Psalm Meditation 731
Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
June 22, 2014
Psalm 92
1 It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2 to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,
3 to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.
4 For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5 How great are your works, O LORD! Your thoughts are very deep!
6 The dullard cannot know, the stupid cannot understand this:
7 though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever,
8 but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
9 For your enemies, O LORD, for your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered.
10 But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox; you have poured over me fresh oil.
11 My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies; my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
13 They are planted in the house of the LORD; they flourish in the courts of our God.
14 In old age they still produce fruit; they are always green and full of sap,
15 showing that the LORD is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.
(NRSV)
It is good to give thanks to God and to give thanks to the folks who surround us. It seems the more we give thanks the more we see things for which to be thankful. That is, we find what we expect to find in so many parts of our lives. As we expect people to do things deserving thanks, and offer our thanks to them, we begin to see more people do things for which we can give thanks. As we look around with thanks on our hearts and minds, we find all sorts of things for which we give thanks. We can give thanks to God for the new day, for the promise of abiding presence in each and every day. We can give thanks to the folks around us for the big and little things they do for us and for others.
There are folks who expect to see evil and treachery all around them, and there it is. There are folks who expect to see nothing noteworthy in anyone or anything as they go through another boring day and they are not disappointed in their search for disappointment. There are folks who look for faults and flaws in all the people and things around them and they find fault everywhere. There are folks who expect a nice mix of good and bad through the course of a day and they find that as well. These folks do not live in separate places from each other, these folks live with differing expectations. What we expect to see is what we end up seeing. It is the filters through which we view the world that allow us to experience the world as we plan to see it.
The psalmist expects to see reasons for which to give thanks to God. The great works of God and the destruction of enemies are the particular foci here. Whether those works and that destruction are past, present, future or all three together in an ongoing process the psalmist gives thanks to God for the experience of life surrounded by these good things, and probably more. Since it is possible to grow more bitter and cynical as we go through life, it is also possible to grow more thankful too. Thankfulness takes effort. From the lives of those who live in thankfulness, it appears to be worth the effort. In this case it may be easiest to start big and work our way down to the specifics. It is good to give thanks to God.
June 17, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Monday, June 9, 2014
Psalm Meditation 730
Trinity Sunday
June 15, 2014
Psalm 9
1 I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before you.
4 For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity.
9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion. Declare his deeds among the peoples.
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O LORD. See what I suffer from those who hate me; you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14 so that I may recount all your praises, and, in the gates of daughter Zion, rejoice in your deliverance.
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16 The LORD has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19 Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you.
20 Put them in fear, O LORD; let the nations know that they are only human. Selah
(NRSV)
Politicians speak in a way that will appeal to the crowd they are addressing. It can seem like waffling as they pick the parts of their action plan that will get the most support from the folks whose favor is being curried at any given moment. There are those, in several fields, who say what they imagine or believe the people want to hear in a given circumstance. Politicians have the reputation of keeping quiet about certain information in order to win support from enough folks to get elected so that they can carry out the unspoken parts of their agenda. They are not alone. There are doctors who believe it is unnecessary to let patients know that the odds of recovery are very slim. Instead they accentuate the rare cases in which folks have returned to health. Restaurants have been known to leave out ingredients in their listings in order to appeal to a wider clientele who would not choose an item because of the ingredients. Just a few examples of the sleight of hand in our lives.
One of the areas that seems to get left out of many agendas is the life of those in poverty. Since most of us would rather not think about how close this comes to us, by touching those we love, or by admitting how close we are to the edge ourselves, it is best left unspoken. The psalmist reminds us that one of the groups God will touch as the wicked are destroyed, are those who live in need and poverty. One of the ways that will happen is by force. Someone will come along and demand that those of us with an overabundance will have most of that confiscated for redistribution to those who have little. Since God does not work by force, what are the other options? Perhaps we will recognize that we who live in overabundance can do without a little and share it with those in poverty. Perhaps we will come to an understanding that there is enough for all and we can stop hoarding out of fear, so that others have access to the resources previously hoarded. Perhaps we will work together to teach and learn that the choices we make can alter each of our lives in the community in which we find ourselves. Perhaps we will discover that the success of another does not lead to failure on the part of those who live in abundance.
As we discover that we share a definition of what it means to be wicked, we will decide that it does not lead anywhere but destruction. As we make new choices, we will find that it is better to cooperate than to compete. We will find that the way of God that seems both ideal and unapproachable will be readily achievable together. As we come to fear God, in the sense of reverent awe, we will discover that we need not be afraid of those around us, we will find that we can work together to accomplish more together than we were willing or able separately.
June 9, 2014
Trinity Sunday
June 15, 2014
Psalm 9
1 I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
3 When my enemies turned back, they stumbled and perished before you.
4 For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.
5 You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name forever and ever.
6 The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins; their cities you have rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.
7 But the LORD sits enthroned forever, he has established his throne for judgment.
8 He judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity.
9 The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
10 And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you.
11 Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion. Declare his deeds among the peoples.
12 For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.
13 Be gracious to me, O LORD. See what I suffer from those who hate me; you are the one who lifts me up from the gates of death,
14 so that I may recount all your praises, and, in the gates of daughter Zion, rejoice in your deliverance.
15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid has their own foot been caught.
16 The LORD has made himself known, he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah
17 The wicked shall depart to Sheol, all the nations that forget God.
18 For the needy shall not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the poor perish forever.
19 Rise up, O LORD! Do not let mortals prevail; let the nations be judged before you.
20 Put them in fear, O LORD; let the nations know that they are only human. Selah
(NRSV)
Politicians speak in a way that will appeal to the crowd they are addressing. It can seem like waffling as they pick the parts of their action plan that will get the most support from the folks whose favor is being curried at any given moment. There are those, in several fields, who say what they imagine or believe the people want to hear in a given circumstance. Politicians have the reputation of keeping quiet about certain information in order to win support from enough folks to get elected so that they can carry out the unspoken parts of their agenda. They are not alone. There are doctors who believe it is unnecessary to let patients know that the odds of recovery are very slim. Instead they accentuate the rare cases in which folks have returned to health. Restaurants have been known to leave out ingredients in their listings in order to appeal to a wider clientele who would not choose an item because of the ingredients. Just a few examples of the sleight of hand in our lives.
One of the areas that seems to get left out of many agendas is the life of those in poverty. Since most of us would rather not think about how close this comes to us, by touching those we love, or by admitting how close we are to the edge ourselves, it is best left unspoken. The psalmist reminds us that one of the groups God will touch as the wicked are destroyed, are those who live in need and poverty. One of the ways that will happen is by force. Someone will come along and demand that those of us with an overabundance will have most of that confiscated for redistribution to those who have little. Since God does not work by force, what are the other options? Perhaps we will recognize that we who live in overabundance can do without a little and share it with those in poverty. Perhaps we will come to an understanding that there is enough for all and we can stop hoarding out of fear, so that others have access to the resources previously hoarded. Perhaps we will work together to teach and learn that the choices we make can alter each of our lives in the community in which we find ourselves. Perhaps we will discover that the success of another does not lead to failure on the part of those who live in abundance.
As we discover that we share a definition of what it means to be wicked, we will decide that it does not lead anywhere but destruction. As we make new choices, we will find that it is better to cooperate than to compete. We will find that the way of God that seems both ideal and unapproachable will be readily achievable together. As we come to fear God, in the sense of reverent awe, we will discover that we need not be afraid of those around us, we will find that we can work together to accomplish more together than we were willing or able separately.
June 9, 2014
Monday, June 2, 2014
Psalm Meditation 729
Pentecost
June 8, 2014
Psalm 143
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness.
2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued me, crushing my life to the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.
5 I remember the days of old, I think about all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
8 Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Save me, O LORD, from my enemies; I have fled to you for refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.
11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life. In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.
12 In your steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am your servant.
(NRSV)
In the midst of energy draining, soul crushing situations it is hard to gather the strength for something as simple as asking for help. The psalmist is aware that things are getting dire enough to siphon off the very last ounce of energy and turns to God for help. Was there no one else available to ask earlier, did this come on suddenly leaving no time to ask another, or was this a situation so desperate that only God could intervene successfully? The psalmist lived in a culture much more community oriented than our American culture of the rugged individual. Asking the community to help held no shame and would have been expected.
There can be a lot of baggage in asking another for help. Since we are not as altruistic as we might like, there are favors to be done in return for the help others give. It may have been more or less pronounced in the time of the psalmist, however there would have been some price to pay for the help of another person. As we fear we may not even have the energy to pull ourselves out, let alone repay the kindness of others, it is good to be able to turn to God. The goodness of God has already outshone anything we might be able to do in return that we can ask for help with the awareness of God’s steadfast love for us in spite of our inability to even come close to being able to repay God’s favor in our lives.
Yes, it would be wonderful to be able to ask for and receive help from others without a sense of obligation to them. It would be nice if we could give help without leaving the other person feeling obligated. In some relationships there is that steadfast love that doesn’t keep score, however those are rare and precious and exist because we don’t take advantage of them or take them for granted. The steadfast love of God, chesed in Hebrew, agape’ in Greek, is available to us in any and every situation of our lives. God simply loves us. God is grateful when we return that love to the best of our ability, and mostly God loves us beyond our ability to understand.
June 1, 2014
Pentecost
June 8, 2014
Psalm 143
1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; give ear to my supplications in your faithfulness; answer me in your righteousness.
2 Do not enter into judgment with your servant, for no one living is righteous before you.
3 For the enemy has pursued me, crushing my life to the ground, making me sit in darkness like those long dead.
4 Therefore my spirit faints within me; my heart within me is appalled.
5 I remember the days of old, I think about all your deeds, I meditate on the works of your hands.
6 I stretch out my hands to you; my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. Selah
7 Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me, or I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
8 Let me hear of your steadfast love in the morning, for in you I put my trust.
Teach me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.
9 Save me, O LORD, from my enemies; I have fled to you for refuge.
10 Teach me to do your will, for you are my God. Let your good spirit lead me on a level path.
11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, preserve my life. In your righteousness bring me out of trouble.
12 In your steadfast love cut off my enemies, and destroy all my adversaries, for I am your servant.
(NRSV)
In the midst of energy draining, soul crushing situations it is hard to gather the strength for something as simple as asking for help. The psalmist is aware that things are getting dire enough to siphon off the very last ounce of energy and turns to God for help. Was there no one else available to ask earlier, did this come on suddenly leaving no time to ask another, or was this a situation so desperate that only God could intervene successfully? The psalmist lived in a culture much more community oriented than our American culture of the rugged individual. Asking the community to help held no shame and would have been expected.
There can be a lot of baggage in asking another for help. Since we are not as altruistic as we might like, there are favors to be done in return for the help others give. It may have been more or less pronounced in the time of the psalmist, however there would have been some price to pay for the help of another person. As we fear we may not even have the energy to pull ourselves out, let alone repay the kindness of others, it is good to be able to turn to God. The goodness of God has already outshone anything we might be able to do in return that we can ask for help with the awareness of God’s steadfast love for us in spite of our inability to even come close to being able to repay God’s favor in our lives.
Yes, it would be wonderful to be able to ask for and receive help from others without a sense of obligation to them. It would be nice if we could give help without leaving the other person feeling obligated. In some relationships there is that steadfast love that doesn’t keep score, however those are rare and precious and exist because we don’t take advantage of them or take them for granted. The steadfast love of God, chesed in Hebrew, agape’ in Greek, is available to us in any and every situation of our lives. God simply loves us. God is grateful when we return that love to the best of our ability, and mostly God loves us beyond our ability to understand.
June 1, 2014
Monday, May 26, 2014
Psalm Meditation 728
Seventh Sunday of Easter
June 1, 2014
Psalm 58
1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge people fairly?
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth.
3 The wicked go astray from the womb; they err from their birth, speaking lies.
4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter.
6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away; like grass let them be trodden down and wither.
8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime; like the untimely birth that never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!
10 The righteous will rejoice when they see vengeance done; they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 People will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”
(NRSV)
Many of us have rich fantasy lives that include imagining terrible things happening to people who have done bad things to us. As the psalmist imagines a variety of injuries to this particular group of wicked folks, we too imagine injuries and death being heaped on those who have injured us in some devastating way. We rehearse a variety of scenarios that would satisfy our desire for revenge against those who have hurt us. We draw God into the revenge fest to relieve us of the guilt of actually carrying out these plans as well as to give us the assurance that we are in the right because God is acting on our behalf.
And while God claims the right of revenge it rarely happens the way it does in the movies. In the movies, the downtrodden hero spends time learning the skills that will be used to overcome the injuries suffered at the beginning of the movie. We get to cheer the hero, imagine that we could do the same with our enemies and then go home to the reality that evil seems to go unchecked in a variety of forms, including physical, emotional and spiritual. God is not in the habit of rising up to do the things we imagine being done to those who perpetuate violence and evil in the world.
God is aware that we do not bring an end to violence and evil by acts of violence and evil. While there may well be some satisfaction in imagining violent things happening to those who have done us wrong, God offers a different set of rewards. The reward for the righteous is not in exacting revenge. The reward of the righteous is having an awareness of being in the presence of God. Righteousness becomes its own reward. There won’t be room for rejoicing over the injury or death of anyone, including those who have done us wrong.
May 26, 2014
Seventh Sunday of Easter
June 1, 2014
Psalm 58
1 Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge people fairly?
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth.
3 The wicked go astray from the womb; they err from their birth, speaking lies.
4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter.
6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths; tear out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away; like grass let them be trodden down and wither.
8 Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime; like the untimely birth that never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns, whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!
10 The righteous will rejoice when they see vengeance done; they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 People will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”
(NRSV)
Many of us have rich fantasy lives that include imagining terrible things happening to people who have done bad things to us. As the psalmist imagines a variety of injuries to this particular group of wicked folks, we too imagine injuries and death being heaped on those who have injured us in some devastating way. We rehearse a variety of scenarios that would satisfy our desire for revenge against those who have hurt us. We draw God into the revenge fest to relieve us of the guilt of actually carrying out these plans as well as to give us the assurance that we are in the right because God is acting on our behalf.
And while God claims the right of revenge it rarely happens the way it does in the movies. In the movies, the downtrodden hero spends time learning the skills that will be used to overcome the injuries suffered at the beginning of the movie. We get to cheer the hero, imagine that we could do the same with our enemies and then go home to the reality that evil seems to go unchecked in a variety of forms, including physical, emotional and spiritual. God is not in the habit of rising up to do the things we imagine being done to those who perpetuate violence and evil in the world.
God is aware that we do not bring an end to violence and evil by acts of violence and evil. While there may well be some satisfaction in imagining violent things happening to those who have done us wrong, God offers a different set of rewards. The reward for the righteous is not in exacting revenge. The reward of the righteous is having an awareness of being in the presence of God. Righteousness becomes its own reward. There won’t be room for rejoicing over the injury or death of anyone, including those who have done us wrong.
May 26, 2014
Monday, May 19, 2014
Psalm Meditation 727
Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 25, 2014
Psalm 108
1 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make melody. Awake, my soul!
2 Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
3 I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to you among the nations.
4 For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens, and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.
6 Give victory with your right hand, and answer me, so that those whom you love may be rescued.
7 God has promised in his sanctuary: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem, and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet; Judah is my scepter.
9 Moab is my washbasin; on Edom I hurl my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
10 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
12 O grant us help against the foe, for human help is worthless.
13 With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.
(NRSV)
The psalmist spends several verses flattering God with promises and praise, and reminding God of promises made how we and ‘they’ will be treated by God. After all that comes the question and concern of the psalm; when are you going to take care of us by doing all the things you said you would do to our enemies? It is a way to ask for things from someone who has power as well as a fragile ego. It is the way one addresses an all-powerful ruler. Since that was all the folks knew of powerful people, it was the way to address God. While we now have other experiences of styles of leadership there are those who continue to pray as if God must first be flattered and appeased before being asked for what is on our hearts and minds.
God is much more pleasant and present with us than rulers of old were with their subjects. While it is possible that folks in the future will roll their eyes at how familiar and friendly we are in addressing God, it works for us. The folks with whom I spend time are very willing to name our experience of God as one in which we are in a friendly and familial relationship with God. We are not equal with God by any means, however we are a part of a very large ‘inner circle’ with God in the center. Or, as a cartoon of King Arthur at the round table described it, “The round table signifies that we are all equal. That I am sitting on a throne signifies that I am a little more equal than the rest of you.” God is neither a bully nor a buddy.
The important part is a relationship with God of some sort. Whether God is a bully to be appeased, a buddy with whom to pal around, a parent, a servant or any other style of relating, the important thing is the relationship. Since relationships can change over their course, God would much rather be a part of our lives, individually and collectively, than to be cut out. As we experience the ways God responds to us we find ourselves responding in new ways until we find ourselves in a relationship of health and wholeness with God that leads to healthy whole relationships with others.
May 19, 2014
Sixth Sunday of Easter
May 25, 2014
Psalm 108
1 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make melody. Awake, my soul!
2 Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.
3 I will give thanks to you, O LORD, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to you among the nations.
4 For your steadfast love is higher than the heavens, and your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
5 Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth.
6 Give victory with your right hand, and answer me, so that those whom you love may be rescued.
7 God has promised in his sanctuary: “With exultation I will divide up Shechem, and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
8 Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my helmet; Judah is my scepter.
9 Moab is my washbasin; on Edom I hurl my shoe; over Philistia I shout in triumph.”
10 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies.
12 O grant us help against the foe, for human help is worthless.
13 With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.
(NRSV)
The psalmist spends several verses flattering God with promises and praise, and reminding God of promises made how we and ‘they’ will be treated by God. After all that comes the question and concern of the psalm; when are you going to take care of us by doing all the things you said you would do to our enemies? It is a way to ask for things from someone who has power as well as a fragile ego. It is the way one addresses an all-powerful ruler. Since that was all the folks knew of powerful people, it was the way to address God. While we now have other experiences of styles of leadership there are those who continue to pray as if God must first be flattered and appeased before being asked for what is on our hearts and minds.
God is much more pleasant and present with us than rulers of old were with their subjects. While it is possible that folks in the future will roll their eyes at how familiar and friendly we are in addressing God, it works for us. The folks with whom I spend time are very willing to name our experience of God as one in which we are in a friendly and familial relationship with God. We are not equal with God by any means, however we are a part of a very large ‘inner circle’ with God in the center. Or, as a cartoon of King Arthur at the round table described it, “The round table signifies that we are all equal. That I am sitting on a throne signifies that I am a little more equal than the rest of you.” God is neither a bully nor a buddy.
The important part is a relationship with God of some sort. Whether God is a bully to be appeased, a buddy with whom to pal around, a parent, a servant or any other style of relating, the important thing is the relationship. Since relationships can change over their course, God would much rather be a part of our lives, individually and collectively, than to be cut out. As we experience the ways God responds to us we find ourselves responding in new ways until we find ourselves in a relationship of health and wholeness with God that leads to healthy whole relationships with others.
May 19, 2014
Monday, May 12, 2014
Psalm Meditation 726
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 18, 2014
Psalm 43
1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people;
from those who are deceitful and unjust deliver me!
2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you cast me off?
Why must I walk about mournfully because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
(NRSV)
There are folks who go into a grief experience and never come out of it. They spend the rest of their lives rehearsing, rehashing and wallowing in the grief they have experienced. It is as if the continual grieving is the only way they feel they can adequately memorialize those for whom they grieve. They walk about mournfully as if grief were an obligation to perform rather than a process to work through.
There are other folks who experience grief as a process, a series of steps, leaps and lunges, both forward and backward, that leads to a deeper and renewed sense of life. These folks honor those for whom they grieve by living. They carry their memories with them, rather than being stuck in a remembered past. The psalmist is one of these folks. Grieved by oppression, there is a desire for the light and truth of God to lead a way through the mourning to a sense of joy.
My experience is that the presence of God makes the grief and mourning bearable. Knowing that God is with us gives us hope that leads to joy, praise and a sense of peace. The presence of God, and God present in the people of God, gives us help and hope that leads out of mourning into praise.
May 12, 2014
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 18, 2014
Psalm 43
1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause against an ungodly people;
from those who are deceitful and unjust deliver me!
2 For you are the God in whom I take refuge; why have you cast me off?
Why must I walk about mournfully because of the oppression of the enemy?
3 O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.
4 Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and I will praise you with the harp, O God, my God.
5 Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.
(NRSV)
There are folks who go into a grief experience and never come out of it. They spend the rest of their lives rehearsing, rehashing and wallowing in the grief they have experienced. It is as if the continual grieving is the only way they feel they can adequately memorialize those for whom they grieve. They walk about mournfully as if grief were an obligation to perform rather than a process to work through.
There are other folks who experience grief as a process, a series of steps, leaps and lunges, both forward and backward, that leads to a deeper and renewed sense of life. These folks honor those for whom they grieve by living. They carry their memories with them, rather than being stuck in a remembered past. The psalmist is one of these folks. Grieved by oppression, there is a desire for the light and truth of God to lead a way through the mourning to a sense of joy.
My experience is that the presence of God makes the grief and mourning bearable. Knowing that God is with us gives us hope that leads to joy, praise and a sense of peace. The presence of God, and God present in the people of God, gives us help and hope that leads out of mourning into praise.
May 12, 2014
Monday, May 5, 2014
Psalm Meditation 725
Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 11, 2014
Psalm 93
1 The LORD is king, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
2 your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.
4 More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the LORD!
5 Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.
(NRSV)
There are those who need constant reassurance that their contributions to life in the world are of sufficient quality to be noticed by all. They seek out these reassurances and prompt the folks around them to offer them if they do not arrive in the quantity and frequency required. When these folks rise to positions of authority and power they can surround themselves with ‘yes-folks,’ those who will instantly agree with the ideas and suggestions of the one who runs the show. And they can dismiss folks who are not fast enough with a compliment or who dare to suggest an alternative. In some settings the one in charge is the boss while in other settings that same type of person is seen as a bully.
The other extreme is the folks who do quality work to the best of their ability and live out their lives with an assurance of their own commitment to excellence. They find themselves content with knowing that they do their best with a desire to contribute the best they have to offer in any given circumstance. They don’t need a constant barrage of compliments and they are more than willing to listen and learn from those with different viewpoints and perspectives. In the give and take of ideas and experiences a more rounded solution can be discovered and put into practice. They neither discount nor demand any compliments that come their way.
God is one who does not require our constant attention, does not demand a constant stream of praise and thanks from us. God does appreciate being noticed, acknowledged and thanked, if for no other reason than to keep lines of communication open. There are folks with whom we go long stretches without hearing from each other and pick up the relationship as if no time has passed. That does not mean that we make a habit of losing contact to test the strength of the relationship, only that it will weather time and distance. Is the praise of this psalm required by God in order to keep watching over us, is it required of us in order to remain in God’s good graces, or is it simply a word from grateful people to one who appreciates hearing from us?
May 5, 2014
Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 11, 2014
Psalm 93
1 The LORD is king, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength. He has established the world; it shall never be moved;
2 your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
3 The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring.
4 More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the LORD!
5 Your decrees are very sure; holiness befits your house, O LORD, forevermore.
(NRSV)
There are those who need constant reassurance that their contributions to life in the world are of sufficient quality to be noticed by all. They seek out these reassurances and prompt the folks around them to offer them if they do not arrive in the quantity and frequency required. When these folks rise to positions of authority and power they can surround themselves with ‘yes-folks,’ those who will instantly agree with the ideas and suggestions of the one who runs the show. And they can dismiss folks who are not fast enough with a compliment or who dare to suggest an alternative. In some settings the one in charge is the boss while in other settings that same type of person is seen as a bully.
The other extreme is the folks who do quality work to the best of their ability and live out their lives with an assurance of their own commitment to excellence. They find themselves content with knowing that they do their best with a desire to contribute the best they have to offer in any given circumstance. They don’t need a constant barrage of compliments and they are more than willing to listen and learn from those with different viewpoints and perspectives. In the give and take of ideas and experiences a more rounded solution can be discovered and put into practice. They neither discount nor demand any compliments that come their way.
God is one who does not require our constant attention, does not demand a constant stream of praise and thanks from us. God does appreciate being noticed, acknowledged and thanked, if for no other reason than to keep lines of communication open. There are folks with whom we go long stretches without hearing from each other and pick up the relationship as if no time has passed. That does not mean that we make a habit of losing contact to test the strength of the relationship, only that it will weather time and distance. Is the praise of this psalm required by God in order to keep watching over us, is it required of us in order to remain in God’s good graces, or is it simply a word from grateful people to one who appreciates hearing from us?
May 5, 2014
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