Psalm Meditation 1086 Second Sunday of Easter April 11, 2021 Psalm 118 1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” 3 Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” 4 Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” 5 Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place. 6 With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me? 7 The Lord is on my side to help me; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. 10 All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! 11 They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! 12 They surrounded me like bees; they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! 13 I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. 14 The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. 15 There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly; 16 the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.” 17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. 18 The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. 21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! 26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. 27 The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar. 28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. 29 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. (NRSV) There are several good reminders in this psalm, things that we can easily take for granted because we have depended so heavily on them for so long. It is in times of stress and trial that we need this word from the psalmist. First, we are reminded of the steadfast love of God. It is for everyone to receive, appreciate, and proclaim. Second, that God is right there with us as we go through the kinds of trials in which it seems everyone has turned against us. Third, that an excellent response to the love of God is to celebrate and be thankful. It is possible to forget that much of what we take credit for in our lives is due to the steadfast love of God. It never wavers, changes, or ends. God loves us. It is a simple statement that carries so much weight. There are those who have grown up with this kind of love, and it becomes a part of them in way that it is an undercurrent in all of life that keeps them afloat whether they notice it or not. There are others for whom love is always conditional, it has to be earned on a daily basis. These are the folks who need an experience of God’s steadfast love. When trials and pressures build up those who are missing the base level of unconditional love can grow hard and cold. When someone does offer them even the possibility of love they melt into it with sobs. Any time we can be the bearers of God’s love into the lives of those in need, we will offer ourselves as pillars of loving strength in the lives of those who, otherwise, have no one to love and care for them. When we are able to give and receive the love of God as unconditional, we give all those around us a gift worth celebrating. The love of God is not something we earn, and is not something we deserve on our own merits. The love of God is a gift that we are offered, and invited to offer to others. It is a gift that is not diminished by sharing—it actually grows deeper, stronger, and wider the more we share it with those around us. Seeing that love grow in and around us leads us to join the psalmist’s celebration, “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.” April 7, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1085 Easter April 4, 2021 Psalm 18 (selected verses) 1 I love you, O Lord, my strength. 2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. 3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, so I shall be saved from my enemies. 4 The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of perdition assailed me; 5 the cords of Sheol entangled me; the snares of death confronted me. 6 In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry to him reached his ears. 7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry. 8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. 9 He bowed the heavens, and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 10 He rode on a cherub, and flew; he came swiftly upon the wings of the wind. 11 He made darkness his covering around him, his canopy thick clouds dark with water. 12 Out of the brightness before him there broke through his clouds hailstones and coals of fire. 13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice. 14 And he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings, and routed them. 15 Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. 16 He reached down from on high, he took me; he drew me out of mighty waters. 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me. 18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity; but the Lord was my support. 19 He brought me out into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. 20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me. 21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. 22 For all his ordinances were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me. 23 I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt. 24 Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. 47 the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me; 48 who delivered me from my enemies; indeed, you exalted me above my adversaries; you delivered me from the violent. 49 For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing praises to your name. 50 Great triumphs he gives to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David and his descendants forever. (NRSV) How many of us believe that we can make God do things for us because we are such good people? It is the way this psalm is written. Because we have been good subjects God is bound by honor to do good things for us. It is not about the loving goodness of God, it is about our being obedient subjects. In a sense we can guilt God into doing what we want done. How silly is that? The psalmist’s view is that of a royal subject; it is what the psalmist knows. People are ruled by despotic kings and queens who demand loyalty and obedience. These rulers can also be swayed by the loyal actions of subjects. It is a tit for tat, quid pro quo life for those involved in the ruling of a nation. As times and governments change, so too can our view of God. A current view of God is as one whose overarching love touches each one of us. God acts out of love for us, choosing the most loving course of action rather than reacting to our various acts of obedience and disobedience. The influence we have with God is the power of love at work in our lives, leading us to want the best the world has to offer for all those around us. Rather than being rewarded for our proper actions, we are loved beyond measure. March 30, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1084 Palm/Passion Sunday March 28, 2021 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) According to one of my psychologist friends, the difference between fear and excitement is the name we give to it. The psalmist is aware of the fear rising with the oncoming flood waters and decides to redirect the response to one that inspires awe instead of fear. Looking to the majesty of God serves as a reminder that fear does not have to be the final answer. By looking to God, the psalmist finds a focus to steady heart, hand, and mind for any tasks that may need positively directed attention. In any time of fear and dread we can join the psalmist in a focus on God, “More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters, more majestic than the waves of the sea, majestic on high is the Lord!” March 22, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1083 Fifth Sunday in Lent March 21, 2021 Psalm 67 1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, Selah 2 that your way may be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations. 3 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. 4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for you judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Selah 5 Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you. 6 The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. 7 May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him. (NRSV) When we are asked to make a list of blessings we start with the out of the ordinary ones. Especially as we consider the blessings of God, we want our list to be made up of special things. We may list animals that we have seen in zoos or on documentaries on television, rare metals and gems we have received as gifts or as new joints, things that we may have taken for granted until we no longer had them. The earth yields wonderful crops of edible fruits and vegetables as well as things of beauty that are dangerous to us in some way. The earth also provides air to breathe, a place to stand, water to drink, minerals and chemicals that make our lives what they are either directly or indirectly. It seems that the more we have, the less we notice any of it. The psalmist reminds us to thank God for the blessings we notice, as well as for the things that are so much a part of our lives that we no longer notice. Sometimes it is important to thank God for all of our blessings, especially the ones we no longer notice. The psalmist makes it a point to list the blessings God offers to us as gifts: presence, saving power, fair judgment, and guidance. “May God continue to bless us; let all the ends of the earth revere him.” March 15, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1082 Fourth Sunday in Lent March 14, 2021 Psalm 142 1 With my voice I cry to the Lord; with my voice I make supplication to the Lord. 2 I pour out my complaint before him; I tell my trouble before him. 3 When my spirit is faint, you know my way. In the path where I walk they have hidden a trap for me. 4 Look on my right hand and see—there is no one who takes notice of me; no refuge remains to me; no one cares for me. 5 I cry to you, O Lord; I say, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” 6 Give heed to my cry, for I am brought very low. Save me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me. 7 Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name. The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me. (NRSV) When we are deeply troubled we get the feeling that we are the only ones who feel this way, that no one notices the pain we are experiencing, that no one sees us. We may even include God among those who has forgotten we exist. While we may think we have hidden our pain, it is more likely that we have turned so far inward that we have cut ourselves off from those who would love to help us. The psalmist is aware that the presence of God is a safe place in times of trial. At the same time, the psalmist is unable to find where God is. It is akin to the times in which we are searching so frantically for something that we look right past it multiple times before actually finding it. The psalmist is so focused on the isolation of this particular experience that finding God becomes as impossible as finding that object this is right in front of us. Knowing that God is our refuge is one thing, being able to find God in times of trouble is quite another. What seems to work best in times like these is to stop, wait, and allow ourselves to become open to being found. God is not off somewhere searching for us or someone else, God is waiting for us to discover that we are already within the comforting refuge of God’s abiding presence. March 8, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1081 Third Sunday in Lent March 7, 2021 Psalm 42 1 As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. 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 6 and my God. My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me. 8 By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. 9 I say to God, my rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?” 10 As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, “Where is your God?” 11 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) For some, God is the direct cause of everything that happens to us and for us in our lives. If you are sad, it is due to something God did to you. If you are happy, it is because of God. If you are really depressed, it is because God abandoned you for the time. It is a convenient way of thinking because it gives all the power for our lives into the hands of God. We may bear some responsibility for our actions, however the final cause is God. The psalmist leans that way, asking why God has walked away leaving the psalmist to the whims of an oppressive enemy. There is a thirst for the presence of God that can only be satisfied if God moves toward us. We have no ability or responsibility to move toward God. We can’t possibly have any power to move closer to God. In the courts of absolute rulers, people risked death if they entered the royal presence without permission. The only exception was the royal children. As children of God we are always allowed to enter the presence of God. We don’t need permission. If we are ‘cast down’ and ‘disquieted’ we can walk in and climb up into the lap of God where we can be lifted up and quieted by a firm, gentle hand. People and circumstances will continue to taunt us with the question, “Where is your God?” There may even be an attempt to block our way. We are children of God and our access is unlimited and unrestricted. “Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.” March 1, 2021 LCM

Psalm Meditation 1080 Second Sunday in Lent February 28, 2021 Psalm 117 1 Praise the Lord, all you nations! Extol him, all you peoples! 2 For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord! (NRSV) To praise is to express strong approval of someone or something. To extol is to praise in a very enthusiastic way. The psalmist is calling on everyone to express our strong approval of God in a very enthusiastic way. Enthusiasm is to be filled with God (en theos.) We are to express all these things because God loves us and stands with us steadfastly (having a strong belief in someone), forever and always. The truth is, all these definitions can only point to what a moving experience it is to experience what it means to be loved by God. We can give God’s love all the intellectual assent we can muster and still not have any idea what the psalmist is talking about. It is only when we can move through all the barriers we erect against our emotions that we can know how the steadfast love and faithfulness of God feels. Many of us spend a lot of time and energy living up to the expectations God has for us, working to earn the love that we know God has for us. What if God loves us and that’s it. Anything we do from there is an act of gratitude. We don’t have to earn it, we don’t have to return it, we don’t even have to accept it. God loves us steadfastly, faithfully, and forever. Praise the Lord! February 22, 2021 LCM