Psalm Meditation 506
Second Sunday in Lent
February 28, 2010
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.
(NRSV)
There is no guarantee in this psalm that life will be easy, simply that God will be with us and that things will work out for us as we are faithful and open to the presence and leading of God. This doesn’t mean that things will work out the way we might want them to according to some plan we may have for our lives, only that it will work out. God will continue to be with no matter what choices we make and will continue to offer us the highest and the best possibilities available to us.
It is not God who will let our feet be moved so much as we will waver in our effort and resolve to be faithful people. We will make choices between the easy way and the faithful way on a regular basis. They will both be attractive choices for their own reasons. Our easy way choices will erode the foundations of our faithfulness and we will slip. God will call us, invite us to make the faithful choice the next time. God will always have a heart tuned toward relationship with us and wants us to desire that relationship as well.
In the midst of all the temptations that will come our way on a daily basis God is with us. We may wander into dangerous territory and God will offer us a way that leads away from evil and that leads toward wholeness and abundance of life. God’s way leads us into some interesting, delightful, evil and dangerous places so that we can find wholeness, bring it to others and receive it from their hands all at the same time.
© February 22, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Psalm Meditation 505
First Sunday in Lent
February 21, 2010
Psalm 96
1 O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, "The LORD is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity."
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
(NRSV)
Since I grew up in large membership congregations and have served small to mid sized congregations I have learned a variety of hymns. This means I will sometimes, perhaps often pick hymns that a particular congregation does not know. Especially in the weeks in which I pick more than one unfamiliar hymn I hear comments and complaints about all these new songs. I have threatened to have a week in which we sing songs that have never been new. This means that we will not sing that week. Most of the time the exchanges are based in fun and they are based in our basic dislike for new things.
The psalmist invites us to sing a new song. We can join in this psalm enthusiastically because we like new things in theory. When new things keep us from doing favorite old things we begin to have a problem. This is not to say that God does not deserve new songs or that we don’t want to find new ways to sing God’s praises so much as it is a painful reminder that we don’t like to be surprised by newness. If we have had some say in things and some control over them we are more willing to give new things a try, however having new things sprung on us will be unnerving to most of us.
Fortunately God is pretty gentle with us most of the time and introduces changes slowly and in small steps. We can handle a small step and a gradual change and every now and then we can handle a large scale change that comes as a major surprise. When big things happen all at once we can get overwhelmed. In those times it is good and comforting to know that through it all God is with us and can comfort us even as we go through head spinning change whether it is good or bad or a bit of each. At some point, after the changes have gone from massive to more gradual we can see again that God is good and that God is present. When we see that God has been with us through all the good and the bad we can sing a new song that is deeper and richer than what we could sing before.
© February 15, 2010
First Sunday in Lent
February 21, 2010
Psalm 96
1 O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples.
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts.
9 Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations, "The LORD is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity."
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the LORD; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth.
(NRSV)
Since I grew up in large membership congregations and have served small to mid sized congregations I have learned a variety of hymns. This means I will sometimes, perhaps often pick hymns that a particular congregation does not know. Especially in the weeks in which I pick more than one unfamiliar hymn I hear comments and complaints about all these new songs. I have threatened to have a week in which we sing songs that have never been new. This means that we will not sing that week. Most of the time the exchanges are based in fun and they are based in our basic dislike for new things.
The psalmist invites us to sing a new song. We can join in this psalm enthusiastically because we like new things in theory. When new things keep us from doing favorite old things we begin to have a problem. This is not to say that God does not deserve new songs or that we don’t want to find new ways to sing God’s praises so much as it is a painful reminder that we don’t like to be surprised by newness. If we have had some say in things and some control over them we are more willing to give new things a try, however having new things sprung on us will be unnerving to most of us.
Fortunately God is pretty gentle with us most of the time and introduces changes slowly and in small steps. We can handle a small step and a gradual change and every now and then we can handle a large scale change that comes as a major surprise. When big things happen all at once we can get overwhelmed. In those times it is good and comforting to know that through it all God is with us and can comfort us even as we go through head spinning change whether it is good or bad or a bit of each. At some point, after the changes have gone from massive to more gradual we can see again that God is good and that God is present. When we see that God has been with us through all the good and the bad we can sing a new song that is deeper and richer than what we could sing before.
© February 15, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Psalm Meditation 504
Transfiguration Sunday
February 14, 2010
Psalm 71:1-10,17-24
1 In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me.
3 Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
5 For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
6 Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.
7 I have been like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all day long.
9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent.
10 For my enemies speak concerning me, and those who watch for my life consult together.
17 O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come. Your power
19 and your righteousness, O God, reach the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?
20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.
21 You will increase my honor, and comfort me once again.
22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have rescued.
24 All day long my tongue will talk of your righteous help, for those who tried to do me harm have been put to shame, and disgraced.
(NRSV)
I am not sure if the change is a pendulum shift from one to the other and back again or if it a more permanent change in our view of God. In one view God gives good things to good people and bad things to bad people; so if bad things are happening to you then you must be a bad person. In the other view things happen that are good and bad and God is with us no matter what. Faithful people are aware of the presence of God and other people struggle along in good and bad times believing they are on their own. In this psalm the psalmist knows that God is a refuge and source of strength and calls on God to be an overpowering presence in this time.
Does God forsake us when we do bad things and leave us to struggle on alone until such time as we have pulled ourselves together and clawed our way back to the presence of God by our good behavior? I know there are parents who turn icy to their children when they do not live up to the standards the parent has set. I also know the children resent those parents who expect from their children what they cannot do themselves. If God is like that I am in deep trouble.
Does God remain present with us no matter what and it is we who get sidetracked, lose focus and feel abandoned because we have lost sight of God? I am told that what children cannot see does not exist for them. This explains why they tend to walk behind their parents in large crowds so that they can keep their parents from disappearing. We may know better, however that does not keep us from acting as if what we cannot see does not exist. God is ever present in our lives. God leads, guides and points the way while not forcing us to go that way. God loves us and is present with us no matter what. At our best we are open to God’s presence and take refuge in the rock and fortress that is the presence of God.
© February 8, 2010
Transfiguration Sunday
February 14, 2010
Psalm 71:1-10,17-24
1 In you, O LORD, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame.
2 In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me.
3 Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress.
4 Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel.
5 For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O LORD, from my youth.
6 Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother's womb. My praise is continually of you.
7 I have been like a portent to many, but you are my strong refuge.
8 My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all day long.
9 Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength is spent.
10 For my enemies speak concerning me, and those who watch for my life consult together.
17 O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
18 So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come. Your power
19 and your righteousness, O God, reach the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?
20 You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again.
21 You will increase my honor, and comfort me once again.
22 I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.
23 My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have rescued.
24 All day long my tongue will talk of your righteous help, for those who tried to do me harm have been put to shame, and disgraced.
(NRSV)
I am not sure if the change is a pendulum shift from one to the other and back again or if it a more permanent change in our view of God. In one view God gives good things to good people and bad things to bad people; so if bad things are happening to you then you must be a bad person. In the other view things happen that are good and bad and God is with us no matter what. Faithful people are aware of the presence of God and other people struggle along in good and bad times believing they are on their own. In this psalm the psalmist knows that God is a refuge and source of strength and calls on God to be an overpowering presence in this time.
Does God forsake us when we do bad things and leave us to struggle on alone until such time as we have pulled ourselves together and clawed our way back to the presence of God by our good behavior? I know there are parents who turn icy to their children when they do not live up to the standards the parent has set. I also know the children resent those parents who expect from their children what they cannot do themselves. If God is like that I am in deep trouble.
Does God remain present with us no matter what and it is we who get sidetracked, lose focus and feel abandoned because we have lost sight of God? I am told that what children cannot see does not exist for them. This explains why they tend to walk behind their parents in large crowds so that they can keep their parents from disappearing. We may know better, however that does not keep us from acting as if what we cannot see does not exist. God is ever present in our lives. God leads, guides and points the way while not forcing us to go that way. God loves us and is present with us no matter what. At our best we are open to God’s presence and take refuge in the rock and fortress that is the presence of God.
© February 8, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Psalm Meditation 503
Fifth Sunday After Epiphany
February 7, 2010
Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD; see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10 "Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth."
11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
(NRSV)
I have an image of a wildlife refuge with the animals pressed against the fence taunting hunters with their presence on the edge. I wonder how many of us stand on the fringes of the refuge of God and wonder why it is we are so sorely tempted by the people, places and things right next to us on the other side of the fence. We stand with our noses outside the fence and our fingers intermeshed with the links. We spend our time looking out at all that we are missing and wonder why the presence of God feels like a cage instead of a refuge.
The psalmist is encouraging us to turn around so that we can enjoy all there is to experience on the God side of the fence. There are rivers and cities and new dawns and there is desolation. There is something for every mood and temperament within the refuge of God. It is up to us to move away from the fence wondering what we are missing out there, move into the heart of the refuge to discover what we have been missing in there. God is waiting to be God for us.
In the midst of all the wondering and wandering it does us well to stop from time to time and simply be. There are folks who are more comfortable doing and others more comfortable being, however we each have to do the other from time to time. Sometimes we do well to stop all the hustle and bustle and allow the presence of God to wash over us and through us so that we can do what we do in the assurance of God’s abiding presence.
© February 1, 2010
Fifth Sunday After Epiphany
February 7, 2010
Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns.
6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD; see what desolations he has brought on the earth.
9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
10 "Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth."
11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
(NRSV)
I have an image of a wildlife refuge with the animals pressed against the fence taunting hunters with their presence on the edge. I wonder how many of us stand on the fringes of the refuge of God and wonder why it is we are so sorely tempted by the people, places and things right next to us on the other side of the fence. We stand with our noses outside the fence and our fingers intermeshed with the links. We spend our time looking out at all that we are missing and wonder why the presence of God feels like a cage instead of a refuge.
The psalmist is encouraging us to turn around so that we can enjoy all there is to experience on the God side of the fence. There are rivers and cities and new dawns and there is desolation. There is something for every mood and temperament within the refuge of God. It is up to us to move away from the fence wondering what we are missing out there, move into the heart of the refuge to discover what we have been missing in there. God is waiting to be God for us.
In the midst of all the wondering and wandering it does us well to stop from time to time and simply be. There are folks who are more comfortable doing and others more comfortable being, however we each have to do the other from time to time. Sometimes we do well to stop all the hustle and bustle and allow the presence of God to wash over us and through us so that we can do what we do in the assurance of God’s abiding presence.
© February 1, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Psalm Meditation 502
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany
January 31, 2010
Psalm 21
1 In your strength the king rejoices, O LORD, and in your help how greatly he exults!
2 You have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life; you gave it to him-- length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great through your help; splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
6 You bestow on him blessings forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8 Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9 You will make them like a fiery furnace when you appear. The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their offspring from the earth, and their children from among humankind.
11 If they plan evil against you, if they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12 For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows.
13 Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.
(NRSV)
Many of us believe that when things are going well it is because God is rewarding us for something we have done, even if it is something as simple as asking for what we want and getting it. When we are in God’s good graces all we have to do is ask and we will receive even more than we asked because God is on our side and favors us over all those others who are not like us. Good things come to good people it is as simple as that.
We have trouble when things are going poorly. In those times God is testing us to see if we are willing to be faithful in those seasons in which we do not get all our heart’s desire. We find ways and make ways to feel as if we are not at odds with God. It may be someone else’s fault and we simply got caught in the crossfire, we are being tested and all will be well again once we prove ourselves faithful and worthy, we have done something wrong and are being disciplined for a time in order to make us pure once again. We do not willingly see ourselves as those who hate God.
Like it or not, God is not bound by our categories of good and of evil, right and wrong, deserving and undeserving. God is beyond our categories and limits. God promises to be with us without promising to be good to us and bad to our enemies and adversaries. God promises to love us no matter what. God seems much more willing than we are to live with chaos and randomness. We want things to make sense and God wants to be with us and wants us to desire and seek a relationship with God.
As people of God we will have good things happen to us and we will have bad things happen to us. We will notice that people around us who agree with us and those with whom we disagree will have good things and bad things happen to them. It will not always be about anyone’s relationship with God. Good things will come and bad things will happen; the task and joy for us is to continue to love and trust God through it all.
© January 25, 2010
Fourth Sunday After Epiphany
January 31, 2010
Psalm 21
1 In your strength the king rejoices, O LORD, and in your help how greatly he exults!
2 You have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life; you gave it to him-- length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great through your help; splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
6 You bestow on him blessings forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8 Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9 You will make them like a fiery furnace when you appear. The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their offspring from the earth, and their children from among humankind.
11 If they plan evil against you, if they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12 For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows.
13 Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.
(NRSV)
Many of us believe that when things are going well it is because God is rewarding us for something we have done, even if it is something as simple as asking for what we want and getting it. When we are in God’s good graces all we have to do is ask and we will receive even more than we asked because God is on our side and favors us over all those others who are not like us. Good things come to good people it is as simple as that.
We have trouble when things are going poorly. In those times God is testing us to see if we are willing to be faithful in those seasons in which we do not get all our heart’s desire. We find ways and make ways to feel as if we are not at odds with God. It may be someone else’s fault and we simply got caught in the crossfire, we are being tested and all will be well again once we prove ourselves faithful and worthy, we have done something wrong and are being disciplined for a time in order to make us pure once again. We do not willingly see ourselves as those who hate God.
Like it or not, God is not bound by our categories of good and of evil, right and wrong, deserving and undeserving. God is beyond our categories and limits. God promises to be with us without promising to be good to us and bad to our enemies and adversaries. God promises to love us no matter what. God seems much more willing than we are to live with chaos and randomness. We want things to make sense and God wants to be with us and wants us to desire and seek a relationship with God.
As people of God we will have good things happen to us and we will have bad things happen to us. We will notice that people around us who agree with us and those with whom we disagree will have good things and bad things happen to them. It will not always be about anyone’s relationship with God. Good things will come and bad things will happen; the task and joy for us is to continue to love and trust God through it all.
© January 25, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Psalm Meditation 501
Third Sunday after Epiphany
January 24, 2010
Psalm 145
1 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your faithful shall bless you.
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power,
12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.
14 The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them.
20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.
(NRSV)
The culture of the world in the biblical era was one based in honor and shame. To do good things brought honor to ones relatives past present and future. To do evil heaped shame on one’s heritage and legacy. It is so good to know that we have grown past that. We never judge a person by the actions of their parents or siblings. We never look down our noses at someone who snubbed us when we were little nothings and want to be our friends now that we have made something of ourselves. We never give someone the benefit of the doubt because they come from good people. We still live honor and shame based lives. Some folks live more deeply in honor and shame than others, however we still live by the favors we give and receive and die by the good things we fail to do.
We like to believe that God lives with an honor and shame code as well. We want God to honor us for all the good things and to punish all those miserable wretches who do evil to us and those we love. We want to know that everything is someone’s fault and if there is no person to blame it is only because we do not see with the clear eye of God. We know that God is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” when it comes to us and that , “all the wicked he will destroy” when it comes to all of them. God lives out of divine radical free will. God is not bound by our categories of honor and shame of us and them. God is bound by steadfast love.
Yes, God is gracious and loving. Yes, God does destroy the wicked. As long as we are willing to see that God loves each one of us and destroys what is wicked with each of us we find a clearer picture of God. And we find a God who looks forward with us to a day in which, “all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.”
© January 18, 2010
Third Sunday after Epiphany
January 24, 2010
Psalm 145
1 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your faithful shall bless you.
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom, and tell of your power,
12 to make known to all people your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.
14 The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of all who fear him; he also hears their cry, and saves them.
20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.
(NRSV)
The culture of the world in the biblical era was one based in honor and shame. To do good things brought honor to ones relatives past present and future. To do evil heaped shame on one’s heritage and legacy. It is so good to know that we have grown past that. We never judge a person by the actions of their parents or siblings. We never look down our noses at someone who snubbed us when we were little nothings and want to be our friends now that we have made something of ourselves. We never give someone the benefit of the doubt because they come from good people. We still live honor and shame based lives. Some folks live more deeply in honor and shame than others, however we still live by the favors we give and receive and die by the good things we fail to do.
We like to believe that God lives with an honor and shame code as well. We want God to honor us for all the good things and to punish all those miserable wretches who do evil to us and those we love. We want to know that everything is someone’s fault and if there is no person to blame it is only because we do not see with the clear eye of God. We know that God is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” when it comes to us and that , “all the wicked he will destroy” when it comes to all of them. God lives out of divine radical free will. God is not bound by our categories of honor and shame of us and them. God is bound by steadfast love.
Yes, God is gracious and loving. Yes, God does destroy the wicked. As long as we are willing to see that God loves each one of us and destroys what is wicked with each of us we find a clearer picture of God. And we find a God who looks forward with us to a day in which, “all flesh will bless his holy name forever and ever.”
© January 18, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Psalm Meditation 500
Second Sunday After Epiphany
January 17, 2010
Psalm 120
1 In my distress I cry to the LORD, that he may answer me:
2 "Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue."
3 What shall be given to you? And what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?
4 A warrior's sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!
5 Woe is me, that I am an alien in Meshech, that I must live among the tents of Kedar.
6 Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.
7 I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
(NRSV)
500 is a milestone I did not anticipate when I began writing these meditations nigh on to 10 years ago. Thanks to all who have read and commented and encouraged me through these 500 weeks.
It is not fun to be the one who holds a minority opinion in a group of folks with strong opinions and yet there are people who choose to be different and to act differently from the dominant culture. Is the psalmist one who disagrees with the dominant culture or is this a case in which a person thinks one thing and says another in an attempt to fit in and the resultant self-disgust that comes from not being able to say what one believes in order to appear to fit in?
Whether it is an internal or external disconnect there is still the problem of having to live with the pressure one experiences in the process. We are creatures who seem to made for group interaction. While it is true that a group without any disagreement will soon dissolve into indifference most of us do not consciously choose to be the one with whom everyone else will disagree. At the same time we do not like the idea of staying with a group who does not know that we do not agree with one or more of the groups passionately held beliefs.
Whether the problem here is that the psalmist disagrees with the group or that the psalmist does not speak the deeply held beliefs of heart and soul the dilemma of the situation is the same. We will seek to be delivered from the discomfort of the situation by asking for the courage to speak what is in our hearts and minds even if it makes us unpopular with one or more groups of which we are a part. God does not suddenly make everything better by giving us the courage to speak out and the group suddenly being won over to our position but God does stand with us so that we know we are not alone even in those times in which we are the only ones in the group who both believe and speak the minority opinion.
© January 11, 2010
Second Sunday After Epiphany
January 17, 2010
Psalm 120
1 In my distress I cry to the LORD, that he may answer me:
2 "Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue."
3 What shall be given to you? And what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?
4 A warrior's sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!
5 Woe is me, that I am an alien in Meshech, that I must live among the tents of Kedar.
6 Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.
7 I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
(NRSV)
500 is a milestone I did not anticipate when I began writing these meditations nigh on to 10 years ago. Thanks to all who have read and commented and encouraged me through these 500 weeks.
It is not fun to be the one who holds a minority opinion in a group of folks with strong opinions and yet there are people who choose to be different and to act differently from the dominant culture. Is the psalmist one who disagrees with the dominant culture or is this a case in which a person thinks one thing and says another in an attempt to fit in and the resultant self-disgust that comes from not being able to say what one believes in order to appear to fit in?
Whether it is an internal or external disconnect there is still the problem of having to live with the pressure one experiences in the process. We are creatures who seem to made for group interaction. While it is true that a group without any disagreement will soon dissolve into indifference most of us do not consciously choose to be the one with whom everyone else will disagree. At the same time we do not like the idea of staying with a group who does not know that we do not agree with one or more of the groups passionately held beliefs.
Whether the problem here is that the psalmist disagrees with the group or that the psalmist does not speak the deeply held beliefs of heart and soul the dilemma of the situation is the same. We will seek to be delivered from the discomfort of the situation by asking for the courage to speak what is in our hearts and minds even if it makes us unpopular with one or more groups of which we are a part. God does not suddenly make everything better by giving us the courage to speak out and the group suddenly being won over to our position but God does stand with us so that we know we are not alone even in those times in which we are the only ones in the group who both believe and speak the minority opinion.
© January 11, 2010
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