Psalm Meditation 1218 ¶Proper 24 ¶October 22, 2023 ¶Psalm 84 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+84&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶When I was old enough to have some say in whether or not I went to worship or some other activity at the church I would ask my dad if I had to go. His answer was, “No, you get to go.” It is amazing how much difference it makes to have a choice, even if it is, like mine probably was, a false choice. I imagine that I was still going to go, no matter what my stated choice would have been, however being given the impression of the choice to go was amazingly liberating. The most important part was that it changed my attitude from being forced to go and sulking and pouting through the whole event to being engaged in the activity. ¶To go into the presence of God, in a worship service for instance, with a sense of willingness and anticipation opens us more fully to the experience. We are better able to be with God who is waiting to welcome us with open, loving heart and arms. As we see God, we find ourselves more open to the presence of others who are there for their own reasons and with their own needs. We can even feel at home with those we might otherwise believe don’t belong there, the sparrows for instance. ¶The psalmist is deeply excited to be in the presence of God in the Temple. Along with the excitement comes the knowledge that those who are present with a kindred attitude are strengthened by the experience, even the anticipation, of meeting God in the worship gathering. The excitement, anticipation, even the desire are not always there for us, and the psalmist offers no judgment for those times. When excitement, anticipation, and desire are present the psalmist knows that the experience will be excellent. ¶October 16, 2023 ¶LCM