Psalm Meditation 1276 ¶Second Sunday of Advent ¶December 8, 2024 ¶Psalm 136 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+136&version=NRSVUE (NRSVUE) ¶This psalm appears to be a litany, in which the leader reads a statement and the congregation responds with the same phrase after each statement as a way to participate in the act of worship without having to read anything. The psalmist retells the salvation history of Israel and the people respond with a reminder that the steadfast love of God lasts forever. When things are going well, it is good to know that God loves us forever. When things are going poorly, it is good to remember that the steadfast love of God holds us through every crisis. ¶When things are going well, it is tempting to take love for granted whether it be the love of God or of a friend or family member. It is a given, an ‘of course you do,’ understanding with each other that love is present in this moment. We are glad to know, however, it can does not need to be deep or intimate, it simply has to be there as a common acknowledgment. Good times do not test the depth, the height, the breadth of love. ¶The psalmist does not list many of the good times of salvation history, because as important as they are, they do not test the bonds and bounds of love. That God gave us the whole of Creation as an act of love is the beginning of our history with God, the rest is a reminder that God has been with us through all the worst parts of our lives, loving us as steadfastly and completely as we could ever hope to be loved. “O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.” ¶December 4, 2024 ¶LCM