Psalm Meditation 1114 ¶ Proper 25 ¶October 24, 2021 ¶Psalm 98 1 O sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. 2 The Lord has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations. 3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God. 4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. 5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. 6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord. 7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it. 8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy 9 at the presence of the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. (NRSV) ¶It is not that God has ever forgotten the steadfast love in which we are held, it is that in this instance we too are reminded that God loves us and is faithful to us. In those moments in which we feel especially loved and cared for, we think of the love we receive as being remembered in a special way. The psalmist also uses this instance as a way of stressing to any doubters that we are held firmly and steadfastly in the heart of God. Seen through the eyes of love, things that appear coincidental are now seen as acts of love. ¶Remember when we thought our parents conspired to make our lives boring, by not letting us do any of the fun, adventurous things that all the other people our age were doing? Through an adult lens, we can see that it was their love for us that drove them to the decisions they made wanting ‘what’s best for you.’ Even if we continue to believe they were wrong, we may see that the decision was made out of love rather than a desire to ruin our lives. ¶God loves us, is faithful to us, and wants what is best for us, even if we don’t see it as the best option at the moment. God does not have the fear and self-preservation responses that lead some of us adults to err on the side of caution. So, when we listen to God, we know that what we are hearing really is in our best interest. When we attend to the word of God as we perceive it, we can join the whole of Creation in making a joyful noise with all the resources we have available to us. ¶October 19, 2021 ¶LCM