Psalm Meditation 1053 Proper 16 August 23, 2020 Psalm 62 1 For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. 2 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken. 3 How long will you assail a person, will you batter your victim, all of you, as you would a leaning wall, a tottering fence? 4 Their only plan is to bring down a person of prominence. They take pleasure in falsehood; they bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse. Selah 5 For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from him. 6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. 7 On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God. 8 Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. Selah 9 Those of low estate are but a breath, those of high estate are a delusion; in the balances they go up; they are together lighter than a breath. 10 Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them. 11 Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God, 12 and steadfast love belongs to you, O Lord. For you repay to all according to their work. (NRSV) Sometimes it is more important to know what is beyond our ability than to know what is possible for us. I was lucky enough to have older brothers to teach me that things like jumping off the garage roof wearing a beach towel cape does not make flight possible. (I don't remember any of trying such a thing, but it makes my point.) Knowing that we can’t fly keeps us safer than knowing we can get on to the garage roof and jump off. There is a long list of God things that we are unable to do as well, and the psalmist points out some of them. We are not able to achieve salvation on our own. We can’t work hard enough or do enough to get ourselves into heaven. We can’t stand unshaken in any permanent way on our own. We can stand firm against a lot of challenges, however, eventually we will fall to the ground broken on our own. We can’t take refuge on our own, especially from adversities with eternal consequences. For all of these things we need something, someone bigger than ourselves, and bigger than the adversity. We need God. We each have an impressive list of things we can do on our own. Those around us appreciate when we do what we can to care for ourselves, as well as when we offer our talents and abilities to help others. There is also a long list of things for which we need help to accomplish. Most people are happy to help out where they are able. This list includes the things that only God can do. God acts in our lives out of steadfast love for us. There is nothing we can do to earn or deserve God’s love, we can only accept it as a gift given out of love. August 17, 2020 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1052 Proper 15 August 16, 2020 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) One of the most devastating weapons of war is humiliation. I takes several forms, including rape, dehumanizing treatment, killing children in front of their parents, and forcing the captive to sing or recite a happy verse as a reminder that they are not going to be happy for a long time. In the biblical era, it was common to take community leaders into exile, away from their communities. Most people considered their divinities to be confined to their home area. Taking people away from familiar geography also took them away from their divine support system. Exile and the other forms of humiliation heaped on one another made for demoralizing conditions. The psalmist was one of many who believed that the Lord was not confined to a particular locality. Faith practices had to be done in secret to avoid punishment for practicing a foreign religion in the home territory of the established deities. These exiles continued to worship the Lord, and to remember their homeland with hopes of returning as everyone's fortunes shifted. People would rather not sing than be forced to sing joyful songs for the entertainment of their captors and oppressors. At the same time, they pledged to remember the Lord and their homeland for as long as it took to get back there. Humiliating others through cruelty and violence is great fun for some people. It is not confined to one culture or religion. There is that leaning in people of every culture and area. One of the gifts that people of faith give to a culture is to minimize the violent tendencies of the people. It is one thing to fantasize about crushing the heads of the children of our enemies and adversaries, and quite another to carry out that kind of violence. The Lord is one who encourages gentleness and love in the face of violence, despite our desire for violent revenge on those who treated us with violence and humiliation. August 10, 2020 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1051 Proper 14 August 9, 2020 Psalm 37 1 Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, 2 for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. 4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. 6 He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday. 7 Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. 8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it leads only to evil. 9 For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. 10 Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there. 11 But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity. 12 The wicked plot against the righteous, and gnash their teeth at them; 13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming. 14 The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to kill those who walk uprightly; 15 their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. 16 Better is a little that the righteous person has than the abundance of many wicked. 17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. 18 The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will abide forever; 19 they are not put to shame in evil times, in the days of famine they have abundance. 20 But the wicked perish, and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. 21 The wicked borrow, and do not pay back, but the righteous are generous and keep giving; 22 for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. 23 Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way; 24 though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand. 25 I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. 26 They are ever giving liberally and lending, and their children become a blessing. 27 Depart from evil, and do good; so you shall abide forever. 28 For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his faithful ones. The righteous shall be kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. 29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever. 30 The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak justice. 31 The law of their God is in their hearts; their steps do not slip. 32 The wicked watch for the righteous, and seek to kill them. 33 The Lord will not abandon them to their power, or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial. 34 Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on the destruction of the wicked. 35 I have seen the wicked oppressing, and towering like a cedar of Lebanon. 36 Again I passed by, and they were no more; though I sought them, they could not be found. 37 Mark the blameless, and behold the upright, for there is posterity for the peaceable. 38 But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off. 39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their refuge in the time of trouble. 40 The Lord helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (NRSV) I have been reminded that, though we see ourselves that way, we are not always the people God watches over in Scripture. We can be counted among the wicked with equal ease. Do we ever prosper due to the work of those who report to us? Do we ever take out our anger on those who are not able to respond due to their position in the world? Have we ever done anything to squash the hopes and ambitions of those around us because they are moving up the ladder faster than we are? Have we ever used weapons of any kind, physical, emotional, or corporate to run roughshod over someone in our sphere of influence? If we can answer, ‘yes’ to any one of these questions we may be among those God counts as wicked. So, how do we keep from being counted among the wicked? The psalmist gives us advice on how to be counted as righteous. We are to give freely, and lend to others who are in need, as well as teaching our children to be generous, with no thought of being repaid. The righteous seek justice, both for ourselves and for those who are unable to achieve justice for themselves. The righteous utter wisdom and strive for justice, as well as holding the law of God in our hearts. All the rest comes from God. It seems so simple, with these few requirements, however, our tendency is to look out for our own and to protect ourselves from ‘those people’ who want what we have, even if they have no power or influence with which to take what we have. The question of the psalmist is, do you want to go after the good things the world offers, or follow and serve God, receiving the gifts God gives? We can do everything we can to get rich, enjoying the advantages of wealth and power. It is hard work that may or may not pay off at a level that will satisfy us. We can do everything we can to serve God, enjoying the company and gifts of God as a part of the people of God. John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist movement, gave the advice, “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can for as long as you can.” If we find ourselves in a position to have resources beyond our needs, we are to use them for the benefit of others, to the glory of God. August 3, 2020 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1050
Proper 13
August 2, 2020

Psalm 112
1 Praise the Lord! Happy are those who fear the Lord, who greatly delight in his commandments.
2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.
4 They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.
7 They are not afraid of evil tidings; their hearts are firm, secure in the Lord.
8 Their hearts are steady, they will not be afraid; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.
9 They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor; their righteousness endures forever; their horn is exalted in honor.
10 The wicked see it and are angry; they gnash their teeth and melt away; the desire of the wicked comes to nothing.
(NRSV)
We are used to being the star of our own story, so when we step into God’s story we naturally assume the role of protagonist. Of course we delight in the commandments of the Lord. Of course we are mighty in the land, upright, wealthy and righteous. We stand firm in the ways of God and we expect to come out on top in all disagreements, arguments, and disputes. We have every intention of being the very best at following in the footsteps God has mapped out for good folks like us.

What if this is not about us? Not that we are bad people, just that we leave out some of what God lays out for righteous folk. We not only leave it out, we flat out ignore it. We are okay with bringing up our children the way we were brought up, properly. It is the parts about helping others that we could do without. The part about distributing freely and giving to the poor rankles a bit. We worked hard to get what we have and none of those lazy poor people deserve any of what we worked so hard to get. Except for that pesky part about sharing with others is part of what it means to be righteous.

It is easy to deflect this critique, to make excuses for what we have and have not done for the sake of others. And God calls us to the hard work of taking off our rose colored glasses to look at ourselves in the clear light of day. Chances are pretty good that we are not as righteous and upright as we want to be. And we are just as guilty as the people we gossip and trash talk about. If we read the Psalms as if they are teaching us, disciplining us, moving us off of our normal track we will see that God loves to lead us toward what it means to be a conscious, aware, and active child of God.

July 27, 2020
LCM

Psalm Meditation 1049
Proper 12
July 26, 2020

Psalm 12
1 Help, O Lord, for there is no longer anyone who is godly; the faithful have disappeared from humankind.
2 They utter lies to each other; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongues we will prevail; our lips are our own—who is our master?”
5 “Because the poor are despoiled, because the needy groan, I will now rise up,” says the Lord; “I will place them in the safety for which they long.”
6 The promises of the Lord are promises that are pure, silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will protect us; you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among humankind.
(NRSV)

It is probably tempting in every age to believe that godly folks have disappeared from the earth. Those who are most vocal about their faith are the ones who have taken some aspect of faith, twisted it to fit their particular agenda, and announced it from the mountaintops that this is the way to live out the faith. Oh, and if anyone disagrees with their way of thinking, acting, and talking they are going to hell so there is no need to pay attention to them at all.

However, the folks who are faithful to God are working with the poor, the downtrodden and the oppressed. They have no desire to be applauded, their desire is to serve. And every age makes some progress in the care of the outcast as folks rise up to “place them in the safety for which they long“ for the glory of God. They are not making gobs of money telling people what they want to hear, they are making sacrifices and doing to hard work to make it possible for people to live in the world.

People will continue to see themselves as faithful as they splash the words of God in big, noisy, public places. They will miss that the words are taken out of context so that they lead to personal gain for themselves and some of their followers. Damage will be done to the reputation of God, but it will not last. Folks will eventually swing back to seeing the servants, whose lives are lived quietly and faithfully for the glory of God.

July 20, 2020
LCM

Psalm Meditation 1048
Proper 11
July 19, 2020

Psalm 87
1 On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
2 the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
3 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah
4 Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; Philistia too, and Tyre, with Ethiopia—“This one was born there,” they say.
5 And of Zion it shall be said, “This one and that one were born in it”; for the Most High himself will establish it.
6 The Lord records, as he registers the peoples, “This one was born there.” Selah
7 Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.”
(NRSV)

There are cities that people imagine as wonderful places to be born and grow up. Some people get to experience growing up in those cities for themselves. Rome, Paris, London, New York, Chicago are some of the cities that come quickly to mind for me. You have your own list of dream cities in which to be born and grow up that are wonderful and exciting places. There are people who have excellent experiences of growing up in their home town. The psalmist extols the virtues of the city of Zion, Jerusalem.

For the psalmist, the city of Zion is a great place to be born because it is the city of God. The presence and blessing of God in the city makes it an exceptional place to live. It is one of those cities that holds a place in the hearts of anyone who grew up in it. The psalmist knows that Zion is a spring that wells up in the lives of citizens in a way that nourishes their souls throughout their lives.

There are celebrated cities that give the reputation of a person born there a boost. In many cases those boosts of reputation are justified. The psalmist has a more important criteria than the place of one’s birth; the presence of God. If God is a part of one’s upbringing there is a whole different spring in one’s step and lilt to one’s voice. To be born in the presence and under the influence of God helps set folks apart in a special way.

July 13, 2020
LCM

Psalm Meditation 1047
Proper 10
July 12, 2020

Psalm 61
1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I;
3 for you are my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy.
4 Let me abide in your tent forever, find refuge under the shelter of your wings. Selah
5 For you, O God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 Prolong the life of the king; may his years endure to all generations!
7 May he be enthroned forever before God; appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!
8 So I will always sing praises to your name, as I pay my vows day after day.
(NRSV)

Before we can make any vows or promises, God is our refuge. It takes us a while to figure that out so we spend a lot of time trying to earn God’s love, trying to deserve all the gifts that God showers on us. We beat ourselves up for not being able to do all the things that seem important to earn God’s love. We have been known to judge the quality of our actions even if we have done the right things. ‘God still doesn’t love me fully because I didn’t do that one thing as well as I could have. And that other thing was not perfect, so how can God possibly love me if I can’t even be perfect?’

First and foremost, God is our refuge. It is a refuge of steadfast love. It isn’t because we have earned a place in God’s strong tower, it is because God loves us. I have an image of a child wrapping arms around a parent’s leg or waist, knowing that there is safety in this kind of closeness. To complete the image a parental hand moves down with a comforting hand on top of the child’s head. For the child, that is the safest refuge, the strongest tower ever. When we change the image to place God in the parental role imagine how safe and comforting that place is when we melt into it.

Know that God already loves you and that you can’t earn or deserve that love. Relax into God’s love and allow it to seep in to all your cracked and broken places. There is no time limit. God is not going to move away from you or get impatient that you are not doing something right or quickly enough.

July 6, 2020
LCM