Showing posts with label Psalm 84. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 84. Show all posts
Monday, July 20, 2026
Psalm Meditation 1362
¶Proper 12
¶July 26, 2026
¶Psalm 84
¶https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2084&version=NRSVUE
¶Many of us long for the presence of God as if there is place where God lives, an actual location that can be accessed in this lifetime. At the same time, we may have a place where our experience of God was so powerful, so present that we can go there on a regular basis and recall, sense, and experience that presence all over again. It is not that it is the only place where God can be experienced, it is that we associate that place with the presence of God in our lives.
¶For the psalmist, that place is the Temple. The psalmist feels at home there and notices that other people and creatures also feel themselves to be at home in that place. The bird songs feel like hymns of praise and thanksgiving as they raise their young in the house of YHWH. One of the ways to approach the Temple is to go through the valley of Baca, a dry and desolate place. Those who feel as if they are going home to the Temple, are able to bring joy to the valley of Baca rather than being worn down by the dark, desolation of the area.
¶The psalmist ends with “I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.” It is a reminder that it is better to be at the outer limits of God’s dwelling than to be in the middle of a place in which God’s presence is not felt. When we are attuned to God in our lives we feel the favor and honor of God washing over us and through us. We feel whole and holy with all those who know God’s presence in every part of life.
¶July 20, 2026
¶LCM
Monday, October 16, 2023
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
Monday, April 9, 2018
Psalm Meditation 930
Third Sunday of Easter
April 15, 2018
Psalm 84
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah
5 Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion
8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed.
10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.
(NRSV)
I don’t recall ever have been in an ugly place of worship. I have been in buildings that are plain and ones that are ornate. I have been in buildings and rooms that did not suit my fancy as well as ones that filled me with a sense of awe and wonder. I do not remember being in a place of worship that was not the best the particular worship community had to offer. There is something compelling and important about worship space that draws us to want to offer our very best to the one we worship in that space. When it is the kind of space that attracts non-human creatures, it is a good space.
The Temple was mostly open courts and spaces surrounded by walls making it very easy for birds especially to make nests in the Temple confines. Many of the big box hardware stores have a few birds who have taken up residence in the building. There are opportunities to sneak in and probably enough stray material to build a nest. I am sure there are conflicts between birds and humans from time to time, however both groups are able to co-exist peacefully inside the walls of the building. The psalmist makes a point of mentioning that even birds are comfortable in the presence of God.
There is something comfortable and comforting about being in worship space. They have been designed to speak to our hearts with a sense of the mix of awe and majesty, and the presence and accessibility of God within the space. The important part of every worship space is the ability to feel the presence of God in the space and in the community that gathers into that space. The psalmist reminds us that being in the presence of God is a wonderful place to be. “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.”
April 9, 2018
LCM
Third Sunday of Easter
April 15, 2018
Psalm 84
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah
5 Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion
8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed.
10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.
(NRSV)
I don’t recall ever have been in an ugly place of worship. I have been in buildings that are plain and ones that are ornate. I have been in buildings and rooms that did not suit my fancy as well as ones that filled me with a sense of awe and wonder. I do not remember being in a place of worship that was not the best the particular worship community had to offer. There is something compelling and important about worship space that draws us to want to offer our very best to the one we worship in that space. When it is the kind of space that attracts non-human creatures, it is a good space.
The Temple was mostly open courts and spaces surrounded by walls making it very easy for birds especially to make nests in the Temple confines. Many of the big box hardware stores have a few birds who have taken up residence in the building. There are opportunities to sneak in and probably enough stray material to build a nest. I am sure there are conflicts between birds and humans from time to time, however both groups are able to co-exist peacefully inside the walls of the building. The psalmist makes a point of mentioning that even birds are comfortable in the presence of God.
There is something comfortable and comforting about being in worship space. They have been designed to speak to our hearts with a sense of the mix of awe and majesty, and the presence and accessibility of God within the space. The important part of every worship space is the ability to feel the presence of God in the space and in the community that gathers into that space. The psalmist reminds us that being in the presence of God is a wonderful place to be. “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.”
April 9, 2018
LCM
Monday, May 18, 2015
Psalm Meditation 779
Pentecost
May 24, 2015
Psalm 84
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah
5 Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed.
10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.
(NRSV)
There was a house in our neighborhood that was way too nice for me to even imagine entering. It presented a grand, imposing face on both the front and the back, with tall ceilings on the multiple stories of the building. And yet, we got to know the owners of the house and they invited us in, gave us the grand tour and asked us to make ourselves at home in their house. It has continued to be a grand structure, though it is no longer imposing since I know of the hospitality that waits on the inside.
There was a house in a different neighborhood and a different time period in which the furniture was covered with plastic slip covers and the carpets were covered with protective runners so that folks could see the patterns while getting no joy from the textures. My parents were invited in while none of the children were. Even though my parents were already friends with their hosts, they did not feel welcomed inside the house.
The house, the presence of God, is more like the first house. In the midst of otherwise imposing architecture there is a warm and heartfelt hospitality that welcomes us into the space and the hearts of our hosts. It is the kind of place in which we would be content standing on the fringes of any activity because we know that we are as welcome here as is anyone else. “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.”
May 18, 2015
LCM
Pentecost
May 24, 2015
Psalm 84
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah
5 Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed.
10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.
(NRSV)
There was a house in our neighborhood that was way too nice for me to even imagine entering. It presented a grand, imposing face on both the front and the back, with tall ceilings on the multiple stories of the building. And yet, we got to know the owners of the house and they invited us in, gave us the grand tour and asked us to make ourselves at home in their house. It has continued to be a grand structure, though it is no longer imposing since I know of the hospitality that waits on the inside.
There was a house in a different neighborhood and a different time period in which the furniture was covered with plastic slip covers and the carpets were covered with protective runners so that folks could see the patterns while getting no joy from the textures. My parents were invited in while none of the children were. Even though my parents were already friends with their hosts, they did not feel welcomed inside the house.
The house, the presence of God, is more like the first house. In the midst of otherwise imposing architecture there is a warm and heartfelt hospitality that welcomes us into the space and the hearts of our hosts. It is the kind of place in which we would be content standing on the fringes of any activity because we know that we are as welcome here as is anyone else. “For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.”
May 18, 2015
LCM
Monday, November 19, 2012
Psalm Meditation 649
Reign of Christ Sunday
November 25, 2012
Psalm 84
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah
5 Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed.
10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.
(NRSV)
I have been taught that hospitality is a gift God gives to some people. The rest of us can welcome folks into our houses but folks with the gift of hospitality can welcome folks into their homes. Even the most unwelcome guest can be made to feel at home by those who have the gift of hospitality. God has the gift of hospitality and offers it freely to all who enter God’s presence. Yes, there are those who can short-circuit God’s gift of hospitality and make us feel less than welcome in God’s house, however it is the intent of God that all will feel welcome.
The psalmist has certainly felt the spirit of welcome in the house of God and has seen how other creatures live out their sense of home in God’s presence with nests and families within the Temple. The psalmist notes too that the welcome is so broad that the anticipation of arriving at the Temple can lift the hearts of those making the journey, which in turn lifts the appearance of the whole land.
The welcome that God offers is so thrilling and life altering that the psalmist would rather be on the periphery of God’s presence than be fully included in the worship of any other deity. There is something fulfilling and gratifying about being in the presence of God, a sense of peace and wholeness that comes from being in a relationship built on trust and honor.
November 19, 2012
Reign of Christ Sunday
November 25, 2012
Psalm 84
1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts!
2 My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God.
4 Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah
5 Happy are those whose strength is in you, in whose heart are the highways to Zion.
6 As they go through the valley of Baca they make it a place of springs; the early rain also covers it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength; the God of gods will be seen in Zion.
8 O LORD God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Selah
9 Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed.
10 For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than live in the tents of wickedness.
11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield; he bestows favor and honor. No good thing does the LORD withhold from those who walk uprightly.
12 O LORD of hosts, happy is everyone who trusts in you.
(NRSV)
I have been taught that hospitality is a gift God gives to some people. The rest of us can welcome folks into our houses but folks with the gift of hospitality can welcome folks into their homes. Even the most unwelcome guest can be made to feel at home by those who have the gift of hospitality. God has the gift of hospitality and offers it freely to all who enter God’s presence. Yes, there are those who can short-circuit God’s gift of hospitality and make us feel less than welcome in God’s house, however it is the intent of God that all will feel welcome.
The psalmist has certainly felt the spirit of welcome in the house of God and has seen how other creatures live out their sense of home in God’s presence with nests and families within the Temple. The psalmist notes too that the welcome is so broad that the anticipation of arriving at the Temple can lift the hearts of those making the journey, which in turn lifts the appearance of the whole land.
The welcome that God offers is so thrilling and life altering that the psalmist would rather be on the periphery of God’s presence than be fully included in the worship of any other deity. There is something fulfilling and gratifying about being in the presence of God, a sense of peace and wholeness that comes from being in a relationship built on trust and honor.
November 19, 2012
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