Psalm Meditation 992
Proper 7
June 23, 2019

Psalm 127
1 Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the guard keeps watch in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives sleep to his beloved.
3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the sons of one’s youth.
5 Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them. He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.
(NRSV)

Marriage used to be for two reasons; family alliances, and heirs. The couple marrying had little to say about their partner, it was all arranged for the sake of the wider family circles. Since the family name was passed on from the male side of the relationship, sons were more desirable than daughters. Females were considered property, passed from one family to another as breeding stock and domestic help. Not the most humane way to treat a daughter or a spouse. Things have changed in a lot of places.

People get married for love, with children as an added benefit. Couples choose to marry for supportive companionship. Couples choose to raise their children together without getting married. A variety of single, couple, and family arrangements exist with and without the support of the broader family. Is each one of these arrangements fulfilling? It certainly can be. There are a variety of definitions of what makes a family, and there is not universal agreement on those definitions. It is possible to be happy and to feel blessed in a family that is outside the one described by the psalmist.

The psalmist starts with the importance of the presence of God in all we do. That is more important than how we define what it means to be a family. When God is present in and around our lives, we have something special to hold onto and to offer to others. The acknowledgment of the presence of God in our lives is a gift we give to everyone around us.

June 17, 2019
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/