Psalm Meditation 1172 ¶Second Sunday of Advent ¶December 4, 2022 ¶Psalm 50 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+50&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶There are people who say that God does not need our thanks and praise, God is complete without us. If that is the case, then why are we here at all? While it may be the case that God does not need anything from us, it does not keep God from enjoying a relationship with each one of us, especially those who choose a relationship with God. To set God so far above us that there is no need for anything from us is a way to keep God separate from us so as not to sully God’s hands with our impurity. ¶The strength of a relationship with God comes from God’s willingness to meet us where we are. God may not need our thanks and praise, however it is appreciated. As a parent, I had much more to offer my children than they had to give me. At the same time, when they brought tokens of affection, dandelions, rocks, hugs, and kisses it touched me in a way that can only be experienced. When we offer tokens of our affection and gratitude to God I imagine it is at least that special to God. It is not really the token that is important, it is the affection, the symbol of a relationship between God and us. ¶Even in the midst of an era with a sacrificial system God was not interested in the items being sacrificed, God was interested in the thankfulness, the gratitude, the need of the giver. We offer God our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness as our actual sacrifices. They are the means of connection with God and the people around us. “Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way, I will show the salvation of God.” ¶November 28, 2022 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1171 ¶First Sunday of Advent ¶November 27, 2022 ¶Psalm 43 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+43&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶One of my psychologist friends told me that many of the things that upset us most about the people around us are traits and behaviors that are present in us even though we deny them. We see it in people who are in the public eye as they speak out against an activity or lifestyle only to have it discovered that they are active participants in the practice they criticize so vocally. They hate it within themselves and find it easier to rail against those who are more public in their practice than to make the effort to change themselves by claiming the life they live in secret. ¶The psalmist asks for deliverance from those who are deceitful and unjust. Without judging the psalmist, I wonder how many of us have taken a stand against something of which we too are guilty. Or do we see ourselves as accepting of all people, with the exception of the races and types of people who offend or frighten us? We say we take refuge in God while we mean that we hide behind God. We quote Scripture out of context to justify our beliefs and practices that fly in the face of the sovereignty of God and the sacred worth of others. ¶The psalmist cries out for the light and truth of God. It is a good thing to do. It helps if we will include ourselves in the number we hope to receive that light and truth. As the light and truth of God illuminate us we find ourselves moving closer to the holy hill, the dwelling place of God. If we get to the place in which we feel that we have received all the light and truth we will ever need, rest assured that we are more deeply in need of light and truth than ever. ¶November 25, 2022 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1170 ¶Reign of Christ ¶November 20, 2022 ¶Psalm 36 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+36&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶There are folks who are so full of themselves they imagine that if they have deceived themselves they have managed to deceive us. Or, to give them a bit more credit, they imagine that they are so skilled at deception that those around them will be caught up in whatever they suggest. While there are people who will believe in them and follow them wherever they go, there are plenty of folks who see through them and wonder how others can believe anything that comes from a particular deceiver. ¶The steadfast love of God overarches all that is, available to any and all who are open to receive it. The psalmist glorifies the love of God in hopes that we will open ourselves to receive this gift that God gives to each of us. By accepting God’s love we open ourselves to the healing abundance and refuge that is a part of who God is. Being open to receive the love of God opens us to wonders we would otherwise miss. Seeing is one thing, experiencing wonder at the sight is quite another. ¶If you find yourself hanging on every word that comes from the mouth of another person you may be caught up in a web of deception. None of us has the whole unvarnished truth. We do well to run every ‘truth’ through the filters of Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. The current atmosphere in the United States that gives politicians and one extreme arm of Christianity the final say in who God is and what God thinks about the world and the people in it does damage to the height, depth, and width of God’s love for each and all of us. ¶November 14, 2022 ¶LCM lcrsmanifold@att.net http://psalmmeditations.blogspot.com/

Psalm Meditation 1169 ¶Proper 28 ¶November 13, 2022 ¶Psalm 29 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+29&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶A term I learned in seminary is, ‘the efficacious word.’ It means, saying it makes it so. A couple of near examples are: ‘When I say ‘jump’ you ask how high!’ and ‘Make it so, Number One.’ They are almost example because a true efficacious word does not need to be explained, it happens. “Let there be light, and there was light.” is truly an efficacious word. God is not the only one who makes things happen with a word, however when I use the term, I am usually thinking of God. ¶The psalmist marvels at the variety of ways the voice of the LORD makes things happen in the world and the rest of Creation. With a word God can either calm or roil the waters of the earth. God can rattle the earth and break giant cedar and oak trees. As we watch all this unfold all we can do is look with eye popping, open mouthed awe. We are awed by the power and majesty of God as well as the recognition that God loves us and is attentive to our needs. ¶The God who can strip a forest bare and shake the ground around us with a word cares enough about us to give us the strength to face all that comes our way. Experience shows that God does not give us each enough strength to face our trials. Rather God surrounds us with people who have resources we lack and gives us what those around us need. As we join together to meet each other’s needs we find ourselves at peace even in the face of storms. ¶November 7, 2022 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1168 ¶All Saints Sunday ¶November 6, 2022 ¶Psalm 22 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+22&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶If I say, “Aaaaas youuuuuu wiiiiiish,” or, “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father. Prepare to die.” many of us will instantly think of the movie ‘The Princess Bride.’ Those two lines will remind us not only of the scenes in which those lines are spoken, but the whole movie. When Jesus spoke the first line of this psalm from the cross, the effect was the same for those witnesses who were familiar with Hebrew Scripture. One of my First Testament professors said, “Given his circumstance, his economy of language is understandable.” Jesus did not have to recite the whole psalm to bring it to the minds of those who knew it. ¶If we do not know it as the first line of the psalm, we see it as a cry of despair and abandonment, Jesus feeling the full weight of the world pressing down on his wrists and ankles. But there is more to the story. Yes, there is the despair, even wondering why God helped people in the past and not ‘me’ in this time of pain and suffering. There is also the word of hope that God will rescue and redeem those who are faithful in times of affliction and death. God will provide for those unable to provide for themselves for any number of reasons. ¶In our times of despair and abandonment God is with us. We may be hard pressed to say where God is, however God is with us in the good, the bad, and the in between times. A statement in Latin attributed to the Delphic oracle says, “Vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit.” “Bidden or not bidden God is present.” It reminds us that we don’t have to call on God or even believe in God for the divine presence to be at work in and around us. Especially this week of All Saints it is good to remember that we are not abandoned or forsaken even in our suffering. ¶November 2, 2022 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1167 ¶Proper 26 ¶October 30, 2022 ¶Psalm 51 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+51&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶Many of us have that list of actions and inactions that have done damage to those around us. They gnaw at us for years at a time. If we are lucky we can find a way to resolve the situation and atone for our sin. We join the psalmist in asking God to forgive us and cleanse us from the feelings of guilt and shame. The plea for forgiveness becomes a regular part of our prayer life. ‘If only God could forgive me, I would be better able to seek the forgiveness of others, as well as forgive those who I feel have wronged me.’ ¶Yes, God wants us to look at ourselves honestly to see where we are in need of forgiveness and redemption. God also wants us to let go of things that haunt us as if they were dreadful sins. I discover that in a lot of cases God has already offered me forgiveness and, because I feel unworthy, I have been unable to open myself to it. Confession is good for the soul as long as we can let go of our guilt in order to make room for forgiveness. And forgiveness does not remove the consequences of our actions, only the crippling guilt. ¶God has created a clean heart for each of us and is ready to put that new and right spirit within us, if we will make room for it by letting go of the broken hearts to which we cling so desperately. God wants an open and wholesome relationship with each one of us. We don’t need to clutter it up with bargains and promises, simply be in the presence of God. ¶October 24, 2022 ¶LCM

Psalm Meditation 1166 ¶Proper 25 ¶October 23, 2022 ¶Psalm 44 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+44&version=NRSVUE (NRSV) ¶I believe that God has more important things to do than move us around like marionettes on the stage of the world, so there is no script or detailed plan for the lives we live. God gives us choices and exerts influence on us to choose the one that leads to a deepening relationship with God and those around us. God is aware that we are free to make choices that lead us away from God as much as we are choices that lead us closer. There is likely some disappointment when we move away, however there is no loss of love for us. ¶This means that God is not the one who fights our battles for us, or leaves us to suffer and die alone when our choices lead away from God. The good thing about this is that God is always with us whether we are aware of that presence or not. The downside is that God is not responsible for our actions. God does not do things to us or for us; God is with us. In times of trouble, God may open our hearts and eyes to those who are ready, willing, and able to help us out. In good times God may open our hearts and eyes to those in need of something we have to offer. ¶Despite the psalmist’s calling on God to give us victory rather than letting us get broken and abandoned, I do not believe God works that way. The way of God is to move us in directions that lead to deepening relationships with all those around us, including God. We are responsible for our own thoughts and actions, while God is responsive to us in every time and place, guiding us in the way that leads to abundant life and steadfast love. ¶October 18, 2022 ¶LCM