Psalm Meditation 741
Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 31, 2014
Psalm 141
1 I call upon you, O LORD; come quickly to me; give ear to my voice when I call to you.
2 Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
3 Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Do not turn my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with those who work iniquity; do not let me eat of their delicacies.
5 Let the righteous strike me; let the faithful correct me. Never let the oil of the wicked anoint my head, for my prayer is continually against their wicked deeds.
6 When they are given over to those who shall condemn them, then they shall learn that my words were pleasant.
7 Like a rock that one breaks apart and shatters on the land, so shall their bones be strewn at the mouth of Sheol.
8 But my eyes are turned toward you, O GOD, my Lord; in you I seek refuge; do not leave me defenseless.
9 Keep me from the trap that they have laid for me, and from the snares of evildoers.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I alone escape.
(NRSV)
It is not always easy to tell good from bad, right from wrong, righteousness from sin. The psalmist is caught between following the practices and habits that lead to God and the temptation, from within or without, to take up a new set of habits that lead down a path to destruction. Despite our protests to the contrary, words do have the power to hurt and to heal, so the psalmist asks for God’s help in keeping hurtful words out of lips and heart. Even though the promise of hurtful words is that they will be sweet, for a moment, there is also the recognition that there is a price to pay for them. As with any sweet treat, there is the initial pleasure followed by the price that must be paid for the indulgence.
Once we get drawn in to a course of action, a group of practices, it becomes very hard to break free of whatever habits we may have formed for good or ill. While it may take discipline and vigilance to form good habits, it is possible to make and keep them without a lot of thought or effort once we have established our pattern. Bad habits may be easier to form since they take less effort from the beginning, however they take a much higher toll on us through the weeks, months and years.
As we join the psalmist in asking God’s help in avoiding evil practices and habits in the first place we do not have to fight to break the habits and still have the price to pay for them. As we are able to guard our lips, our hearts, our hands from the tempting evils in the first place the more readily we can turn to God with our whole hearts in every part of life.
August 25, 2014
LCM
Monday, August 25, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
Psalm Meditation 740
Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 24, 2014
Psalm 60
1 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry; now restore us!
2 You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
3 You have made your people suffer hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us reel.
4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you, to rally to it out of bowshot. Selah
5 Give victory with your right hand, and answer us, so that those whom you love may be rescued.
6 God has promised in his sanctuary: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem, and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet; Judah is my scepter.
8 Moab is my washbasin; on Edom I hurl my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
11 O grant us help against the foe, for human help is worthless.
12 With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.
(NRSV)
For the ancients wars and battles were waged from the heavens and the people involved were tokens and pieces in the game being played by the deities of the various nations. When one side was winning it was because their heavenly rulers were paying attention to the contest on the field of battle. The folks who were losing were being ignored or rejected by their divine warlord. The psalmist is aware that Israel is not doing well in this battle, so it must mean that they have been rejected for some fault of theirs. This psalm serves to remind God of promises of victory made to Israel against the surrounding nations and to ask how this victory can be achieved without the help of God.
While we no longer see war as a chess match pitting national deities against each other, we do find ourselves wondering where God is when our own lives, or the lives of our loved ones, are not going well. We wonder why God is allowing us to suffer, to go through this particular trial without divine help. As with the psalmists, we find ourselves asking these questions of God even as we wonder why God is not present for us. In one sense we answer a part of our own question by asking it of God. We have an awareness that God is around here somewhere, we simply have no idea where. As with children playing peek-a-boo to learn that people and things do not disappear when they are not seen, we learn that God is with us even when we don’t know where or how.
Some folks are content to believe that bad things happen to us, and especially to others, as punishment from God. Others see God as present in every situation, leading and guiding us forward through the trials of our lives, or at least being present to ache and cry and suffer alongside us. I can certainly appreciate the assurance that comes from knowing that God is in charge, making things happen in each one of our lives. I find much more comfort in God being with us in every situation, giving comfort and assurance and being present with us in every circumstance of our lives.
August 18, 2014
LCM manifold@lightbound.com
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 24, 2014
Psalm 60
1 O God, you have rejected us, broken our defenses; you have been angry; now restore us!
2 You have caused the land to quake; you have torn it open; repair the cracks in it, for it is tottering.
3 You have made your people suffer hard things; you have given us wine to drink that made us reel.
4 You have set up a banner for those who fear you, to rally to it out of bowshot. Selah
5 Give victory with your right hand, and answer us, so that those whom you love may be rescued.
6 God has promised in his sanctuary: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem, and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet; Judah is my scepter.
8 Moab is my washbasin; on Edom I hurl my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
11 O grant us help against the foe, for human help is worthless.
12 With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.
(NRSV)
For the ancients wars and battles were waged from the heavens and the people involved were tokens and pieces in the game being played by the deities of the various nations. When one side was winning it was because their heavenly rulers were paying attention to the contest on the field of battle. The folks who were losing were being ignored or rejected by their divine warlord. The psalmist is aware that Israel is not doing well in this battle, so it must mean that they have been rejected for some fault of theirs. This psalm serves to remind God of promises of victory made to Israel against the surrounding nations and to ask how this victory can be achieved without the help of God.
While we no longer see war as a chess match pitting national deities against each other, we do find ourselves wondering where God is when our own lives, or the lives of our loved ones, are not going well. We wonder why God is allowing us to suffer, to go through this particular trial without divine help. As with the psalmists, we find ourselves asking these questions of God even as we wonder why God is not present for us. In one sense we answer a part of our own question by asking it of God. We have an awareness that God is around here somewhere, we simply have no idea where. As with children playing peek-a-boo to learn that people and things do not disappear when they are not seen, we learn that God is with us even when we don’t know where or how.
Some folks are content to believe that bad things happen to us, and especially to others, as punishment from God. Others see God as present in every situation, leading and guiding us forward through the trials of our lives, or at least being present to ache and cry and suffer alongside us. I can certainly appreciate the assurance that comes from knowing that God is in charge, making things happen in each one of our lives. I find much more comfort in God being with us in every situation, giving comfort and assurance and being present with us in every circumstance of our lives.
August 18, 2014
LCM manifold@lightbound.com
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, August 11, 2014
Psalm Meditation 739
Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 17, 2014
Psalm 110
1 The LORD says to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 The LORD sends out from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes.
3 Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day you lead your forces on the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning, like dew, your youth will come to you.
4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter heads over the wide earth.
7 He will drink from the stream by the path; therefore he will lift up his head.
(NRSV)
Knowing that God is willing and able to fight our battles for us can be a great source of comfort. To be able to sit back and watch the battle rage, knowing that victory is assured, can be pretty thrilling. The difficulty comes when we begin to believe that our enemies are also The enemies of God. In that case we see God as under our command, one we can send out to do our bidding no matter what the conflict. We then become arrogant and nasty as we know that we are unstoppable and unbeatable. Our giant can crush the heads of any and all who stand against us.
Fortunately, God is willing to stand with us when we oppressed, downtrodden and in the right. God is not at our beck and call so much as on the side of justice and righteousness. God is not a celestial bully or mercenary who fights on the side of the highest bidder. When God fights with us it continues to be a struggle for us as the opposing forces are strong, entrenched and convinced of the rightness of their position. My guess is that in most conflicts God has a place on each side. Most arguments, conflicts, battles and wars are made by folks who have a kernel of truth, justice and righteousness surrounded by self-justification, pettiness, scarcity thinking, arrogance and lust for power. God supports the justice and righteousness and joins the battle against the rest.
On every side of a conflict there are voices raised in a call for justice and righteousness. We want to ignore those voices since they fly in the face of our other reasons for this battle. Those voices call us to see and appreciate the personhood of those with whom we disagree. Those voices call us to move toward justice and righteousness even, and especially, when it means we do well to repent of the thoughts, words and actions that lead away from the justice and righteousness we claim to seek. Those voices call to turn to God.
August 11, 2014
LCM manifold@lightbound.com
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 17, 2014
Psalm 110
1 The LORD says to my lord, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”
2 The LORD sends out from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes.
3 Your people will offer themselves willingly on the day you lead your forces on the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning, like dew, your youth will come to you.
4 The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath.
6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter heads over the wide earth.
7 He will drink from the stream by the path; therefore he will lift up his head.
(NRSV)
Knowing that God is willing and able to fight our battles for us can be a great source of comfort. To be able to sit back and watch the battle rage, knowing that victory is assured, can be pretty thrilling. The difficulty comes when we begin to believe that our enemies are also The enemies of God. In that case we see God as under our command, one we can send out to do our bidding no matter what the conflict. We then become arrogant and nasty as we know that we are unstoppable and unbeatable. Our giant can crush the heads of any and all who stand against us.
Fortunately, God is willing to stand with us when we oppressed, downtrodden and in the right. God is not at our beck and call so much as on the side of justice and righteousness. God is not a celestial bully or mercenary who fights on the side of the highest bidder. When God fights with us it continues to be a struggle for us as the opposing forces are strong, entrenched and convinced of the rightness of their position. My guess is that in most conflicts God has a place on each side. Most arguments, conflicts, battles and wars are made by folks who have a kernel of truth, justice and righteousness surrounded by self-justification, pettiness, scarcity thinking, arrogance and lust for power. God supports the justice and righteousness and joins the battle against the rest.
On every side of a conflict there are voices raised in a call for justice and righteousness. We want to ignore those voices since they fly in the face of our other reasons for this battle. Those voices call us to see and appreciate the personhood of those with whom we disagree. Those voices call us to move toward justice and righteousness even, and especially, when it means we do well to repent of the thoughts, words and actions that lead away from the justice and righteousness we claim to seek. Those voices call to turn to God.
August 11, 2014
LCM manifold@lightbound.com
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, August 4, 2014
Psalm Meditation 738
Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 10, 2014
Psalm 41
1 Happy are those who consider the poor; the LORD delivers them in the day of trouble.
2 The LORD protects them and keeps them alive; they are called happy in the land. You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.
3 The LORD sustains them on their sickbed; in their illness you heal all their infirmities.
4 As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
5 My enemies wonder in malice when I will die, and my name perish.
6 And when they come to see me, they utter empty words, while their hearts gather mischief; when they go out, they tell it abroad.
7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me.
8 They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me, that I will not rise again from where I lie.
9 Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.
10 But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them.
11 By this I know that you are pleased with me; because my enemy has not triumphed over me.
12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.
13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
(NRSV)
Much of the gossip we share these days is somewhere between harmless and helpful, it is a way to share information about the folks around whom we live and work. There is another kind, the kind by which the psalmist has been victimized. This gossip has as its intent the destruction of the reputation of the one about whom the gossip is being spread. In this type of gossip folks gain the trust of their victim, get all sorts of dangerous and damaging information and then spread that information as widely as possible. The more damage that can be done to the person, the more successful the gossip campaign is seen.
The psalmist turns to the one who already knows all the same information about us and continues to love us and to want the very best and most abundant life possible for us. Yes, there is some vindictiveness in the psalmist’s desire to be raised up in order to repay the damage done by this gossip campaign. It is a great fantasy of those whose lives and reputations have been damaged to be able to inflict the same kind of hurt on those responsible. The deeper intent is to rise above the damage done by these folks and to live in the presence of God as a person of integrity.
God is gracious, lifts us up beyond our revenge fantasies and invites us to live in such a way that any gossip, even the most malicious, is ignored by those who know and love us. We find ourselves aiming toward God in the various parts of our lives, being more concerned about how God thinks of us than how others do and treating others more as God treats us than as any malicious bullies might treat us and those around us.
August 4, 2014
LCM
Ninth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 10, 2014
Psalm 41
1 Happy are those who consider the poor; the LORD delivers them in the day of trouble.
2 The LORD protects them and keeps them alive; they are called happy in the land. You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.
3 The LORD sustains them on their sickbed; in their illness you heal all their infirmities.
4 As for me, I said, “O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you.”
5 My enemies wonder in malice when I will die, and my name perish.
6 And when they come to see me, they utter empty words, while their hearts gather mischief; when they go out, they tell it abroad.
7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me.
8 They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me, that I will not rise again from where I lie.
9 Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.
10 But you, O LORD, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them.
11 By this I know that you are pleased with me; because my enemy has not triumphed over me.
12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever.
13 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
Amen and Amen.
(NRSV)
Much of the gossip we share these days is somewhere between harmless and helpful, it is a way to share information about the folks around whom we live and work. There is another kind, the kind by which the psalmist has been victimized. This gossip has as its intent the destruction of the reputation of the one about whom the gossip is being spread. In this type of gossip folks gain the trust of their victim, get all sorts of dangerous and damaging information and then spread that information as widely as possible. The more damage that can be done to the person, the more successful the gossip campaign is seen.
The psalmist turns to the one who already knows all the same information about us and continues to love us and to want the very best and most abundant life possible for us. Yes, there is some vindictiveness in the psalmist’s desire to be raised up in order to repay the damage done by this gossip campaign. It is a great fantasy of those whose lives and reputations have been damaged to be able to inflict the same kind of hurt on those responsible. The deeper intent is to rise above the damage done by these folks and to live in the presence of God as a person of integrity.
God is gracious, lifts us up beyond our revenge fantasies and invites us to live in such a way that any gossip, even the most malicious, is ignored by those who know and love us. We find ourselves aiming toward God in the various parts of our lives, being more concerned about how God thinks of us than how others do and treating others more as God treats us than as any malicious bullies might treat us and those around us.
August 4, 2014
LCM
Monday, July 28, 2014
Psalm Meditation 737
Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 3, 2014
Psalm 91
1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day,
6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14 Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
(NRSV)
To take this psalm literally is dangerous to body and soul. To take this psalm seriously is quite another matter. We know that suffering is a part of the life of each person and that God does not pull us out of trouble when we get into it or put up a blockade to keep us out of the dangers that are a part of life. When Jesus was tempted with verses 11 and 12 he was unwilling to test the literal truth even as he was more than willing to put his whole faith and trust in God. There are people of faith who walk into dangerous situations and come out unharmed. There are other situations in which people of faith do get hurt and do get killed without regard to their faithfulness. And there are folks who walk into situations that seem dangerous and deadly to us which hold no fear for them. As people of faith we are not exempt from the suffering and danger of the world around us.
In times of crisis, people of faith have a touch point that is missing in the lives of others. We have a place, a person, where we can turn to keep our hope and courage centered. The presence of God does not change the outward appearance of the situation in any way. The presence of God does not keep us from hurting and suffering. The presence of God gives us hope that no matter what God is with us. God offers us the comfort of the divine presence. In most times of suffering the most comforting thing to know is that we are not alone.
I imagine that for the psalmist the phrase that gets left out of many of the sentences of this psalm is, ‘it is as if…’ Secure in the presence of God, it is as if we are covered by the wings of God, as if we are kept from injury and death, as if angels watch over us to keep us from even the smallest tripping hazard. The presence of God does not change what is going on around us, protect us from or pull us out of danger. The presence of God changes us, giving us help, hope and perspective in facing the trials of our lives.
July 28, 2014
LCM
Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 3, 2014
Psalm 91
1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day,
6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14 Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
(NRSV)
To take this psalm literally is dangerous to body and soul. To take this psalm seriously is quite another matter. We know that suffering is a part of the life of each person and that God does not pull us out of trouble when we get into it or put up a blockade to keep us out of the dangers that are a part of life. When Jesus was tempted with verses 11 and 12 he was unwilling to test the literal truth even as he was more than willing to put his whole faith and trust in God. There are people of faith who walk into dangerous situations and come out unharmed. There are other situations in which people of faith do get hurt and do get killed without regard to their faithfulness. And there are folks who walk into situations that seem dangerous and deadly to us which hold no fear for them. As people of faith we are not exempt from the suffering and danger of the world around us.
In times of crisis, people of faith have a touch point that is missing in the lives of others. We have a place, a person, where we can turn to keep our hope and courage centered. The presence of God does not change the outward appearance of the situation in any way. The presence of God does not keep us from hurting and suffering. The presence of God gives us hope that no matter what God is with us. God offers us the comfort of the divine presence. In most times of suffering the most comforting thing to know is that we are not alone.
I imagine that for the psalmist the phrase that gets left out of many of the sentences of this psalm is, ‘it is as if…’ Secure in the presence of God, it is as if we are covered by the wings of God, as if we are kept from injury and death, as if angels watch over us to keep us from even the smallest tripping hazard. The presence of God does not change what is going on around us, protect us from or pull us out of danger. The presence of God changes us, giving us help, hope and perspective in facing the trials of our lives.
July 28, 2014
LCM
Monday, July 21, 2014
Psalm Meditation 736
Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 27, 2014
Psalm 10
1 Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.
3 For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart, those greedy for gain curse and renounce the LORD.
4 In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”; all their thoughts are, “There is no God.”
5 Their ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of their sight; as for their foes, they scoff at them.
6 They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved; throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.”
7 Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.
8 They sit in ambush in the villages; in hiding places they murder the innocent. Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9 they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert; they lurk that they may seize the poor; they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.
10 They stoop, they crouch, and the helpless fall by their might.
11 They think in their heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”
12 Rise up, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed.
13 Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?
14 But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief, that you may take it into your hands; the helpless commit themselves to you; you have been the helper of the orphan.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers; seek out their wickedness until you find none.
16 The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations shall perish from his land.
17 O LORD, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear
18 to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more.
(NRSV)
We live in a world of abundance and behave as if we lived in a world of scarcity. Since there can’t possibly be enough to go around, I will grab for all I can at every opportunity. Once I have amassed the biggest pile of property, I will protect it from you so that you can’t get any of mine and then will do what I can to keep you from getting any from anywhere, let alone from me. Some of us are so convinced of the scarcity of the world’s resources that we use them sparingly after having collected them. We become hoarders and misers, fearful of anyone who appears to be a threat to our stuff.
In biblical times the belief was that there was a set limit to wealth that had already been realized and the only way to get more was at the expense of someone else. That meant that the only way to get rich was by taking from someone else and in the case of the very rich, by taking from everyone else. While we know that there is a limit to the resources of the earth, we have not reached the point of there being no more wealth available. It is possible that making resources available to those who have little to none will actually open up new economic horizons for those with as well as those without wealth in the current scheme of things.
No matter the current state of the economy, it falls to the people of God to share our resources with those who have none. It is not because they deserve it or have done something to earn it, so much as it is an expression of gratitude on our part for the gracious generosity that comes from God. Since all we have comes from God and since God leans toward helping those who cannot help themselves, we do well to help others with a gracious and generous hand as people of God, set apart for service.
July 21, 2014
LCM
Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 27, 2014
Psalm 10
1 Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.
3 For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart, those greedy for gain curse and renounce the LORD.
4 In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek it out”; all their thoughts are, “There is no God.”
5 Their ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of their sight; as for their foes, they scoff at them.
6 They think in their heart, “We shall not be moved; throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.”
7 Their mouths are filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under their tongues are mischief and iniquity.
8 They sit in ambush in the villages; in hiding places they murder the innocent. Their eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9 they lurk in secret like a lion in its covert; they lurk that they may seize the poor; they seize the poor and drag them off in their net.
10 They stoop, they crouch, and the helpless fall by their might.
11 They think in their heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”
12 Rise up, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; do not forget the oppressed.
13 Why do the wicked renounce God, and say in their hearts, “You will not call us to account”?
14 But you do see! Indeed you note trouble and grief, that you may take it into your hands; the helpless commit themselves to you; you have been the helper of the orphan.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoers; seek out their wickedness until you find none.
16 The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations shall perish from his land.
17 O LORD, you will hear the desire of the meek; you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear
18 to do justice for the orphan and the oppressed, so that those from earth may strike terror no more.
(NRSV)
We live in a world of abundance and behave as if we lived in a world of scarcity. Since there can’t possibly be enough to go around, I will grab for all I can at every opportunity. Once I have amassed the biggest pile of property, I will protect it from you so that you can’t get any of mine and then will do what I can to keep you from getting any from anywhere, let alone from me. Some of us are so convinced of the scarcity of the world’s resources that we use them sparingly after having collected them. We become hoarders and misers, fearful of anyone who appears to be a threat to our stuff.
In biblical times the belief was that there was a set limit to wealth that had already been realized and the only way to get more was at the expense of someone else. That meant that the only way to get rich was by taking from someone else and in the case of the very rich, by taking from everyone else. While we know that there is a limit to the resources of the earth, we have not reached the point of there being no more wealth available. It is possible that making resources available to those who have little to none will actually open up new economic horizons for those with as well as those without wealth in the current scheme of things.
No matter the current state of the economy, it falls to the people of God to share our resources with those who have none. It is not because they deserve it or have done something to earn it, so much as it is an expression of gratitude on our part for the gracious generosity that comes from God. Since all we have comes from God and since God leans toward helping those who cannot help themselves, we do well to help others with a gracious and generous hand as people of God, set apart for service.
July 21, 2014
LCM
Monday, July 14, 2014
Psalm Meditation 735
Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 20, 2014
Psalm 142
1 With my voice I cry to the LORD; with my voice I make supplication to the LORD.
2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit is faint, you know my way. In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look on my right hand and see—there is no one who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me.
5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low. Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
7 Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.
(NRSV)
Most of us feel abandoned from time to time, as if no one cares about us at all. There are some folks for whom that is true, who have no one who calls them by name, any name. They have few choices in their lives, especially when it comes to leaving a legacy. They can attempt to make a name for themselves through an incredible act of violence that draws attention from all of us who have previously ignored them. They can give up and let themselves fade away without any notice from the rest of us. They can turn to God, who knows each one of us, and live in the assurance that God is aware of their presence even if no one else is.
The psalmist chooses to turn to God, to take refuge in God’s presence. In the face of persecution the psalmist turns to God for relief rather than giving up or lashing out at these persecutors. Do the externals of the situation change? Probably not. Aren’t folks still out to get this person? Probably so. In many cases, the presence of God makes a world of difference even if the external pieces of a situation remain unchanged. The presence of God does more to change us than what is going on around us.
God is always a choice. When we turn to God feeling helpless, hopeless and worthless we find, at the very least, a sense of worth in the presence of God. As we find the assurance that our lives matter to God we find a new or renewed sense of hope in the future. As we grow in hope we find the strength to do things for ourselves and for others. We may not be remembered outside a small circle of influence, however we will know that we are in the presence of God who is the source of our help and hope and worth.
July 14, 2014
LCM
Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time
July 20, 2014
Psalm 142
1 With my voice I cry to the LORD; with my voice I make supplication to the LORD.
2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him.
3 When my spirit is faint, you know my way. In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look on my right hand and see—there is no one who takes notice of me;
no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me.
5 I cry to you, O LORD; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.”
6 Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low. Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.
7 Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.
(NRSV)
Most of us feel abandoned from time to time, as if no one cares about us at all. There are some folks for whom that is true, who have no one who calls them by name, any name. They have few choices in their lives, especially when it comes to leaving a legacy. They can attempt to make a name for themselves through an incredible act of violence that draws attention from all of us who have previously ignored them. They can give up and let themselves fade away without any notice from the rest of us. They can turn to God, who knows each one of us, and live in the assurance that God is aware of their presence even if no one else is.
The psalmist chooses to turn to God, to take refuge in God’s presence. In the face of persecution the psalmist turns to God for relief rather than giving up or lashing out at these persecutors. Do the externals of the situation change? Probably not. Aren’t folks still out to get this person? Probably so. In many cases, the presence of God makes a world of difference even if the external pieces of a situation remain unchanged. The presence of God does more to change us than what is going on around us.
God is always a choice. When we turn to God feeling helpless, hopeless and worthless we find, at the very least, a sense of worth in the presence of God. As we find the assurance that our lives matter to God we find a new or renewed sense of hope in the future. As we grow in hope we find the strength to do things for ourselves and for others. We may not be remembered outside a small circle of influence, however we will know that we are in the presence of God who is the source of our help and hope and worth.
July 14, 2014
LCM
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