Psalm Meditation 692
Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 22, 2013
Psalm 52
1 Why do you boast, O mighty one, of mischief done against the godly? All day long
2 you are plotting destruction. Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery.
3 You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth. Selah
4 You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.
5 But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
6 The righteous will see, and fear, and will laugh at the evildoer, saying,
7 “See the one who would not take refuge in God, but trusted in abundant riches, and sought refuge in wealth!”
8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever.
9 I will thank you forever, because of what you have done. In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good.
(NRSV)
We are quick to attach evil motives to those who disagree with us, especially when those folks mount violent attacks against us. While it is possible that their entire intent is evil, it is also possible that their intent is good, positive and honorable. Their actions may be violent and destructive even as they look to a positive and peaceful outcome. The folks who participated in the Crusades had the laudable goal of winning back the Holy Land for the glory of Christ. The part about totally discounting the faith and even humanity of the folks who lived there continues to give Christians a bad reputation in parts of the world.
Some of the evils we have experienced in recent years have been a response to the actions of Christians during the Crusades. That does not make either side good or right in the actions carried out, it simply gives a window into the thought processes of the folks who are seen by others as evil. I do believe that there is evil in the world and that simply because we have a way to justify our actions does not mean that those actions are not seen as evil by someone else. At some point in our lives we have railed against the unfairness of our parents as they asked or demanded a certain course of action. While we saw them as terrible parents they saw themselves as people acting out of love in the best interest of us, their children.
What is evil to me is justifiable and even laudable to you. At times, it is a matter of whether we are giving or receiving an action that defines it as evil. Yes, there is evil. Yes, there are evil people. Yes, sometimes it is ‘them’ who do the evil deeds, Yes, sometimes it is ‘us’ who do the evil. As our hearts and lives are more finely tuned to God we are confronted by the evils we have perpetrated on others. We can find ways to justify our actions or we can find ways to repent and move forward in our relationship with God and with the people with whom we live and work.
September 16, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
Psalm Meditation 691
Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 15, 2013
Psalm 102 (selected verses)
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you.
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.
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.
14 For your servants hold its stones dear, and have pity on its dust.
15 The nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth your glory.
16 For the LORD will build up Zion; he will appear in his glory.
17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their prayer.
18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD:
19 that he looked down from his holy height, from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die;
21 so that the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem,
22 when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.
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)
We tend to believe that God looks with favor on those who have wealth, popularity and possessions. It only seems right that the folks with lots of stuff have all that stuff because of God’s blessing on their lives. At least, that is the thinking of those of us who have more than a large percentage of the world’s population will ever dream of having. While there are those who have lots more than we have, there are considerably more who have a lot less than we have. It is always tempting to believe that we are among those blessed by God.
The psalmist reminds us that our God, Yahweh, has a heart for those who do not have a lot of stuff. God gives a different set of rich blessings to those who do not have a lot of material resources at their command. For several years research has shown that the most generous class of folks are those who are in poverty. They know what it is like to be without and if they can help someone else they are willing to do as they are able. As folks share limited resources, they also build strong communities based on shared suffering as well as shared resources. While having stuff may seem to be more fun, having a community full of relationships is more lasting and more fulfilling.
Those of us with stuff do well to build relationships with those who seem to be in want. It is possible that they will teach us how to live with less as they teach us about their real needs. We might also learn the importance of relationships, over having everything we think we might need. While God really does love each of us, it is those who relish the importance of relationship with God and with others who are most attuned to the love God offers.
September 9, 2013
Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 15, 2013
Psalm 102 (selected verses)
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry come to you.
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.
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.
14 For your servants hold its stones dear, and have pity on its dust.
15 The nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth your glory.
16 For the LORD will build up Zion; he will appear in his glory.
17 He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their prayer.
18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD:
19 that he looked down from his holy height, from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die;
21 so that the name of the LORD may be declared in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem,
22 when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.
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)
We tend to believe that God looks with favor on those who have wealth, popularity and possessions. It only seems right that the folks with lots of stuff have all that stuff because of God’s blessing on their lives. At least, that is the thinking of those of us who have more than a large percentage of the world’s population will ever dream of having. While there are those who have lots more than we have, there are considerably more who have a lot less than we have. It is always tempting to believe that we are among those blessed by God.
The psalmist reminds us that our God, Yahweh, has a heart for those who do not have a lot of stuff. God gives a different set of rich blessings to those who do not have a lot of material resources at their command. For several years research has shown that the most generous class of folks are those who are in poverty. They know what it is like to be without and if they can help someone else they are willing to do as they are able. As folks share limited resources, they also build strong communities based on shared suffering as well as shared resources. While having stuff may seem to be more fun, having a community full of relationships is more lasting and more fulfilling.
Those of us with stuff do well to build relationships with those who seem to be in want. It is possible that they will teach us how to live with less as they teach us about their real needs. We might also learn the importance of relationships, over having everything we think we might need. While God really does love each of us, it is those who relish the importance of relationship with God and with others who are most attuned to the love God offers.
September 9, 2013
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Psalm Meditation 690
Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 8, 2013
Psalm 49
1 Hear this, all you peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high, rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life, there is no price one can give to God for it.
8 For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice,
9 that one should live on forever and never see the grave.
10 When we look at the wise, they die; fool and dolt perish together and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands their own.
12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy, the end of those who are pleased with their lot.Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home.
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.Selah
16 Do not be afraid when some become rich, when the wealth of their houses increases.
17 For when they die they will carry nothing away; their wealth will not go down after them.
18 Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy —for you are praised when you do well for yourself—
19 they will go to the company of their ancestors, who will never again see the light.
20 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
(NRSV)
In the psalmist’s time, it was believed that there was a limited amount of wealth available so the only way anyone could get rich was at the expense of someone else. In order for me to get rich I would have to take the resources out of your hands, land out from under your feet, food out of your mouth and so on. The folks who did get wealthy around the psalmist were thought to be guilty of great evil since they had, for all intents and purposes stolen their wealth from others.
We know that, while wealth is an ever expanding pool, it is often true that folks become rich by using the labor and resources of others. Sometimes those others are compensated for their labor and resources, fairly or not. Other times the resources are claimed in a way that requires no reimbursement, even though fairness might dictate otherwise.
The psalmist tells us not to worry about the folks who get rich because their wealth will not last beyond their own lifetime. When they die the riches they have worked so hard to attain will remain here on earth while they will be lost to Sheol. Since the psalmist and the folks addressed by the psalm have spent lives laboring after the things of God they know they will be redeemed from Sheol into the presence of God.
Eventually, we reap the reward of our efforts. Those who seek wealth will achieve that and will die. Those who seek a relationship with God will find that and will live in the presence of God.
September 3, 2013
Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 8, 2013
Psalm 49
1 Hear this, all you peoples; give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 both low and high, rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to a proverb; I will solve my riddle to the music of the harp.
5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my persecutors surrounds me,
6 those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly, no ransom avails for one’s life, there is no price one can give to God for it.
8 For the ransom of life is costly, and can never suffice,
9 that one should live on forever and never see the grave.
10 When we look at the wise, they die; fool and dolt perish together and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their graves are their homes forever, their dwelling places to all generations, though they named lands their own.
12 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
13 Such is the fate of the foolhardy, the end of those who are pleased with their lot.Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the grave they descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home.
15 But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me.Selah
16 Do not be afraid when some become rich, when the wealth of their houses increases.
17 For when they die they will carry nothing away; their wealth will not go down after them.
18 Though in their lifetime they count themselves happy —for you are praised when you do well for yourself—
19 they will go to the company of their ancestors, who will never again see the light.
20 Mortals cannot abide in their pomp; they are like the animals that perish.
(NRSV)
In the psalmist’s time, it was believed that there was a limited amount of wealth available so the only way anyone could get rich was at the expense of someone else. In order for me to get rich I would have to take the resources out of your hands, land out from under your feet, food out of your mouth and so on. The folks who did get wealthy around the psalmist were thought to be guilty of great evil since they had, for all intents and purposes stolen their wealth from others.
We know that, while wealth is an ever expanding pool, it is often true that folks become rich by using the labor and resources of others. Sometimes those others are compensated for their labor and resources, fairly or not. Other times the resources are claimed in a way that requires no reimbursement, even though fairness might dictate otherwise.
The psalmist tells us not to worry about the folks who get rich because their wealth will not last beyond their own lifetime. When they die the riches they have worked so hard to attain will remain here on earth while they will be lost to Sheol. Since the psalmist and the folks addressed by the psalm have spent lives laboring after the things of God they know they will be redeemed from Sheol into the presence of God.
Eventually, we reap the reward of our efforts. Those who seek wealth will achieve that and will die. Those who seek a relationship with God will find that and will live in the presence of God.
September 3, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Psalm Meditation 689
Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 1, 2013
Psalm 99
1 The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he!
4 Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the LORD, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy.
(NRSV)
At some point in our faith development it is important to ask questions about the beliefs with which we have been raised so that we can claim them as our own or modify them to fit our own way of perceiving who God is in our lives. In this psalm it seems that the psalmist is answering some of the questions about why we worship God.
We worship a God who loves justice, equity and righteousness. This is not a God who decides how to act as a situation arises, this is a God who acts out of a sense of what is just, what is right and what gives folks a sense of equality in their lives. We worship because God has been around a long time and has a long and rich history with us. From Moses and Aaron to Samuel to the present we have seen God in action. We worship a God who is quick to forgive without being a push over, who demands consequences in the midst of being forgiving. We worship a God who is dependable in any given situation and in long term faithfulness.
Go ahead and ask the questions about why we as a body choose to worship the God who has chosen us and calls us to live out the same sense of justice, history and forgiveness we have received. Our God is big enough to be comfortable with the questions, confident enough to be with us no matter what answers we may find, patient enough to continually invite us into an ever deepening relationship whether we accept the invitation or not. God is not troubled by our questions or our answers, in part because our God is holy.
August 26, 2013
Fifteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
September 1, 2013
Psalm 99
1 The LORD is king; let the peoples tremble! He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!
2 The LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is he!
4 Mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.
5 Extol the LORD our God; worship at his footstool. Holy is he!
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel also was among those who called on his name. They cried to the LORD, and he answered them.
7 He spoke to them in the pillar of cloud; they kept his decrees, and the statutes that he gave them.
8 O LORD our God, you answered them; you were a forgiving God to them, but an avenger of their wrongdoings.
9 Extol the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy.
(NRSV)
At some point in our faith development it is important to ask questions about the beliefs with which we have been raised so that we can claim them as our own or modify them to fit our own way of perceiving who God is in our lives. In this psalm it seems that the psalmist is answering some of the questions about why we worship God.
We worship a God who loves justice, equity and righteousness. This is not a God who decides how to act as a situation arises, this is a God who acts out of a sense of what is just, what is right and what gives folks a sense of equality in their lives. We worship because God has been around a long time and has a long and rich history with us. From Moses and Aaron to Samuel to the present we have seen God in action. We worship a God who is quick to forgive without being a push over, who demands consequences in the midst of being forgiving. We worship a God who is dependable in any given situation and in long term faithfulness.
Go ahead and ask the questions about why we as a body choose to worship the God who has chosen us and calls us to live out the same sense of justice, history and forgiveness we have received. Our God is big enough to be comfortable with the questions, confident enough to be with us no matter what answers we may find, patient enough to continually invite us into an ever deepening relationship whether we accept the invitation or not. God is not troubled by our questions or our answers, in part because our God is holy.
August 26, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
Psalm Meditation 688
Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 25, 2013
Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the LORD has them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, with trembling
12 kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who take refuge in him.
(NRSV)
The psalmist describes God in terms of the most powerful person known at the time: a king. Kings held absolute power over their subjects and were held to the standards of the divine beings who had placed them in this position. For many cultures of the day and time, those divine beings had no real standards except their own wishes and desires. Since it was the divine way, whatever the king chose to do was the way the world worked in any given situation. Those who had any influence with the king could sway royal decision making through gifts, promises, threats and flattery. It was a difficult image of God for those who had no power or influence.
The God of Israel held to a standard of faithfulness, righteousness and steadfast love, so the king was held to this same standard. The Bible makes clear that not every king felt bound by God’s standards of behavior. It was a mark of a great king to behave according to the laws of God and to treat subjects with the same faithfulness, righteousness and steadfast love exhibited by God.
While we no longer see God in the same light as the psalmist, we do see ourselves as bound to God through the faithfulness, righteousness and steadfast love we continue to experience through our relationship with God. We also continue to find comfort as we take refuge in God in the face of the wide variety of trials and temptations we confront on a regular basis.
August 19, 2013
Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 25, 2013
Psalm 2
1 Why do the nations conspire, and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and his anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds asunder, and cast their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens laughs; the LORD has them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, “You are my son; today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear, with trembling
12 kiss his feet, or he will be angry, and you will perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are all who take refuge in him.
(NRSV)
The psalmist describes God in terms of the most powerful person known at the time: a king. Kings held absolute power over their subjects and were held to the standards of the divine beings who had placed them in this position. For many cultures of the day and time, those divine beings had no real standards except their own wishes and desires. Since it was the divine way, whatever the king chose to do was the way the world worked in any given situation. Those who had any influence with the king could sway royal decision making through gifts, promises, threats and flattery. It was a difficult image of God for those who had no power or influence.
The God of Israel held to a standard of faithfulness, righteousness and steadfast love, so the king was held to this same standard. The Bible makes clear that not every king felt bound by God’s standards of behavior. It was a mark of a great king to behave according to the laws of God and to treat subjects with the same faithfulness, righteousness and steadfast love exhibited by God.
While we no longer see God in the same light as the psalmist, we do see ourselves as bound to God through the faithfulness, righteousness and steadfast love we continue to experience through our relationship with God. We also continue to find comfort as we take refuge in God in the face of the wide variety of trials and temptations we confront on a regular basis.
August 19, 2013
Monday, August 12, 2013
Psalm Meditation 687
Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 18, 2013
Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
Sound, noise, volume; there is something about being joyful that cries out for ways to express ourselves with energetic loudness. Bodies need a way to express the full extent of our joy and it comes out in movement and sound. The psalmist encourages us to praise God in ways that draw attention to our celebration. The physical expressions of joy lead people to ask what is making us lose control and opens us to offer our praises all over again to those who have asked.
This is one way of many to offer God our praise. There are many of us who do not like to draw attention to ourselves at the heights of joy or any other time in our lives. This does not mean that we do not feel the same need to offer God our praise. It is not that one way is right and the other way wrong, it is simply two of the many ways to offer God our praise.
Whether you are one to jump up and down while making a joyful noise or one who stays still and calm on the outside while joy bounces around your insides it is good to offer praises to God who is the source of all things. No matter how we may choose to offer our praises, it is good to praise the Lord.
August 12, 2013
Thirteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 18, 2013
Psalm 150
1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!
2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness!
3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!
5 Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
6 Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
Sound, noise, volume; there is something about being joyful that cries out for ways to express ourselves with energetic loudness. Bodies need a way to express the full extent of our joy and it comes out in movement and sound. The psalmist encourages us to praise God in ways that draw attention to our celebration. The physical expressions of joy lead people to ask what is making us lose control and opens us to offer our praises all over again to those who have asked.
This is one way of many to offer God our praise. There are many of us who do not like to draw attention to ourselves at the heights of joy or any other time in our lives. This does not mean that we do not feel the same need to offer God our praise. It is not that one way is right and the other way wrong, it is simply two of the many ways to offer God our praise.
Whether you are one to jump up and down while making a joyful noise or one who stays still and calm on the outside while joy bounces around your insides it is good to offer praises to God who is the source of all things. No matter how we may choose to offer our praises, it is good to praise the Lord.
August 12, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
Psalm Meditation 686
Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 11, 2013
Psalm 51
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
19 then you will delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
(NRSV)
There is something wonderful about being clean and then putting on clean clothes or climbing into a bed with clean sheets. It is good to get into a vehicle when it is new or even to get in after it has been cleaned out and swept. Clean things are so excellent, it is amazing that anyone would fight so hard to keep from getting to that place. At some point in our lives most of us have fought someone’s urging that we get clean in some way; either our own bodies or some part of our surroundings.
If it is so wonderful to be clean, how do we let ourselves and our surroundings get in such a state? We convince ourselves that it is easier to let things slide than to clean up little at a time. Eventually, we either get used to things as they are or we step in to do the hard work of cleaning. We may even have to ask for help with the task The psalmist asks God for a thorough cleansing from sin and iniquity. A piece of paper here, a book there, a pile of mail in another corner and suddenly a desk is covered in ‘stuff’ that was important enough to save but not quite important enough to get done immediately. An unkind word here, a judgment there, a pile of looking down our noses at folks without knowing the whole story and suddenly we are covered in sin and iniquity. It all piles up and it becomes important to deal with all of these things before they overpower us.
God is more than willing to help us restore right relationships with God and others (you are on your own to get your desk clean.) The psalmist reminds us that God is not nearly as interested in appearance and rituals, important as they are, as God is interested in our hearts. During a regular cleaning routine, or an I-can’t-take-this-anymore clean, take a moment also to see to identifying and clear out some of the sin and iniquity that is piling up inside. It may make the outside cleaning go a little more smoothly. It will certainly make for a lighter spirit in the presence of God and others.
August 5, 2013
Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 11, 2013
Psalm 51
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
5 Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.
14 Deliver me from bloodshed, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice; if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
19 then you will delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
(NRSV)
There is something wonderful about being clean and then putting on clean clothes or climbing into a bed with clean sheets. It is good to get into a vehicle when it is new or even to get in after it has been cleaned out and swept. Clean things are so excellent, it is amazing that anyone would fight so hard to keep from getting to that place. At some point in our lives most of us have fought someone’s urging that we get clean in some way; either our own bodies or some part of our surroundings.
If it is so wonderful to be clean, how do we let ourselves and our surroundings get in such a state? We convince ourselves that it is easier to let things slide than to clean up little at a time. Eventually, we either get used to things as they are or we step in to do the hard work of cleaning. We may even have to ask for help with the task The psalmist asks God for a thorough cleansing from sin and iniquity. A piece of paper here, a book there, a pile of mail in another corner and suddenly a desk is covered in ‘stuff’ that was important enough to save but not quite important enough to get done immediately. An unkind word here, a judgment there, a pile of looking down our noses at folks without knowing the whole story and suddenly we are covered in sin and iniquity. It all piles up and it becomes important to deal with all of these things before they overpower us.
God is more than willing to help us restore right relationships with God and others (you are on your own to get your desk clean.) The psalmist reminds us that God is not nearly as interested in appearance and rituals, important as they are, as God is interested in our hearts. During a regular cleaning routine, or an I-can’t-take-this-anymore clean, take a moment also to see to identifying and clear out some of the sin and iniquity that is piling up inside. It may make the outside cleaning go a little more smoothly. It will certainly make for a lighter spirit in the presence of God and others.
August 5, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)