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