Psalm Meditation 1375 ¶Proper 25 ¶October 25, 2026 ¶Psalm 103 ¶https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20103&version=NRSVUE ¶This is one of my favorite psalms, not just because of what it says; because of who it brings to mind. My dad used to wake us up with the first couple of verses as a way to remind us that we have a lot to be thankful for. We can be thankful for all of our blessings, including forgiveness, healing, redemption, and steadfast love. Even during bad days we can find something to be thankful for, and that overarching it all is that those things come from God sometimes directly, and sometimes through the people around us. ¶This psalm also provides the lyrics to one of the songs from Godspell. A group of high school friends used to sing this and other songs together in various settings. Then in college I was a member of the cast in a traveling production of the show. People from those two groups are treasured friends to this day. We serve to remind each other that there are some wonderful people in this world. Though we have drifted in many directions we can get together and be a group of friends and family bound by the play, the music, and the mutual love. ¶The psalm itself is a powerful reminder that we don’t need to do anything to be loved and forgiven by God. Those are a part of who God is among us. Well meaning folks will work hard to convince us that we need to do something for God before we can be loved and forgiven. I am convinced that the love and forgiveness of God are already ours, no matter who we are or what we do. The difficulty is in accepting that steadfast love and forgiveness are staring us in the face waiting for us to allow them to be a part of our lives. ¶October 21, 2026 ¶LCM