Psalm 71:17-20 – You have shown me great troubles and adversities; but you will restore my life and bring me up again from the deep places of the earth.
The deep places are dark and lonely. Jeremiah speaks of the terror of the miry cistern. Many are lost in the dark places; yet that is precisely where many are found.
God says: I understand the terror you feel when darkness pulls you down. Jeremiah speaks my words to you when he says, “Obey the Lord and all will go well with you, your life will be spared.” It may appear that obedience to me is a capitulation of self but it is rather a coming to fullness, a burgeoning into fruit which is good. Your troubles and worries will melt away when you bring them to me. They are too great for you to carry. Bring your burdens to me, and I will give you rest.
Let us give our yoke to God today. Nothing is too heavy for God to bear.
Psalm 66:7-8 – Bless our God, you peoples; make the voice of his praise to be heard; who holds our souls in life, and will not allow our feet to slip.
When we are besieged by people, thoughts or circumstances, there is only one foundation on which to stand: the Cornerstone, the Christ.
God says: Do you know how much I love you? I came to walk among you so that I might know exactly how you feel when you are at a place of no experience but pain. I live among you still. I touch you each day. I want to heal you. I want to hear you laugh because your laughter is music to me. Not a hair on your head will be harmed so that I might have you with me. This is what it means when I am described as a jealous God. I will stop at nothing; I will endure forever until you come to me with a full and open heart. I want you as my beautiful spouse, my best true love. I will not allow your foot to slip. I wait for you still. I hold your soul in life still.
It seems that a half-dozen times or so each year we look at the book of Acts to see how the formation of the church began in those very early days. At first, the risen Jesus meets with his followers and holds them together with his physical presence. After his ascension, Jesus holds his church together with the promise of the Fatherabout which they had heard him speak in Luke 24:49, the gift of the Holy Spirit was to come to them on the Feast of the Pentecost.
In the Jewish tradition, Pentecost also called the Feast of Weeks and it is the second of three holy celebrations: Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. Passover, of course, celebrates the Hebrew exodus from slavery to a promised land with Moses as their leader and Yahweh providing providential care. Tabernacles – also called the Feast of Booths – is a joyful celebration in the fall of the year for the harvest gifts of the threshing floor and the wine press at the end of the season. Celebrants are required to “dwell in booths,” or tents as a commemoration of their desert pilgrimage and God’s protection during their years of wandering. (Achetemeier 1088) Pentecost was a celebration of early or first fruits, the yield from the first harvest of the season. It is fitting, when we think of this, that the Holy Spirit arrives as a first yielding of many gifts to be received by the followers of Christ. It is fitting that we reflect on all of this today, the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul, two men whose lives were poured out for the formation of Christ’s church.
Paul writes to a disciple, Timothy: I . . . am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. (2 Timothy 4) He writes to the Philippians: Hold on to the word of life, so that my boast for the day of Christ may be that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. But, even if I am poured out as a libation upon the sacrificial service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with all of you. In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me. (Philippians 2)
When Jesus asks Peter: Who do you say that I am? Peter replies: You are the Christ, the son of the living God. (Matthew 16)Peter writes:Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2)
The early apostles were present for the first harvest of the church and the work of this reaping is not complete; we continue to labor in this same promise. Any trials we endure today become tools of our own discipline when we turn our work over to God. Evidence of fruits from our labor in this vineyard are little miracles that call us to keep faith, that urge us to become one of the living stones in the living temple of Christ. When we feel ourselves poured out as libations on the altars of our lives, we also know that we are making our exodus to the Promised Land; we too, are precious and chosen children of God; we too, are held by the promise of the Father.
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Sometimes, when all things fall into place just the right way, we feel our connection with all of creation, and we understand that it is God, and it is good.
God says: I know that you think that you are apart and separate from everyone and everything else. That is the illusion which the human covering creates. I know that it is difficult to remember that you are nearly entirely water, a chemical soup held together by your skin; but if you can remember this, you will understand better why it is so important that you come to terms with the people and things that alienate you. I am the universe. You are created in my image, and I yearn to be in union with you. Because you are already one with my universe, and because the universe praises me, you feel best when you can be a part of that praise. Come out of hiding and sing. Come to me. I will wait for you. Always. Let all of your breath praise me. I hold you and protect you always.
Let us remember that we are in union with all creation, that this communion is God’s intent, and that this union is good.
Psalm 3:5 – I lie down and go to sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
There is nothing more we need remember when we put head to pillow to sleep, or when we rise in the morning to begin our day. In the nighttime, God guards us as the pillar of fire watched over the Hebrews in their exodus from Egypt. In the daytime, the pillar of smoke leads us as we weave among the perils and hazards of life.
God says: Despite what you may feel at times, I really do listen to you, I really do watch over you, I protect you from the things and people who will destroy you entirely. I guide your feet on their path. If you follow me, you will not be lost. I bring you the bread and wine that sustain just as I sent manna and water to my people when they crossed the desert. You cross your own desert, and I am with you. Look for the column of smoke and follow. Lie down when the smoke turns to fire; it will keep you warm from the cold of the desert nights. Rise again with the morning light. Follow the column again. I am with you always.
Wishing you warmth in the cold of the desert. Stay well . . .
Psalm 55:18 – In the evening, in the morning, and at noonday, I will complain and lament, and God will hear my voice.
When I read this, I understand that I am not the only one who calls on God incessantly. This gives me comfort and hope. Comfort because I am not alone. Hope because God has acted in the lives of so many people, why would he not act in mine? I will set my petitions before God to show God that I understand my proper relationship with the Lord: God is the creator, I am the creation.
God says: Do not worry that I might become tired of hearing your pleas. I answer your requests as they best fit your own plan and the plan of salvation. I do not mind that you become angry with me; my love for you can handle that. I do not mind that you feel I do not love you; my love for you is bigger than that. I do not mind if you turn from me; my love perseveres and endures forever. I do not mind. I love you.
Let your voice rise to God like incense in the night. Ask, and you will receive.
Psalm 119:25, 37, 40, 50, 93, 145, 154 – I am laid low in the dust; preserve my life according to your word. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. How I long for your precepts! Preserve my life in your righteousness. My comfort in my suffering is this: your promise preserves my life. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life. I call with my whole heart; answer me, O Lord, that I may keep your statutes. Defend my life and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promises.
This psalm is the longest in this longest of Books in the Bible. It is an ‘alphabetical’ psalm in that the first 8 verses of each strophe begin with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet and each verse (except for verse 122) contains one of the terms of the Law or Teachings or Statutes in which Jesus was raised. This psalm, along with many others, and the Books of the Torah, Wisdom and Prophets, were Jesus’ school house. The revelation handed down through the millennia to guide humankind still serves us today. When we see the word lifein this psalm, we understand it to refer to the concept of lifein its fullest sense: happiness, security, and liberation from all that oppresses us.
God says: I know that sometimes you are so burdened you cannot think. You have so much to do that there is no time. You are so tired that you cannot sleep. Yet, I abide with you still, even though you do not see me, even though you may not feel my presence. Still, I am with you, as I am always with you, even until the end of time. If all you can do is pray this verse today, that is enough: “I call with my whole heart; answer me, O Lord, that I may keep your statutes.” I am answering you each time you call. Listen, for I am near.
All of God’s promises are renewed. All of God’s promises are kept. May you know the love and peace of Christ.
Psalm 36:5 – Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, and your faithfulness to the clouds.
When we look at intense moonlight, at an amazing formation of clouds, at a flock of birds on wing, at people healing and helping one another, we know that God has created all, and we know that God remains present to his creation at all times and in all ways. Even though we may feel lost, alone, hurt, frightened or confused, we can be certain that we are an important part of this creation.
God says: I do not forget about you ever; you are always on my mind. You will never have to be without me; I remember you and hold you as special always. This love will never fail. This love will never weaken. This love will never go away. It strengthens each day as we talk. It becomes immutable as we seal our agreement with one another in our many conversations. My love for you is so immense that you cannot understand it; yet still it is there with you. Always.
Wishing you the warmth and assurance of God’s ever-abiding love and peace.
Take a few minutes today to click a word on the tag cloud to the right and follow the link . . .
Psalm 28:8-9 – TheLord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in God, and I have been helped; therefore my heart dances for joy; and in my song will I praise God.
When we are in the midst of harrowing circumstances and our thoughts fly about so quickly they barely register, we must step behind the only shield that both protects and nourishes. As St. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6, we always have the opportunity to put on Christ. He is the only armor we need.
God says: When you feel that you must go into battle, let me be your armor. There is really no combat for you to plan. You do not need to plot or scheme. I have already rescued you. You are already ransomed from the mob and even protected. I will not let you cease to exist. Be glad in this, and even though you may not yet feel like dancing, begin to form a song in your heart that will later rise to your lips. I love you, and I will not let you down. You are, in fact, already saved.
Psalm 71:17-20 – You have shown me great troubles and adversities; but you will restore my life and bring me up again from the deep places of the earth.
The Noontimes 