Psalm Meditation 1235 ¶First Sunday in Lent ¶February 18, 2024 ¶Psalm 95 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+95&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶There are folks who believe, the main reason we should behave ourselves is to avoid being punished in some way. We are honest so we don’t get caught in our lies, we are nice to people so God doesn’t get us, we worship God so we don’t burn in hell, and so on. These same folks find ways to convince themselves that there are places that are off limits to God, and that God will ignore/forgive our actions if we ask nicely, and maybe promise to never do it again, at least until next time. ¶The psalmist speaks to this group of people here. The reason to sing, give thanks, and worship is so that we don’t end up like the folks in the exodus. Those people were nasty to God, always complaining, and when justifiable punishment came went crying to God for help and deliverance. They had already figured out that God was a pretty soft touch who loved them enough to take them back as long as they asked for forgiveness. These folks never quite grasp that God is good to them by choice rather than because they said or did the right things. ¶We still find ourselves making deals with God when things go awry for us. ‘If you do this for me, I will do this list of things that you asked me to do anyway.’ And God responds in a way that reminds us that we are loved because of who God is more than because we go through all the right motions and say all the right words. We may or may not be delivered from our particular stress and trial, however we can rest assured that God is with us as a loving presence. ¶February 12, 2024 ¶LCM lcmanifold@gmail.com http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/

Psalm Meditation 1234 ¶Transfiguration Sunday ¶February 11, 2024 ¶Psalm 88 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+88&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶This is one of my favorite psalms because it serves as a reminder that life in God is not all sweetness and light. This is not a ‘praise the Lord, anyway’ kind of psalm, this is a ‘damn it God, why are you being so mean to me?’ psalm. All the things that are going poorly for the psalmist are being laid at the feet of God, who must be at fault for all these things. Granted it is in a time in which all things, good and bad are attributed to the activity of God in our lives as rewards and punishments for our action and inaction in the world. ¶That is not the world in which I want to live. I am of the mind that God loves us, and abides with us in every time and place. As things go well, God is right there cheering on our success. As things go wonky, God is there to offer us a supportive presence in the midst of whatever wonkiness we might find ourselves. The question isn’t, ‘What did I do to deserve this from God?’ the question is, ‘Where is God in the midst of this and what comfort is God already offering to help me cope?’ ¶I like the psalm because it reminds us that when bad things happen, we can still turn to God for comfort, assurance, and maybe even deliverance. The advice I heard for how to use this psalm when things are too dark to navigate alone, it so go somewhere safe and read this with as much passion and energy as you can muster. Yes, it will be yelling at God, who is secure enough to handle the anger involved in offering this psalm to God. To know that God loves us, even when we are angry, is a great gift indeed. ¶February 5, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1233 ¶Fifth Sunday After Epiphany ¶February 4, 2024 ¶Psalm 117 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+117&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶Some folks can string words together skillfully in sentences, paragraphs, and pages to convey important ideas, while others can do the same thing with just a few words. This psalmist calls us in a few words to praise YHWH for love and faithfulness. We are allowed to find our own reasons and methods as long as our aim is praise. ¶January 29, 2024 ¶LCM lcmanifold@gmail.com http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/

Psalm Meditation 1232 ¶Fourth Sunday After Epiphany ¶January 28, 2024 ¶Psalm 110 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+110&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶It is easy to write this off as a fantasy, the words of a sycophant, a toady, a suck-up. It is just as easy to take it as a work of imagination, what could be if God did things the way that we want them done. Yet, in a sense, it is not too far off from reality. We don’t remember the names of the rulers David battled through his life and reign, however we do remember David. Being remembered as one who was faithful to God as much as anything is a victory in itself. Not all of the people remembered fondly by history were celebrated in their own lifetimes. ¶Imagination gives us the chutzpah to act on our dreams, perhaps even to realize some of them. That the psalmist imagined a great victory for David and the nation may have been the word that David needed to lead the people to any victory they may have achieved. Knowing that God was with them through the conflicts and battles would certainly empower and encourage folks to brave the trials that met them on the way. The presence of God makes a tremendous difference to those who take it seriously. ¶Imagining something does not mean that it will happen the way we want it to happen, it plants a seed that may grow and bear fruit in a way we did not see. Acting on our imagination may show us that this idea does not work, and that can be an important piece of information as well. A misstep or mistake can lead us to one of the ways that does work. If the psalmist was mistaken about God wiping out every enemy in sight this time, I know that there is no mistake about God being with us every time and everywhere. ¶January 22, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1231 ¶Third Sunday After Epiphany ¶January 21, 2024 ¶Psalm 103 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+103&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶Our God is pretty amazing. Always ready to help out, to forgive, to heal, to redeem, to love, and fill us with good throughout our lives. All this for a bunch of people who have nothing to offer in return besides our love and faithfulness. And even if we don’t return God’s love, God loves us, because that is the nature and choice of God. Whether we offer God love, hate, or indifference throughout our lives, God continually loves us. It isn’t even that God loves us as a way to spite us; God loves us all the time. ¶There are times in which it seems good and right to blame God when things go against us. They do, no use pretending that things go well for each of us every day. There are days and times in which bad things happen, and there are times in which bad things pile up way to high for us. However, it is not God who causes those things, or who uses bad things to test our faith. God is the one who is with us through all the bad that goes on in and around us. Simply because God is standing there doesn’t make it God’s fault. That God is standing there is evidence that God is not one to run out on us when times get rough. ¶I knew folks when I was growing up who would say, ‘Praise the Lord anyway.’ when things would not go their way. The psalmist doesn’t ask us to bless the Lord anyway, the psalmist reminds us to bless the Lord. As we are willing and able to bless God we begin to notice that God loves us. God still loves us whether we notice or not, when we notice God’s love is able to penetrate our lives more deeply as we make room for all that God has to offer us. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits— “ ¶January 15, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1230 ¶Second Sunday After Epiphany ¶January 14, 2024 ¶Psalm 96 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+96&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶Some of us, many of us, are so sure that we are right about just about everything that we will alter facts in order to continue to convince others, and ourselves, that we are right. The psalmist is among those who believe, ‘when anyone disagrees with me, they must be wrong.’ It is not possible for each of us to be right from our particular perspectives, there has to be one right and the rest of you are wrong. The only reason I might be right about this, would be because I agree with you. ¶The psalmist makes the perfectly normal statement that, “all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.” This was from a time in which it was accepted that there were others divine beings in addition to our own. ‘They are not real, and do not exist except in images ‘those’ people worship. So, you are free to worship some other deity or group of deities as long as you know that my form of worship is the only authentic and meaningful form of worship. ¶I have come to believe that there is only one God. This monotheism is my history and tradition. Where I seem to differ from many folks these days is that if you describe your deity differently than do I it is because you have found a reason to emphasize an aspect of the one God that is not a part of my description of God. It continues to be the same God in a different environment and context. If you choose to divide your deity into separate beings for each attribute, it is, to me, the one God described differently. ¶January 9, 2024 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1229 ¶Baptism of the Lord ¶January 7, 2024 ¶Psalm 89 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+89&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶When I was a teenager, there was a test going around that teachers and youth group leaders seem to have gotten together to write. The first item on the test was to read the whole test first, the second was to write your name at the top of the page. From there the instructions included all sorts of tasks from writing things in particular places on the test, to standing up, spinning around three times, and shouting something. The last item on the test was to do items one and two. Read the whole thing first. ¶The psalmist praises and thanks God for all the good things that God has done, and promised to do, for the ruler of the people. Included in the list is the warning that there will be punishments if those who rule fail to follow God’s laws and ordinances. The psalmist does not list any reasons for God rejecting ‘your anointed.’ If the psalmist is currying favor with the king, it would be foolish to add such a list. Knowing that rulers can easily become full of themselves, it would not be surprising to know that this king has committed offenses that would lead God to mete out punishments. ¶The primary promise God makes to each of us is to be with us, no matter what. If we demand the place of honor, God is with us. If we take the lowest place despite having been invited up higher each time previous, God is with us. When things go our way and it seems we are sitting on top of the world, God is with us. When things go against us and we are neck deep in the muck, God is with us. If we sit in the loftiest seat of power, the lowliest place on the planet, or anywhere in between, God is with us. ¶January 2, 2024 ¶LCM