might even inspire us to step outside and spend some time looking at listening as the natural day unfolds before our eyes.
August 26, 2019
LCM
Proper 17
September 1, 2019
Psalm 104
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty,
2 wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
3 you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind,
4 you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers.
5 You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken.
6 You cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
7 At your rebuke they flee; at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
8 They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys to the place that you appointed for them.
9 You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.
10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills,
11 giving drink to every wild animal; the wild asses quench their thirst.
12 By the streams the birds of the air have their habitation; they sing among the branches.
13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.
14 You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use, to bring forth food from the earth,
15 and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart.
16 The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 In them the birds build their nests; the stork has its home in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the coneys.
19 You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting.
20 You make darkness, and it is night, when all the animals of the forest come creeping out.
21 The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God.
22 When the sun rises, they withdraw and lie down in their dens.
23 People go out to their work and to their labor until the evening.
24 O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
25 Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable are there, living things both small and great.
26 There go the ships, and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.
27 These all look to you to give them their food in due season;
28 when you give to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
29 When you hide your face, they are dismayed; when you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust.
30 When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.
31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works—
32 who looks on the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke.
33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise the Lord!
(NRSV)
It is easy to take all of God’s works and gifts for granted, to become so used to all around us that we fail to notice and appreciate all that God has done and is doing in the world. The psalmist takes the time to look around at the world, to see as much as possible of all that God has done. The psalmist also points out at least one of the beneficiaries of these wonderful gifts God has given to the world. The psalmist may be sitting on a hillside observing each of these animals enjoying the fruits of God’s good creation. In a visual sweep, the psalmist looks side to side as well as up and down to take in and point out as much of the scene as possible.
The psalmist appears to be so excited to see this whole panorama, that the psalm gets written in the random order in which everything is observed. We might be tempted to write, revise, and edit these observations in a greater to lesser order. The scene opens the eyes of the psalmist in such a way that there is no other way to write it down than in the order in which things reveal themselves to this awe-struck writer.
It is possible to go through a day without looking up, or even outside ourselves. In some cases, it is possible to spend a day without making any contact with the natural world. We go from house to car to parking garage to office and back again without so much as a hint of fresh air or unfiltered sunshine. We get so caught up in the obligations of the day that we don’t make time to see, experience, and appreciate the world in which we live On some of those days, it is good to remind ourselves of the goodness of God and creation by reading a psalm along the lines of this one. It might even inspire us to step outside and spend some time looking at listening as the natural day unfolds before our eyes.
August 26, 2019
LCM
Monday, August 19, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1001
Proper 16
August 25, 2019
Psalm 4
1 Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say, “O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!”
7 You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound.
8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.
(NRSV)
Each of us has a skill set that we make look easy. Our motion is fluid, our delivery is smooth, we are able to adapt in the face of missteps and accidents. Others look at our work and believe that they could do that with the same fluidity that we exhibit. And they are dreadfully mistaken. Our ease comes from years of hard work, practice, adaptation, and failure. All those years have taught us what to do in place of our natural reaction.
Something as ‘simple’ as prayer takes a lot of practice. We listen to others pray, we use prayers that others have written for our use, we adapt those practices and prayers for our own use, we realize that it is more than going through the motions as we build a relationship of trust with God. We go from asking for our laundry list to be filled to listening for ways we can grow in our relationship with God. The psalmist hears many say, “O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!” These folks are expecting God to do all the work. While they are couched in more formal language, they are saying, “gimme, gimme, gimme.” The psalmist has offered right sacrifices and put trust in God. The psalmist has done the hard work of building a relationship with God.
The reason we make our skill set look easy is because we continue to put in the hard work of practicing those skills. We keep ourselves from getting complacent by working on our skills on a regular basis. The psalmist encourages us to do the same thing in our relationship with God. Keep the lines of communication open, keep doing things together, keep practicing the presence of God.
August 19, 2019
LCM
Proper 16
August 25, 2019
Psalm 4
1 Answer me when I call, O God of my right! You gave me room when I was in distress. Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, you people, shall my honor suffer shame? How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 When you are disturbed, do not sin; ponder it on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say, “O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!”
7 You have put gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound.
8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.
(NRSV)
Each of us has a skill set that we make look easy. Our motion is fluid, our delivery is smooth, we are able to adapt in the face of missteps and accidents. Others look at our work and believe that they could do that with the same fluidity that we exhibit. And they are dreadfully mistaken. Our ease comes from years of hard work, practice, adaptation, and failure. All those years have taught us what to do in place of our natural reaction.
Something as ‘simple’ as prayer takes a lot of practice. We listen to others pray, we use prayers that others have written for our use, we adapt those practices and prayers for our own use, we realize that it is more than going through the motions as we build a relationship of trust with God. We go from asking for our laundry list to be filled to listening for ways we can grow in our relationship with God. The psalmist hears many say, “O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!” These folks are expecting God to do all the work. While they are couched in more formal language, they are saying, “gimme, gimme, gimme.” The psalmist has offered right sacrifices and put trust in God. The psalmist has done the hard work of building a relationship with God.
The reason we make our skill set look easy is because we continue to put in the hard work of practicing those skills. We keep ourselves from getting complacent by working on our skills on a regular basis. The psalmist encourages us to do the same thing in our relationship with God. Keep the lines of communication open, keep doing things together, keep practicing the presence of God.
August 19, 2019
LCM
Monday, August 12, 2019
Psalm Meditation 1000
Proper 15
August 18, 2019
Psalm 79
1 O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the air for food, the flesh of your faithful to the wild animals of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us.
5 How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?
6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.
8 Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes.
11 Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power preserve those doomed to die.
12 Return sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors the taunts with which they taunted you, O Lord!
13 Then we your people, the flock of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
(NRSV)
Israel was beat up and bullied by the surrounding nations more often than it was victorious over them. This psalm recounts one of those times. The nation had been overrun, Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple was defiled. The people had been killed in the streets and the bodies left unburied. It was not the outcome anyone in Israel wanted. The assumption is that God was angry with them and stepped out of the way so the nation could be devastated. The psalmist is ready for God to turn that fierce anger to the surrounding nations who have done such damage to God’s chosen people.
The psalmist is aware of the presence of sin, otherwise God would not allow these neighboring enemies to overrun the nation. There is no confession of sin, only the acknowledgement of it. The psalmist, and probably the rest of the nation, are ready for all the destruction to be finished. If God will deliver them from these wages of sin, they will tell each other, and generations to come, that God is good and glorious.
Whether we are being bullied or are guilty of being the bully we do well to turn to God. We then open ourselves to receive the comforting presence of God or the gracious judgement that comes from God. Chances are the we have our occasions of each. Either way, if we are moving toward God to the best of our ability, we will find that God is with us. “Then we your people, the flock of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.”
August 12, 2019
LCM
Proper 15
August 18, 2019
Psalm 79
1 O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
2 They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the air for food, the flesh of your faithful to the wild animals of the earth.
3 They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them.
4 We have become a taunt to our neighbors, mocked and derided by those around us.
5 How long, O Lord? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealous wrath burn like fire?
6 Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call on your name.
7 For they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation.
8 Do not remember against us the iniquities of our ancestors; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low.
9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and forgive our sins, for your name’s sake.
10 Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Let the avenging of the outpoured blood of your servants be known among the nations before our eyes.
11 Let the groans of the prisoners come before you; according to your great power preserve those doomed to die.
12 Return sevenfold into the bosom of our neighbors the taunts with which they taunted you, O Lord!
13 Then we your people, the flock of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
(NRSV)
Israel was beat up and bullied by the surrounding nations more often than it was victorious over them. This psalm recounts one of those times. The nation had been overrun, Jerusalem was destroyed and the temple was defiled. The people had been killed in the streets and the bodies left unburied. It was not the outcome anyone in Israel wanted. The assumption is that God was angry with them and stepped out of the way so the nation could be devastated. The psalmist is ready for God to turn that fierce anger to the surrounding nations who have done such damage to God’s chosen people.
The psalmist is aware of the presence of sin, otherwise God would not allow these neighboring enemies to overrun the nation. There is no confession of sin, only the acknowledgement of it. The psalmist, and probably the rest of the nation, are ready for all the destruction to be finished. If God will deliver them from these wages of sin, they will tell each other, and generations to come, that God is good and glorious.
Whether we are being bullied or are guilty of being the bully we do well to turn to God. We then open ourselves to receive the comforting presence of God or the gracious judgement that comes from God. Chances are the we have our occasions of each. Either way, if we are moving toward God to the best of our ability, we will find that God is with us. “Then we your people, the flock of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.”
August 12, 2019
LCM
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Psalm Meditation 999
Proper 14
August 11, 2019
Psalm 53
1 Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts; there is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God.
3 They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one.
4 Have they no knowledge, those evildoers, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?
5 There they shall be in great terror, in terror such as has not been. For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly; they will be put to shame, for God has rejected them.
6 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
(NRSV)
I hope I am not the only one who has ever looked down my nose at all the other people in a group, knowing that I am better at our task than any of them. After a suitable time I realize that I have so much to learn from each of the folks around me. And it finally sinks in that the people who at the top of their game in any subject are the ones who know there is something to learn from each person. Those of us who think we know everything already are simply unaware of how much there is to learn.
It seems that the psalmist may be guilty of being the only one who is pure enough to see God at work in the world. It would be good if the psalmist was willing to be counted among those who have fallen away, however the reference is to ‘they’ rather than ‘we.’ In truth, we are counted among the fallen, the perverse, the evildoers. We are guilty of being less than we aim toward, guilty of failing to live up to our own expectations, let alone those of God. For each of us to stand apart from everyone else, to stand in judgment against everyone else is the height of arrogance, bordering on idolatry.
When we set ourselves in a position to act in the place of God, we lose sight of ourselves. It is when we see ourselves as impossibly lost without the intervention of God that we become open to the salvation and deliverance that God is ready and willing to offer to us. When we see ourselves as dependent on God’s grace and mercy we can begin to seek after God.
August 7, 2019
LCM
Proper 14
August 11, 2019
Psalm 53
1 Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts; there is no one who does good.
2 God looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God.
3 They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one.
4 Have they no knowledge, those evildoers, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God?
5 There they shall be in great terror, in terror such as has not been. For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly; they will be put to shame, for God has rejected them.
6 O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
(NRSV)
I hope I am not the only one who has ever looked down my nose at all the other people in a group, knowing that I am better at our task than any of them. After a suitable time I realize that I have so much to learn from each of the folks around me. And it finally sinks in that the people who at the top of their game in any subject are the ones who know there is something to learn from each person. Those of us who think we know everything already are simply unaware of how much there is to learn.
It seems that the psalmist may be guilty of being the only one who is pure enough to see God at work in the world. It would be good if the psalmist was willing to be counted among those who have fallen away, however the reference is to ‘they’ rather than ‘we.’ In truth, we are counted among the fallen, the perverse, the evildoers. We are guilty of being less than we aim toward, guilty of failing to live up to our own expectations, let alone those of God. For each of us to stand apart from everyone else, to stand in judgment against everyone else is the height of arrogance, bordering on idolatry.
When we set ourselves in a position to act in the place of God, we lose sight of ourselves. It is when we see ourselves as impossibly lost without the intervention of God that we become open to the salvation and deliverance that God is ready and willing to offer to us. When we see ourselves as dependent on God’s grace and mercy we can begin to seek after God.
August 7, 2019
LCM
Monday, July 29, 2019
Psalm Meditation 998
Proper 13
August 4, 2019
Psalm 128
1 Happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways.
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
4 Thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
5 The Lord bless you from Zion. May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life
6 May you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!
(NRSV)
We can beat ourselves up pretty badly when we compare ourselves to the people around us. We use the wrong criteria for our judgments, we make assumptions about the success of the other, and we forget about one of the most important aspects of any life. When we start by looking at problematic information, we end with problematic conclusions.
One of the ways we compare ourselves to others is income. Do they make more than me? They must be better at what they do, or what they do is more important than what I do. We assume that the position the other is in is somehow better than mine for some arbitrary reason. We forget that being happy is way more important than a lot of the standards we use to judge our relative worth. We forget that high profile positions have more stresses than rewards. We forget that more money is a way to compensate people for more headaches and heartaches.
Of course, comparing ourselves to others is always a problem. Since we don’t do the exact same work in the exact same place, any comparison is faulty. Since we know what is in our own heart and head without knowing what is in the other person’s heart and head, we make bad judgments about our apples and their oranges. Am I happy where I am? Do I have healthy relationships with the people around me? Does the presence of God in each of our lives make a positive difference? “Thus shall the [person] be blessed who fears the Lord.”
July 29, 2019
LCM
Proper 13
August 4, 2019
Psalm 128
1 Happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways.
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
4 Thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.
5 The Lord bless you from Zion. May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life
6 May you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!
(NRSV)
We can beat ourselves up pretty badly when we compare ourselves to the people around us. We use the wrong criteria for our judgments, we make assumptions about the success of the other, and we forget about one of the most important aspects of any life. When we start by looking at problematic information, we end with problematic conclusions.
One of the ways we compare ourselves to others is income. Do they make more than me? They must be better at what they do, or what they do is more important than what I do. We assume that the position the other is in is somehow better than mine for some arbitrary reason. We forget that being happy is way more important than a lot of the standards we use to judge our relative worth. We forget that high profile positions have more stresses than rewards. We forget that more money is a way to compensate people for more headaches and heartaches.
Of course, comparing ourselves to others is always a problem. Since we don’t do the exact same work in the exact same place, any comparison is faulty. Since we know what is in our own heart and head without knowing what is in the other person’s heart and head, we make bad judgments about our apples and their oranges. Am I happy where I am? Do I have healthy relationships with the people around me? Does the presence of God in each of our lives make a positive difference? “Thus shall the [person] be blessed who fears the Lord.”
July 29, 2019
LCM
Monday, July 22, 2019
Psalm Meditation 997
Proper 12
July 28, 2019
Psalm 28
1 To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me, for if you are silent to me, I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who are workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors, while mischief is in their hearts.
4 Repay them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds; repay them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, or the work of his hands, he will break them down and build them up no more.
6 Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
8 The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd, and carry them forever.
(NRSV)
We tend to judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions. When we mess up, we know what our intentions were, so the screw up does not seem so bad. When someone else messes up, we can only see the results, so we assume that their result is what they wanted to do all along. Because all we know is the visible part, we read their motives back into their actions. On top of all that, if we like them we assign them positive motives and if we don’t we assign them negative motivations.
The psalmist knows that those seen as wicked meant to do the things that did damage. At the same time the psalmists asks not to be dragged off with those wicked people because of the relationship the psalmist has with God. ‘We are such good buddies, you couldn’t possibly do the terrible things to me that I want you to do to ‘those’ people.’ We can only hope that the psalmist is correct in assessing who is good and who is wicked.
It is a good idea to be careful in our assessment of good and evil. What we think is good can be received by another as evil. What is good for us can have a disastrous consequence for someone who was not considered in our plan. We do our best to live up to our motives, to serve God to the best of our ability, and put ourselves and others at the mercy of God.
July 22, 2019
LCM
Proper 12
July 28, 2019
Psalm 28
1 To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me, for if you are silent to me, I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who are workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors, while mischief is in their hearts.
4 Repay them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds; repay them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, or the work of his hands, he will break them down and build them up no more.
6 Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
8 The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd, and carry them forever.
(NRSV)
We tend to judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their actions. When we mess up, we know what our intentions were, so the screw up does not seem so bad. When someone else messes up, we can only see the results, so we assume that their result is what they wanted to do all along. Because all we know is the visible part, we read their motives back into their actions. On top of all that, if we like them we assign them positive motives and if we don’t we assign them negative motivations.
The psalmist knows that those seen as wicked meant to do the things that did damage. At the same time the psalmists asks not to be dragged off with those wicked people because of the relationship the psalmist has with God. ‘We are such good buddies, you couldn’t possibly do the terrible things to me that I want you to do to ‘those’ people.’ We can only hope that the psalmist is correct in assessing who is good and who is wicked.
It is a good idea to be careful in our assessment of good and evil. What we think is good can be received by another as evil. What is good for us can have a disastrous consequence for someone who was not considered in our plan. We do our best to live up to our motives, to serve God to the best of our ability, and put ourselves and others at the mercy of God.
July 22, 2019
LCM
Monday, July 15, 2019
Psalm Meditation 996
Proper 11
July 21, 2019
Psalm 103
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for mortals, their days are like grass; they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,
18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word.
21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will.
22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
(NRSV)
This is my favorite psalm: for what it says, and for the memories it holds for me. The psalmist reminds us to bless God, to acknowledge God’s holiness, for a variety of divine deeds that touch us directly and indirectly. All the blessings focus on the steadfast love of God; all the ways that love manifests itself in our lives, as well as the eternal character of the love God has for us. The psalmist ends by expanding the invitation to bless the Lord to all who have been touched by the steadfast love of God.
As far as the memories; my father would wake us up with the first two verses of the psalm on a regular basis, as I remember. His was a comforting, pleasant voice, so any words would have worked to awaken us. That it was this psalm melded both word and voice into a word of comfort. Then in high school, I was in a group that sang the music from Godspell. One of the songs is based on this psalm. It started out just for fun, and led to some life changing friendships and experiences. In college, I was in a production of the play. We travelled to churches in the state and beyond. All three groups, and the people in them, continue to hold a special place in my heart and memory.
Each of us has a favorite Scripture passage that means something beyond the words themselves. It will hold memories of the events and people who contributed to making the passage a favorite. For some of us it will be on the surface of our lives and memories. For others it will be covered with a layer or two of dust and detritus. Either way, I invite you to take it out, hold it in your hands and use it as an opportunity to: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—
July 15, 2019
LCM
Proper 11
July 21, 2019
Psalm 103
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far he removes our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
14 For he knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for mortals, their days are like grass; they flourish like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children,
18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word.
21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will.
22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul.
(NRSV)
This is my favorite psalm: for what it says, and for the memories it holds for me. The psalmist reminds us to bless God, to acknowledge God’s holiness, for a variety of divine deeds that touch us directly and indirectly. All the blessings focus on the steadfast love of God; all the ways that love manifests itself in our lives, as well as the eternal character of the love God has for us. The psalmist ends by expanding the invitation to bless the Lord to all who have been touched by the steadfast love of God.
As far as the memories; my father would wake us up with the first two verses of the psalm on a regular basis, as I remember. His was a comforting, pleasant voice, so any words would have worked to awaken us. That it was this psalm melded both word and voice into a word of comfort. Then in high school, I was in a group that sang the music from Godspell. One of the songs is based on this psalm. It started out just for fun, and led to some life changing friendships and experiences. In college, I was in a production of the play. We travelled to churches in the state and beyond. All three groups, and the people in them, continue to hold a special place in my heart and memory.
Each of us has a favorite Scripture passage that means something beyond the words themselves. It will hold memories of the events and people who contributed to making the passage a favorite. For some of us it will be on the surface of our lives and memories. For others it will be covered with a layer or two of dust and detritus. Either way, I invite you to take it out, hold it in your hands and use it as an opportunity to: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—
July 15, 2019
LCM
Monday, July 8, 2019
Psalm Meditation 995
Proper 10
July 14, 2019
Psalm 3
1 O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying to me, “There is no help for you in God.” Selah
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Rise up, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Deliverance belongs to the Lord; may your blessing be on your people! Selah
(NRSV)
There are people in the world who are victims. They did not choose to be victims; they do not announce it, they do not celebrate it, they do not want to be victims. Someone has decided that another person or group has a price to pay for a real or imagine fault or crime. One of the reasons a person becomes a victim is their relative powerlessness. There is someone more powerful who has decided to use their power advantage to demean, demoralize, and destroy their chosen victim. The psalmist cries out for those victims.
Despite the claims of the oppressor, “There is no help for you in God.” the psalmist acknowledges the presence of God as a shield and protector. The help the psalmist experiences may not be evident to those who stand over the victims, however the psalmist knows that God offers something richer and deeper than the oppressors themselves have. God offers presence, being with those who are victimized, that restores hope, dignity, and peace in the face of powerful foes.
For those whose victimhood is real, there is no other hope than in God. The situation is not going to go away, it is not going to get better on its own, the pendulum will not swing the other way making the current victim the victor. God’s presence does not deliver folks from destruction; God offers a presence that delivers victims from the demeaning and demoralizing parts of victimization. God is with us, leading us in the way that leads to hope, dignity, and peace for each of us, and for all of us.
July 8, 2019
LCM
Proper 10
July 14, 2019
Psalm 3
1 O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying to me, “There is no help for you in God.” Selah
3 But you, O Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.
4 I cry aloud to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the Lord sustains me.
6 I am not afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around.
7 Rise up, O Lord! Deliver me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; you break the teeth of the wicked.
8 Deliverance belongs to the Lord; may your blessing be on your people! Selah
(NRSV)
There are people in the world who are victims. They did not choose to be victims; they do not announce it, they do not celebrate it, they do not want to be victims. Someone has decided that another person or group has a price to pay for a real or imagine fault or crime. One of the reasons a person becomes a victim is their relative powerlessness. There is someone more powerful who has decided to use their power advantage to demean, demoralize, and destroy their chosen victim. The psalmist cries out for those victims.
Despite the claims of the oppressor, “There is no help for you in God.” the psalmist acknowledges the presence of God as a shield and protector. The help the psalmist experiences may not be evident to those who stand over the victims, however the psalmist knows that God offers something richer and deeper than the oppressors themselves have. God offers presence, being with those who are victimized, that restores hope, dignity, and peace in the face of powerful foes.
For those whose victimhood is real, there is no other hope than in God. The situation is not going to go away, it is not going to get better on its own, the pendulum will not swing the other way making the current victim the victor. God’s presence does not deliver folks from destruction; God offers a presence that delivers victims from the demeaning and demoralizing parts of victimization. God is with us, leading us in the way that leads to hope, dignity, and peace for each of us, and for all of us.
July 8, 2019
LCM
Monday, July 1, 2019
Psalm Meditation 994
Proper 9
July 7, 2019
Psalm 78:1-11,40-57,72
1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
5 He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children;
6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.
11 They forgot what he had done, and the miracles that he had shown them.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert!
41 They tested God again and again, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not keep in mind his power, or the day when he redeemed them from the foe;
43 when he displayed his signs in Egypt, and his miracles in the fields of Zoan.
44 He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to the caterpillar, and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49 He let loose on them his fierce anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.
50 He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague.
51 He struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the first issue of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 Then he led out his people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to his holy hill, to the mountain that his right hand had won.
55 He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they tested the Most High God, and rebelled against him. They did not observe his decrees,
57 but turned away and were faithless like their ancestors; they twisted like a treacherous bow.
72 With upright heart he tended them, and guided them with skillful hand.
(NRSV)
When your teenagers tell you, “I hate you.” experts advise accepting their words without judgment, and showing them how loved they are in return. It is tempting to make it a competition, however the intent is to let them know that their hateful words do not determine your reaction and do not define your relationship. It is not up to a person in the midst of a developmental rush of hormones and independence to make the rules of parent / child interactions.
The psalmist reminds the nation that they have a long history of having God interact with them in a way that lets them know that they are loved and cared for in a special way, only to wander away from God. The selected verses tell of the plagues visited on the Egyptians in order to convince them to let the people of God go on their way to their homeland. After all of the plagues, and the release of the people from bondage, they go out into the wilderness and complain that God does not care about them. With gobs of evidence to the contrary, the people believe that God does not love them. They become convinced that God is out to get them, because they are hungry and thirsty for a moment. The people of God want to know, not that God loves them, but that God will cater to their every whim.
When we begin to wonder if God loves us, if God has abandoned us because of a set of trials we are experiencing, we can look to this psalm as a reminder. Not only does God love and care for us, God loves and cares for us even when we have wandered off on our own path. We may wonder why God has not followed us down the path we have chosen. This psalm reminds us to turn around, to see if God is motioning for us to come back before we get to the danger we did not see, or if God is standing back letting us make our choices so that we learn that there are consequences to what we do and where we go. In either case, it is important to look back so that we know, no matter what, we are loved.
July 1, 2019
LCM
Proper 9
July 7, 2019
Psalm 78:1-11,40-57,72
1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
5 He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children;
6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.
11 They forgot what he had done, and the miracles that he had shown them.
40 How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert!
41 They tested God again and again, and provoked the Holy One of Israel.
42 They did not keep in mind his power, or the day when he redeemed them from the foe;
43 when he displayed his signs in Egypt, and his miracles in the fields of Zoan.
44 He turned their rivers to blood, so that they could not drink of their streams.
45 He sent among them swarms of flies, which devoured them, and frogs, which destroyed them.
46 He gave their crops to the caterpillar, and the fruit of their labor to the locust.
47 He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamores with frost.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail, and their flocks to thunderbolts.
49 He let loose on them his fierce anger, wrath, indignation, and distress, a company of destroying angels.
50 He made a path for his anger; he did not spare them from death, but gave their lives over to the plague.
51 He struck all the firstborn in Egypt, the first issue of their strength in the tents of Ham.
52 Then he led out his people like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.
53 He led them in safety, so that they were not afraid; but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.
54 And he brought them to his holy hill, to the mountain that his right hand had won.
55 He drove out nations before them; he apportioned them for a possession and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.
56 Yet they tested the Most High God, and rebelled against him. They did not observe his decrees,
57 but turned away and were faithless like their ancestors; they twisted like a treacherous bow.
72 With upright heart he tended them, and guided them with skillful hand.
(NRSV)
When your teenagers tell you, “I hate you.” experts advise accepting their words without judgment, and showing them how loved they are in return. It is tempting to make it a competition, however the intent is to let them know that their hateful words do not determine your reaction and do not define your relationship. It is not up to a person in the midst of a developmental rush of hormones and independence to make the rules of parent / child interactions.
The psalmist reminds the nation that they have a long history of having God interact with them in a way that lets them know that they are loved and cared for in a special way, only to wander away from God. The selected verses tell of the plagues visited on the Egyptians in order to convince them to let the people of God go on their way to their homeland. After all of the plagues, and the release of the people from bondage, they go out into the wilderness and complain that God does not care about them. With gobs of evidence to the contrary, the people believe that God does not love them. They become convinced that God is out to get them, because they are hungry and thirsty for a moment. The people of God want to know, not that God loves them, but that God will cater to their every whim.
When we begin to wonder if God loves us, if God has abandoned us because of a set of trials we are experiencing, we can look to this psalm as a reminder. Not only does God love and care for us, God loves and cares for us even when we have wandered off on our own path. We may wonder why God has not followed us down the path we have chosen. This psalm reminds us to turn around, to see if God is motioning for us to come back before we get to the danger we did not see, or if God is standing back letting us make our choices so that we learn that there are consequences to what we do and where we go. In either case, it is important to look back so that we know, no matter what, we are loved.
July 1, 2019
LCM
Monday, June 24, 2019
Psalm Meditation 993
Proper 8
June 30, 2019
Psalm 52
1 Why do you boast, O mighty one, of mischief done against the godly? All day long
2 you are plotting destruction. Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery.
3 You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth. Selah
4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.
5 But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous will see, and fear, and will laugh at the evildoer, saying,
7 “See the one who would not take refuge in God, but trusted in abundant riches, and sought refuge in wealth!”
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
9 I will thank you forever, because of what you have done. In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good.
(NRSV)
It is easy to make this about a politician, supervisor, or boss that makes us crazy. And it may well include each of the folks we picture as we read this. It is just as likely about us. If we have led someone to believe something that is more to our advantage than to theirs, we are among those the psalmist writes about. I have planned which public office holders I would have in mind as I wrote this, and then… and then I read it this morning and discovered it is about us, about me.
It is so easy to think and write about ‘those’ people. There is not much that I can do about them. I can only stand back and wait for God to break them down, snatch them from their dwellings, and uproot them from the land of the living. I can change me. I can learn that, just because I have the power to do something, doesn’t mean it is of God. If I have any part in holding someone else down; if I have any part in spreading lies, even the ones I believe, I am guilty of loving evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth.
Mercifully, once we realize that a psalm like this can include us among the evil doers, rather than among the righteous, we can turn to God in repentance. As we move toward God we will discover that we have taken refuge in God rather than taking refuge in the ‘stuff’ on which we have depended for our safety and security. As our refuge in God becomes more deeply established we will find it less important to boast and lie for the sake of ‘stuff,’ and look more to a deepening sense of the presence of God in all we are and do.
June 24, 2019
LCM
Proper 8
June 30, 2019
Psalm 52
1 Why do you boast, O mighty one, of mischief done against the godly? All day long
2 you are plotting destruction. Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery.
3 You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth. Selah
4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.
5 But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous will see, and fear, and will laugh at the evildoer, saying,
7 “See the one who would not take refuge in God, but trusted in abundant riches, and sought refuge in wealth!”
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
9 I will thank you forever, because of what you have done. In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good.
(NRSV)
It is easy to make this about a politician, supervisor, or boss that makes us crazy. And it may well include each of the folks we picture as we read this. It is just as likely about us. If we have led someone to believe something that is more to our advantage than to theirs, we are among those the psalmist writes about. I have planned which public office holders I would have in mind as I wrote this, and then… and then I read it this morning and discovered it is about us, about me.
It is so easy to think and write about ‘those’ people. There is not much that I can do about them. I can only stand back and wait for God to break them down, snatch them from their dwellings, and uproot them from the land of the living. I can change me. I can learn that, just because I have the power to do something, doesn’t mean it is of God. If I have any part in holding someone else down; if I have any part in spreading lies, even the ones I believe, I am guilty of loving evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth.
Mercifully, once we realize that a psalm like this can include us among the evil doers, rather than among the righteous, we can turn to God in repentance. As we move toward God we will discover that we have taken refuge in God rather than taking refuge in the ‘stuff’ on which we have depended for our safety and security. As our refuge in God becomes more deeply established we will find it less important to boast and lie for the sake of ‘stuff,’ and look more to a deepening sense of the presence of God in all we are and do.
June 24, 2019
LCM
Monday, June 17, 2019
Psalm Meditation 992
Proper 7
June 23, 2019
Psalm 127
1 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.
3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
(NRSV)
Marriage used to be for two reasons; family alliances, and heirs. The couple marrying had little to say about their partner, it was all arranged for the sake of the wider family circles. Since the family name was passed on from the male side of the relationship, sons were more desirable than daughters. Females were considered property, passed from one family to another as breeding stock and domestic help. Not the most humane way to treat a daughter or a spouse. Things have changed in a lot of places.
People get married for love, with children as an added benefit. Couples choose to marry for supportive companionship. Couples choose to raise their children together without getting married. A variety of single, couple, and family arrangements exist with and without the support of the broader family. Is each one of these arrangements fulfilling? It certainly can be. There are a variety of definitions of what makes a family, and there is not universal agreement on those definitions. It is possible to be happy and to feel blessed in a family that is outside the one described by the psalmist.
The psalmist starts with the importance of the presence of God in all we do. That is more important than how we define what it means to be a family. When God is present in and around our lives, we have something special to hold onto and to offer to others. The acknowledgment of the presence of God in our lives is a gift we give to everyone around us.
June 17, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Proper 7
June 23, 2019
Psalm 127
1 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.
3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
(NRSV)
Marriage used to be for two reasons; family alliances, and heirs. The couple marrying had little to say about their partner, it was all arranged for the sake of the wider family circles. Since the family name was passed on from the male side of the relationship, sons were more desirable than daughters. Females were considered property, passed from one family to another as breeding stock and domestic help. Not the most humane way to treat a daughter or a spouse. Things have changed in a lot of places.
People get married for love, with children as an added benefit. Couples choose to marry for supportive companionship. Couples choose to raise their children together without getting married. A variety of single, couple, and family arrangements exist with and without the support of the broader family. Is each one of these arrangements fulfilling? It certainly can be. There are a variety of definitions of what makes a family, and there is not universal agreement on those definitions. It is possible to be happy and to feel blessed in a family that is outside the one described by the psalmist.
The psalmist starts with the importance of the presence of God in all we do. That is more important than how we define what it means to be a family. When God is present in and around our lives, we have something special to hold onto and to offer to others. The acknowledgment of the presence of God in our lives is a gift we give to everyone around us.
June 17, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Psalm Meditation 991
Trinity Sunday
June 16, 2019
Psalm 27
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh—my adversaries and foes—they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
4 One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
(NRSV)
I can see the psalmist doing a happy dance as a part of the writing and the performing of this psalm. When things are going well for us, it is easy to forget how dependent on God we are. It is an excellent reminder to read a psalm that celebrates the presence of God as a no-matter-what presence. The psalmist jumps for joy while celebrating, ‘God has been and will continue to be good to me, even if all the people around me, including my parents, decide to abandon me.’
In verses 7-9 the dance stops. There is a moment of prayerful reflection as the psalmist is reminded that we can’t take the presence of God for granted. Even in faith that God will not turn away, the psalmist stops to ask God to be a constant presence in the life of the psalmist. No one likes to be taken for granted, and I imagine that God is no exception. While God may not get as hurts as we do, it is still unpleasant for God for us to assume anything about the presence of God.
The happy dance starts again, slowly as the psalmist recognizes how unconditional the love of God is. The taken-for-grantedness has changed to a desire to be in the presence of God as a student, a disciple, as one who wants to revel in the presence of God. The celebration begins by soaking up as much of the glory, majesty, and unassumedness of God as humanly possible. “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
June 10, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Trinity Sunday
June 16, 2019
Psalm 27
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh—my adversaries and foes—they shall stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
4 One thing I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
6 Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord.
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
8 “Come,” my heart says, “seek his face!” Your face, Lord, do I seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
10 If my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will take me up.
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12 Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.
13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
(NRSV)
I can see the psalmist doing a happy dance as a part of the writing and the performing of this psalm. When things are going well for us, it is easy to forget how dependent on God we are. It is an excellent reminder to read a psalm that celebrates the presence of God as a no-matter-what presence. The psalmist jumps for joy while celebrating, ‘God has been and will continue to be good to me, even if all the people around me, including my parents, decide to abandon me.’
In verses 7-9 the dance stops. There is a moment of prayerful reflection as the psalmist is reminded that we can’t take the presence of God for granted. Even in faith that God will not turn away, the psalmist stops to ask God to be a constant presence in the life of the psalmist. No one likes to be taken for granted, and I imagine that God is no exception. While God may not get as hurts as we do, it is still unpleasant for God for us to assume anything about the presence of God.
The happy dance starts again, slowly as the psalmist recognizes how unconditional the love of God is. The taken-for-grantedness has changed to a desire to be in the presence of God as a student, a disciple, as one who wants to revel in the presence of God. The celebration begins by soaking up as much of the glory, majesty, and unassumedness of God as humanly possible. “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
June 10, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)