Psalm Reading for June 11, 2023

 

A NOTE FROM CELESTE LETCHWORTH:

As most of you know, Tom went to be with the Lord in June 2018.

Since the lectionary cycles every 3 years, I am able to copy Tom’s SOAR studies from the archives and post them each week with our current year’s dates.

However — this Sunday (June 11, 2023), the lectionary for Year A ‘s Scripture selections are for “Proper 5” which is specified as:

the Sunday between June 5-11 (if after Trinity Sunday)

Tom started this blog in October, 2014 and we have not had a “Proper 5” situation (Sunday between June 5-11 if after Trinity Sunday) for Year A until now (2023).

So, I’m sorry that I can’t find anything in the archives that Tom wrote for Psalm 33:1-12.

But I did find a post by Dr. Timothy C. Tennent on Psalm 33 on Seedbed’s website.

Here’s that link: https://seedbed.com/the-power-and-the-purpose-of-god-psalm-33/

And I also found a video of Psalm 33 that I enjoyed. It’s made by The Skit Guys and you can watch it for free and/or purchase it to use at your church by clicking here:

https://skitguys.com/videos/hope-from-psalm-33

Blessings to you this week. And remember to Sing to the Lord a NEW song!

–celeste

PHOTOS:

"Psalm 33"

Psalm Reading for June 4, 2023 Trinity Sunday

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 8
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Psalm 8 is the classic expression of the majesty of God. In just nine brief verses, David’s Psalm surveys the sovereignty of God over heaven and earth, contrasts the seeming insignificance of humanity to the vast heavens, and then firmly establishes the unique relationship of human beings with God.

The Psalm is addressed to the Sovereign God, as a Psalm of praise:

Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth,
who has set your glory above the heavens!

And then, there is a twist in the plot, so to speak.  Instead of describing the mountains or the oceans, the Psalmist speaks of the praises of the tiny and the most vulnerable creatures on earth:

From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength,
because of your adversaries, that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.

There is a paradox here — that the babbling of infants becomes a kind of fortress against malefactors!  The God who created heavens and earth and all that is in them values those things that seem so insignificant. Innocence defeats evil!

We can’t help but think of Mary’s Song in Luke’s Gospel:

He has put down princes from their thrones.
And has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things.
He has sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:52-53).

There is a kind of inversion that recurs in the Scripture, where the small and insignificant are exalted, and the big and powerful are diminished.  We see this again in these next wonderful verses of the Psalm:

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have ordained;
 what is man, that you think of him?
What is the son of man, that you care for him?

Here, David is appropriately aware of human insignificance in contrast to the cosmos that stretches out on a starry night.  He asks the right question — how can God possibly even notice me in comparison to the vastness of the heavens?

And yet, as it is for the babes and infants, and the lowly and hungry, we might say the world is turned right-side up:

For you have made him a little lower than God,
and crowned him with glory and honor.

We are reminded of creation theology, which makes clear what the relationship is between God and humanity, and between humanity and creation:

You make him ruler over the works of your hands.
You have put all things under his feet:
All sheep and cattle,
yes, and the animals of the field,
The birds of the sky, the fish of the sea,
and whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

This echoes the creation theology of Genesis 1:26.

God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Human beings are subordinate to God, but are nonetheless just below God in the hierarchy of beings.  And with this exalted position comes great responsibility for all creatures.

Kings in ancient times placed their images in the lands over which they had dominion.  In a similar way, human beings are the living images who represent God’s dominion over the world, and act as stewards of it.

The Psalm ends with a refrain of the first verse, as David seems filled with wonder for what God is and what he has done for humanity:

Yahweh, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

APPLY:  

When we turn our attention to the heavens, two things seem to be impossible.

First, it seems impossible for us to conclude that the cosmos came into existence by accident.  There  is mystery and wonder when we consider the origin story of the universe. But to conclude that all has come into being by random accident seems to require more faith than admitting that there was a creating mind behind it all.  And of course, from the Biblical perspective, that creating mind is God.

Second, it is impossible to look at the moon and the stars and not conclude that we are microscopic in comparison, especially as we have learned about the vast distances of space.

And yet. And yet.  And yet! We are created in the very image of God — which means that at our best, when we are living lives of love, reason, and justice, we are God’s representatives in the world.

The notion of the image of God was that humans were to be God’s ambassadors.  This is why we are given rule over creation, because we are to be stewards of creation.  Our dominance over creation is not given so that we might exploit it, but so that we may care for it responsibly.

RESPOND: 

This Psalm provides a balance for me in my self-image.  On the one hand, I am keenly aware of how insignificant I can feel in the cosmos, and in the human world of celebrity and historical events.

I am reminded of a story about President Teddy Roosevelt.  He owned an estate called Sagamore Hill on Long Island in New York. As a man with deep passion for hunting, the outdoors, and nature in general, this was a favorite retreat for him.

One of the things he loved to do was to go outside on a starry evening with a friend and look up at the skies, identify the constellations, and speculate about the vast distances in the universe.  And then, when they had gazed awhile and grew silent with awe, he would say, “Well, I think we’re small enough now.  Let’s go inside.”

I always remember this tale when my wife and I go outside and look at the moon and the stars.  If Teddy Roosevelt, that larger-than-life hunter, writer, and statesman could recognize how small he was when looking at the stars, how small do I feel?

On the other hand, this Psalm reminds me of God’s regard for me, far above what I deserve.

I am reminded of Hamlet’s famous speech in Shakespeare’s play:

What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals!
[The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act II, scene ii, lines 303-307]

This is an important balance to maintain — we are rightly humble in our relationship with God, but we are made bold by his grace that has created us in his own image and has saved us from the sin that damaged that image.

Our Lord, your creation leaves me speechless with awe, and I become aware of how tiny a part of it all I really am.  But then you remind me that you care enough for me to become a human being and die for me! That is truly awesome!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:

"Psalm 8:3-4 What is man that you are mindful of him?" by Unlocking the Bible is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for June 12, 2022 Trinity Sunday

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 8
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Psalm 8 is the classic expression of the majesty of God. In just nine brief verses, David’s Psalm surveys the sovereignty of God over heaven and earth, contrasts the seeming insignificance of humanity to the vast heavens, and then firmly establishes the unique relationship of human beings with God.

The Psalm is addressed to the Sovereign God, as a Psalm of praise:

Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth,
who has set your glory above the heavens!

And then there is a twist in the plot, so to speak.  Instead of describing the mountains or the oceans, the Psalmist speaks of the praises of the tiny and the most vulnerable creatures on earth:

From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength,
because of your adversaries, that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.

There is a paradox here — that the babbling of infants becomes a kind of fortress against malefactors!  The God who created the heavens and earth and all that is in them values those things that seem so insignificant. Innocence defeats evil!

We can’t help but think of Mary’s Song in Luke’s Gospel:

He has put down princes from their thrones.
And has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things.
He has sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:52-53).

There is a kind of inversion that recurs in the Scripture, where the small and insignificant are exalted, and the big and powerful are diminished.  We see this again in these next wonderful verses of the Psalm:

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have ordained;
 what is man, that you think of him?
What is the son of man, that you care for him?

Here, David is appropriately aware of human insignificance in contrast to the cosmos that stretches out on a starry night.  He asks the right question — how can God possibly even notice me in comparison to the vastness of the heavens?

And yet, as it is for the babes and infants, and the lowly and hungry, we might say the world is turned right-side up:

For you have made him a little lower than God,
and crowned him with glory and honor.

We are reminded of creation theology, which makes clear what the relationship is between God and humanity, and between humanity and creation:

You make him ruler over the works of your hands.
You have put all things under his feet:
All sheep and cattle,
yes, and the animals of the field,
The birds of the sky, the fish of the sea,
and whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

This echoes the creation theology of Genesis 1:26.

God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Human beings are subordinate to God, but are nonetheless just below God in the hierarchy of beings.  And with this exalted position comes great responsibility for all creatures.

Kings in ancient times placed their images in the lands over which they had dominion.  In a similar way, human beings are the living images who represent God’s dominion over the world, and act as stewards of it.

The Psalm ends with a refrain of the first verse, as David seems filled with wonder for what God is and what he has done for humanity:

Yahweh, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

APPLY:  

When we turn our attention to the heavens, two things seem to be impossible.

First, it seems impossible for us to conclude that the cosmos came into existence by accident.  There is mystery and wonder when we consider the origin story of the universe. But to conclude that all has come into being by random accident seems to require more faith than admitting that there was a creating mind behind it all.  And of course, from the Biblical perspective, that creating mind is God.

Second, it is impossible to look at the moon and the stars and not conclude that we are microscopic in comparison, especially as we have learned about the vast distances of space.

And yet. And yet. And yet! We are created in the very image of God — which means that at our best, when we are living lives of love, reason, and justice, we are God’s representatives in the world.

The notion of the image of God was that humans were to be God’s ambassadors.  This is why we are given rule over creation, because we are to be stewards of creation.  Our dominance over creation is not given so that we might exploit it, but so that we may care for it responsibly.

RESPOND: 

This Psalm provides a balance for me in my self-image.  On the one hand, I am keenly aware of how insignificant I can feel in the cosmos, and in the human world of celebrity and historical events.

I am reminded of a story about President Teddy Roosevelt.  He owned an estate called Sagamore Hill on Long Island in New York. As a man with deep passion for hunting, the outdoors, and nature in general, this was a favorite retreat for him.

One of the things he loved to do was to go outside on a starry evening with a friend and look up at the skies, identify the constellations, and speculate about the vast distances in the universe.  And then, when they had gazed awhile and grew silent with awe, he would say, “Well, I think we’re small enough now.  Let’s go inside.”

I always remember this tale when my wife and I go outside and look at the moon and the stars.  If Teddy Roosevelt, that larger-than-life hunter, writer, and statesman could recognize how small he was when looking at the stars, how small do I feel?

On the other hand, this Psalm reminds me of God’s regard for me, far above what I deserve.

I am reminded of Hamlet’s famous speech in Shakespeare’s play:

What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason!
how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how
express and admirable! in action how like an angel!
in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the
world! the paragon of animals!
(The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act II, scene ii, lines 303-307)

This is an important balance to maintain — we are rightly humble in our relationship with God, but we are made bold by his grace that has created us in his own image and has saved us from the sin that damaged that image.

Our Lord, your creation leaves me speechless with awe, and I become aware of how tiny a part of it all I really am.  But then you remind me that you care enough for me to become a human being and die for me! That is truly awesome!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:

"God revealed through the Milky Way" by Martin LaBar is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic  license.

Psalm Reading for October 17, 2021

Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. took this photo of “God’s Creating Hand,” a mosaic in the north transept of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm extols the majesty of God, especially as experienced in the magnificence of creation.

There are a series of vivid images that describe the wonders and works of God.  In the opening verses, the Psalmist describes the Lord as though he is clothed richly in robes, like royalty.  God’s garments reflect his attributes:

You are clothed with honor and majesty.

The very first element created by God is also described as a kind of robe. God is:

  wrapped in light as with a garment.

The Psalmist is hearkening back to the primal acts of creation.

The imagery shifts as the Psalmist describes creation itself as God’s domain.  The elements of nature become God’s dwelling place, his transportation, and his minions:

You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
you set the beams of your chambers on the waters,
you make the clouds your chariot,
you ride on the wings of the wind,
 you make the winds your messengers,
fire and flame your ministers.

Then the Psalmist turns to God’s workmanship as Creator.  God sets the earth on its foundations, and covers it with the water of  the deep as with a garment.

Again, the Psalm seems to reference God’s first acts in creation when he separated the waters from the dry land:

“Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”(Genesis 1:9).

Here, the waters are described as standing:

above the mountains.
At your rebuke they flee;
at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys
to the place that you appointed for them.
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.

The Hebrew Scriptures often express a sense of awe at the chaotic power of the oceans, which accentuates God’s mighty power over them as he sets a boundary for them.  There may be double reference here, to God’s separation of water and land in the beginning, but also perhaps to the great flood that wiped out all life except those huddled in the ark.

The Psalmist continues to loosely follow the pattern of Genesis 1:

O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

We have seen a kind of microcosm of the pattern of Genesis 1 in evocative poetry, beginning with the garment of light, the boundaries limiting the great deep as the mountains rise from the waters, and all of the living creatures of the earth.

And the Psalmist concludes in praise, as he has begun:

Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord!

APPLY:  

Sometimes we just need to go outside and look at the stars, take a hike in the woods, walk along the beach, or climb the mountains, to be reminded of the majesty of God’s creation.

Anyone who cannot praise God when beholding the glory of creation is indeed resistant to faith!

RESPOND: 

I must confess that there have been times in my life that I have experienced doubt in my faith, even the “dark night of the soul.”  But when my faith has threatened to sink into the abyss, I have always been able to find solace in creation itself.

In my view, disbelieving in the Creator God requires more effort than believing that Someone intelligent and powerful has designed and initiated this universe.

Mighty God, your creation reveals to me your majesty.  May I never close my eyes to the beauty and magnificence of the works of your hands.  May I ever praise you! Amen. 

PHOTOS:

"God's Creating Hand" by Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for June 7, 2020 Trinity Sunday

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 8
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Psalm 8 is the classic expression of the majesty of God. In just nine brief verses, David’s Psalm surveys the sovereignty of God over heaven and earth, contrasts the seeming insignificance of humanity to the vast heavens, and then firmly establishes the unique relationship of human beings with God.

The Psalm is addressed to the Sovereign God, as a Psalm of praise:

Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth,
who has set your glory above the heavens!

And then, there is a twist in the plot, so to speak.  Instead of describing the mountains or the oceans, the Psalmist speaks of the praises of the tiny and the most vulnerable creatures on earth:

From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength,
because of your adversaries, that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.

There is a paradox here — that the babbling of infants becomes a kind of fortress against malefactors!  The God who created heavens and earth and all that is in them values those things that seem so insignificant. Innocence defeats evil!

We can’t help but think of Mary’s Song in Luke’s Gospel:

He has put down princes from their thrones.
And has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things.
He has sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:52-53).

There is a kind of inversion that recurs in the Scripture, where the small and insignificant are exalted, and the big and powerful are diminished.  We see this again in these next wonderful verses of the Psalm:

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have ordained;
 what is man, that you think of him?
What is the son of man, that you care for him?

Here, David is appropriately aware of human insignificance in contrast to the cosmos that stretches out on a starry night.  He asks the right question — how can God possibly even notice me in comparison to the vastness of the heavens?

And yet, as it is for the babes and infants, and the lowly and hungry, we might say the world is turned right-side up:

For you have made him a little lower than God,
and crowned him with glory and honor.

We are reminded of creation theology, which makes clear what the relationship is between God and humanity, and between humanity and creation:

You make him ruler over the works of your hands.
You have put all things under his feet:
All sheep and cattle,
yes, and the animals of the field,
The birds of the sky, the fish of the sea,
and whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

This echoes the creation theology of Genesis 1:26.

God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Human beings are subordinate to God, but are nonetheless just below God in the hierarchy of beings.  And with this exalted position comes great responsibility for all creatures.

Kings in ancient times placed their images in the lands over which they had dominion.  In a similar way, human beings are the living images who represent God’s dominion over the world, and act as stewards of it.

The Psalm ends with a refrain of the first verse, as David seems filled with wonder for what God is and what he has done for humanity:

Yahweh, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

APPLY:  

When we turn our attention to the heavens, two things seem to be impossible.

First, it seems impossible for us to conclude that the cosmos came into existence by accident.  There  is mystery and wonder when we consider the origin story of the universe. But to conclude that all has come into being by random accident seems to require more faith than admitting that there was a creating mind behind it all.  And of course, from the Biblical perspective, that creating mind is God.

Second, it is impossible to look at the moon and the stars and not conclude that we are microscopic in comparison, especially as we have learned about the vast distances of space.

And yet. And yet.  And yet! We are created in the very image of God — which means that at our best, when we are living lives of love, reason, and justice, we are God’s representatives in the world.

The notion of the image of God was that humans were to be God’s ambassadors.  This is why we are given rule over creation, because we are to be stewards of creation.  Our dominance over creation is not given so that we might exploit it, but so that we may care for it responsibly.

RESPOND: 

This Psalm provides a balance for me in my self-image.  On the one hand, I am keenly aware of how insignificant I can feel in the cosmos, and in the human world of celebrity and historical events.

I am reminded of a story about President Teddy Roosevelt.  He owned an estate called Sagamore Hill on Long Island in New York. As a man with deep passion for hunting, the outdoors, and nature in general, this was a favorite retreat for him.

One of the things he loved to do was to go outside on a starry evening with a friend and look up at the skies, identify the constellations, and speculate about the vast distances in the universe.  And then, when they had gazed awhile and grew silent with awe, he would say, “Well, I think we’re small enough now.  Let’s go inside.”

I always remember this tale when my wife and I go outside and look at the moon and the stars.  If Teddy Roosevelt, that larger-than-life hunter, writer, and statesman could recognize how small he was when looking at the stars, how small do I feel?

On the other hand, this Psalm reminds me of God’s regard for me, far above what I deserve.

I am reminded of Hamlet’s famous speech in Shakespeare’s play:

What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason!
how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how
express and admirable! in action how like an angel!
in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the
world! the paragon of animals!
(The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act II, scene ii, lines 303-307)

This is an important balance to maintain — we are rightly humble in our relationship with God, but we are made bold by his grace that has created us in his own image and has saved us from the sin that damaged that image.

Our Lord, your creation leaves me speechless with awe, and I become aware of how tiny a part of it all I really am.  But then you remind me that you care enough for me to become a human being and die for me! That is truly awesome!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:

"Psalm 8:3-4 What is man that you are mindful of him?" by Unlocking the Bible is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for June 16, 2019

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 8
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Psalm 8 is the classic expression of the majesty of God. In just nine brief verses, David’s Psalm surveys the sovereignty of God over heaven and earth, contrasts the seeming insignificance of humanity to the vast heavens, and then firmly establishes the unique relationship of human beings with God.

The Psalm is addressed to the Sovereign God, as a Psalm of praise:

O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.

And then, there is a twist in the plot, so to speak.  Instead of describing the mountains or the oceans, the Psalmist speaks of the praises of the tiny and the most vulnerable creatures on earth:

Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.

There is a paradox here — that the babbling of infants becomes a kind of fortress against malefactors!  The God who created heavens and earth and all that is in them values those things that seem so insignificant. Innocence defeats evil!

We can’t help but think of Mary’s Song in Luke’s Gospel:

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty (Luke 1:52-53).

There is a kind of inversion that recurs in the Scripture, where the small and insignificant are exalted, and the big and powerful are diminished.  We see this again in these next wonderful verses of the Psalm:

When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
mortals  that you care for them?

Here, David is appropriately aware of human insignificance in contrast to the cosmos that stretches out on a starry night.  He asks the right question — how can God possibly even notice me in comparison to the vastness of the heavens?

And yet, as it is for the babes and infants, and the lowly and hungry, we might say the world is turned right-side up:

Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
and crowned them with glory and honor.

We are reminded of creation theology, which makes clear what the relationship is between God and humanity, and between humanity and creation:

You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
you have put all things under their feet,
all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

This echoes the creation theology of Genesis 1:26.

Then God said, “Let us make humankind  in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth,  and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

Human beings are subordinate to God, but are nonetheless just below God in the hierarchy of beings.  And with this exalted position comes great responsibility for all creatures.

Kings in ancient times placed their images in the lands over which they had dominion.  In a similar way, human beings are the living images who represent God’s dominion over the world, and act as stewards of it.

The Psalm ends with a refrain of the first verse, as David seems filled with wonder for what God is and what he has done for humanity:

O Lord, our Sovereign,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

APPLY:  

When we turn our attention to the heavens, two things seem to be impossible.

First, it seems impossible for us to conclude that the cosmos came into existence by accident.  There  is mystery and wonder when we consider the origin story of the universe. But to conclude that all has come into being by random accident seems to require more faith than admitting that there was a creating mind behind it all.  And of course, from the Biblical perspective, that creating mind is God.

Second, it is impossible to look at the moon and the stars and not conclude that we are microscopic in comparison, especially as we have learned about the vast distances of space.

And yet. And yet.  And yet! We are created in the very image of God — which means that at our best, when we are living lives of love, reason, and justice, we are God’s representatives in the world.

The notion of the image of God was that humans were to be God’s ambassadors.  This is why we are given dominion over creation, because we are to be stewards of creation.  Our dominance over creation is not given so that we might exploit it, but so that we may care for it responsibly.

RESPOND: 

This Psalm provides a balance for me in my self-image.  On the one hand, I am keenly aware of how insignificant I can feel in the cosmos, and in the human world of celebrity and historical events.

I am reminded of a story about President Teddy Roosevelt.  He owned an estate called Sagamore Hill on Long Island in New York. As a man with deep passion for hunting, the outdoors, and nature in general, this was a favorite retreat for him.

One of the things he loved to do was to go outside on a starry evening with a friend and look up at the skies, identify the constellations, and speculate about the vast distances in the universe.  And then, when they had gazed awhile and grew silent with awe, he would say, “Well, I think we’re small enough now.  Let’s go inside.”

I always remember this tale when my wife and I go outside and look at the moon and the stars.  If Teddy Roosevelt, that larger-than-life hunter, writer, and statesman could recognize how small he was when looking at the stars, how small do I feel?

On the other hand, this Psalm reminds me of God’s regard for me, far above what I deserve.

I am reminded of Hamlet’s famous speech in Shakespeare’s play:

What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason!
how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how
express and admirable! in action how like an angel!
in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the
world! the paragon of animals!
(The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act II, scene ii, lines 303-307)

This is an important balance to maintain — we are rightly humble in our relationship with God, but we are made bold by his grace that has created us in his own image and has saved us from the sin that damaged that image.

Our Lord, your creation leaves me speechless with awe, and I become aware of how tiny a part of it all I really am.  But then you remind me that you care enough for me to become a human being and die for me! That is truly awesome!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
"Psalm 8:3" by David Avoura King is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for October 21, 2018

Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. took this photo of “God’s Creating Hand,” a mosaic in the north transept of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm extols the majesty of God, especially as experienced in the magnificence of creation.

There are a series of vivid images that describe the wonders and works of God.  In the opening verses, the Psalmist describes the Lord as though he is clothed richly in robes, like royalty.  God’s  garments reflect his attributes:

You are clothed with honor and majesty.

The very first element created by God is also described as a kind of robe:  God is:

  wrapped in light as with a garment.

The Psalmist is hearkening back to the primal acts of creation.

The imagery shifts as the Psalmist describes creation itself as God’s domain.  The elements of nature become God’s dwelling place, his transportation, and his minions:

You stretch out the heavens like a tent,
you set the beams of your chambers on the waters,
you make the clouds your chariot,
you ride on the wings of the wind,
 you make the winds your messengers,
fire and flame your ministers.

Then the Psalmist turns to God’s workmanship as Creator.  God sets  the earth on its foundations, and covers it with the water of  the deep as with a garment.

Again, the Psalm seems to reference God’s first acts in creation when he  separated the waters from the dry land:

“Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”(Genesis 1:9).

Here, the waters are described as standing:

above the mountains.
At your rebuke they flee;
at the sound of your thunder they take to flight.
They rose up to the mountains, ran down to the valleys
to the place that you appointed for them.
You set a boundary that they may not pass,
so that they might not again cover the earth.

The Hebrew Scriptures often express a sense of awe at the chaotic power of the oceans, which accentuates God’s mighty power over them as he sets a boundary for them.  There may be double reference here, to God’s separation of water and land in the beginning, but also perhaps to the great flood that wiped out all life except those huddled in the ark.

The Psalmist continues to loosely follow the pattern of Genesis 1:

O Lord, how manifold are your works!
In wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

We have seen a kind of microcosm of the pattern of Genesis 1 in evocative poetry, beginning with the garment of light, the boundaries limiting the great deep as the mountains rise from the waters, and all of the living creatures of the earth.

And the Psalmist concludes in praise, as he has begun:

Bless the Lord, O my soul.
Praise the Lord!

APPLY:  

Sometimes we just need to go outside and look at the stars, take a hike in the woods, walk along the beach, or climb the mountains, to be reminded of the majesty of God’s creation.

Anyone who cannot praise God when beholding the glory of creation is indeed resistant to faith!

RESPOND: 

I must confess that there have been times in my life that I have experienced doubt in my faith, even the “dark night of the soul.”  But when my faith has threatened to sink into the abyss, I have always been able to find solace in creation itself.

In my view, disbelieving in the Creator God requires more effort than believing that Someone intelligent and powerful has designed and initiated this universe.

Mighty God, your creation reveals to me your majesty.  May I never close my eyes to the beauty and magnificence of the works of your hands.  May I ever praise you! Amen. 

PHOTOS:

"God's Creating Hand" by Fr Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for June 11, 2017

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Psalm 8

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Psalm 8 is the classic expression of the majesty of God. In just nine brief verses, David’s Psalm surveys the sovereignty of God over heaven and earth, contrasts the seeming insignificance of humanity to the vast heavens, and then firmly establishes the unique relationship of human beings with God.

The Psalm is addressed to the Sovereign God, as a Psalm of praise:

Yahweh, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth,
who has set your glory above the heavens!

And then, there is a twist in the plot, so to speak.  Instead of describing the mountains or the oceans, the Psalmist speaks of the praises of the tiny and the most vulnerable creatures on earth:

From the lips of babes and infants you have established strength,
because of your adversaries, that you might silence the enemy and the avenger.

There is a paradox here — that the babbling of infants becomes a kind of fortress against malefactors!  The God who created heavens and earth and all that is in them values those things that seem so insignificant. Innocence defeats evil!

We can’t help but think of Mary’s Song in Luke’s Gospel:

He has put down princes from their thrones.
And has exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things.
He has sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:52-53).

There is a kind of inversion that recurs in the Scripture, where the small and insignificant are exalted, and the big and powerful are diminished.  We see this again in these next wonderful verses of the Psalm:

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have ordained;
 what is man, that you think of him?
What is the son of man, that you care for him?

Here, David is appropriately aware of human insignificance in contrast to the cosmos that stretches out on a starry night.  He asks the right question — how can God possibly even notice me in comparison to the vastness of the heavens?

And yet, as it is for the babes and infants, and the lowly and hungry, we might say the world is turned right-side up:

For you have made him a little lower than God,
and crowned him with glory and honor.

We are reminded of creation theology, which makes clear what the relationship is between God and humanity, and between humanity and creation:

You make him ruler over the works of your hands.
You have put all things under his feet:
All sheep and cattle,
yes, and the animals of the field,
The birds of the sky, the fish of the sea,
and whatever passes through the paths of the seas.

This echoes the creation theology of Genesis 1:26.

 God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Human beings are subordinate to God, but are nonetheless just below God in the hierarchy of beings.  And with this exalted position comes great responsibility for all creatures.

Kings in ancient times placed their images in the lands over which they had dominion.  In a similar way, human beings are the living images who represent God’s dominion over the world, and act as stewards of it.

The Psalm ends with a refrain of the first verse, as David seems filled with wonder for what God is and what he has done for humanity:

Yahweh, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!

APPLY:  

When we turn our attention to the heavens, two things seem to be impossible.

First, it seems impossible for us to conclude that the cosmos came into existence by accident.  There  is mystery and wonder when we consider the origin story of the universe. But to conclude that all has come into being by random accident seems to require more faith than admitting that there was a creating mind behind it all.  And of course, from the Biblical perspective, that creating mind is God.

Second, it is impossible to look at the moon and the stars and not conclude that we are microscopic in comparison, especially as we have learned about the vast distances of space.

And yet. And yet.  And yet! We are created in the very image of God — which means that at our best, when we are living lives of love, reason, and justice, we are God’s representatives in the world.

The notion of the image of God was that humans were to be God’s ambassadors.  This is why we are given rule over creation, because we are to be stewards of creation.  Our dominance over creation is not given so that we might exploit it, but so that we may care for it responsibly.

RESPOND: 

This Psalm provides a balance for me in my self-image.  On the one hand, I am keenly aware of how insignificant I can feel in the cosmos, and in the human world of celebrity and historical events.

I am reminded of a story about President Teddy Roosevelt.  He owned an estate called Sagamore Hill on Long Island in New York. As a man with deep passion for hunting, the outdoors, and nature in general, this was a favorite retreat for him.

One of the things he loved to do was to go outside on a starry evening with a friend and look up at the skies, identify the constellations, and speculate about the vast distances in the universe.  And then, when they had gazed awhile and grew silent with awe, he would say, “Well, I think we’re small enough now.  Let’s go inside.”

I always remember this tale when my wife and I go outside and look at the moon and the stars.  If Teddy Roosevelt, that larger-than-life hunter, writer, and statesman could recognize how small he was when looking at the stars, how small do I feel?

On the other hand, this Psalm reminds me of God’s regard for me, far above what I deserve.

I am reminded of Hamlet’s famous speech in Shakespeare’s play:

What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason!
how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how
express and admirable! in action how like an angel!
in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the
world! the paragon of animals!
(The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Act II, scene ii, lines 303-307)

This is an important balance to maintain — we are rightly humble in our relationship with God, but we are made bold by his grace that has created us in his own image and has saved us from the sin that damaged that image.

Our Lord, your creation leaves me speechless with awe, and I become aware of how tiny a part of it all I really am.  But then you remind me that you care enough for me to become a human being and die for me! That is truly awesome!  Amen. 

PHOTOS:
"Psalm 8:3-4 What is man that you are mindful of him?" by Unlocking the Bible is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.
									

Psalm Reading for December 24, 2016

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Psalm 96

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm might easily remind us of the great hymn by Isaac Watts, “Joy to the World.”  Close, but no cigar.  His hymn was based on Psalm 98.

Nonetheless, Psalm 96 lifts up very similar themes: singing a new song to the Lord, proclaiming the gift of salvation day by day, declaring his glory among the nations.

There is a highly inclusive tone to this great Psalm.  The Psalmist declares God’s glory among all the nations, and then says:

Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

He goes on to say:

 Say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity.

In other words, the Lord’s sovereignty extends beyond Israel and Judah to include all people, everywhere. God is not a mere provincial idol or tribal god:

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be revered above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.

Moreover, he is sovereign over all creation as well:

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.
 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
he comes to judge the earth.

All nations, political systems, and even the ecosystems of all creation are under the authority of the Lord, and so by right are obliged to praise God.

There is in this Psalm a theme both of jubilation and judgment.  God encompasses both great joy and moral accountability.

APPLY:  

What is the proper attitude of the families of the earth, all the nations, and nature itself toward God?  Worship!

All that is created owes its existence to the Creator.  So there are some clear directions here:

• The earth and the nations are to join in singing praise to God for his salvation. Salvation doesn’t mean merely personal deliverance from sin and death, or even national liberation from oppression.  The very act of creation was an act of salvation, because God brought order out of chaos.
• The Lord is not to be confused with the gods and idols of the peoples. Human beings are inherently “religious.”  We will worship something, even if it is America’s Idol, or a football team!  But we need to understand we haven’t invented our Creator; he has invented us!
• Not only does the human world worship the Lord, all creation worships him as well. The objectification of the created order fails to take into account the Biblical view that even nature has a “relationship” with God as creator:

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it.
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the Lord; for he is coming,
for he is coming to judge the earth.

• We must not lose sight of the fact that this is a moral universe, based on the moral nature of God:

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.

RESPOND: 

Most of us go to church in small to mid-size churches, although mega-churches are found in nearly all of our cities.  Worship with a massed multitude, like going to a Christian concert, can be an amazing experience.

But simply walking by the ocean and listening to the rhythm of the surf  can be a reminder that there is a Creator behind all creation. We are reminded by nature of the majestic power of God; we are taught through the Scriptures what God’s character is like.

Lord, with all nations, families and creation, I join together to sing your praise.  You are an awesome God!  Amen.

PHOTOS:
"Psalm 96:1-4" by Sapphire Dream Photography is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for June 5, 2016

START WITH SCRIPTURE:

Psalm 146

CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This Psalm of praise provides perspective.  The Psalmist praises God with his whole being and his whole life, but cautions against trust in the political powers of this world.

The contrast is stark — princes are mortals whose plans and visions, even for the good, are terminated the moment of their death.

The Lord, on the other hand, has been the source of strength for Israel since the days of Jacob.  The Lord’s power is demonstrated by his creation of heaven, earth and the sea.  And unlike the transient power of princes, the Lord’s power endures forever.  The Lord is the one who:

keeps faith forever.

And the Lord’s power is never used for selfish purposes, but for those who are weak and powerless.  He is the one who:

executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,

However, the Lord’s justice does have consequences for the unjust:

the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

Unlike the princes of the earthly kingdoms, and the wicked, the Lord is everlasting:

The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

APPLY:  

Human beings have a difficult time maintaining an eternal perspective, let alone a divine perspective.  We tend to get caught up in the politics of current events, and define our values as Republican, Democratic, socialist, capitalist, and on and on.

However, our world has seen political systems come and go.  Kings and queens and princes tend not to have the power that they once did.  The Iron Curtain in East Europe fell in 1989, exposing the frailties of Communism.  Even western democracies reveal serious fissures and a failure to deliver justice and well-being and freedom for all.

This Psalm reminds us that ultimately we have a Monarch — the Lord.  He will lift up the weak and the oppressed, and he will judge the wicked and the oppressor.  And his kingdom will have no end.

RESPOND: 

Currently, the United States is engaged in a controversial political contest.  Three prominent and well-known candidates are competing for the presidency of the United States — a billionaire, a socialist, and a former president’s wife.

I would be dishonest if I didn’t admit I’m not sure I have a clear conscience about voting for any one of them.

But I am reminded that the political powers of any president, prince, prime minister, or tyrant are temporary.  Ultimately we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.  May those who govern always be mindful that they will also be accountable for how they discharged their duties.

Our Lord, when I grow anxious about politics and the next elections, remind me that you alone are King.  We will all bow the knee before your throne.  And I am grateful that because of your grace, I may hope for mercy and not justice.  Amen. 

PHOTOS: “Bibel (Stuttgart-West)” by Ph Urban is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.