Psalm Meditation 593
Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 30, 2010
Psalm 43
1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people; from those who are deceitful and unjust deliver me!
2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you cast me off? Why must I walk about mournfully because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
(NRSV)
Psalms are most helpful when we can identify with the psalmist. When we are able to recognize that God is with us even when we are not able to experience that presence in a given moment. It serves as a reminder that, bleak as a situation might be, we are still and always in the presence of God. When we can see that we are not the first to experience this feeling of abandonment it allows us the option of seeing that we may not be the only one feeling abandoned. We may even be able to raise our heads high enough to see one with whom we can share our trial and our conviction of the presence of God.
Psalms are most convicting when we can identify with the group against which the psalmist complains. When this psalm makes us catch our breath as we realize that we are guilty of deception and injustice toward others and ourselves. We suddenly see in ourselves the lies we have told and believed in order to achieve and justify our place in the world. When we see that we have rationalized and even institutionalized injustice we turn to God in gratitude for not treating us as we deserve for our actions.
On either side of the psalm we can take refuge in God. As we identify with the need of the psalmist we are reminded of the presence of God whether we are aware of that presence or not. We begin to reclaim the peace that God offers to us as people, children, of God. As we are convicted by the psalmist we turn to God to shield us from and turn us from the evil in which we have become complicit. We allow ourselves to reclaim God’s call to justice and righteousness over and above our desire for personal gain.
As we turn to God together we find ourselves renewed in hope for ourselves and others. We also find ourselves drawn to those on the other side of the psalm who can help us and teach us what it means to re-commit ourselves to the ever present God of justice. We join in praise with all people who turn to God for any reason.
© October 24, 2010
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
Psalm Meditation 592
Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 23, 2011
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)
I find it interesting that there are a number of psalms in which the psalmist complains to God about having been abandoned by God. However, if the complaint were not directed to God it would not be in the Psalms. Who do we turn to when our lives seem to be collapsing all around us? Do we turn to
God, even though it seems that God is one of many who has turned away and left us to fend for ourselves? Do we complain to friends or family, even when this would mean we are not as alone as we believe ourselves to be? Or do we hold it in and let our complaint join in the process of chewing us up from the inside as the current enemy chews on us from any number of locations? It does seem that when we feel totally abandoned God is the one who will hear us even in the deepest darkness.
Enemies prevail when we have nothing left to give. As long as we have the energy and willingness to complain to God we have something left on which to rebuild life and hope. Life and hope may have to be built somewhere other than in this life. As we find our hope in God we see the possibility of life in the presence of God.
Even as we complain to God it changes our focus from the attacks we are enduring to the steadfast, unshakable love God offers to us in all times and places. A new focus and perspective can rob the current situation of some of its power as we see that there is something beyond this crisis that cannot be touched by this or any other crisis. That new perspective is the beginning of salvation.
October 17, 2011
Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 23, 2011
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)
I find it interesting that there are a number of psalms in which the psalmist complains to God about having been abandoned by God. However, if the complaint were not directed to God it would not be in the Psalms. Who do we turn to when our lives seem to be collapsing all around us? Do we turn to
God, even though it seems that God is one of many who has turned away and left us to fend for ourselves? Do we complain to friends or family, even when this would mean we are not as alone as we believe ourselves to be? Or do we hold it in and let our complaint join in the process of chewing us up from the inside as the current enemy chews on us from any number of locations? It does seem that when we feel totally abandoned God is the one who will hear us even in the deepest darkness.
Enemies prevail when we have nothing left to give. As long as we have the energy and willingness to complain to God we have something left on which to rebuild life and hope. Life and hope may have to be built somewhere other than in this life. As we find our hope in God we see the possibility of life in the presence of God.
Even as we complain to God it changes our focus from the attacks we are enduring to the steadfast, unshakable love God offers to us in all times and places. A new focus and perspective can rob the current situation of some of its power as we see that there is something beyond this crisis that cannot be touched by this or any other crisis. That new perspective is the beginning of salvation.
October 17, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Psalm Meditation 591
Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 16, 2011
Psalm 132
1 O LORD, remember in David's favor all the hardships he endured;
2 how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 "I will not enter my house or get into my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."
6 We heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7 "Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool. "
8 Rise up, O LORD, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful shout for joy.
10 For your servant David's sake do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
11 The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: "One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I shall teach them, their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your throne."
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation:
14 "This is my resting place forever; here I will reside, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless its provisions; I will satisfy its poor with bread.
16 Its priests I will clothe with salvation, and its faithful will shout for joy.
17 There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.
18 His enemies I will clothe with disgrace, but on him, his crown will gleam."
(NRSV)
If, as it appears, this is a psalm for the dedication of the Temple, it was written by or for Solomon. At the same time folks are rejoicing in the covenant faithfulness of God there is a statement of faithfulness on the side of the king as well. Was there bragging involved on the part of Solomon or was it a recognition of the awareness that we have conditions placed on our relationship with God?
God loves us all the time. That is beyond question as far as I am concerned. God is also aware that relationships are always two sided. God tells us that we can always expect unconditional love. That is not up for negotiation or debate. If we want to have the deepest possible awareness of that love we do well to hold and share that love in our hearts and lives in these certain ways. From our historical, biblical perspective we know that after David and Solomon kings began to take the love of God for granted and drifted or ran away from the human side of the covenant with God. God continued to love the kings and the people even as practices of justice and righteousness were replaced with practices of oppression and hunger for power. God loves us continually as well, whether we live out the call for justice and righteousness or follow another path.
From a Christian perspective, even though folks, kings, waxed and waned in the pursuit of justice and righteousness, God kept the promise to keep an heir of David on the throne forever. As we are able to keep ourselves tuned to the invitation to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God offered by God through the prophets we will more easily, readily, willingly see the gleaming crown on the brow of the heir of David.
October 10, 2011
LCM
Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 16, 2011
Psalm 132
1 O LORD, remember in David's favor all the hardships he endured;
2 how he swore to the LORD and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
3 "I will not enter my house or get into my bed;
4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
5 until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob."
6 We heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
7 "Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool. "
8 Rise up, O LORD, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
9 Let your priests be clothed with righteousness, and let your faithful shout for joy.
10 For your servant David's sake do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
11 The LORD swore to David a sure oath from which he will not turn back: "One of the sons of your body I will set on your throne.
12 If your sons keep my covenant and my decrees that I shall teach them, their sons also, forevermore, shall sit on your throne."
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his habitation:
14 "This is my resting place forever; here I will reside, for I have desired it.
15 I will abundantly bless its provisions; I will satisfy its poor with bread.
16 Its priests I will clothe with salvation, and its faithful will shout for joy.
17 There I will cause a horn to sprout up for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed one.
18 His enemies I will clothe with disgrace, but on him, his crown will gleam."
(NRSV)
If, as it appears, this is a psalm for the dedication of the Temple, it was written by or for Solomon. At the same time folks are rejoicing in the covenant faithfulness of God there is a statement of faithfulness on the side of the king as well. Was there bragging involved on the part of Solomon or was it a recognition of the awareness that we have conditions placed on our relationship with God?
God loves us all the time. That is beyond question as far as I am concerned. God is also aware that relationships are always two sided. God tells us that we can always expect unconditional love. That is not up for negotiation or debate. If we want to have the deepest possible awareness of that love we do well to hold and share that love in our hearts and lives in these certain ways. From our historical, biblical perspective we know that after David and Solomon kings began to take the love of God for granted and drifted or ran away from the human side of the covenant with God. God continued to love the kings and the people even as practices of justice and righteousness were replaced with practices of oppression and hunger for power. God loves us continually as well, whether we live out the call for justice and righteousness or follow another path.
From a Christian perspective, even though folks, kings, waxed and waned in the pursuit of justice and righteousness, God kept the promise to keep an heir of David on the throne forever. As we are able to keep ourselves tuned to the invitation to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God offered by God through the prophets we will more easily, readily, willingly see the gleaming crown on the brow of the heir of David.
October 10, 2011
LCM
Monday, October 3, 2011
Psalm Meditation 590
Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 9, 2011
Psalm 102:1-13,23-28
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you.
2 Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress. Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call.
3 For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace.
4 My heart is stricken and withered like grass; I am too wasted to eat my bread.
5 Because of my loud groaning my bones cling to my skin.
6 I am like an owl of the wilderness, like a little owl of the waste places.
7 I lie awake; I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.
8 All day long my enemies taunt me; those who deride me use my name for a curse.
9 For I eat ashes like bread, and mingle tears with my drink,
10 because of your indignation and anger; for you have lifted me up and thrown me aside.
11 My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass.
12 But you, O LORD, are enthroned forever; your name endures to all generations.
13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to favor it; the appointed time has come.
23 He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days.
24 "O my God," I say, "do not take me away at the mid-point of my life, you whose years endure throughout all generations."
25 Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands.
26 They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass away;
27 but you are the same, and your years have no end.
28 The children of your servants shall live secure; their offspring shall be established in your presence.
(NRSV)
One of the issues with which we must wrestle is the awareness of our own mortality. Since we are aware that we will die at some point we find ourselves making deals with God about when that point might be. Since God is eternal, outside our conceptions of time, we keep hoping that God will somehow spare us a bit of extra time so that we can get through this or that episode of life. Especially when our lives seem to be teetering on the brink of existence we find ourselves bargaining over the time frame of our lives.
If God does have our lives mapped out for us, we have no idea how that map looks. So, we can blame God for shortening our lives when times get tough or we can make the most of the lives we have. If we see ourselves as collaborators with God, co-laborers with God, we have some input into our lifespan in both length and breadth. Either way, the lives we live will end at some point. As we live our lives in the presence of God, we will be ready and willing to live each phase of life, death and new life in the presence of God.
All of the things in our lives, including our bodies, will wear out and fade away. As we live and hope in the presence of God we will find that though it seems to ebb and flow, closer and farther away, the presence of God in our lives does not wear out or fade away. God is with us for the long haul; through our lives and beyond.
October 3, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Psalm Meditation 589
World Communion Sunday
October 2, 2011
Psalm 72
1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king's son.
2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice.
3 May the mountains yield prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness.
4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.
5 May he live while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth.
7 In his days may righteousness flourish and peace abound, until the moon is no more.
8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
9 May his foes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust.
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.
11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.
12 For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.
15 Long may he live! May gold of Sheba be given to him. May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all day long.
16 May there be abundance of grain in the land; may it wave on the tops of the mountains; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field.
17 May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun. May all nations be blessed in him; may they pronounce him happy.
18 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.
19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may his glory fill the whole earth. Amen and Amen.
20 The prayers of David son of Jesse are ended.
(NRSV)
The beginning of something always holds such hope for us, especially the reign or term of a new leader. Let this be the one who is able to do everything for everybody without forgetting anybody. It is a pretty unachievable goal for any leader, up to and including the new king celebrated in this psalm, even though the king was seen as the agent of God. It is not through human agency alone that the needs of God’s people are met.
God chooses the king, by lot or by dynasty and gives that king authority to act in the name of God for the sake of the people, to bring justice and righteousness to the people being ruled. At best the justice and righteousness of the king expands to include all people, including those outside our borders. The difficulty lies in the part about co-laboring with God for the sake of all people. It does not take long for power and special interests to drive out the desire to serve all of God’s people.
The good thing is; we don’t give up. We continue to hope for and work toward finding the leader who can move us all in the direction of collaboration with God for the sake of justice and righteousness on a global scale. While the psalmist is content with the defeat and humiliation of the enemies of the nation, the arc of history continues to bend toward justice and righteousness for all of creation.
September 26, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Psalm Meditation 588
Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 25, 2011
Psalm 42
1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help
6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me.
8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?"
10 As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
(NRSV)
“Where is your God?” is a devastating question in some circumstances. In the situations in which it already seems that God has moved away from us it can be the last straw for someone to taunt us with this question. If anyone can get the question to echo in our heads they have added a further difficulty to an already dark situation. When we are surrounded by a sense of loss, even asking the question about the presence of God can throw us into despair.
For the psalmist, and hopefully for each of us, there comes a moment in the midst of despair in which we realize that God has been, is and will be with us, no matter what. We may be self-absorbed and unable to see beyond our own skin and our own particular need. In those cases God is only one of many who seems to have abandoned us. God may have stepped back to let us learn something we would not have otherwise chosen to learn right now. In those cases God is waiting beside us even though we may not be aware of that presence. Eventually we look out and see that God has been with us the whole time and the question of where God is can be answered with confident assurance.
Whether we sense the presence of God or simply come far enough out of our despair to know that God is somewhere even if it is just beyond our reach we can join the psalmist in the tentative statement of hope in God for now. After the worst of the current situation passes we will actually sense the presence of God more closely and we can join again in praising God.
September 19, 2011
Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 25, 2011
Psalm 42
1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?
3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help
6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me.
8 By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?"
10 As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?"
11 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
(NRSV)
“Where is your God?” is a devastating question in some circumstances. In the situations in which it already seems that God has moved away from us it can be the last straw for someone to taunt us with this question. If anyone can get the question to echo in our heads they have added a further difficulty to an already dark situation. When we are surrounded by a sense of loss, even asking the question about the presence of God can throw us into despair.
For the psalmist, and hopefully for each of us, there comes a moment in the midst of despair in which we realize that God has been, is and will be with us, no matter what. We may be self-absorbed and unable to see beyond our own skin and our own particular need. In those cases God is only one of many who seems to have abandoned us. God may have stepped back to let us learn something we would not have otherwise chosen to learn right now. In those cases God is waiting beside us even though we may not be aware of that presence. Eventually we look out and see that God has been with us the whole time and the question of where God is can be answered with confident assurance.
Whether we sense the presence of God or simply come far enough out of our despair to know that God is somewhere even if it is just beyond our reach we can join the psalmist in the tentative statement of hope in God for now. After the worst of the current situation passes we will actually sense the presence of God more closely and we can join again in praising God.
September 19, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
Psalm Meditation 587
Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 18, 2011
Psalm 12
1 Help, O LORD, for there is no longer anyone who is godly; the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
2 They utter lies to each other; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, "With our tongues we will prevail; our lips are our own--who is our master?"
5 "Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will now rise up," says the LORD; "I will place them in the safety for which they long."
6 The promises of the LORD are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.
7 You, O LORD, will protect us; you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among humankind.
(NRSV)
I have discovered through the years that the crowd of which I am a part is made up of people like me, whether I like it or not. I couldn’t understand how I kept attracting friends with a particular mindset until someone used that same term to describe me. If the psalmist was not one of the folks being described in the first part of the psalm there was at least a strong temptation to be like that. It is possible that this group is keeping the psalmist as a mascot or pet; the one of whom they make fun for the quaint ways of faithfulness.
It is just as possible that while the psalmist denies the lying and flattering personally while seeing it in the rest of the group that it is just as visible to everyone else in the psalmist. If, as in this case, one has become adept at lying and flattering it is just as possible to lie to and flatter oneself as anyone else. At the same time the psalmist is aware that this is not the way people of God are supposed to act. If God were to destroy all these flattering, lying people none of us would have to be subjected to this type of behavior ever again.
Fortunately for us, God is not one to destroy enemies in a cloud of atomic particles. God usually works more slowly, prodding and cajoling us out of our current behaviors and into more helpful and faithful ways of behaving and thinking. When we grow weary of our hurtful, harmful ways we find ways to withdraw from one circle of influence so that we can be more easily drawn into a new circle of friends who fit our new choices and convictions. And through it all God is with us, offering us safety and protection from people like we used to be as we become the people we find ourselves wanting to be.
September 12, 2011
Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 18, 2011
Psalm 12
1 Help, O LORD, for there is no longer anyone who is godly; the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
2 They utter lies to each other; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, "With our tongues we will prevail; our lips are our own--who is our master?"
5 "Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will now rise up," says the LORD; "I will place them in the safety for which they long."
6 The promises of the LORD are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.
7 You, O LORD, will protect us; you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among humankind.
(NRSV)
I have discovered through the years that the crowd of which I am a part is made up of people like me, whether I like it or not. I couldn’t understand how I kept attracting friends with a particular mindset until someone used that same term to describe me. If the psalmist was not one of the folks being described in the first part of the psalm there was at least a strong temptation to be like that. It is possible that this group is keeping the psalmist as a mascot or pet; the one of whom they make fun for the quaint ways of faithfulness.
It is just as possible that while the psalmist denies the lying and flattering personally while seeing it in the rest of the group that it is just as visible to everyone else in the psalmist. If, as in this case, one has become adept at lying and flattering it is just as possible to lie to and flatter oneself as anyone else. At the same time the psalmist is aware that this is not the way people of God are supposed to act. If God were to destroy all these flattering, lying people none of us would have to be subjected to this type of behavior ever again.
Fortunately for us, God is not one to destroy enemies in a cloud of atomic particles. God usually works more slowly, prodding and cajoling us out of our current behaviors and into more helpful and faithful ways of behaving and thinking. When we grow weary of our hurtful, harmful ways we find ways to withdraw from one circle of influence so that we can be more easily drawn into a new circle of friends who fit our new choices and convictions. And through it all God is with us, offering us safety and protection from people like we used to be as we become the people we find ourselves wanting to be.
September 12, 2011
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