Psalm Meditation 977
First Sunday in Lent
March 10, 2019

Psalm 101
1 I will sing of loyalty and of justice; to you, O LORD, I will sing.
2 I will study the way that is blameless. When shall I attain it? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;
3 I will not set before my eyes anything that is base. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me.
4 Perverseness of heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil.
5 One who secretly slanders a neighbor I will destroy. A haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not tolerate.
6 I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, so that they may live with me; whoever walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me.
7 No one who practices deceit shall remain in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue in my presence.
8 Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all evildoers from the city of the LORD.
(NRSV)

It is good to have standards, especially high standards. They give us something toward which to aim as we live out our lives. It is also good when those around us are aware of our expectations so that they can carry themselves appropriately when we are together. Many of us like to know that someone expects us to do more and to do it better than what we get by doing in the rest of our lives.

The standards of the psalmist are high as well as achievable. Integrity, honesty, purity of heart, and humility are expectations we can live up to as well as expect from those with whom we surround ourselves. The difficulty comes when our standards become so high that no one can live up to them.

There are those who see themselves as the judge and jury of what constitutes faithful behavior. These folks are constantly in turmoil over the ways that the rest of us can’t live up to the exacting specifications that they have set for us. These are the folks who scowl through every time of gathering because the rest of us are so far from the mark. They become no fun to be around and people drift away from them, leaving a wide space for them to live their ‘perfect’ lives without the rest of us getting in the way.

The goal for the psalmist, and for us, is to live as fully in the presence of God as we possibly can, reminding ourselves that we are not perfect, we are moving that direction. God loves us and has chosen to live among us, fully aware of our faults, flaws, and differences.

March 4, 2019
LCM