Psalm Meditation 1351 ¶Sixth Sunday of Easter/Mother’s Day ¶May 10, 2026 ¶Psalm 71 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2071&version=NRSVUE ¶I remember reading several years ago that as we age, we lose some of our ability to judge the motives of others. Our defenses are lowered as brain synapses fire less reliably and we become easier prey for those who would take advantage of us. If can be deeply demoralizing to discover that we have been duped in ways that we had always been able to avoid in our younger days. This means that we do well to listen to the advice of younger folks who have our best interests at heart. ¶The psalmist recognizes the possibility that some unscrupulous folks may attempt to take advantage of this situation and asks God to be one of those who will stand up to offer support and protection. Because God has been a source of hope, trust, and support, the psalmist asks that this relationship will continue through the rest of life. The psalmist supports the request by outlining many of the ways God has been supportive from birth to the present, even though there are those who use the psalmist’s present state as a cautionary tale. ¶The psalmist pledges to offer continual praise to God for all the ways God has been supportive and the hope for that support to the end of days. I believe that the presence and blessings of God come to each of us, and the hearts and lives those of us who offer our praises to God are open to receive and recognize the gifts and the giver of those good gifts. “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have rescued.” ¶May 4, 2026 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1350 ¶Fifth Sunday of Easter ¶May 3, 2026 ¶Psalm 74 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2074&version=NRSVUE ¶One of the most effective ways to demoralize a nation is to destroy their religious buildings and monuments, especially if there is a single state religion. Barring that, it is important to influence the strength of one of the larger religious groups to become the most powerful in the nation. Through political influence and media concentration on that one group, it begins to seem obvious that this is the religion that controls the nation. Once established, that religion becomes a means to destabilize the national order. ¶Israel already had their national faith, so adversaries had only to get to wreak havoc with those monuments and buildings to humiliate the whole nation. Destroying the Temple from the outside in, was a form of intimidation by letting the people know that God’s inability to protect the dwelling place of God, meant that God could not protect the people any better. While it has often been a weapon of war, the people of Israel could not be as easily cowed as other peoples. ¶Maybe the reason God commanded that there be no graven images for this chosen people was to keep faith in peoples’ hearts rather than in buildings, monuments, and images. In the midst of bemoaning the destruction of the Temple, the psalmist lifts up great deeds that God has done for and around the people. It is the creative activity of God in all of creation that is the real Temple, the real assurance of the presence of God in all things, all times, and all places no matter what else happens to those who call on the name of the LORD. ¶April 27, 2026 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1349 ¶Fourth Sunday of Easter ¶April 26, 2026 ¶Psalm 78 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2078&version=NRSVUE ¶I heard recently that humans have a negativity bias. That is, we tend to see and focus on the most negative option available. We know that nothing is going to work out the way we planned it, because anything that can go wrong will, and at the worst possible time. Those who have a positive attitude about most things get branded as Pollyannas who have deluded themselves into believing that people are good and that everything will work out for the best in the end. ¶The psalmist is convinced that humans, in this case the chosen people of God, are guilty of sin after sin against God. We pledge our faith to God in one breath, and once we are safe, we run off to do at least one of the things God asked us never to do. When there is a price to pay, we run to God asking for forgiveness and rescue, who then actually rescues us and sets us back on the right path as if nothing bad has happened. And then we run off and start the sin and redemption cycle over again. ¶God does wonderful, creative things for us and we are grateful for a time. It seems we are grateful until we get used to this new thing, take it and God for granted, and go back to doing our own thing our own way. Through it all, God loves us. God does not act because we ask for or deserve what we receive; God acts because God loves us beyond measure. There is no expectation that we will love God in return, only that God loves us all the time, no matter what. If we choose to return God’s love, it is welcomed, however it is never a condition of God’s activity in our lives. Whew. ¶April 20, 2026 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1348 ¶Third Sunday of Easter ¶April 19, 2026 ¶Psalm 52 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2052&version=NRSVUE ¶I imagine that each of us knows or knows of someone who will lie, cheat, and steal, without hesitation to get what they want. And they will bluster and blame everyone except themselves when things don’t go to their selfish, destructive, treacherous plan. They will throw friends and enemies alike to the wolves if it suits their purpose and gets them what they want out of a situation. The psalmist knows such a person and has been hurt by their conniving ways and destructive behavior. ¶The psalmist continues by expressing the hope that God will break down those who find more comfort in wealth than in the presence of God. While it is God’s will that each of us find our way to the loving, steadfast presence of God, there are those who, in this life, will meet a fate that seems to be just punishment for the life they have led, and the destruction they have brought to all around them. For some that will mean dying and being forgotten almost immediately. For others it will mean dying and being remembered only for the damage and evil they have done. ¶According to the psalmist, it is better to be rooted in the presence of God where steadfast love and faithfulness prevail, than to be out for ourselves alone. In the presence of God we find a community that loves one another, and bears each other’s burdens making them seem lighter and easier to deal with. In God’s presence we find it possible to offer welcome even to those whose actions have hurt us. ¶April 13, 2026 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1347 ¶Second Sunday of Easter ¶April 12, 2026 ¶Psalm 63 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2063&version=NRSVUE ¶The first line of this psalm makes an excellent focus verse. It serves to remind me that a relationship with God is something worth seeking, especially in times when a thirst for meaning bigger than myself is important. Those dry, wearying times seem to suck the life out of us and leave us needing something more than we have. In claiming and seeking God, we acknowledge that God is a presence who nourishes and sustains us in every circumstance. ¶Saying that God is my God can be taken a couple of ways. In one interpretation God is seen as a possession that is under my control, at my beck and call to do anything and everything I desire of a divine power. In another interpretation God is mine in a relationship of mutuality. God is present with me offering steadfast love in every time and place and I continually seek to follow the ways of God as faithfully as humanly possible. In that mutuality we are both fed a rich feast of loving companionship. I prefer the latter interpretation. ¶God chooses to be present in our lives, even when we are unable/unwilling to sense that presence. God upholds us in times of need and celebrates with us in times of joy. God’s presence does not destroy our enemies so much as standing with us helps remove the fear our enemies intend for us to feel. “So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.” ¶April 6, 2026 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1346 ¶Easter ¶April 5, 2026 ¶Psalm 65 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2065&version=NRSVUE ¶Praising God is an act that benefits us as much, if not more, than God. God is not one who needs to know that we are grateful for all the wonderful things God does for us. God acts out of love for us rather than to receive our gratitude. We give thanks to serve as a reminder to us that God is at work in our lives, providing health and wholeness in a variety of ways. Some of those ways are beyond our willingness and ability to comprehend. God’s loving action does not increase or decrease because of our thankfulness or lack of it. ¶When good things do seem to increase because we are thankful, it may well be because we are open to experience the work of God in our lives. When we are open to good things we see the awesome deeds of deliverance and salvation that are a constant in each of our lives. When we are open to goodness, we find that goodness if accompanied by hope, even when life in and around us is not conducive to hopefulness. If nothing else, knowing that God loves us no matter what, is a great reason to hope. ¶As hopeful people we begin to see the goodness of God in ordinary things. Wind and rain, the cycles of seasons, the beauty of planned and unplanned areas of the world around us remind us that God’s rich, creative variety is there for us to enjoy or bemoan. Variety gives us the opportunity see that a wide array of tastes is a reason we are able to lift our voices in praise for the providence of God. ¶March 30, 2026 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1345 ¶Palm/Passion Sunday ¶March 29, 2026 ¶Psalm 67 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm%2067&version=NRSVUE ¶It is pretty easy to see all the bad and troubling things in the world, since that is what people point out to us on a regular basis. We see wars, treachery, cowardice masked by bravado, cancer, poverty, and all manner of evil surrounding us. What we tend to miss is sunrises, sunsets, the smiles of children, resilience, trees sprouting new leaves, flowers producing new blossoms and roots, and the number of things that go well for us in a normal day. We see what we expect to see and what people tell us we should see. ¶The psalmist asks God to be gracious to us and bless us. I believe we can see that God is already and continually gracious to us and blessing us, or we can see this request as a plea, as if God has forgotten to do these things in the recent past. Either way, the psalmist knows that when God’s grace and blessings come to us in a way that we can experience them for ourselves we are led to let our joy burst out in songs and other forms of praise. Any time folks become aware of God’s gracious blessings they are filled to bursting with joyful songs of praise. ¶Life is hard, and there is much to worry and fret about. We can eat ourselves up with anxiety about all that is wrong with the world around us. And we can look for evidence of God at work in the world. Looking for evidence of God at work among us does not ignore all these troubling circumstances. However, seeing God at work is a great source of hope for the present and the future.” May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere [God]” ¶March 23, 2026 ¶LCM