Psalm Meditation 1089 Fifth Sunday of Easter May 2, 2021 Psalm 68 1 Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee before him. 2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, let the wicked perish before God. 3 But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy. 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds—his name is the Lord—be exultant before him. 5 Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. 6 God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land. 7 O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah 8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you restored your heritage when it languished; 10 your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. 11 The Lord gives the command; great is the company of those who bore the tidings: 12 “The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!” The women at home divide the spoil, 13 though they stay among the sheepfolds—the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with green gold. 14 When the Almighty scattered kings there, snow fell on Zalmon. 15 O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan! 16 Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, where the Lord will reside forever? 17 With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands, the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place. 18 You ascended the high mount, leading captives in your train and receiving gifts from people, even from those who rebel against the Lord God’s abiding there. 19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah 20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death. 21 But God will shatter the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways. 22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, 23 so that you may bathe your feet in blood, so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe.” 24 Your solemn processions are seen, O God, the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary— 25 the singers in front, the musicians last, between them girls playing tambourines: 26 “Bless God in the great congregation, the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!” 27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, the princes of Judah in a body, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. 28 Summon your might, O God; show your strength, O God, as you have done for us before. 29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings bear gifts to you. 30 Rebuke the wild animals that live among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample under foot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war. 31 Let bronze be brought from Egypt; let Ethiopia hasten to stretch out its hands to God. 32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, Selah 33 O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens; listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. 34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel; and whose power is in the skies. 35 Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel; he gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God! (NRSV) This psalm begins with a celebration of the ways God gets rid of enemies, turn them to smoke, melt them like wax. This time, those issues are given very little space. The important issue at hand is to celebrate some of the great things that happen because God is God. Riding the clouds, protecting widows and orphans, housing the desolate, freeing prisoners, and, to remind us that there is a price to pay for rebelliousness, leading rebels to a parched land. Several things on the list are helpful to the people of God, however riding the clouds seems to be purely for fun. Doing things for fun is not our usual view of God. We picture a God who is serious, to the point of puritanical. So, what if God has a sense play as well as a sense of humor. Does it make God sad that we can be so humorless in our worship? Does God long for us to take joy, not just in the beauty of creation, but in all the ways God is present among us, including our worship? Our puritanical heritage in the USA may damage our relationship with God by taking things seriously that God wants us to enjoy, celebrate, and revel in. Next time the weight of the world lays heavy on your shoulders, paint yourself a picture of God riding the clouds. Find the image that brings a smile to your face. A surfboard, a skateboard, roller blades; a glider, a small airplane, a jumbo jet; an inner tube, a kayak/canoe, a cruise ship; a bicycle, a soapbox derby car, a city bus. These are just a few of the ways God can ride the clouds. If we can see God enjoying something as ordinary as clouds perhaps we can find joy and enjoyment in something ordinary as well. “Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, Selah O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens; listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.” April 26, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1088 Fourth Sunday of Easter April 25, 2021 Psalm 143 1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness. 2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you. 3 For the enemy has pursued me, crushing my life to the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead. 4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. 5 I remember the days of old, I think about all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands. 6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah 7 Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit. 8 Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 9 Save me, O Lord, from my enemies; I have fled to you for refuge. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path. 11 For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life. In your righteousness bring me out of trouble. 12 In your steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am your servant. (NRSV) Each of us has a few people whose opinions matter to us. No matter what anyone else has to say, one of those trusted voices will be the deciding vote in our opinion of our work. This is the person who brings light into a room with them as far as we are concerned. It is important to know who these folks are in our lives, so we know where to turn our attention when we need an outside opinion. The psalmist turns to God when the need for help and support arises. It is in the presence of God that the psalmist finds refuge, fresh knowledge, steadfast and unconditional love, and wisdom in the face of trials and troubles. Because of turning to God the psalmist can make in verse 12, what I read as a manipulative, ‘If you loved me, you would destroy all the people who are mean to me.’ Though there is no mention of a community, the psalmist would not have written without a community in mind. A lively, diverse community gives us a richness of voices that lead by a variety of paths into the presence of God. As part of a community we can say with the psalmist, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.” April 19, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1087 Third Sunday of Easter April 18, 2021 Psalm 43 1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people; from those who are deceitful and unjust deliver me! 2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you cast me off? Why must I walk about mournfully because of the oppression of the enemy? 3 O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling. 4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God. 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. (NRSV) In a victim mindset nothing is my fault, it is all those others who are out to get me for no reason. This is also true for people who really are victims so it is difficult to figure out for myself whether I am being victimized or playing the victim. Either way, I feel abandoned and deserted by everyone around me, except by those who are out to get me. In the psalmist’s case, even God has walked away. Since God does not abandon anyone, there must be something else going on. God backs away when I need to learn that I can do something on my own. It may be something I have always depended on God to do for me, or it may be something that I feel is beyond me, that God knows I am ready to do. God will also back away when I am about to do something silly or dangerous, in hopes that I too will back away from my current course of action. Whether I am a victim or playing victim, I can turn to God and the people of God for help and comfort. The great thing about the people of God is that there is always someone who will support me through my trials and triumphs. When I find the one who will tell me the truth, even when it is painful, I know I have found the one I need in that moment, and probably longer. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.” April 12, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1086 Second Sunday of Easter April 11, 2021 Psalm 118 1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” 3 Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” 4 Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” 5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. 6 With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me? 7 The Lord is on my side to help me; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. 10 All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! 11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! 12 They surrounded me like bees; they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! 13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. 14 The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. 15 There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly; 16 the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.” 17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. 18 The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. 21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! 26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. 27 The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. 29 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. (NRSV) There are several good reminders in this psalm, things that we can easily take for granted because we have depended so heavily on them for so long. It is in times of stress and trial that we need this word from the psalmist. First, we are reminded of the steadfast love of God. It is for everyone to receive, appreciate, and proclaim. Second, that God is right there with us as we go through the kinds of trials in which it seems everyone has turned against us. Third, that an excellent response to the love of God is to celebrate and be thankful. It is possible to forget that much of what we take credit for in our lives is due to the steadfast love of God. It never wavers, changes, or ends. God loves us. It is a simple statement that carries so much weight. There are those who have grown up with this kind of love, and it becomes a part of them in way that it is an undercurrent in all of life that keeps them afloat whether they notice it or not. There are others for whom love is always conditional, it has to be earned on a daily basis. These are the folks who need an experience of God’s steadfast love. When trials and pressures build up those who are missing the base level of unconditional love can grow hard and cold. When someone does offer them even the possibility of love they melt into it with sobs. Any time we can be the bearers of God’s love into the lives of those in need, we will offer ourselves as pillars of loving strength in the lives of those who, otherwise, have no one to love and care for them. When we are able to give and receive the love of God as unconditional, we give all those around us a gift worth celebrating. The love of God is not something we earn, and is not something we deserve on our own merits. The love of God is a gift that we are offered, and invited to offer to others. It is a gift that is not diminished by sharing—it actually grows deeper, stronger, and wider the more we share it with those around us. Seeing that love grow in and around us leads us to join the psalmist’s celebration, “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” April 7, 2021 LCM