Psalm Meditation 1255 ¶Proper 9 ¶July 7, 2024 ¶Psalm 127 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+127&version=NRSVUE (NRSVUE) ¶This psalm seems to deal with three different topics, as if it is a group of adages concerning good things that God provides for each of us. God watches over those who build houses and communities with an eye for safety and wholesomeness. God watches over those who do the best work they are able on a given day and go home to rest and recreate with a clear conscience. God watches over men, and women, who have sons, and daughters, of whom they are proud. It is certainly not an exhaustive list, simply a few of the ways God is active in the life of a community. ¶The psalmist wants us to see that God is actively involved in a number of pieces that make up a community. The bricks and mortar part of the community are important to God. Use quality material for every structure, watch over each other as people of sacred worth. The relationships of a community are important to God. Spend quality time at your work, and then go home in peace for rest and restoration in the company of loved ones. The family relationships of a community are important to God. Look with pride on each member of the family as a gift from God. ¶Our times are different from those of the psalmist. The details of what it means to be a community have changed for better and for worse. The important part for us is to see God at work in every part of our lives and the lives of those around us. We can still take the main points of the psalm for our day to day dealings: use quality materials every time, do our best work every time, feel and express our pride in the people who make up our various families—by birth and affinity. ¶July 1, 2024 ¶LCM