Psalm Meditation 914
Fourth Sunday of Advent/Christmas Eve
December 24, 2017
Psalm 128
1 Happy is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways.
2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
4 Thus shall the man be blessed who fears the LORD.
5 The LORD bless you from Zion. May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.
6 May you see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!
(NRSV)
The two extremes of being afraid of someone have to do with whether or not we want to be in their company. We are afraid of some people in a way that we do not want to be near them. They are creepy, violent, or mean in a way that we do not like being around them. They have a way of sucking the life out of us. When we are in the same place together we are mindful of where they are so that we can avoid them if possible. When we must interact with them we stay as distant and formal as we possibly can to protect ourselves from further damage.
We are afraid of other people in a way that draws us to them. We are in awe of them. We want to be close to them and find ourselves wide eyed and open mouthed around them. They have a way of enlivening us. We find and make ways to be near them, though not too close. We are afraid our excitement will get the better of us and we will be incapable of communicating with them in any meaningful way. We want to approach and we want to run away all at once so we find a comfortable distance hoping to move closer as we spend time together.
God wants us to be drawn in; to want to be in God’s presence. God is one who is touched by our awe and who wants us to know that we are welcome and encouraged to come as close as we are comfortable. As we approach God includes us into the conversation and activity as one who has a place close to God. We may continue to feel unworthy, however it is not God who makes us feel that way. When we allow ourselves to join in, to claim the place God offers, we will be happy/blessed.
December 18, 2017
LCM
Monday, December 18, 2017
Monday, December 11, 2017
Psalm Meditation 913
Third Sunday of Advent
December 17, 2017
Psalm 73
1 Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out with fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth.
10 Therefore the people turn and praise them, and find no fault in them.
11 And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Such are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all day long I have been plagued, and am punished every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will talk on in this way,” I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.
18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes; on awaking you despise their phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was stupid and ignorant; I was like a brute beast toward you.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honor.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 Indeed, those who are far from you will perish; you put an end to those who are false to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, to tell of all your works.
(NRSV)
We make heroes out of wealthy people, believing that wealth is a blessing God bestows on people who deserve it. At the very least we believe that rich people have worked hard through their lives and have earned everything they have. Since they have done it we see it as possible for us to work hard, make the right choices and reap the same rewards and benefits as all the rich people who have made it ahead of us. Barring that, we gamble on lotteries and other games of chance, knowing that God will give us a turn at winning and all will be well. Wealth is seen as an unlimited commodity and there is a place for us in the ranks of the rich.
In the biblical era wealth was seen as limited and set. The only way someone could become rich was to make someone else poor. In this view, the only people who can become rich are those willing to take advantage of people for the sake of their own prosperity. In order to be rich one must also be wicked. Rich people tend to turn away from God since they have everything they could possibly want or need.
There are always those who look up to rich people as a class. People know that, unlike all the other rich people, ‘I could handle being rich and popular without taking advantage of others.’ Most people are convinced that having money would not change them. I believe that to be true. People who are kind and generous continue to be kind and generous with money; people who are selfish and self-serving will continue to take advantage of others once they add money to their reasons to lord it over people.
It turns out that both world views have some truth and merit. The supply of wealth and resources has much higher limits than we can imagine, and those who have money tend to take advantage of those who don’t in a variety of ways. The deciding factor in whether or not rich folk exploit those around them lies in a relationship with God. Those who trust God to provide out of the bounty of creation are much more willing to share and spread their wealth than those who trust themselves and their abilities. Any rewards we are reap are from the motivations of our hearts in God rather than from the prosperity itself. God does not want us to be rich, God wants us to be faithful.
December 11, 2017
LCM
Third Sunday of Advent
December 17, 2017
Psalm 73
1 Truly God is good to the upright, to those who are pure in heart.
2 But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.
3 For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4 For they have no pain; their bodies are sound and sleek.
5 They are not in trouble as others are; they are not plagued like other people.
6 Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.
7 Their eyes swell out with fatness; their hearts overflow with follies.
8 They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.
9 They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth.
10 Therefore the people turn and praise them, and find no fault in them.
11 And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
12 Such are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches.
13 All in vain I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence.
14 For all day long I have been plagued, and am punished every morning.
15 If I had said, “I will talk on in this way,” I would have been untrue to the circle of your children.
16 But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task,
17 until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end.
18 Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin.
19 How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors!
20 They are like a dream when one awakes; on awaking you despise their phantoms.
21 When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart,
22 I was stupid and ignorant; I was like a brute beast toward you.
23 Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honor.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
27 Indeed, those who are far from you will perish; you put an end to those who are false to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, to tell of all your works.
(NRSV)
We make heroes out of wealthy people, believing that wealth is a blessing God bestows on people who deserve it. At the very least we believe that rich people have worked hard through their lives and have earned everything they have. Since they have done it we see it as possible for us to work hard, make the right choices and reap the same rewards and benefits as all the rich people who have made it ahead of us. Barring that, we gamble on lotteries and other games of chance, knowing that God will give us a turn at winning and all will be well. Wealth is seen as an unlimited commodity and there is a place for us in the ranks of the rich.
In the biblical era wealth was seen as limited and set. The only way someone could become rich was to make someone else poor. In this view, the only people who can become rich are those willing to take advantage of people for the sake of their own prosperity. In order to be rich one must also be wicked. Rich people tend to turn away from God since they have everything they could possibly want or need.
There are always those who look up to rich people as a class. People know that, unlike all the other rich people, ‘I could handle being rich and popular without taking advantage of others.’ Most people are convinced that having money would not change them. I believe that to be true. People who are kind and generous continue to be kind and generous with money; people who are selfish and self-serving will continue to take advantage of others once they add money to their reasons to lord it over people.
It turns out that both world views have some truth and merit. The supply of wealth and resources has much higher limits than we can imagine, and those who have money tend to take advantage of those who don’t in a variety of ways. The deciding factor in whether or not rich folk exploit those around them lies in a relationship with God. Those who trust God to provide out of the bounty of creation are much more willing to share and spread their wealth than those who trust themselves and their abilities. Any rewards we are reap are from the motivations of our hearts in God rather than from the prosperity itself. God does not want us to be rich, God wants us to be faithful.
December 11, 2017
LCM
Monday, December 4, 2017
Psalm Meditation 912
Second Sunday of Advent
December 10, 2017
Psalm 78:1-12,26-39
1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
5 He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children;
6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.
11 They forgot what he had done, and the miracles that he had shown them.
12 In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;
27 he rained flesh upon them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;
28 he let them fall within their camp, all around their dwellings.
29 And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.
30 But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths,
31 the anger of God rose against them and he killed the strongest of them, and laid low the flower of Israel.
32 In spite of all this they still sinned; they did not believe in his wonders.
33 So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror.
34 When he killed them, they sought for him; they repented and sought God earnestly.
35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.
36 But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not true to his covenant.
38 Yet he, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them; often he restrained his anger, and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and does not come again.
(NRSV)
One of the things I like about Judaism is that they don’t sugar coat their heroes and ancestors. We know from the beginning that people are going to be faithful for a moment and then stray from doing the will of God, as individuals and as a nation. It is a recognition that people can only depend on God for a little while before they wander off to do things their own way. It is an acknowledgment that we are human and that God still loves them and works for their good despite all the ways they tempt God to walk away.
I was taught that national heroes were practically perfect in every way. We might get some odd piece of trivia to humanize them a bit, for the most part they were perfect and excellent. It wasn’t until the perfection was deeply ingrained that we began to hear about faults, flaws and failings that would have had a questioning the hero designation. We seem to believe that perfection is the minimum standard for anyone who runs for office and serves the nation. If someone is less than perfect we find a way to make them fit our notion of what a hero is, or if they are of the other party, we make them the villain for being such a cad and moral misfit. While it may seem that we are in the worst of times, it is just as possible that we have been through worse and not heard about it.
When we are perfect, we have no need of God. It is when we realize that we are in need of an external moral compass; that we are in need of forgiveness and redemption that we can turn to God for healing and salvation. It is only by seeing ourselves, individually and collectively, as flawed and faltering that we can set aside our need for perfect leaders, even if we have to redefine what perfection is. As less than perfect people we can turn to God for all that God has to offer.
December 4, 2017
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Second Sunday of Advent
December 10, 2017
Psalm 78:1-12,26-39
1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known, that our ancestors have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children; we will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done.
5 He established a decree in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children;
6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and rise up and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
8 and that they should not be like their ancestors, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God.
9 The Ephraimites, armed with the bow, turned back on the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God’s covenant, but refused to walk according to his law.
11 They forgot what he had done, and the miracles that he had shown them.
12 In the sight of their ancestors he worked marvels in the land of Egypt, in the fields of Zoan.
26 He caused the east wind to blow in the heavens, and by his power he led out the south wind;
27 he rained flesh upon them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;
28 he let them fall within their camp, all around their dwellings.
29 And they ate and were well filled, for he gave them what they craved.
30 But before they had satisfied their craving, while the food was still in their mouths,
31 the anger of God rose against them and he killed the strongest of them, and laid low the flower of Israel.
32 In spite of all this they still sinned; they did not believe in his wonders.
33 So he made their days vanish like a breath, and their years in terror.
34 When he killed them, they sought for him; they repented and sought God earnestly.
35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.
36 But they flattered him with their mouths; they lied to him with their tongues.
37 Their heart was not steadfast toward him; they were not true to his covenant.
38 Yet he, being compassionate, forgave their iniquity, and did not destroy them; often he restrained his anger, and did not stir up all his wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes and does not come again.
(NRSV)
One of the things I like about Judaism is that they don’t sugar coat their heroes and ancestors. We know from the beginning that people are going to be faithful for a moment and then stray from doing the will of God, as individuals and as a nation. It is a recognition that people can only depend on God for a little while before they wander off to do things their own way. It is an acknowledgment that we are human and that God still loves them and works for their good despite all the ways they tempt God to walk away.
I was taught that national heroes were practically perfect in every way. We might get some odd piece of trivia to humanize them a bit, for the most part they were perfect and excellent. It wasn’t until the perfection was deeply ingrained that we began to hear about faults, flaws and failings that would have had a questioning the hero designation. We seem to believe that perfection is the minimum standard for anyone who runs for office and serves the nation. If someone is less than perfect we find a way to make them fit our notion of what a hero is, or if they are of the other party, we make them the villain for being such a cad and moral misfit. While it may seem that we are in the worst of times, it is just as possible that we have been through worse and not heard about it.
When we are perfect, we have no need of God. It is when we realize that we are in need of an external moral compass; that we are in need of forgiveness and redemption that we can turn to God for healing and salvation. It is only by seeing ourselves, individually and collectively, as flawed and faltering that we can set aside our need for perfect leaders, even if we have to redefine what perfection is. As less than perfect people we can turn to God for all that God has to offer.
December 4, 2017
LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net
http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/
Monday, November 27, 2017
Psalm Meditation 911
First Sunday of Advent
December 3, 2017
Psalm 123
1 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until he has mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.
(NRSV)
The image that comes to mind is of someone desperate to be included in a group of ‘cool kids’ in school. We willingly do things to humiliate ourselves because we were asked or told to do this thing. We may feel as if we have been included even as friends see that we are being treated as a court jester or a well trained pet. Because we are so desperate to be a part of the group we don’t notice that we are being treated more as a possession than as an equal in the group.
When we see that we are being treated badly we long for release from the contempt we have been experiencing and a return to the group of which we were a genuine part. For the psalmist this means turning to God for release from oppression and contempt. The situation is likely more involved and just as traumatic as the above treatment by the ‘cool kids.’ God does not pluck us out of trouble and set us back on the firm footing of a different group. God gives us the courage and wherewithal to see what we have become and to take the steps to leave one group in order to move into a group that includes us as an equal.
Having turned to God with the realization that the priorities of the world are not finally fulfilling we engage in building relationships with those we value and who value us in return. These new relationships, based in mutual love and respect, show us that much of what gives meaning to our lives cannot be held in our hands or stored in boxes. In the realm of God we are able to see others as unique children of God without considering social status or economic standing. As people of God we are able to give and receive the gifts each of us has to offer.
November 27, 2017
LCM
First Sunday of Advent
December 3, 2017
Psalm 123
1 To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!
2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the LORD our God, until he has mercy upon us.
3 Have mercy upon us, O LORD, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt.
4 Our soul has had more than its fill of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.
(NRSV)
The image that comes to mind is of someone desperate to be included in a group of ‘cool kids’ in school. We willingly do things to humiliate ourselves because we were asked or told to do this thing. We may feel as if we have been included even as friends see that we are being treated as a court jester or a well trained pet. Because we are so desperate to be a part of the group we don’t notice that we are being treated more as a possession than as an equal in the group.
When we see that we are being treated badly we long for release from the contempt we have been experiencing and a return to the group of which we were a genuine part. For the psalmist this means turning to God for release from oppression and contempt. The situation is likely more involved and just as traumatic as the above treatment by the ‘cool kids.’ God does not pluck us out of trouble and set us back on the firm footing of a different group. God gives us the courage and wherewithal to see what we have become and to take the steps to leave one group in order to move into a group that includes us as an equal.
Having turned to God with the realization that the priorities of the world are not finally fulfilling we engage in building relationships with those we value and who value us in return. These new relationships, based in mutual love and respect, show us that much of what gives meaning to our lives cannot be held in our hands or stored in boxes. In the realm of God we are able to see others as unique children of God without considering social status or economic standing. As people of God we are able to give and receive the gifts each of us has to offer.
November 27, 2017
LCM
Monday, November 20, 2017
Psalm Meditation 910
Reign of Christ
November 26, 2017
Psalm 28
1 To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me, for if you are silent to me, I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who are workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors, while mischief is in their hearts.
4 Repay them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds; repay them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, or the work of his hands, he will break them down and build them up no more.
6 Blessed be the LORD, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
8 The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd, and carry them forever.
(NRSV)
There are those who believe that God will not listen to the prayer of a sinner, until that person has first prayed a ‘sinner’s prayer’ along the lines of Psalm 51. God is not able to hear a prayer until the person has prayed this prayer as an acknowledgement of sinfulness and the inability to achieve salvation without the presence of God. In this view God does not act in favor of anyone who has not accepted the salvation God offers.
I believe with John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist movement, that God is seeking us out from the start, actively loving us and acting with our best interest in mind. This puts the first move into the realm of God. We will not notice or name what goes on as God in our lives until we accept the love God offers, however God is actively working in our lives and responding to our heartfelt wants and needs way before we notice. God acts as a parent with a newborn providing care and nurture from the beginning.
Perhaps God acts and we perceive that action as we are willing and able. The psalmist hopes for and counts on the active presence of God in the life of the nation, delivering individuals and the whole people from that which threatens body and soul. God will also punish those who do damage among the people of God whether from within or from the outside. Salvation comes from God and we acknowledge and accept it as children of God.
November 20, 2017
LCM
Reign of Christ
November 26, 2017
Psalm 28
1 To you, O LORD, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me, for if you are silent to me, I shall be like those who go down to the Pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary.
3 Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who are workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors, while mischief is in their hearts.
4 Repay them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds; repay them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward.
5 Because they do not regard the works of the LORD, or the work of his hands, he will break them down and build them up no more.
6 Blessed be the LORD, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
8 The LORD is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed.
9 O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd, and carry them forever.
(NRSV)
There are those who believe that God will not listen to the prayer of a sinner, until that person has first prayed a ‘sinner’s prayer’ along the lines of Psalm 51. God is not able to hear a prayer until the person has prayed this prayer as an acknowledgement of sinfulness and the inability to achieve salvation without the presence of God. In this view God does not act in favor of anyone who has not accepted the salvation God offers.
I believe with John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist movement, that God is seeking us out from the start, actively loving us and acting with our best interest in mind. This puts the first move into the realm of God. We will not notice or name what goes on as God in our lives until we accept the love God offers, however God is actively working in our lives and responding to our heartfelt wants and needs way before we notice. God acts as a parent with a newborn providing care and nurture from the beginning.
Perhaps God acts and we perceive that action as we are willing and able. The psalmist hopes for and counts on the active presence of God in the life of the nation, delivering individuals and the whole people from that which threatens body and soul. God will also punish those who do damage among the people of God whether from within or from the outside. Salvation comes from God and we acknowledge and accept it as children of God.
November 20, 2017
LCM
Monday, November 13, 2017
Psalm Meditation 909
Proper 28
November 19, 2017
Psalm 25
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O LORD!
8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who are they that fear the LORD? He will teach them the way that they should choose.
13 They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land.
14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 O guard my life, and deliver me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all its troubles.
(NRSV)
Sometimes we get convinced that to be a person of God means never having to suffer, never having to be troubled, and never having to go through anything unpleasant. The psalmist reminds us that those who believe those things are not quite on the mark. We think it would be nice if we never had to suffer any pain, torment, or treachery. But would it? It is interesting to consider what our lives would be without the pain and suffering we go through. It would mean we never loved anyone or anything enough to sacrifice for them. It would mean we never cared about anyone enough to feel their pain and anguish. It would mean never making mistakes to learn and grow from, sometimes more than once. Being human is painful.
The psalmist also reminds us that in all of our suffering God is with us. We feel pain, sorrow, and sadness but not alone. We feel lonely and cut off from everything and everybody, however God is with us. At some point we find the wherewithal to face the rest of the world and we find the presence of God all around us and within us. It is God’s presence that has made it possible for us to get as far as we have gotten. We feel as if we have been plucked up out of the situation though it has been a longer, slower process than we see at the moment.
God does not keep us from pain and suffering so much as God redeems our pain and suffering. At some point we find strength, courage, and resolve to move forward because we have experienced pain. Much as we think it would be nice to live lives of lollipops, rainbows, and unicorns, most of us don’t learn things that way and we certainly don’t grow that way. We go through pain and suffering, and we go through it in the presence of God.
November 13, 2017
LCM
Proper 28
November 19, 2017
Psalm 25
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
3 Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame; let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all day long.
6 Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for your goodness’ sake, O LORD!
8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
11 For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who are they that fear the LORD? He will teach them the way that they should choose.
13 They will abide in prosperity, and their children shall possess the land.
14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 O guard my life, and deliver me; do not let me be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all its troubles.
(NRSV)
Sometimes we get convinced that to be a person of God means never having to suffer, never having to be troubled, and never having to go through anything unpleasant. The psalmist reminds us that those who believe those things are not quite on the mark. We think it would be nice if we never had to suffer any pain, torment, or treachery. But would it? It is interesting to consider what our lives would be without the pain and suffering we go through. It would mean we never loved anyone or anything enough to sacrifice for them. It would mean we never cared about anyone enough to feel their pain and anguish. It would mean never making mistakes to learn and grow from, sometimes more than once. Being human is painful.
The psalmist also reminds us that in all of our suffering God is with us. We feel pain, sorrow, and sadness but not alone. We feel lonely and cut off from everything and everybody, however God is with us. At some point we find the wherewithal to face the rest of the world and we find the presence of God all around us and within us. It is God’s presence that has made it possible for us to get as far as we have gotten. We feel as if we have been plucked up out of the situation though it has been a longer, slower process than we see at the moment.
God does not keep us from pain and suffering so much as God redeems our pain and suffering. At some point we find strength, courage, and resolve to move forward because we have experienced pain. Much as we think it would be nice to live lives of lollipops, rainbows, and unicorns, most of us don’t learn things that way and we certainly don’t grow that way. We go through pain and suffering, and we go through it in the presence of God.
November 13, 2017
LCM
Monday, November 6, 2017
Psalm Meditation 908
Proper 27
November12, 2017
Psalm 126
1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
(NRSV)
There is something sad about a creek bed that has nothing but a small stream in it when it obviously has been wider and deeper in the recent past. The lack of water signals that something has changed for the worse in the area. In some cases the presence or lack of water is seasonal, in others it is a sign of a more lasting change. The Negeb is a desert area whose pools and streams get filled and connected during heavy rains. What is usually dry fills with water, to the relief of the people, plants, and animals who depend on the water that is available.
The nation may be coming out of a time of oppression of some kind. The psalmist asks that God restore the fortunes of the nation in the way the desert is restored by water. It may be a brief respite from the dry conditions, however it is sufficient to sustain life until the next time. Though they were conquered and oppressed as they planted seeds to feed their oppressors, they are now free and they harvest their crop for their own sustenance and enjoyment. What was a dry time has turned to a time of abundance.
When we go through dry and dusty times we feel as if they will last forever. Some last longer than others and some people and areas have deeper reserves to weather those times. The psalmist calls us to rejoice when those times of abundance return because they remind us that God is the one who brings us abundance in the world and in our lives.
November 6, 2017
LCM
Proper 27
November12, 2017
Psalm 126
1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then it was said among the nations, “The LORD has done great things for them.”
3 The LORD has done great things for us, and we rejoiced.
4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves.
(NRSV)
There is something sad about a creek bed that has nothing but a small stream in it when it obviously has been wider and deeper in the recent past. The lack of water signals that something has changed for the worse in the area. In some cases the presence or lack of water is seasonal, in others it is a sign of a more lasting change. The Negeb is a desert area whose pools and streams get filled and connected during heavy rains. What is usually dry fills with water, to the relief of the people, plants, and animals who depend on the water that is available.
The nation may be coming out of a time of oppression of some kind. The psalmist asks that God restore the fortunes of the nation in the way the desert is restored by water. It may be a brief respite from the dry conditions, however it is sufficient to sustain life until the next time. Though they were conquered and oppressed as they planted seeds to feed their oppressors, they are now free and they harvest their crop for their own sustenance and enjoyment. What was a dry time has turned to a time of abundance.
When we go through dry and dusty times we feel as if they will last forever. Some last longer than others and some people and areas have deeper reserves to weather those times. The psalmist calls us to rejoice when those times of abundance return because they remind us that God is the one who brings us abundance in the world and in our lives.
November 6, 2017
LCM
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