Psalm Meditation 1349 ¶Fourth Sunday of Easter ¶April 26, 2026 ¶Psalm 78 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2078&version=NRSVUE ¶I heard recently that humans have a negativity bias. That is, we tend to see and focus on the most negative option available. We know that nothing is going to work out the way we planned it, because anything that can go wrong will, and at the worst possible time. Those who have a positive attitude about most things get branded as Pollyannas who have deluded themselves into believing that people are good and that everything will work out for the best in the end. ¶The psalmist is convinced that humans, in this case the chosen people of God, are guilty of sin after sin against God. We pledge our faith to God in one breath, and once we are safe, we run off to do at least one of the things God asked us never to do. When there is a price to pay, we run to God asking for forgiveness and rescue, who then actually rescues us and sets us back on the right path as if nothing bad has happened. And then we run off and start the sin and redemption cycle over again. ¶God does wonderful, creative things for us and we are grateful for a time. It seems we are grateful until we get used to this new thing, take it and God for granted, and go back to doing our own thing our own way. Through it all, God loves us. God does not act because we ask for or deserve what we receive; God acts because God loves us beyond measure. There is no expectation that we will love God in return, only that God loves us all the time, no matter what. If we choose to return God’s love, it is welcomed, however it is never a condition of God’s activity in our lives. Whew. ¶April 20, 2026 ¶LCM