Psalm Meditation 1171 ¶First Sunday of Advent ¶November 27, 2022 ¶Psalm 43 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+43&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶One of my psychologist friends told me that many of the things that upset us most about the people around us are traits and behaviors that are present in us even though we deny them. We see it in people who are in the public eye as they speak out against an activity or lifestyle only to have it discovered that they are active participants in the practice they criticize so vocally. They hate it within themselves and find it easier to rail against those who are more public in their practice than to make the effort to change themselves by claiming the life they live in secret. ¶The psalmist asks for deliverance from those who are deceitful and unjust. Without judging the psalmist, I wonder how many of us have taken a stand against something of which we too are guilty. Or do we see ourselves as accepting of all people, with the exception of the races and types of people who offend or frighten us? We say we take refuge in God while we mean that we hide behind God. We quote Scripture out of context to justify our beliefs and practices that fly in the face of the sovereignty of God and the sacred worth of others. ¶The psalmist cries out for the light and truth of God. It is a good thing to do. It helps if we will include ourselves in the number we hope to receive that light and truth. As the light and truth of God illuminate us we find ourselves moving closer to the holy hill, the dwelling place of God. If we get to the place in which we feel that we have received all the light and truth we will ever need, rest assured that we are more deeply in need of light and truth than ever. ¶November 25, 2022 ¶LCM