Psalm Meditation 1172 ¶Second Sunday of Advent ¶December 4, 2022 ¶Psalm 50 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+50&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶There are people who say that God does not need our thanks and praise, God is complete without us. If that is the case, then why are we here at all? While it may be the case that God does not need anything from us, it does not keep God from enjoying a relationship with each one of us, especially those who choose a relationship with God. To set God so far above us that there is no need for anything from us is a way to keep God separate from us so as not to sully God’s hands with our impurity. ¶The strength of a relationship with God comes from God’s willingness to meet us where we are. God may not need our thanks and praise, however it is appreciated. As a parent, I had much more to offer my children than they had to give me. At the same time, when they brought tokens of affection, dandelions, rocks, hugs, and kisses it touched me in a way that can only be experienced. When we offer tokens of our affection and gratitude to God I imagine it is at least that special to God. It is not really the token that is important, it is the affection, the symbol of a relationship between God and us. ¶Even in the midst of an era with a sacrificial system God was not interested in the items being sacrificed, God was interested in the thankfulness, the gratitude, the need of the giver. We offer God our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness as our actual sacrifices. They are the means of connection with God and the people around us. “Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way, I will show the salvation of God.” ¶November 28, 2022 ¶LCM