Psalm Meditation 1146 ¶Pentecost ¶June 5, 2022 ¶Psalm 13 1 How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? 2 How long must I bear pain in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? 3 Consider and answer me, O LORD my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death, 4 and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”; my foes will rejoice because I am shaken. 5 But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. 6 I will sing to the LORD because he has dealt bountifully with me. (NRSV) ¶Wouldn’t it be nice if God would get it together to answer our prayers the way we want them answered and on our timeline? When things don’t fall into place for us, we assume that God has not answered our prayers. In most cases, we want a specific outcome and God answers by being present with us no matter what happens. As discombobulating as that answer can be, in the long run, the presence of God is a more lasting answer than our specific request. ¶God does not count victory or success in the same manner that the world does. So, our enemies and adversaries may seem to prevail over us. They get to win because they have ticked all the right boxes as far as the world is concerned. As we remain faithful in the face of adversity, we discover that the steadfast love of God is sweeter and more lasting than the victories that the world relishes. ¶Prices are paid that are too high, sacrifices are made that seem to gain nothing, friends are lost over issues that seem weighty at the time and end up being trivial. Each one of these feels devastating at the time and we wonder if we will ever recover. And yet, we persist. By the power of the presence of God in our lives, we are able to pick ourselves up and move on to the next challenge, willing to risk out of the abundance of the love of God at work in our lives. “I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD because he has dealt bountifully with me.” ¶May 31, 2022 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1145 ¶Seventh Sunday of Easter ¶May 29, 2022 ¶Psalm 8 1 O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes, to silence the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; 4 what are humans that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? 5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (NRSV) ¶Somehow, those of us from European backgrounds in particular, have taken the gift of, “dominion over the works of your hands” as entitlement to use any part of creation as we see fit. We have abused and damaged so much of the world we have been given, it is likely we will be called upon to answer for the ways we have lived in the world we were supposed to have cared for. I am sure we each have a list of the ways everyone else has abused our home planet without taking responsibility for our own actions. ¶In at least some tribal societies, the community leader owns everything within the group. A part of exercising dominion over people is to care for their needs out of the resources held for the sake of the whole group. When that happens, all is well and the people of the community are happy to keep the leader in place. When the leader takes on an attitude of entitlement, and hoards the community resources for selfish gain, the community is forced to rebel for the sake of all, over against the one. ¶God has given us dominion over the earth, not as an entitlement, rather as a responsibility. We are to care for the earth’s resources for the benefit of all with whom we share this place. God’s majesty continues in every arc and corner of creation, continues to let us exercise dominion over creation when we do it well and when we don’t. “O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” ¶May 23, 2022 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1144 ¶Sixth Sunday of Easter ¶May 22, 2022 ¶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) ¶There is something good and fun about eating and drinking to excess. It seems such a good idea at the time, to take in all the goodness that a particular celebration has to offer. As we fall deeper and deeper into the hole of excess, the consequences seem to matter less and less. It is all just fun and games for the time being. It is only after the fact, when the consequences of our actions rear their ugly head, that we realize that the fun of food and drink does not last. ¶The psalmist prefers the gladness that comes from being in a relationship with God. It is difficult, to be sure, however it does not weigh us down the way eating and drinking do. Faithfulness in relation to God leads to a gladness that is more about being fulfilled than merely being filled. Being in the presence of God gives us a sense of wholeness that a life of excess can only pretend to give. ¶Being aware of the presence of God in and around us gives us a sense of peace that nothing else can give. To know that we are heard and held when nothing seems to be going our way is a great source of comfort and peace. The fleeting nature of the gladness brought about by excess food and drink cannot compare to a relationship with God. “I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me lie down in safety.” ¶May 17, 2022 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1143 ¶Fifth Sunday of Easter ¶May 15, 2022 ¶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) ¶Does God’s protection and shelter actually keep us from going through difficult times, keep us from experiencing grief, pain, loss, etc.? That has not been my experience of God. I know people who claim that God can, will, and does keep them from all suffering and loss. And all is well with them until they go through a rough patch. At the first sign of suffering these folks are either going to move to a deeper experience of God or abandon God all together, ‘since he can’t even keep me from suffering like he promised.’ ¶Many of us experience the protection and sheltering of God as keeping us from despair in the face of suffering, loss, and tragedy. Yes, we will go through the valley of the shadow of death, on the fringes or the depths. We may face actual, physical adversaries, or spiritual, mental, emotional conflicts. During those times we will know that God is with us, holding our hearts and lives in steadfast love and care. The events will not change, however we will not be alone as we go through the storms and trials that are a part of life. ¶God chooses to be with us, to abide (take up residence) with us. In every trial and adversity, the temptation is to give up and fall into depression and despair. We feel as if we have been abandoned and left to fend for ourselves. The presence of God allows us to know that we are not alone, that we are not suffering on our own. The presence of God shines a light into the darkness of our lives, giving us a new, deeper and stronger hope that moves us closer to God. “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!” ¶May 12, 2022 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1142 ¶Fourth Sunday of Easter ¶May 8, 2022 ¶Psalm 20 1 The LORD answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you! 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion. 3 May he remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. Selah 4 May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your plans. 5 May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions. 6 Now I know that the LORD will help his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with mighty victories by his right hand. 7 Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses, but our pride is in the name of the LORD our God. 8 They will collapse and fall, but we shall rise and stand upright. 9 Give victory to the king, O LORD; answer us when we call. (NRSV) ¶I know there are families, congregations, and businesses, just to name a few, who are torn apart by infighting and competition among members. Most of us like to win when there is competition and rivalry in the groups of which we are a part. There are some who will do anything to keep from losing. And when they do lose, they will find or make a way to make themselves look and feel good and the others in the group look and feel bad. Infighting takes the shape of sniping at each other, sabotaging anything the other does, and generally being a thorn in each other’s side. It doesn’t have to be this way. ¶The psalmist offers this bit of cheerleading, placing the ruler into the care of God for help and protection. Yes, this is directed to the ruler, and it offers us a way to treat each other. Rather than sniping and hoping for the worst possible outcome for those we see as rivals, we can cheer each other on for the sake of the whole group. We don’t need to agree with them, or even like them; we can still support what they do for the good of the group. It is possible that our pet project and their pet project each have merit, and a chance to succeed if we allow the process to move forward with our prayers for success. ¶When our focus is on doing the work of God, rather than on outdoing those around us, we will find that God can prosper multiple plans and ideas at the same time. When our energy is directed to doing all the good we can we have no time to worry about which of us is better than the other, only whether we are being faithful. If we can do all this while cheerleading our group and those around us, we will ’rise and stand upright’ together for the glory of God in the world. ¶May 3, 2022 ¶LCM