Psalm Meditation 1177 ¶First Sunday After the Epiphany ¶January 8, 2023 ¶Psalm 49 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+49&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶It seems that those who brag most loudly about their abilities and accomplishments are the ones who are least likely to be accurate in their self assessment. Any number of performers who are top in their field are humble about their craft. Yep, there are exceptions, people who are the best and will say so at any opportunity. For the most part though, the folks who brag the loudest are deluded about their abilities, want to delude others, or a combination of the two. ¶The psalmist knows that those who make a big deal about themselves are not going to last long in the public sphere. There is no reason to be afraid of those folks, except those who have hitched their star to the braggart’s wagon. Those folks will fall just as hard. The rest of us do not need to be afraid of any of them. They will not be remembered for very long at all, except perhaps as a bad example. There are examples of the kind of folk the psalmist deals with in many realms from athletes, to pastors, to politicians, and performers. No endeavor is exempt from those who want to intimidate through braggadocio. ¶When we are tempted to brag about ourselves and our deeds, we do well to consider this psalm and its reminder that greatness is not in bragging and bravado; greatness is in humility and service. A bit of sincere humility is much better than convincing ourselves and others that we are something we are not. Learn to lean on God, who will redeem us from the slings and arrows of our lives and set us on a path to joy and peace. ¶January 4, 2023 ¶LCM