Showing posts with label Psalm 133. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 133. Show all posts
Monday, August 12, 2024
Psalm Meditation 1261
¶Proper 15
¶August 18, 2024
¶Psalm 133
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+133&version=NRSVUE
(NRSVUE)
¶A family squabble can ruin a get together very quickly. Even the folks who are not directly involved find themselves walking on eggshells in order to keep from giving either party the impression that they have chosen a side. Whether it is siblings at each others’ throats, parent and child, parent and parent, or a broader family problem, we all have to take care not to upset the tenuous balance needed to keep the gathering from going off the rails in a way that ruins relationships for another span of time.
¶The psalmist tells us that it is a good thing for us to be able to get together in love with one another. We may not agree on everything, and we can talk to and be with each other while keeping our differences from driving wedges between us, and driving us into armed camps over one issue or another. Being able to be together is akin to getting out of the shower after being dirty, and sweaty from a day of hard work or play. The refreshment of being clean and fresh matches the feeling of a harmonious family gathering.
¶We aren’t always going to get along with the people with whom genetics has blessed us. In some families those rifts are too deep and wide to ever be repaired and we need to become a part of a different group who will be like family for us. Other families have the love, care and concern for each other to work through the issues and concerns that threaten to divide us as a family unit. “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!”
¶August 12, 2024
¶LCM
Monday, February 24, 2020
Psalm Meditation 1028
First Sunday in Lent
March 1, 2020
Psalm 133
1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.
(NRSV)
The way we grow up is taken as the norm, the way everyone grows up. This is not the case. There are families who get along, have great trust and intimacy, and stay close through their entire lives. There are families who never mesh, who can’t wait to get away from each other, and keep their distance from the earliest possible moment. There are the families that fall in the broad spectrum of normal. And there are dysfunctional families.
Each family type contributes to the community in some way, some positively and others negatively. The psalmist praises the families that get along. A family that gets along is set apart in the same way Aaron, the first High Priest, was set apart for service to God. The oil was used to anoint folks who were set apart to serve in particular ways. The oil used was expensive and aromatic, so the temptation was to use it sparingly. To have the oil running from the top of the head to the collar of the robe was an indication of extravagance on the part of the one doing the anointing.
Family unity fills a community with abundance. The abundance may not be the kind that can be held in one’s hands, however it makes a positive difference in all those who come in contact with it. Our birth family makes a difference in our lives, however it does not make the final determination of who we are. We can strive to cultivate a spirit of abundance, generosity, and extravagance in all we are and do.
February 24, 2020
LCM
First Sunday in Lent
March 1, 2020
Psalm 133
1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.
(NRSV)
The way we grow up is taken as the norm, the way everyone grows up. This is not the case. There are families who get along, have great trust and intimacy, and stay close through their entire lives. There are families who never mesh, who can’t wait to get away from each other, and keep their distance from the earliest possible moment. There are the families that fall in the broad spectrum of normal. And there are dysfunctional families.
Each family type contributes to the community in some way, some positively and others negatively. The psalmist praises the families that get along. A family that gets along is set apart in the same way Aaron, the first High Priest, was set apart for service to God. The oil was used to anoint folks who were set apart to serve in particular ways. The oil used was expensive and aromatic, so the temptation was to use it sparingly. To have the oil running from the top of the head to the collar of the robe was an indication of extravagance on the part of the one doing the anointing.
Family unity fills a community with abundance. The abundance may not be the kind that can be held in one’s hands, however it makes a positive difference in all those who come in contact with it. Our birth family makes a difference in our lives, however it does not make the final determination of who we are. We can strive to cultivate a spirit of abundance, generosity, and extravagance in all we are and do.
February 24, 2020
LCM
Monday, May 1, 2017
Psalm Meditation 881
Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 7, 2017
Psalm 133
1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD ordained his blessing, life forevermore.
(NRSV)
It is good when folks, related or not, can live in unity. Unity does not mean unanimous agreement on all questions. Unity means learning to live with each other despite our differences, giving each other some latitude in any number of areas. Unless you are currently living in an isolated area you are probably in a position to disagree with someone close to you in some area that is important. The psalmist tells us that unity is the direction to lean when we disagree.
For the psalmist, unity is like being anointed with oil. Interestingly, anointing with oil was a symbol of being set apart for some special work of God. Seeking unity, not unanimity, with those around us sets us apart as people of God. We aren’t anointed for being right, for defending our own view as if it were the only view. We are anointed for moving in the direction of unity. Unity requires deep listening. Unity requires seeing the truth in each side of the discussion. Unity requires seeing God in the face, hands, and heart of people we would just as soon ignore.
Seeking unity is hard work. It takes courage, commitment, and a willingness to see beyond our own boundaries and limitations. The psalmist tells us it is worth the effort. It is like being chosen and set apart. Being set apart does not remove us from the fray. Sometimes, usually, it puts us in the middle, a target on every side of body and soul. Living in unity is akin to being anointed, set apart for a special work, a special blessing from God.
May 1, 2017
LCM
Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 7, 2017
Psalm 133
1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD ordained his blessing, life forevermore.
(NRSV)
It is good when folks, related or not, can live in unity. Unity does not mean unanimous agreement on all questions. Unity means learning to live with each other despite our differences, giving each other some latitude in any number of areas. Unless you are currently living in an isolated area you are probably in a position to disagree with someone close to you in some area that is important. The psalmist tells us that unity is the direction to lean when we disagree.
For the psalmist, unity is like being anointed with oil. Interestingly, anointing with oil was a symbol of being set apart for some special work of God. Seeking unity, not unanimity, with those around us sets us apart as people of God. We aren’t anointed for being right, for defending our own view as if it were the only view. We are anointed for moving in the direction of unity. Unity requires deep listening. Unity requires seeing the truth in each side of the discussion. Unity requires seeing God in the face, hands, and heart of people we would just as soon ignore.
Seeking unity is hard work. It takes courage, commitment, and a willingness to see beyond our own boundaries and limitations. The psalmist tells us it is worth the effort. It is like being chosen and set apart. Being set apart does not remove us from the fray. Sometimes, usually, it puts us in the middle, a target on every side of body and soul. Living in unity is akin to being anointed, set apart for a special work, a special blessing from God.
May 1, 2017
LCM
Monday, July 27, 2015
Psalm Meditation 789
Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 2, 2015
Psalm 133
1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD ordained his blessing, life forevermore.
(NRSV)
There are folks who are stingy with their resources. They use just enough of everything they have; not too little and certainly not too much. Extravagances are totally out of the question. If too much is used there probably won’t be enough for the next time and certainly not enough for the time after that. To be extravagant is to be wasteful. My dad defined the difference between extravagance and waste this way, “Extravagance is having all the lights on when you are in a room alone. Waste is leaving the lights on when you leave.”
The psalmist lets us know that when we get along in a family setting, it is a wonderful extravagance. It is not something we have to do, it is a gift that we give to each other. Our temptation is to hold out for, to hold onto as much as we can possibly get for ourselves without regard for anyone else involved. The psalm reminds us that when we consider the needs and wants of others we have a different mind set. We may not get as much actual stuff, but what we have will not have any bad feelings from others attached to.
When we make the effort to get along, with brothers and sisters, we cultivate an atmosphere of generous and abundant life among ourselves. Generosity and abundance are contagious. When we practice them in the family we find ourselves living that way in other parts of life as well. Extravagant amounts of oil, enough to run from the top of one’s head to the neck and shoulders, is lots of precious anointing oil. Dew so thick that it runs off leaves and branches is a lot of dew. There is a difference between extravagance and waste and the psalmist invites us to be generous and extravagant, especially with those with whom we are closest.
July 27, 2015
LCM
Tenth Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 2, 2015
Psalm 133
1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the LORD ordained his blessing, life forevermore.
(NRSV)
There are folks who are stingy with their resources. They use just enough of everything they have; not too little and certainly not too much. Extravagances are totally out of the question. If too much is used there probably won’t be enough for the next time and certainly not enough for the time after that. To be extravagant is to be wasteful. My dad defined the difference between extravagance and waste this way, “Extravagance is having all the lights on when you are in a room alone. Waste is leaving the lights on when you leave.”
The psalmist lets us know that when we get along in a family setting, it is a wonderful extravagance. It is not something we have to do, it is a gift that we give to each other. Our temptation is to hold out for, to hold onto as much as we can possibly get for ourselves without regard for anyone else involved. The psalm reminds us that when we consider the needs and wants of others we have a different mind set. We may not get as much actual stuff, but what we have will not have any bad feelings from others attached to.
When we make the effort to get along, with brothers and sisters, we cultivate an atmosphere of generous and abundant life among ourselves. Generosity and abundance are contagious. When we practice them in the family we find ourselves living that way in other parts of life as well. Extravagant amounts of oil, enough to run from the top of one’s head to the neck and shoulders, is lots of precious anointing oil. Dew so thick that it runs off leaves and branches is a lot of dew. There is a difference between extravagance and waste and the psalmist invites us to be generous and extravagant, especially with those with whom we are closest.
July 27, 2015
LCM
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