Psalm Meditation 770
Fifth Sunday in Lent
March 22, 2015

Psalm 65
1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed,
2 O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come.
3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions.
4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.
5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.
6 By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might.
7 You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.
8 Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy.
9 You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it.
10 You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth.
11 You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness.
12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy,
13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.
(NRSV)

Some folks like the image of God as the great and powerful creator of all that is, the one who is strong enough to form all the stars and planets and put them into their places in the universe. Other folks like the image of God as the gentle and careful gardener and caretaker of the earth and its inhabitants. While we may be content with one image over the other, the truth is that God is both of those, and so much more. God is so much bigger, and so much more intimate than we are able to understand. While we may pick one image over the other, it does not mean that God is confined to the role we prefer.

God is present and active in the big things and the little things of our lives, and beyond. When we become aware of the presence of God, we can join in the celebration of God’s activity among us. We can rejoice in all the ways we experience God in our lives. God is not limited to what we notice and celebrate. God is active in a variety of ways beyond the limits of our senses. God is active whether we notice or not.

Erasmus, renaissance scholar, wrote, "Vocatus atque non vocatus, Deus aderit" meaning "Bidden or not bidden, God is present." Whether we see it or not, believe it or not, accept it or not, God is with us as an active and loving presence in our lives and in the midst of all that is.

March 16, 2015
LCM