Psalm Meditation 706
First Sunday after Christmas
December 29, 2013

Psalm 5
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD; give heed to my sighing.
2 Listen to the sound of my cry, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
3 O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch.
4 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you.
5 The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers.
6 You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful.
7 But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, will enter your house, I will bow down toward your holy temple in awe of you.
8 Lead me, O LORD, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me.
9 For there is no truth in their mouths; their hearts are destruction; their throats are open graves; they flatter with their tongues.
10 Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of their many transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you.
11 But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, so that those who love your name may exult in you.
12 For you bless the righteous, O LORD; you cover them with favor as with a shield.
(NRSV)

There are folks who can brag in such a way that all who hear their boasts are proud to know them. There are folks who can make humble statements in a way that folks know they are covering pride with humility. Verse 11 strikes me as a kind of test case for pride versus humility in the presence of God. For those who are genuinely humble, the emphasis will be on the refuge God offers. When they recite this verse it will sound like an invitation, letting everyone know that the refuge of God is open to any and all who will accept it with an open heart.

The folks who wear humility as a mask for their pride will make this verse sound like a weapon. They will let you know that the refuge of God is an exclusive club and that likely as not you are neither a current member of this club nor are you welcome to become one. The actual words of the verse are the same for those in both groups, it is the tone in which they are shared that makes a difference. Interestingly, the folks who make the refuge of God sound as if it were an exclusive club may not actually be members. Those who would restrict the refuge of God to people like ‘us’ against ‘them’ haven’t quite gotten the concept of the power of God’s steadfast love.

It is the steadfast love of God that makes the invitation to the refuge God offers. We have not done anything to deserve God’s love, we are invited out of God’s great love for us. The folks who make refuge in God an exclusive club are the folks who enter God’s house as if they are owners rather than as guests. The folks who live in the refuge of the steadfast love of God find themselves filled with wonder and awe as they are welcomed into God’s loving presence.

A very merry Christmas to you and yours.

December 23, 2013