Psalm Meditation 1209 ¶Proper 15 ¶August 20, 2023 ¶Psalm 93 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+93&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶Oceans, seas, lakes, and other large bodies of water were fearful places for the people of early biblical times. They were disordered, unruly, and dangerous places for people to venture. Large bodies of water were home to the chaos monster who brought calamity and confusion to people who ventured out into the angry waves. In the act of Creation, God had made a place that was usually safe from the wilds of the waters of chaos. Every now and then the waters would cross into the dry land to bring flooding and its resulting difficulties. ¶When I would be frightened by thunder in nighttime storms, my dad would calm me by telling me to imagine that it was potatoes rolling down the stairs. That image was enough to allow me to take a deep breath or two and drift back to sleep. Perhaps that was the psalmist’s thinking as well. By offering the image of the flood waters roaring out their praise to God, it offered people an opportunity to redirect their fear of the flood to the praise of God for protection from the floodwaters. ¶The world has a lot of scary things in it these days. I imagine the world has always had plenty of things about which people can fret and stress. Through it all, people of faith have lived and died as people of God. They have faced their fears, avoided danger, kept loved ones as safe as possible in any given situation. Those who find and make ways to offer praise and thanksgiving to God have an easier time facing their trials than those who give in to the fear of anything and everything in the world around them. ¶August 14, 2023 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1208 ¶Proper 14 ¶August 13, 2023 ¶Psalm 86 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+86&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶In some cultures, including that of ancient Israel, it is understood that surrounding cultures have their own deities that share space with those of other groups. This is why it is important to know the name/names of those who reign over our particular people group. It is the task of our divinity to push others out of the way to show that our group is bigger, faster, and stronger than yours. Our human wars, battles, and conflicts are extensions of the divine battle for supremacy. ¶In this psalm, the psalmist makes the bold claim “For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.” (86:10.) One way of hearing this statement is that our God is the most powerful of all the pantheon. My preference is to hear it as a statement of monotheism, that there is only one God. For those who worship numerous deities, it is dividing the attributes of God into several parts for ease of petitioning the one who is in charge of my particular concern. We each have moments in which we need a particular attribute of God in order to face what lies before us. Some choose to have a separate deity, others choose to approach a particular characteristic of God knowing that all of YHWH will be present with us. ¶The psalmist continues with a request to be taught the way of God in a way that is clear along with the ability and willingness to follow with an undivided heart. The psalmist also reminds us that there are always folks out to get us, who do not see eye to eye with us on questions including how and even if God is present among us. It is the grace and mercy of God that will finally bring us into the steadfast love and faithfulness of God. In the strength of God’s gifts to us we too will be able to live out the steadfast love of God toward all those around us. ¶August 8, 2023 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1207 ¶Proper 13 ¶August 6, 2023 ¶Psalm 79 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+79&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶At least one of my seminary professors told us that we are not so much punished for our sin as we are by our sin. As an addition from experience, we can be punished by the sins of another. Yet another addition is that the definition of sin can be broad. We have probably experienced being punished by our sin and owned up to it with a ‘Yeah, I deserved that.’ And we have probably been hurt by the actions of others by being in their presence as they did something that someone was going to have to pay for. There are some things that do not seem to be sinful, and yet there is a price to pay for those actions and deeds. ¶The psalmist is aware that there are many deaths to be mourned in the city of Jerusalem. It may have been due to the actions of the residents of the city, and just as likely that it is due to the selfishness and greed of those who attacked and destroyed the city. The most true part of the psalmist’s prayer is that only God can bring the city back into its former glory as the City of God. The God whose love continually draws us together in love does not seem to be one who would send one group to destroy another, especially in anger. God aches with us in our pain and grief rather than being the cause of it. ¶God is not one to pick sides based on right and wrong since there is usually some of each on every side of a conflict. God is most likely to side with the poor, oppressed, and powerless. Those who have resources, freedom, and power do not need help in winning the conflicts in which they embroil themselves. God offers help and hope to the downtrodden in such a way that even if they are defeated and nearly destroyed, they know that they are loved by God. ¶August 1, 2023 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1206 ¶Proper 12 ¶July 30, 2023 ¶Psalm 72 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+72&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶For most of us, our first thought is for ourselves and those close to us. The psalmist prays that the ruler of Israel give first thought to those who do not have the power, money, or other resources to fend for themselves. As the poor, needy, and oppressed prosper so do all the other people in the nation. The psalmist knows that when those of the lowest degree are able to thrive and prosper, those of all other groups find their resources increase as well. When the people of a nation prosper, the nation becomes a model and magnet for other nations and peoples. ¶When we live with a scarcity mindset we find ourselves hoarding, storing up for ourselves, just in case the shortage we sense gets worse and worse. Many years ago, probably mid 1980s, a study was done to determine the best way to increase the food supply so that everyone would have enough food to meet their dietary needs. The results of the study were that there was already enough food being produced to feed the people of the world. It was not a scarcity problem, it was a distribution problem. ¶While we have years of experience living with the belief that there can’t possibly be enough of whatever it is to go around, the truth is there is more than enough of all the important resources to take care of all the people of the world. When we join the psalmist in praying and asking that our rulers seek and follow the will of God rather than declaring that God blesses what they desire, we will find ourselves in a peaceable realm that touches each person as a child and heir of God. ¶July 25, 2023 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1205 ¶Proper 11 ¶July 23, 2023 ¶Psalm 65 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+65&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶The psalmist points to the awesome deeds that God performs for the sake of delivering the faithful. God does creative things like making mountains and seas. God does restorative things like send rain to water the earth and renew the flow of river waters. God does provident things like provide grain and other bounty for the sustenance of creation. God does artistic things like color the earth with a variety of colorful plants. And by looking on all of this we find great joy in God and the world. ¶This does not mean that people who do not acknowledge the presence of God in the world do not see the beauty that surrounds us all. They see the awesomeness that is the world, and beyond that to the wonders of the universe. That they do not see God at work, does not mean that they do not see beauty, it means they don’t see the work as that of God. Some folks do not see the cycles of time as awesome, they are simply ordinary. God does not get any credit from them for all the wonders that surround us, especially if they do not see the wonder that is present in creation. ¶We ask the question, ‘How can people look at the universe and not see God?,’ rather than acknowledging that not everyone sees the world through the same set of eyes. For some it is a dull and dismal place, for others it is a series of random gifts of beauty that come from somewhere beyond ourselves. For the psalmist and many of us, the world is a gift from God full of rich variety, pain and pleasure, ordinary and sublime, beauty and ugliness all for the sake of leading us deeper into the presence of God. ¶July 17, 2023 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1204 ¶Proper 10 ¶July 16, 2023 ¶Psalm 58 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+58&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶There is something deeply satisfying about revenge fantasies. ‘If only I could watch as the teeth of my enemies are broken in their mouths, as their fangs are ripped out while they scream in pain. That would be so satisfying.’ Except that it isn’t. It may be fun or satisfying for a moment but it does not undo any damage they may have done to us and our loved ones. Revenge is like so many other responses to injuries, it is better to imagine it than to experience it. In our imagination we can leave out all the loud, stinking, sticky, gory parts and simply enjoy the suffering from a distance. ¶The psalmist longs for the day in which ‘the wicked’ get what’s coming to them. There will be dancing and shouting in celebration of the suffering of those who heaped suffering on us. The psalmist longs to join others in bathing their feet in the blood of the wicked. I don’t know if that kind of thing actually happened, however I can’t imagine wanting to dip a toe or finger into a pool of blood, let alone soak my feet in it. ¶I know there are those who relish the experience of revenge, and I wonder how long the good feeling lasts. In a tit for tat society, an act of revenge simply opens the door for a bigger, action on the part of the original perpetrator. And it becomes a spiral of action and reaction that digs an evil hole into which all parties can bury themselves. God calls us to loving action to break the cycle of evil that is so easy and tempting to fall into. The ’reward’ for the need for revenge is the downward spiral of acts of revenge. The reward for the righteous is living a life of love in the presence of God. ¶July 10, 2023 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1203 ¶Proper 9 ¶July 9, 2023 ¶Psalm 87 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+87&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶When the starting lineup of a professional sports team is introduced the announcer will include the most recent school a particular player attended. I often wondered why that is, until I read this psalm today. We like to know where a person is from in the event that we might have a connection with them. For those of us who will not play professional sports the question is, ‘Where were you born?’ or ‘Where are you from?’ Do we have a connection, positive or negative, on which to build a relationship? ¶Human beings appear to thrive on connection with others. After the extended period of COVID isolation, we find ourselves longing for renewed connection with those from whom we have been separated. We might also look for new connections in hopes of making up for some of our time in isolation. We like to know that we are not alone and that we have a place to belong with others like us. I find that it is just as important to have some who think and act differently in our circle so that we are exposed to a variety of opinions and activities. ¶The psalmist is celebrating the connection and comradery that comes from living in Jerusalem/Zion, the city of YHWH. In an era of city states, rather than full nations, it is important to know that we are among our own people. We have enough similarities to hold us together and enough tensions to keep ourselves interesting. To know that we are in the city established through divine influence sets us apart from those around us. We are set apart as servants of YHWH more than for some sort of privilege and glory. ¶July 4, 2023 ¶LCM