Psalm Meditation 618
Third Sunday of Easter
April 22, 2012
Psalm 48
1 Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain,
2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.
3 Within its citadels God has shown himself a sure defense.
4 Then the kings assembled, they came on together.
5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded; they were in panic, they took to flight;
6 trembling took hold of them there, pains as of a woman in labor,
7 as when an east wind shatters the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes forever. (Selah)
9 We ponder your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple.
10 Your name, O God, like your praise, reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with victory.
11 Let Mount Zion be glad, let the towns of Judah rejoice because of your judgments.
12 Walk about Zion, go all around it, count its towers,
13 consider well its ramparts; go through its citadels, that you may tell the next generation
14 that this is God, our God forever and ever. He will be our guide forever.
(NRSV)
For the folks in ancient cultures God was present with them when times were good. When they were able to keep armies from attacking them because of the natural defenses and impressive fortifications of their city, God was with them. When things did not go well for them, it was because God was angry with them. This is one of those times in which God must have been with them, because kings and armies were walking away sickened due to the near impossibility of breaching the defenses of the city and the mountain on which it was built.
While we have a sense of that today, that God punishes people for their individual and corporate sins, we tend to emphasize the steadfast love of God. The steadfast love of God is always with us. God does not walk away and leave us helpless and hopeless at the first sign of sin. The steadfast love of God does not get stripped away because we have acted in a way that God does not approve. God loves us, cares for us and calls us into ever deeper and ever renewing relationship at all times and places in our lives. God does not single out groups or individuals for particularly hateful treatment, God loves us and desires a relationship with us. God does not force us into a relationship; it is simply held out as an offer in which we may participate. The love of God is the same no matter what.
Whether we are protected from our enemies and adversaries by a strong citadel or completely exposed to the forces arrayed against us, the love of God stands with us. In the midst of the most devastating forces, in the midst of the most peaceful scene one can imagine, and all the times and places in between God is with us to protect us and comfort us from generation to generation.
© April 16, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Monday, April 9, 2012
Psalm Meditation 617
Second Sunday of Easter
April 15, 2012
Psalm 18 (selected verses)
1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies.
25 With the loyal you show yourself loyal; with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
26 with the pure you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.
27 For you deliver a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 It is you who light my lamp; the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
29 By you I can crush a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 This God—his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
43 You delivered me from strife with the peoples; you made me head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart, and came trembling out of their strongholds.
46 The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me;
48 who delivered me from my enemies; indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries; you delivered me from the violent.
49 For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.
50 Great triumphs he gives to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever. (NRSV)
Is God so malleable that we can make God in our image or is God so beyond our comprehension that we can see whoever we are mirrored back to us in our image of God? My guess is that we see who we are reflected back to us in our image of God. It is rare that a gentle and loving person will see God as violent and angry. It is also rare for a an angry person to see God as gentle and forgiving. It is often the case that we see ourselves reflected back to us in our relationships with God as well as with others.
Humble folks recognize their need for help from God and from those around them. Once the need is recognized, these folks will have no difficulty asking for the help they need. And since most of us are willing to help those in need we are quick to offer the help we are able to provide. Secure in the knowledge that they are not alone, humble folks seem able to do great things.
Haughty folks, on the other hand, don’t feel the need or desire to get help from anyone. They end up muddling through by force of will and they skills they possess on their own. When a personally insurmountable situation arises they have nowhere to turn and they are brought down by their insistence on doing it on their own strength. It is not that God and others are not willing and available, it is that the haughty do not recognize either their need for help or the willingness of others to offer the help they need.
God is present with us and offers us what we are willing and able to expect. It is possible and even probable that God is at work in our lives doing things of which we are not aware. It is not that God can’t act beyond our ability to ask and receive so much as it is that we can’t notice the activity of God beyond our ability to comprehend God’s presence and activity.
© April 9, 2012
Second Sunday of Easter
April 15, 2012
Psalm 18 (selected verses)
1 I love you, O Lord, my strength.
2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies.
25 With the loyal you show yourself loyal; with the blameless you show yourself blameless;
26 with the pure you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.
27 For you deliver a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.
28 It is you who light my lamp; the Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
29 By you I can crush a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
30 This God—his way is perfect; the promise of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.
43 You delivered me from strife with the peoples; you made me head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
44 As soon as they heard of me they obeyed me; foreigners came cringing to me.
45 Foreigners lost heart, and came trembling out of their strongholds.
46 The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation,
47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me;
48 who delivered me from my enemies; indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries; you delivered me from the violent.
49 For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name.
50 Great triumphs he gives to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever. (NRSV)
Is God so malleable that we can make God in our image or is God so beyond our comprehension that we can see whoever we are mirrored back to us in our image of God? My guess is that we see who we are reflected back to us in our image of God. It is rare that a gentle and loving person will see God as violent and angry. It is also rare for a an angry person to see God as gentle and forgiving. It is often the case that we see ourselves reflected back to us in our relationships with God as well as with others.
Humble folks recognize their need for help from God and from those around them. Once the need is recognized, these folks will have no difficulty asking for the help they need. And since most of us are willing to help those in need we are quick to offer the help we are able to provide. Secure in the knowledge that they are not alone, humble folks seem able to do great things.
Haughty folks, on the other hand, don’t feel the need or desire to get help from anyone. They end up muddling through by force of will and they skills they possess on their own. When a personally insurmountable situation arises they have nowhere to turn and they are brought down by their insistence on doing it on their own strength. It is not that God and others are not willing and available, it is that the haughty do not recognize either their need for help or the willingness of others to offer the help they need.
God is present with us and offers us what we are willing and able to expect. It is possible and even probable that God is at work in our lives doing things of which we are not aware. It is not that God can’t act beyond our ability to ask and receive so much as it is that we can’t notice the activity of God beyond our ability to comprehend God’s presence and activity.
© April 9, 2012
Monday, April 2, 2012
Psalm Meditation 616
Easter
April 8, 2012
Psalm 137
1 By the rivers of Babylon— there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there we hung up our harps.
3 For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
4 How could we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither!
6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.
7 Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem's fall, how they said, "Tear it down! Tear it down! Down to its foundations!"
8 O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us!
9 Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock! (NRSV)
Verse 9 is a pretty gruesome image. At the same time, civilized as we claim to be, it is an image that crosses our minds when a wound is still fresh. The desire for revenge burns just as hot today as it ever has. It is easiest when we can see the object of our revenge as totally ‘other,’ one with whom we have absolutely nothing in common. And since the desire for revenge is so strong in us, we will find and perhaps even make ways to see our enemy as non-person. Even though the desire for revenge is present, it doesn’t mean we have to act on it.
With the desire for revenge bubbling just below the surface, the psalmist and the rest of the community are asked to put on a joyful performance for their captors. The Babylonians see the Israelites through the same non-person filter as the Israelites see them. They are not aware of anything but their own desire to be entertained. "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" is a way to rub Israelite faces in their defeat, asking them to sing happy songs even as they reel from the trauma of being in exile from their homes.
It would be great if we did not have to deal with this type of adversity, on personal or national scale. It seems there will be those who are willing to ignore the personhood of those with whom they disagree for the foreseeable future. There will be those who see just about everything as a conflict between ‘us’ and ‘them.’ ‘Those people’ will be made to look and feel as if they are wrong on every point of disagreement with ‘us.’ God reminds us that, despite our thoughts to the contrary, we are all made in the image of God and the love of God for each of us knows no bounds.
© April 2, 2012
Easter
April 8, 2012
Psalm 137
1 By the rivers of Babylon— there we sat down and there we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows there we hung up our harps.
3 For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked for mirth, saying, "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!"
4 How could we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither!
6 Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy.
7 Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites the day of Jerusalem's fall, how they said, "Tear it down! Tear it down! Down to its foundations!"
8 O daughter Babylon, you devastator! Happy shall they be who pay you back what you have done to us!
9 Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock! (NRSV)
Verse 9 is a pretty gruesome image. At the same time, civilized as we claim to be, it is an image that crosses our minds when a wound is still fresh. The desire for revenge burns just as hot today as it ever has. It is easiest when we can see the object of our revenge as totally ‘other,’ one with whom we have absolutely nothing in common. And since the desire for revenge is so strong in us, we will find and perhaps even make ways to see our enemy as non-person. Even though the desire for revenge is present, it doesn’t mean we have to act on it.
With the desire for revenge bubbling just below the surface, the psalmist and the rest of the community are asked to put on a joyful performance for their captors. The Babylonians see the Israelites through the same non-person filter as the Israelites see them. They are not aware of anything but their own desire to be entertained. "Sing us one of the songs of Zion!" is a way to rub Israelite faces in their defeat, asking them to sing happy songs even as they reel from the trauma of being in exile from their homes.
It would be great if we did not have to deal with this type of adversity, on personal or national scale. It seems there will be those who are willing to ignore the personhood of those with whom they disagree for the foreseeable future. There will be those who see just about everything as a conflict between ‘us’ and ‘them.’ ‘Those people’ will be made to look and feel as if they are wrong on every point of disagreement with ‘us.’ God reminds us that, despite our thoughts to the contrary, we are all made in the image of God and the love of God for each of us knows no bounds.
© April 2, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Psalm Meditation 615
Palm/Passion Sunday
April 1, 2012
Psalm 107:1-15,39-43
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in misery and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they fell down, with no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;
14 he brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
39 When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of distress, and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad; and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43 Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
(NRSV)
Those of us who get to participate in the good life want to see that as the blessing of God on our lives. Some will even blame those who do not have a part in the goodness of this life for their lack. This psalm reminds us that one of the reasons we receive blessings is in order to share them with others. While we are willing to believe that we have received these things as a reward for our hard work and smart choices, most of us have inherited our good fortune in some measure.
In the event that we have received our bounty as a reward for hard work on our part God will call us to account if we have hoarded these riches. When we live as if there are limits to God’s bounty the psalmist tells us we will lose it; now or in a future generation. God gives so that we can share with others in the generous manner in which we have received. If we have inherited the riches of the world God asks that we pass those on in the same way we received them; as a gift of love.
God does not ask us to impoverish ourselves in order that others might receive more than we have ourselves. God does ask us to pass on a portion of our bounty as an act of gratitude. The threat in the psalm is that God will take away from those who will not share and give to those who are in need. While experience does not seem to bear out that God redistributes wealth by divine action, we do see that riches can become toxic in peoples’ lives and that the faithful can find countless blessings in the midst of poverty. The steadfast love of the Lord has a way of holding those who receive it.
© March 26, 2012
Palm/Passion Sunday
April 1, 2012
Psalm 107:1-15,39-43
1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever.
2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, those he redeemed from trouble
3 and gathered in from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south.
4 Some wandered in desert wastes, finding no way to an inhabited town;
5 hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted within them.
6 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress;
7 he led them by a straight way, until they reached an inhabited town.
8 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
9 For he satisfies the thirsty, and the hungry he fills with good things.
10 Some sat in darkness and in gloom, prisoners in misery and in irons,
11 for they had rebelled against the words of God, and spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12 Their hearts were bowed down with hard labor; they fell down, with no one to help.
13 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress;
14 he brought them out of darkness and gloom, and broke their bonds asunder.
15 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to humankind.
39 When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
40 he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
41 but he raises up the needy out of distress, and makes their families like flocks.
42 The upright see it and are glad; and all wickedness stops its mouth.
43 Let those who are wise give heed to these things, and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
(NRSV)
Those of us who get to participate in the good life want to see that as the blessing of God on our lives. Some will even blame those who do not have a part in the goodness of this life for their lack. This psalm reminds us that one of the reasons we receive blessings is in order to share them with others. While we are willing to believe that we have received these things as a reward for our hard work and smart choices, most of us have inherited our good fortune in some measure.
In the event that we have received our bounty as a reward for hard work on our part God will call us to account if we have hoarded these riches. When we live as if there are limits to God’s bounty the psalmist tells us we will lose it; now or in a future generation. God gives so that we can share with others in the generous manner in which we have received. If we have inherited the riches of the world God asks that we pass those on in the same way we received them; as a gift of love.
God does not ask us to impoverish ourselves in order that others might receive more than we have ourselves. God does ask us to pass on a portion of our bounty as an act of gratitude. The threat in the psalm is that God will take away from those who will not share and give to those who are in need. While experience does not seem to bear out that God redistributes wealth by divine action, we do see that riches can become toxic in peoples’ lives and that the faithful can find countless blessings in the midst of poverty. The steadfast love of the Lord has a way of holding those who receive it.
© March 26, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Psalm Meditation 614
Fifth Sunday in Lent
March 25, 2012
Psalm 77
1 I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 I think of God, and I moan; I meditate, and my spirit faints. (Selah)
4 You keep my eyelids from closing; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old, and remember the years of long ago.
6 I commune with my heart in the night; I meditate and search my spirit:
7 "Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?" (Selah)
10 And I say, "It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed."
11 I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the peoples.
15 With your strong arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah)
16 When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; the very deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea, your path, through the mighty waters; yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
(NRSV)
In many forms we ask the question, ‘what do I do when I can’t pray?’ Various answers have been given to the question and many of them seem to make the problem worse because they continue to make it my responsibility to tough it out and keep going. A recently received answer to the question seems to be pretty satisfying. When you can’t pray turn it over to the community of faith. Many of us have at least one contact or friend who can carry our concern to the community of faith so that it, and we can be lifted up.
When the burden of having to do everything on our own is lifted we can muster up some energy to think back to other times when we have felt the presence of God, and we were able to help someone through their sense of abandonment. As we remember the presence of God, we may notice that we are not as separate from God as it may seem in this moment. It may be that we have lost focus and we find that God is more near than we thought.
As God comes back into focus, or as we move back into a sense of God’s abiding presence through the concern of the community, we see that God is a loving redeemer who delivers us. The deliverance of God may not be in the way we had hoped, however we do feel the power of God’s redeeming and restoring presence and love. We may also feel a closer sense of community with those who stood with us through this time of trial.
© March 19, 2012
Fifth Sunday in Lent
March 25, 2012
Psalm 77
1 I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, that he may hear me.
2 In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted.
3 I think of God, and I moan; I meditate, and my spirit faints. (Selah)
4 You keep my eyelids from closing; I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
5 I consider the days of old, and remember the years of long ago.
6 I commune with my heart in the night; I meditate and search my spirit:
7 "Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?
8 Has his steadfast love ceased forever? Are his promises at an end for all time?
9 Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?" (Selah)
10 And I say, "It is my grief that the right hand of the Most High has changed."
11 I will call to mind the deeds of the Lord; I will remember your wonders of old.
12 I will meditate on all your work, and muse on your mighty deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is holy. What god is so great as our God?
14 You are the God who works wonders; you have displayed your might among the peoples.
15 With your strong arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. (Selah)
16 When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; the very deep trembled.
17 The clouds poured out water; the skies thundered; your arrows flashed on every side.
18 The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook.
19 Your way was through the sea, your path, through the mighty waters; yet your footprints were unseen.
20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
(NRSV)
In many forms we ask the question, ‘what do I do when I can’t pray?’ Various answers have been given to the question and many of them seem to make the problem worse because they continue to make it my responsibility to tough it out and keep going. A recently received answer to the question seems to be pretty satisfying. When you can’t pray turn it over to the community of faith. Many of us have at least one contact or friend who can carry our concern to the community of faith so that it, and we can be lifted up.
When the burden of having to do everything on our own is lifted we can muster up some energy to think back to other times when we have felt the presence of God, and we were able to help someone through their sense of abandonment. As we remember the presence of God, we may notice that we are not as separate from God as it may seem in this moment. It may be that we have lost focus and we find that God is more near than we thought.
As God comes back into focus, or as we move back into a sense of God’s abiding presence through the concern of the community, we see that God is a loving redeemer who delivers us. The deliverance of God may not be in the way we had hoped, however we do feel the power of God’s redeeming and restoring presence and love. We may also feel a closer sense of community with those who stood with us through this time of trial.
© March 19, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Psalm Meditation 613
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 18, 2012
Psalm 47
1 Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy.
2 For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. (Selah)
5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm.
8 God is king over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted.
(NRSV)
This is a psalm of victory. It is a celebration of the power of God at work in the world, in this case military power. There is no mention of the defeat of a particular enemy so it may be a psalm for an annual celebration of the might and power of the nation as it stands firmly behind the God of all the earth. It reminds folks that whoever else may lead the people in battle, it is God who actually gives the victory over enemies and adversaries.
Whether we are fully in favor of using military might or staunch pacifists, the psalmist reminds us that victory comes from God. It could be a military victory or a victory over some form of evil in ourselves as individuals or a community; victory comes as we line ourselves up with the leading of God in our lives. Either way, it is the presence of God in our lives that makes the difference.
As people see us living in the presence and at the direction of God, they are drawn to us as moths to light. In our faithfulness they begin to see a glimpse of the power of God at work in us and the possibilities that lie open to them as they also live in the presence and at the direction of God. We will not likely follow God in lock-step with each other, however we will see the spark of God as a life giving, life enhancing force in their lives as they continue to see it is us.
© March 12, 2012
Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 18, 2012
Psalm 47
1 Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with loud songs of joy.
2 For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome, a great king over all the earth.
3 He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet.
4 He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. (Selah)
5 God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
6 Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises.
7 For God is the king of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm.
8 God is king over the nations; God sits on his holy throne.
9 The princes of the peoples gather as the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; he is highly exalted.
(NRSV)
This is a psalm of victory. It is a celebration of the power of God at work in the world, in this case military power. There is no mention of the defeat of a particular enemy so it may be a psalm for an annual celebration of the might and power of the nation as it stands firmly behind the God of all the earth. It reminds folks that whoever else may lead the people in battle, it is God who actually gives the victory over enemies and adversaries.
Whether we are fully in favor of using military might or staunch pacifists, the psalmist reminds us that victory comes from God. It could be a military victory or a victory over some form of evil in ourselves as individuals or a community; victory comes as we line ourselves up with the leading of God in our lives. Either way, it is the presence of God in our lives that makes the difference.
As people see us living in the presence and at the direction of God, they are drawn to us as moths to light. In our faithfulness they begin to see a glimpse of the power of God at work in us and the possibilities that lie open to them as they also live in the presence and at the direction of God. We will not likely follow God in lock-step with each other, however we will see the spark of God as a life giving, life enhancing force in their lives as they continue to see it is us.
© March 12, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Psalm Meditation 612
Third Sunday in Lent
March 11, 2012
Psalm 17
1 Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
2 From you let my vindication come; let your eyes see the right.
3 If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress.
4 As for what others do, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5 My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.
6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words.
7 Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.
8 Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,
9 from the wicked who despoil me, my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
11 They track me down; now they surround me; they set their eyes to cast me to the ground.
12 They are like a lion eager to tear, like a young lion lurking in ambush.
13 Rise up, O Lord, confront them, overthrow them! By your sword deliver my life from the wicked,
14 from mortals—by your hand, O Lord— from mortals whose portion in life is in this world. May their bellies be filled with what you have stored up for them; may their children have more than enough; may they leave something over to their little ones.
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.
(NRSV)
Even those among us who are prone to second guessing themselves believe they are right about the most important things in their lives. Those among us with more confidence in themselves are more likely yet to believe they are right in their actions and beliefs. It seems to be the way we work as humans. If we did not think we were right we would change our minds and change our course of action to get ourselves back on track. That does not mean we are right as often as we believe ourselves to be.
The psalmist is confident in having chosen the path that leads closer to God. The folks on the other side of this confrontation are mean and vicious, and are out to kill and destroy those who follow the ways of God. It is probably true that the psalmist is the one being bullied by folks who follow a different path. Folks who also believe themselves to be right in their course of action. The pursuers seek to run the psalmist to the ground. The psalmist waits for God to rain down vengeance on these folks and on their children. Now what?
Most of us will not persist in a course of action we are sure is wrong. We may change our words without changing our minds. We may find a way to reframe the question so it sounds like we have been right all along. We may make a big show of changing our minds, having received a new revelation. We may repent, apologize to those we have hurt and move on secure in this new truth. My guess is that we have each done all of these at some time. God continues to seek us out, love us with a love beyond measure and move us a bit closer to being a loving child of God, surrounded by loving children of God.
© March 5, 2012
Third Sunday in Lent
March 11, 2012
Psalm 17
1 Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit.
2 From you let my vindication come; let your eyes see the right.
3 If you try my heart, if you visit me by night, if you test me, you will find no wickedness in me; my mouth does not transgress.
4 As for what others do, by the word of your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5 My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped.
6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words.
7 Wondrously show your steadfast love, O savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand.
8 Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,
9 from the wicked who despoil me, my deadly enemies who surround me.
10 They close their hearts to pity; with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
11 They track me down; now they surround me; they set their eyes to cast me to the ground.
12 They are like a lion eager to tear, like a young lion lurking in ambush.
13 Rise up, O Lord, confront them, overthrow them! By your sword deliver my life from the wicked,
14 from mortals—by your hand, O Lord— from mortals whose portion in life is in this world. May their bellies be filled with what you have stored up for them; may their children have more than enough; may they leave something over to their little ones.
15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.
(NRSV)
Even those among us who are prone to second guessing themselves believe they are right about the most important things in their lives. Those among us with more confidence in themselves are more likely yet to believe they are right in their actions and beliefs. It seems to be the way we work as humans. If we did not think we were right we would change our minds and change our course of action to get ourselves back on track. That does not mean we are right as often as we believe ourselves to be.
The psalmist is confident in having chosen the path that leads closer to God. The folks on the other side of this confrontation are mean and vicious, and are out to kill and destroy those who follow the ways of God. It is probably true that the psalmist is the one being bullied by folks who follow a different path. Folks who also believe themselves to be right in their course of action. The pursuers seek to run the psalmist to the ground. The psalmist waits for God to rain down vengeance on these folks and on their children. Now what?
Most of us will not persist in a course of action we are sure is wrong. We may change our words without changing our minds. We may find a way to reframe the question so it sounds like we have been right all along. We may make a big show of changing our minds, having received a new revelation. We may repent, apologize to those we have hurt and move on secure in this new truth. My guess is that we have each done all of these at some time. God continues to seek us out, love us with a love beyond measure and move us a bit closer to being a loving child of God, surrounded by loving children of God.
© March 5, 2012
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