Psalm Meditation 1257 ¶Proper 11 ¶July 21, 2024 ¶Psalm 140 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+140&version=NRSVUE (NRSVUE) ¶It is amazingly easy to get sucked in to the vortex of evil. It starts innocently enough with a snarky remark made to a few friends. The next downward spiral is to get mean, picking at a person’s vulnerable points, discovered via friendship that turns sour using confidences as weapons. And on it goes until we hope and plan for the total destruction of the other through intentional misinterpretation of words and actions all the way to physical acts of violence that can lead to the ruin of a reputation and in the most extreme cases death. ¶The psalmist asks to be delivered from all of this kind of evil from friends and enemies alike. Obviously, it is impossible to avoid all of this kind of evil plotting, so an alternative is to live in such a way that no one will believe the kinds of gossip that can otherwise ruin a reputation. After the death of Mother Teresa of Calcutta, her journal revealed that she had deep doubts about her faith and relationship with God. It was quite salacious to those looking for a reason to question Teresa’s reputation. It was understandable and humanizing to those who know that doubts and fears are often the push one needs to move a step closer in a relationship with God. ¶The psalmist encourages us to move closer to the teachings of God, who encourages us to lift up the poor and the needy as part of the beloved community of God’s people. In addition to working for an end to all manner of poverty, we can lean in the direction of justice for all rather than only for those who can afford it. God and God’s people do what we can to lift up the needy, and stive for justice in every possible way. ¶July 16, 2024 ¶LCM