Psalm Meditation 1075 Third Sunday After Epiphany January 24, 2021 Psalm 41 1 Happy are those who consider the poor; the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble. 2 The Lord protects them and keeps them alive; they are called happy in the land. You do not give them up to the will of their enemies. 3 The Lord sustains them on their sickbed; in their illness you heal all their infirmities. 4 As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you.” 5 My enemies wonder in malice when I will die, and my name perish. 6 And when they come to see me, they utter empty words, while their hearts gather mischief; when they go out, they tell it abroad. 7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me. 8 They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me, that I will not rise again from where I lie. 9 Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me. 10 But you, O Lord, be gracious to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them. 11 By this I know that you are pleased with me; because my enemy has not triumphed over me. 12 But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever. 13 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen. (NRSV) I imagine it is exhausting to be singled out by a group of people for abuse and ridicule of every kind; to know that every move is seen, judged, and found wanting. There is no rest because of the need for constant vigilance against prying eyes and ears, waiting for the next move that will set off yet another attack. The only respite is in isolation, or a small group of close, trusted friends. The psalmist reminds us that even the group of friends can turn sour sometimes. An adversary can wheedle their way into the group of friends, or a friend can be won over to the adversarial side given the right promises, however empty they might be. That one pretends to be a friend in order to gather more intimate information that can then be used to inflict deeper damage to the soul of that one singled out for destruction. Once someone gets into the inner circle there is no defense strong enough to protect anyone. The psalmist turns to God as the only one who can offer help, hope, and redemption in these situations. God is the only one who can offer resources that can be used to rebuild a life. We may imagine that the psalmist ask for rescue from God in order to destroy the enemies. In many cases the best recourse for repayment is to succeed despite all the energy folks have put into the abuse and ridicule of those like the psalmist. “By this I know that you are pleased with me; because my enemy has not triumphed over me. But you have upheld me because of my integrity, and set me in your presence forever. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.” January 18, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1074 Second Sunday After Epiphany January 17, 2021 Psalm 116 1 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, save my life!” 5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. 6 The Lord protects the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you. 8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling. 9 I walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I kept my faith, even when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”; 11 I said in my consternation, “Everyone is a liar.” 12 What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, 14 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. 16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord! (NRSV) People who have been there for us in times of trial have a special place in our hearts for the rest of our lives. The one who offered that memorable word of encouragement, the one who stood up for us when it seemed no one else would, the one who showed up when no one else did, the one who treated us as if we mattered when we doubted that ourselves stand out among the memorable people in our lives. For the psalmist, and many of us, YHWH is chief among those who were supportive in times of trial. This psalm goes through a list of ways in which God supported the psalmist in times of need, and the list of responses the psalmist plans to offer up to God in gratitude for all the help that came when it was most needed. The list of responses from the psalmist will take a lifetime to perform for the lifesaving acts of God in a moment of need. If the psalmist is like many of us the sense of gratitude will last a lifetime. My own list of people for whom I am grateful includes folks who will never know how much their action touched my life. For them, it was a random act of kindness, for me, it was the right act at the right time offered for reasons of their own. Random acts of kindness are often generated by a sense of gratitude within the person offering the act. My guess is that after the psalmist performs the list of actions in the psalm a sense of generosity sprouted, grew and went beyond sacrifices to God and spread to touch others January 11, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1073 Baptism of the Lord January 10, 2021 Psalm 16 1 Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." 3 As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight. 4 Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows, their drink offereings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips. 5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. 6 the boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage. 7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. 8 I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my rigfht hand, I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rest secure. 10 For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. 11 You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (NRSV) How are our lives made different by the choices we have made? We won't get the chance to go back, make a new decision, see which one we like best and live that life from here on. In some cases, we will learn how we made a difference in someone's life by the way we live our own. Most of the time we do what seems right to us and hope that no one gets hurt by any of our choices, and that maybe we helped someone. We can second guess ourselves, however we can't go back to a moment in time to make a different choice. The psalmist is pleased with the way things have turned out so far. "The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage." How does the psalmist know that a diffeerent choice wouldn't have led to an even better place, a richer heritage? There is no way to know. We get to make the gbest of what we have by making choices that will take us in the way the seems gest to us at the time. One set of choices my lead to wealth, fame, and power while another set leads to joy and contentment in whatever circumstance we find ourselves. We will make our choices according to what is important to us. Some folks make choices that will lead to wealth and power, believing that those will make them happy. Some make choices that will lead to happiness, peace, and contentment. The psalmist leans toward the happiness, rejoicing, and security that comes from a relationship with God. "You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore." January 4, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1072 Epiphany Sunday January 3, 2021 Psalm 91 1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, 2 will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; 4 he will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 5 You will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, 6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. 8 You will only look with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, 10 no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 12 On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot. 14 Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. 15 When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. 16 With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation. (NRSV) In every time and place there are folks who will find and make ways to test our love and loyalty. In times of stress and trauma these folks seem to need to test our loyalty more deeply and more regularly. There are those who will test the limits of this psalm on a regular basis. There are congregations in which the faithful will handle venomous snakes for a variety of reasons. I can only guess what those reasons might be. It seems that some handle snakes in worship as a way to demonstrate their faith, while others do it to test the faithfulness of God in the face of danger. Those who don’t handle snakes have other ways of demonstrating faith or testing God. Making bargains with or making demands on God are a couple of the ways many of us have been known to test the limits of God’s love for us. “If you do this for me, I will do that for you.” is a familiar bargaining method. It usually requires God to stretch the laws of Creation to the breaking point or beyond. And our reaction to God’s action places some regular inconvenience in our path. “God, you need to do this for us because we told all our friends you would, and we would hate for you to look bad in front of all these people.” goes beyond bargaining to demanding that God act. And if our demands are met we do not give thanks to God, we give an ‘I told you so,’ look to our friends. God loves us without condition and will be with us through all of the calamities and traumas that happen in our lives. If we get sick or hurt it does not mean that God has abandoned us. God is with us through it all. God will always be ready as a solid refuge from all of our troubles and trials, just as God is with us in each of our moments of joy and ease. We may not be rescued from trial the way we ask or expect, however, God is with us. “When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.” December 28, 2020 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1071 First Sunday After Christmas December 27, 2020 Psalm 65 1 Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed, 2 O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come. 3 When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions. 4 Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple. 5 By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. 6 By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might. 7 You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples. 8 Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy. 9 You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. 10 You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. 11 You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness. 12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, 13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy. (NRSV) God gives us a lot to be thankful for. God hears our prayers as they range from praise and thanksgiving to prayers that ask for action on our behalf. God offers us forgiveness when we reach the point at which we are overwhelmed by our sinful actions. God draws us to live in the divine presence as a gift from God’s heart. God provides us a rich variety and abundance from the earth with which to satisfy our needs in proper season. We have every reason to be in awe of the power of God in our lives. The better things are going for us the easier it is to forget the source of all of our good things. We begin to believe that what we have is due to our own hard work and that we have somehow done enough to deserve all that we have. God is not mean spirited enough to take it all away from us so that we will once again see the hand of God at work in our lives. I am sure that God is content to provide for us without having that generosity acknowledged at every turn. And God is pleased when we do notice the divine hand at work in our lives. Some folks live in a constant state of awe, on the edge of being overwhelmed by the activity of God around us. Some folks take time in every day to give thanks to God for providing for our needs and wants. Some folks express gratitude even when they are not feeling very grateful in hopes that saying it will help make it happen. God is at work in our lives whether we notice and acknowledge it or not. “Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed, O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come.” December 21, 2020 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1070 Fourth Sunday of Advent December 20, 2020 Psalm 140 1 Deliver me, O Lord, from evildoers; protect me from those who are violent, 2 who plan evil things in their minds and stir up wars continually. 3 They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s, and under their lips is the venom of vipers. Selah 4 Guard me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent who have planned my downfall. 5 The arrogant have hidden a trap for me, and with cords they have spread a net, along the road they have set snares for me. Selah 6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God; give ear, O Lord, to the voice of my supplications.” 7 O Lord, my Lord, my strong deliverer, you have covered my head in the day of battle. 8 Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; do not further their evil plot. Selah 9 Those who surround me lift up their heads; let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them! 10 Let burning coals fall on them! Let them be flung into pits, no more to rise! 11 Do not let the slanderer be established in the land; let evil speedily hunt down the violent! 12 I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy, and executes justice for the poor. 13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name; the upright shall live in your presence. (NRSV) Those who live and work in any sort of public sphere will live with criticism from those around us. Anything that we say or do will be open for comment from those who are in the room with us, to those who heard about it second hand, to those who simply want to jump in to a complaint fest. Some of the critiques are valid and will benefit us as we are able to address them for ourselves. Some are valid points of view in which we acknowledge our difference of opinion, learn to live with the differences, or part company in some way. Some are mean spirited and if we comply with their demands, the demands will change so that we are continually in the wrong. Prayer is a fitting response to any type of criticism. It opens us to the workings of God in our lives. Most of the time the transformation that takes place in prayer is not about what is going on outside us, the transformation is from within. When the criticism is valid we make the change because it makes sense to us to do so. Even the mean spirited, destructive complaints have the potential of teaching us how to move forward in our lives despite the intentions of the complainer. Whether burning coals fall on folks as they fall into pits filled with evil because of what they have said to us and about us, we can see their influence drop off in our lives. Even as the wounds and scars remain, the people who inflicted them will lose their power and influence over our lives. The other person will not have changed, it will be our attitude toward them that will have changed. In some cases those who have been a source of evil in our lives will meet a fate that falls in line with our fantasies and supplications lifted to God. Sometimes those folks will go through a conversion experience of their own, will ask our forgiveness for their previous behavior, and all will be well between us. Most of the time we will have a change of heart about them. We will see them in a new light that makes their attacks understandable by putting them into a perspective based on their life and experience. Our transformation is rarely instant, it takes weeks and maybe decades to nurture the change within ourselves without feeling beat down by our original perception of the complaint and the complainer. December 14, 2020 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1069 Third Sunday of Advent December 13, 2020 Psalm 40 1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord. 4 Happy are those who make the Lord their trust, who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods. 5 You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you. Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be counted. 6 Sacrifice and offering you do not desire, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. 7 Then I said, “Here I am; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8 I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” 9 I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; see, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord. 10 I have not hidden your saving help within my heart, I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. 11 Do not, O Lord, withhold your mercy from me; let your steadfast love and your faithfulness keep me safe forever. 12 For evils have encompassed me without number; my iniquities have overtaken me, until I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails me. 13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me. 14 Let all those be put to shame and confusion who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire my hurt. 15 Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, Aha!” 16 But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the Lord!” 17 As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God. (NRSV) Music makes a difference in our lives. In the midst of grief and trauma we may lose the ability to be touched and moved by music, and we may not be able to hear the songs that rise up within us. We can still sing, and play any instruments with the same skill we had prior to our life changing event but we can’t feel the music stir our hearts and souls to the heights and depths of glory in the same way we could before. When the psalmist writes, “He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” it strikes a chord with those of us who have heard and felt the newness God offers. As we grieve, a space is hollowed out within us that draws us down to a desolate pit that seems as if it will hold us down forever. At some point God reaches in and offers to pull us “up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.” As a part of pulling us out of the depths God re-invigorates the gift of music within us. When we get the music back we may feel it more deeply as the well of grief allows us a new depth of passion and emotion in our song. Some people never get beyond their grief. They hold on to it as if it is the only connection left to the way life used to be. They rehearse it and renew it on a regular basis. They refuse to look up to see the hand of God offering to pull them out of the pit. Others see God at work in their lives and take God’s hand when it is offered to them. The pit remains in both cases. For some it is a stifling enclosure that holds them tightly for the rest of their lives. For others it becomes a place that adds depth to their lives and allows them a new and deeper well of understanding of themselves and others. December 7, 2020 LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/