Showing posts with label Psalm 146. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psalm 146. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Psalm Meditation 1274
¶Proper 28
¶November 17, 2024
¶Psalm 146
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+146&version=NRSVUE
(NRSVUE)
¶Where I live we just finished a very contentious election cycle. On the one hand there are people who are relieved and overjoyed, while on the other hand there are people who are disappointed, frightened, and angry. In one sense the election has determined the direction of our state and nation for several years to come. However, we continue to be children of God, under God’s firm and loving hand. Whether we prosper or falter, we will be loved and cared for within the presence of God.
¶The psalmist assures us that the arc of the universe bends toward justice, sustenance, and freedom for all of creation. The psalmist does not mention that each of us is called to take part in achieving justice, freedom, righteousness, and meeting the needs of those around us whether they are a part of our circle of influence or not. God watches over and cares for and about those who have no one else. As children of God we are given the task of putting hands and feet to the watching, loving care of God in the world.
¶God’s favor goes to those who cannot care for themselves any other way. God’s judgment goes to those who practice selfishness and arrogance, especially those who do so in the name of God. God’s love lives among those who practice and work for freedom for all, dignity for all, care of friends and strangers alike, and lives of righteousness. “Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! “
¶November 12, 2024
¶LCM
Monday, August 23, 2021
Psalm Meditation 1106
Proper 17
August 29, 2021
Psalm 146
1 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the Lord!
(NRSV)
Most of us don’t know who drew our dividing lines, however we are sure which side we have chosen as our own. We will put our trust in the prince/princess who keeps our toes on our chosen line and rallies us against everyone else. Those who have made any other choice are not simply different, they are wrong. If our prince/princess wavers even slightly from the prescribed line they run the risk of being pushed aside in favor of the next one who will give us what we want to hear.
There are times in which our lines are drawn in the sand, they are flexible, changeable, able to give and take with some fluidity. Other times our lines are set in stone and they do not give at all. We would rather lose friends and former compatriots than see our crisply drawn line change even slightly. We will take our disagreement to a dangerous and deadly conclusion rather than change our minds or our behavior.
The psalmist invites us to put our trust in God rather than in a set of arguments that have no flex or give. The way of God leads to hope, faith, justice, freedom, and vision for all just to name a few. All of these are for each person and are not confined to our group alone. The way of God offers a place for each and all, a place of honor and respect. Even those whose plans and paths are ruined will find shelter in the love of God.
August 23, 2021
LCM
Monday, December 31, 2018
Psalm Meditation 968
Epiphany
January 6, 2019
Psalm 146
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
There are those who never meet a stranger. I have a feeling that most of those folks, like most of us, do not go striding confidently into an area in order to meet people with whom they have nothing in common. We don’t make it a habit to meet people who are nothing like us. Some of us are quick to make assumptions about ‘those people,’ and we are not usually kind in our assessment and assumption of them. Others are willing to reserve judgment until we have more information about them. Either way, we perceive them as ‘other’ and as strangers.
God, much to our chagrin at times, keeps reminding us that strangers are special people. There are multiple stories in Scripture about those who have welcomed strangers into their dwelling places and discovered that the strangers are divine representatives. By welcoming these particular strangers they have opened themselves to a word and task from God. How might our lives be different if Abraham had not welcomed the stranger who announced the birth of Isaac? Would it have happened anyway, or is it necessary to be open to new people in order to be opened to new experiences?
There is a special place in God’s heart for the people on the margins of society. We like to proclaim that wealth and influence are signs of God’s favor, however God has a special fondness for strangers, widows, and orphans. Perhaps the wealth God calls us to is the wonderful variety of people around us. What if our wealth is not calculated by our jobs, bank accounts, and other holdings, but by our generosity of spirit and our willingness to meet new people, and face new challenges?
December 31, 2018
LCM
Epiphany
January 6, 2019
Psalm 146
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
There are those who never meet a stranger. I have a feeling that most of those folks, like most of us, do not go striding confidently into an area in order to meet people with whom they have nothing in common. We don’t make it a habit to meet people who are nothing like us. Some of us are quick to make assumptions about ‘those people,’ and we are not usually kind in our assessment and assumption of them. Others are willing to reserve judgment until we have more information about them. Either way, we perceive them as ‘other’ and as strangers.
God, much to our chagrin at times, keeps reminding us that strangers are special people. There are multiple stories in Scripture about those who have welcomed strangers into their dwelling places and discovered that the strangers are divine representatives. By welcoming these particular strangers they have opened themselves to a word and task from God. How might our lives be different if Abraham had not welcomed the stranger who announced the birth of Isaac? Would it have happened anyway, or is it necessary to be open to new people in order to be opened to new experiences?
There is a special place in God’s heart for the people on the margins of society. We like to proclaim that wealth and influence are signs of God’s favor, however God has a special fondness for strangers, widows, and orphans. Perhaps the wealth God calls us to is the wonderful variety of people around us. What if our wealth is not calculated by our jobs, bank accounts, and other holdings, but by our generosity of spirit and our willingness to meet new people, and face new challenges?
December 31, 2018
LCM
Monday, January 27, 2014
Psalm Meditation 711
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany
February 2, 2014
Psalm 146
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
It is easier to depend on someone we can see, to follow someone whose path we can track with our senses, than it is to follow God. When we disagree with the direction we are going it is still easier to follow a human being. When we are following to make it easier to find fault with those in the lead it is easier to follow a person. When we are being compelled to follow by show of force it is easier to follow a person. The easy way is not always the faithful way.
The way of God leads to justice, even when it does not include fairness. The way of God leads to freedom, even when folks live it out in ways with which we disagree. The way of God leads to helping those who need help even when they don’t deserve it. The way of God leads to meeting people as brothers and sisters rather than as strangers. The way of God leads to an end of wickedness even when we are found among the wicked. The way of God leads to the reign of God.
Comforting as it is to follow the ins and outs of a group of people, it does not always lead us in a helpful, hopeful direction. Humans have a way of twisting and turning things in such a way that we follow willingly at first and by the time we realize we are headed away from our goal we are already sliding out of control. The good thing is, that God has a way of changing our direction. It is never an easy route to go from following the crowd to following God. However, it is possible. Praise the LORD.
January 27, 2014
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany
February 2, 2014
Psalm 146
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
It is easier to depend on someone we can see, to follow someone whose path we can track with our senses, than it is to follow God. When we disagree with the direction we are going it is still easier to follow a human being. When we are following to make it easier to find fault with those in the lead it is easier to follow a person. When we are being compelled to follow by show of force it is easier to follow a person. The easy way is not always the faithful way.
The way of God leads to justice, even when it does not include fairness. The way of God leads to freedom, even when folks live it out in ways with which we disagree. The way of God leads to helping those who need help even when they don’t deserve it. The way of God leads to meeting people as brothers and sisters rather than as strangers. The way of God leads to an end of wickedness even when we are found among the wicked. The way of God leads to the reign of God.
Comforting as it is to follow the ins and outs of a group of people, it does not always lead us in a helpful, hopeful direction. Humans have a way of twisting and turning things in such a way that we follow willingly at first and by the time we realize we are headed away from our goal we are already sliding out of control. The good thing is, that God has a way of changing our direction. It is never an easy route to go from following the crowd to following God. However, it is possible. Praise the LORD.
January 27, 2014
Monday, February 11, 2013
Psalm Meditation 661
First Sunday in Lent
February 17, 2013
Psalm 146
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
Given the choice between a known and an unknown we tend to be more comfortable with who and what we know. Even in times of disgust with an elected body we re-elect our own person, expecting that everyone else will vote theirs out. We would rather vote for a person whose voting record is familiar, while not always in our favor, instead of voting for an unknown person who promises to be more to our liking. From a distance, it is much easier to see the flaws of those who are supposed to represent others and to see why they should not be re-elected. We want to trust the person whose work and voting record we know even as we know we need a change in the body of which they are a part. What we want, is for everyone else to change.
When it comes to trusting God we can be the same as in an election. We want to trust God and we continue to behave in ways that display our trust in what we see and what we have always known. Our familiar ways of thinking and acting kick in and we do what we have always done despite our desire to make the choice that moves us toward God. The psalmist reminds us that it is never too late to turn to God in praise and trust. Rather than trusting the folks who make promises that change according to the political climate, the psalmist encourages us to put our trust in the one whose promises are constant.
‘Princes,’ politicians, meet the needs of the majority, those with the most power, money, influence, etc. God meets the needs of those who are oppressed by those political systems. God looks to raise up those who have no power or voice so that they can stand side by side with everyone else. As we stand together we see that lifting one another up is more fulfilling than living as if those not like us don’t matter. As we work side by side with God to lift up the fallen and to free those who are oppressed we discover that we are not diminished, we are enhanced by the lives of those raised up. As people of God we find new hope in bringing the hope and trust of God to others.
February 11, 2013
First Sunday in Lent
February 17, 2013
Psalm 146
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
3 Do not put your trust in princes, in mortals, in whom there is no help.
4 When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish.
5 Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD their God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)
Given the choice between a known and an unknown we tend to be more comfortable with who and what we know. Even in times of disgust with an elected body we re-elect our own person, expecting that everyone else will vote theirs out. We would rather vote for a person whose voting record is familiar, while not always in our favor, instead of voting for an unknown person who promises to be more to our liking. From a distance, it is much easier to see the flaws of those who are supposed to represent others and to see why they should not be re-elected. We want to trust the person whose work and voting record we know even as we know we need a change in the body of which they are a part. What we want, is for everyone else to change.
When it comes to trusting God we can be the same as in an election. We want to trust God and we continue to behave in ways that display our trust in what we see and what we have always known. Our familiar ways of thinking and acting kick in and we do what we have always done despite our desire to make the choice that moves us toward God. The psalmist reminds us that it is never too late to turn to God in praise and trust. Rather than trusting the folks who make promises that change according to the political climate, the psalmist encourages us to put our trust in the one whose promises are constant.
‘Princes,’ politicians, meet the needs of the majority, those with the most power, money, influence, etc. God meets the needs of those who are oppressed by those political systems. God looks to raise up those who have no power or voice so that they can stand side by side with everyone else. As we stand together we see that lifting one another up is more fulfilling than living as if those not like us don’t matter. As we work side by side with God to lift up the fallen and to free those who are oppressed we discover that we are not diminished, we are enhanced by the lives of those raised up. As people of God we find new hope in bringing the hope and trust of God to others.
February 11, 2013
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