Psalm Meditation 750
Twenty first Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 2, 2014

Psalm 39
1 I said, “I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will keep a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence.”
2 I was silent and still; I held my peace to no avail; my distress grew worse,
3 my heart became hot within me. While I mused, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue:
4 “LORD, let me know my end, and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.
5 You have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing in your sight. Surely everyone stands as a mere breath. Selah
6 Surely everyone goes about like a shadow. Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; they heap up, and do not know who will gather.
7 “And now, O Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in you.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions. Do not make me the scorn of the fool.
9 I am silent; I do not open my mouth, for it is you who have done it.
10 Remove your stroke from me; I am worn down by the blows of your hand.
11 “You chastise mortals in punishment for sin, consuming like a moth what is dear to them; surely everyone is a mere breath. Selah
12 “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear to my cry; do not hold your peace at my tears. For I am your passing guest, an alien, like all my forebears.
13 Turn your gaze away from me, that I may smile again, before I depart and am no more.”
(NRSV)

There is something comforting about knowing that we are under the complete control of another, until things stop going well for us. As children, it is does not even cross our minds that things cost money, time and effort. All we know is that there is food on the table, clothes to wear and a place to call home. We are unnerved to discover that things come to us at a cost that someone else has paid so that we can survive and thrive. The next surprise comes when we get to the point at which it is up to us to pay that price for ourselves and for others. We discover the kinds of sacrifices that folks made for our sakes with a sense of gratitude.

Part of the progression of religious faith development is that we begin with a sense that God provides everything for us, has our whole lives mapped out and all we need to do is follow the script God has written for us. Some folks are content to believe that there is no opportunity to depart from the script, we simply play out the parts in which we have been cast and all proceeds according to the will of God. As a theatre major in college, I had opportunity to work with directors who gave actors some leeway in interpreting the character. I have also worked with directors who did not tolerate even the slightest deviation from the script. There are folks who see God as one of these kinds of directors.

The older I get the more I see God encouraging improvisation. There is an arc, a direction in which God would like to see the story go and we are each allowed to exercise our free will in moving along that arc. God is so good at all this that as we change the shape of the arc by our words and actions God adapts the story arc to accommodate the changes we have made. All this to say that I believe God has given us free will, encourages us to exercise it, stays with us to love and support us when we do and is available to give us pointers and suggestions that move us all to closer relationship with God and with each other.

October 27, 2014
LCM