Psalm Meditation 1092 Pentecost May 23, 2021 Psalm 119:129-144 129 Your decrees are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. 130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. 131 With open mouth I pant, because I long for your commandments. 132 Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your custom toward those who love your name. 133 Keep my steps steady according to your promise, and never let iniquity have dominion over me. 134 Redeem me from human oppression, that I may keep your precepts. 135 Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes. 136 My eyes shed streams of tears because your law is not kept. 137 You are righteous, O Lord, and your judgments are right. 138 You have appointed your decrees in righteousness and in all faithfulness. 139 My zeal consumes me because my foes forget your words. 140 Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it. 141 I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts. 142 Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and your law is the truth. 143 Trouble and anguish have come upon me, but your commandments are my delight. 144 Your decrees are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live. (NRSV) Write each letter of the alphabet eight times down a column. Using those letters as a guide, write a celebration of the law of God for each letter you have written. If you feel especially creative, write it as a poem. This is the outline of Psalm 119. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet which means there are 176 verses of the psalm. With the 26 letters of the English alphabet there would be 208 verses. Some groupings would be more difficult than others. The important part is celebrating God’s law. Many of us think that the law is for everyone else and that it is more a suggestion for us. We have extenuating circumstances that require us to push past any law from time to time in order to meet our need of the moment. Celebrating the law of God is a good exercise. It reminds us that law is not oppressive. At its best, as well as our best, the law of God is permission giving. ‘Here is the outside limit, other than that you are free to do what seems good to you.’ “Be on your best behavior; be home by midnight.” As long as we follow these simple rules we are free to have an enjoyable evening. If we find a way to justify skirting one of the rules there will be consequences. The consequence may be as simple as losing a privilege or as devastating as contributing to a lasting injury for ourselves or another. God is not an ogre, making rules for the sake of having rules. God loves us and wants us to be safe, to keep others safe, and to be able to enjoy our life together. “The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” May 17, 2021 LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/

Psalm Meditation 1091 Seventh Sunday of Easter May 16, 2021 Psalm 19 1 The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; 4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In the heavens he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is hid from its heat. 7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 12 But who can detect their errors? Clear me from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from the insolent; do not let them have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer (NRSV) When we think of laws, there are a couple of directions our thoughts wander. Laws are present to protect us from the kinds of people who have no respect for others and their property. Laws are to protect us from people who don’t follow rules. Another way we look at laws is the way they intrude on our lives in inconvenient ways. Things like speed limits and no parking signs are fine when we are following the laws, however, when we are in a hurry speed limits are for others, no parking signs are in order to reserve a spot for those brave enough to park there anyway. We have a love/hate relationship with laws and rules. The psalmist tells us that laws, especially the laws of God, are a source of pleasure for those who follow them. Our own tendency is to resist laws and rules that are phrased in the negative. In the case of God’s laws the negatives are there as boundaries. ‘Here is a limit it is not safe to pass.’ There is always someone who steps across the line just to make sure, who touches where it says ‘wet paint’ just to see if it has been there longer than necessary. ‘Since God and I are such good buddies, I am certainly exempt from this law and its consequences.’ Honestly, it is more fulfilling to stay in bounds in order to enjoy a relationship with God. We can probably name the laws and rules that other people break more easily than we can name those we break ourselves. When we break a rule, we can hear the justification for it ringing in our head or heart. Rather than zeroing in on the broken rule, we emphasize the justification. We don’t know why others break the rules, only that they do, so we can afford to be more harsh with them on their ‘crime.’ The psalmist reminds us that we have our hidden faults for which we can be forgiven, especially if we ask. One of those hidden faults is our double standard of excusing our own faults while hoping others get caught and punished for their own. To help keep us from the double standard the psalmist ends with the familiar phrase, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.” May 10, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1090 Sixth Sunday of Easter May 9, 2021 Psalm 94 1 O Lord, you God of vengeance, you God of vengeance, shine forth! 2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; give to the proud what they deserve! 3 O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult? 4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast. 5 They crush your people, O Lord, and afflict your heritage. 6 They kill the widow and the stranger, they murder the orphan, 7 and they say, “The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive.” 8 Understand, O dullest of the people; fools, when will you be wise? 9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? 10 He who disciplines the nations, he who teaches knowledge to humankind, does he not chastise? 11 The Lord knows our thoughts, that they are but an empty breath. 12 Happy are those whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, 13 giving them respite from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked. 14 For the Lord will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage; 15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it. 16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers? 17 If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence. 18 When I thought, “My foot is slipping,” your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. 19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul. 20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who contrive mischief by statute? 21 They band together against the life of the righteous, and condemn the innocent to death. 22 But the Lord has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge. 23 He will repay them for their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the Lord our God will wipe them out. (NRSV) We are a lot quicker to call on God to give ‘those’ people what they deserve than we are to ask that God give us what we deserve. Even though ‘those’ people probably do deserve all the bad things we are quick to wish on them, we do well to be aware that we are just as likely to deserve those bad things as well. We know that our intentions were good even if things didn’t turn out the way we meant for them to. We are willing to guess that their intentions were evil, since we are the ones who got hurt when their actions turned out badly. So, intention is the best way to judge our actions and results are the only way we have to judge the actions of any of ‘those’ people. Even when it turns out the same way for us and ‘them’ we know that we can be forgiven and they need to be wiped out by God’s wrath, because we did not mean to hurt people. If we do find out that ‘they’ didn’t mean to hurt anyone they still need to pay for their actions because it was us who received the ill effects of their poorly thought out plans. We also have the advantage of mental gymnastics that make our hurt real because we have feelings while they don’t have feelings because they are a class of sub-human creatures in human form. Before we call on God to seek vengeance on the people who hurt us, we do well to search our lives and motives to see if we have done any damage to them at this or another time. We may have been in the way of their unfocused anger, we may be the victim of their lack of care, they may be paying us back for something we did to them years ago, we may both bear some guilt and responsibility for an upward spiral of vindictiveness. Before we call down the wrath of God on those who are guilty, we do well to make sure that we are not partly to blame. May 3, 2021 LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/

Psalm Meditation 1089 Fifth Sunday of Easter May 2, 2021 Psalm 68 1 Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee before him. 2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, let the wicked perish before God. 3 But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy. 4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds—his name is the Lord—be exultant before him. 5 Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. 6 God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land. 7 O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah 8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you restored your heritage when it languished; 10 your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy. 11 The Lord gives the command; great is the company of those who bore the tidings: 12 “The kings of the armies, they flee, they flee!” The women at home divide the spoil, 13 though they stay among the sheepfolds—the wings of a dove covered with silver, its pinions with green gold. 14 When the Almighty scattered kings there, snow fell on Zalmon. 15 O mighty mountain, mountain of Bashan; O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan! 16 Why do you look with envy, O many-peaked mountain, at the mount that God desired for his abode, where the Lord will reside forever? 17 With mighty chariotry, twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands, the Lord came from Sinai into the holy place. 18 You ascended the high mount, leading captives in your train and receiving gifts from people, even from those who rebel against the Lord God’s abiding there. 19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah 20 Our God is a God of salvation, and to God, the Lord, belongs escape from death. 21 But God will shatter the heads of his enemies, the hairy crown of those who walk in their guilty ways. 22 The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan, I will bring them back from the depths of the sea, 23 so that you may bathe your feet in blood, so that the tongues of your dogs may have their share from the foe.” 24 Your solemn processions are seen, O God, the processions of my God, my King, into the sanctuary— 25 the singers in front, the musicians last, between them girls playing tambourines: 26 “Bless God in the great congregation, the Lord, O you who are of Israel’s fountain!” 27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead, the princes of Judah in a body, the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali. 28 Summon your might, O God; show your strength, O God, as you have done for us before. 29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings bear gifts to you. 30 Rebuke the wild animals that live among the reeds, the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples. Trample under foot those who lust after tribute; scatter the peoples who delight in war. 31 Let bronze be brought from Egypt; let Ethiopia hasten to stretch out its hands to God. 32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, Selah 33 O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens; listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice. 34 Ascribe power to God, whose majesty is over Israel; and whose power is in the skies. 35 Awesome is God in his sanctuary, the God of Israel; he gives power and strength to his people. Blessed be God! (NRSV) This psalm begins with a celebration of the ways God gets rid of enemies, turn them to smoke, melt them like wax. This time, those issues are given very little space. The important issue at hand is to celebrate some of the great things that happen because God is God. Riding the clouds, protecting widows and orphans, housing the desolate, freeing prisoners, and, to remind us that there is a price to pay for rebelliousness, leading rebels to a parched land. Several things on the list are helpful to the people of God, however riding the clouds seems to be purely for fun. Doing things for fun is not our usual view of God. We picture a God who is serious, to the point of puritanical. So, what if God has a sense play as well as a sense of humor. Does it make God sad that we can be so humorless in our worship? Does God long for us to take joy, not just in the beauty of creation, but in all the ways God is present among us, including our worship? Our puritanical heritage in the USA may damage our relationship with God by taking things seriously that God wants us to enjoy, celebrate, and revel in. Next time the weight of the world lays heavy on your shoulders, paint yourself a picture of God riding the clouds. Find the image that brings a smile to your face. A surfboard, a skateboard, roller blades; a glider, a small airplane, a jumbo jet; an inner tube, a kayak/canoe, a cruise ship; a bicycle, a soapbox derby car, a city bus. These are just a few of the ways God can ride the clouds. If we can see God enjoying something as ordinary as clouds perhaps we can find joy and enjoyment in something ordinary as well. “Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; sing praises to the Lord, Selah O rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens; listen, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.” April 26, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1088 Fourth Sunday of Easter April 25, 2021 Psalm 143 1 Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness. 2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you. 3 For the enemy has pursued me, crushing my life to the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead. 4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled. 5 I remember the days of old, I think about all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands. 6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah 7 Answer me quickly, O Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit. 8 Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust. Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. 9 Save me, O Lord, from my enemies; I have fled to you for refuge. 10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path. 11 For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life. In your righteousness bring me out of trouble. 12 In your steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am your servant. (NRSV) Each of us has a few people whose opinions matter to us. No matter what anyone else has to say, one of those trusted voices will be the deciding vote in our opinion of our work. This is the person who brings light into a room with them as far as we are concerned. It is important to know who these folks are in our lives, so we know where to turn our attention when we need an outside opinion. The psalmist turns to God when the need for help and support arises. It is in the presence of God that the psalmist finds refuge, fresh knowledge, steadfast and unconditional love, and wisdom in the face of trials and troubles. Because of turning to God the psalmist can make in verse 12, what I read as a manipulative, ‘If you loved me, you would destroy all the people who are mean to me.’ Though there is no mention of a community, the psalmist would not have written without a community in mind. A lively, diverse community gives us a richness of voices that lead by a variety of paths into the presence of God. As part of a community we can say with the psalmist, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.” April 19, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1087 Third Sunday of Easter April 18, 2021 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) In a victim mindset nothing is my fault, it is all those others who are out to get me for no reason. This is also true for people who really are victims so it is difficult to figure out for myself whether I am being victimized or playing the victim. Either way, I feel abandoned and deserted by everyone around me, except by those who are out to get me. In the psalmist’s case, even God has walked away. Since God does not abandon anyone, there must be something else going on. God backs away when I need to learn that I can do something on my own. It may be something I have always depended on God to do for me, or it may be something that I feel is beyond me, that God knows I am ready to do. God will also back away when I am about to do something silly or dangerous, in hopes that I too will back away from my current course of action. Whether I am a victim or playing victim, I can turn to God and the people of God for help and comfort. The great thing about the people of God is that there is always someone who will support me through my trials and triumphs. When I find the one who will tell me the truth, even when it is painful, I know I have found the one I need in that moment, and probably longer. “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.” April 12, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1086 Second Sunday of Easter April 11, 2021 Psalm 118 1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” 3 Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” 4 Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” 5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. 6 With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me? 7 The Lord is on my side to help me; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. 10 All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! 11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! 12 They surrounded me like bees; they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! 13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. 14 The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. 15 There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly; 16 the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.” 17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. 18 The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. 21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! 26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. 27 The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. 29 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. (NRSV) There are several good reminders in this psalm, things that we can easily take for granted because we have depended so heavily on them for so long. It is in times of stress and trial that we need this word from the psalmist. First, we are reminded of the steadfast love of God. It is for everyone to receive, appreciate, and proclaim. Second, that God is right there with us as we go through the kinds of trials in which it seems everyone has turned against us. Third, that an excellent response to the love of God is to celebrate and be thankful. It is possible to forget that much of what we take credit for in our lives is due to the steadfast love of God. It never wavers, changes, or ends. God loves us. It is a simple statement that carries so much weight. There are those who have grown up with this kind of love, and it becomes a part of them in way that it is an undercurrent in all of life that keeps them afloat whether they notice it or not. There are others for whom love is always conditional, it has to be earned on a daily basis. These are the folks who need an experience of God’s steadfast love. When trials and pressures build up those who are missing the base level of unconditional love can grow hard and cold. When someone does offer them even the possibility of love they melt into it with sobs. Any time we can be the bearers of God’s love into the lives of those in need, we will offer ourselves as pillars of loving strength in the lives of those who, otherwise, have no one to love and care for them. When we are able to give and receive the love of God as unconditional, we give all those around us a gift worth celebrating. The love of God is not something we earn, and is not something we deserve on our own merits. The love of God is a gift that we are offered, and invited to offer to others. It is a gift that is not diminished by sharing—it actually grows deeper, stronger, and wider the more we share it with those around us. Seeing that love grow in and around us leads us to join the psalmist’s celebration, “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” April 7, 2021 LCM