Psalm Meditation 871
Transfiguration Sunday
February 26, 2017

Psalm 87
1 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
2 the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah
4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; Philistia too, and Tyre, with Ethiopia—“This one was born there,” they say.
5 And of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in it”; for the Most High himself will establish it.
6 The LORD records, as he registers the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah
7 Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.”
(NRSV)

Roots are important for many of us. In these nomadic times it is important to have a place to which we can return, a place to call home. For some of us it is the house in which we grew up, for others it is a grandparent’s house, for still others it is a place visited with some regularity in our formative years. Where we call home leaves a mark on us that makes a difference in how we behave and in how we are treated by those who know our roots.

For the psalmist, Zion is home. It is an important piece of information to have about someone. There are folks who were born in cities and areas besides Zion who claim it as home. While it is a good thing to claim Zion as home, it is impressive to be able to claim Zion as both birthplace and home. To hear God declare one’s birthplace as Zion is a wondrous claim to be able to make. The claim to Zion as both birthplace and home does not mean that those born elsewhere can’t call Zion home, it simply adds an accolade for those who can claim both.

The most important piece of all is the claim of God on a person. In truth, it is much more impressive to be born in the presence of God than to be able to claim a particular geography as birthplace and home. While we may not realize or recognize that we have been born in the presence of God, we have been. Roots are important for many of us. We are rooted and grounded in the presence of God.

February 20, 2017
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/