Psalm Meditation 1202 ¶Proper 8 ¶July 2, 2023 ¶Psalm 80 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+80&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶When the most common style of leadership is an alpha male warrior, that becomes the image of your deity as well. So our God, YHWH, is seen as a warrior king who can be pouty and turn his back on us when we do anything to raise his ire. When we annoy or anger God, he leaves us to fend for ourselves against our neighboring enemies. God must then be appeased with compliments along with reminders that letting us get beat up makes him look weak and unable to defend his people. ¶That is the psalmists view. I hold a different opinion on how God is present among us. YHWH is the God of steadfast love who is present with us in every time and place, and stands among us at our strongest, our weakest, and all the points between. Through priests and prophets, God points us to a life of patient and steadfast love for people all around us. The way of steadfast love is more dangerous than the way of war and conflict. We will be hated for being different even as we love those who hate us. ¶Our human nature will move us in the direction of wanting to win as our adversaries lose. God will continue to move us in the direction of wanting to win our adversaries over to the way of steadfast love for all people. As people of God, we strive to grow deeper in love, to love those who love us, as well as those who hate us. It is a difficult task that God has set before us, one with which we have struggled for thousands of years. And yet, it continues to be a path worth the striving. “Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.” ¶June 26, 2023 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1201 ¶Proper 7 ¶June 25, 2023 ¶Psalm 73 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+73&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶We like to look at those who are wealthy and well connected and dream about what we would do if we were in their position. ‘If only I had that kind of wealth and power I would …’ One of the long standing icons of that position is Elvis Presley. He began with very little and with talent and excellent management he rose to the heights of wealth and fame. It is the American Dream story. It is also a cautionary tale. As his fame grew he began to hear only good things about himself, and surrounded himself with people who would not question him even as he fell into addiction. ¶The psalmist looked at the rich and powerful and saw how tempting it is to envy that kind of wealth, influence, and isolation from the troubles of the world. Despite the temptation, the psalmist was able to remain focused on God and the people of God. That constantly renewing attention to God allowed for a refocusing on the final act of the rich and famous. They each fall to ruin, brought about by their riches in some way. Even those who are willing to share their wealth with others can fall prey to the dangers of wealth and fame. ¶While it is fun to dream about what we would do with riches beyond count, we also have to be aware of the damage that wealth can do to anyone. The true riches are not money, prestige, and power. True wealth is in friends, family, and healthy relationships based in mutual love. For many of us that includes a relationship with God who watches over us and guides us in ways that lead to a wholeness that money and power cannot provide. “...for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, to tell of all your works.” ¶June 19, 2023 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1200 ¶Proper 6 ¶June 18, 2023 ¶Psalm 66 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+66&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶My psychology teacher my senior year in high school gave us a test, the first day, at least the first week. She wanted to know what we knew about psychology before she began teaching. If we all knew the same things she could brush past that area and spend more time on what we didn’t know. I may have had pre-tests before and after that, however this is the only time I remember a teacher giving a rationale for that kind of test. Maybe, even probably, teachers explained the reasoning behind a pre-test, I simply don’t remember anyone else doing it. ¶Pre-testing is a part of quality control in product design. A friend of ours was in product development for medical equipment. Quality Control sent them a report that they had dropped a 200-300 pound weight from 6 feet above onto a medical exam table and the table did not survive the test. I wondered how often a person of that size falls onto an exam table from that height. Our friend agreed, as did the rest of the development team, so they decided to wait for a more realistic test to be run. While it may be important to test for worst case scenarios, it is not always necessary to design for them; that’s what warning stickers are for. ¶When God tests us, it can certainly seem as if we are in a worst case scenario. Most of us know that the adage, “God won’t give us more than we can handle.” is nowhere near true. The truth is closer to, God is with us no matter what, pointing us in the direction that will bring us closer to reflecting the image of God in ourselves as we see it in those around us. As people with free will, we get ourselves into all sorts of messy and dangerous situations which some folks see as God testing us. The important part is knowing that the steadfast love of God is with us no matter where our choices lead us. “Blessed be God, who has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.” ¶June 12, 2023 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1199 ¶Proper 5 ¶June 11, 2023 ¶Psalm 59 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+59&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶There is something about the cover of darkness that makes things a bit more frightening than in the light of day. Night hours are usually a little more quiet than day time, so sounds are more noticeable. It is more difficult to identify features of objects in the darkness, so shadowy sights hold more potential for fear and danger. If we already have reason to be afraid in the daytime, it is magnified in the dark. ¶The psalmist is aware that people are watching in order to determine the movements of those within the house, including David. They seem to make themselves visible enough to be detected without being identifiable to those being watched. But at night the watchers make a lot of noise as a reminder that it is not safe anywhere near where David is. Disturbing and disrupting the routines of the day effectively add to the fear that the watchers are there to cause. ¶The psalmist calls on God to be present in this scary series of events. Knowing that God is in the mix allows those around David, as well as us, to relax, knowing that the steadfast love of God will sustain us no matter what else may happen. The psalmist asks God to drain the fearfulness from the folks on the prowl to show everyone how utterly powerless they are in the face of the steadfast love and presence of God. “O my strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.” ¶June 6, 2023 ¶LCM