Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for January, 2021

Psalm 119: A Prayer to Hear God’s Message, Promise and Call

Posted in Prayer, tagged , , , , , on January 31, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Sunday, January 31, 2021

Bible and glassesPsalm 119

A Prayer to Hear God’s Message, Promise and Call

The arrogant have dug pits for me; defying your teaching . . . They have almost ended my life on earth, but I do not forsake your precepts.

Others speak of hearing God’s voice and we too, have a strong sense of this guiding Spirit within.

Others speak of hearing God’s voice and we realize that we have never felt this strong, protective companion.

Others speak of hearing God’s voice and remembering the time in our lives when we too, felt accompanied by this loving presence, we wait for this comforting experience to return.

No matter our circumstance, no matter the moment in our life’s journey, Christ is present to and in each of us, even when we may not feel his presence. The psalmist tells us that when we do not experience a sense of God in our lives we are always welcome to ask God to touch us in a tangible way; and when we do feel God’s presence, we must turn to help those who do not. And we must celebrate.

Good and far-seeing God, you have given each of us the power to actualize our own potential. Help us to see you in our lives and to bring you to others who need to see your hand in their own lives.

Good and loving God, you encourage us to read your word, to practice your law and to aspire to the potential for divinity we each possess. Help us to find you in scripture and to open scripture for others so that they also find you in your Law of Love.

Good and insightful God, you are a fountain of wisdom. Nourish us with your truth and bring us your understanding, counsel and guidance. Remind us of your promise to always be present to and in us.

Good and saving God, you come to us as a child, as a light in the overpowering night. Help us to act as the Messiah does, reading your word, growing in wisdom, listening for your voice, and sacrificing self to bring light to the unforgiving darkness.

Good and eternal God, you are beginning and end, Alpha and Omega, source and summit for all. Speak to each of us in such a way that we might clearly hear your message, that we might eagerly believe in your promise, and that we might joyfully reply to your call.

We ask this in Jesus’ name, in unity with your sacred Spirit. Amen.

Tomorrow, Ayin.

If you are looking for an open and easy way to begin a daily dedication to scripture, choose any psalm and read it in segments prayerfully, pausing for reflection. Or turn to The Acts of the Apostles and begin to read the story of the Spirit among us.

For information about beginning a Bible reading plan, click on the image above or go to: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/12/27/a-bible-reading-plan-for-readers/

Read Full Post »

Psalm 119: Message, Promise and Call

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on January 30, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Saturday, January 30, 2021

imagesCASJ62CEPsalm 119

Message, Promise and Call

How I love your teaching, Lord! I study it all day long.

Last week we reflected on our portion as children of God.  As we examine stanzas nine through thirteen of Psalm 119, we find God’s gift to us: God’s message, promise and call.

Teth: Inversion, the Concealed Good – God’s plan is one of ideas and lives turned on their heads.  Do we see the good concealed in all harm?

Yodh: The Infinite Good – A small suspended point signifies God’s infinite goodness. Can we see this limitless good in the smallest of people and in the smallest places of creation?

Kaph: The Power to Actualize Potential – We are made in God’s image and so we have the potential to embody God’s Word.  This is our message: we are constantly called to fulfill the potential planted in us at our inception.

Lamedh: Aspiration, Contemplation of the Heart – Scholars suggest that this letter serves as a symbol of a loving student who seeks to gain wisdom from the sage or teacher and so we too, contemplate the goodness of God’s own heart.  This is our message: we are constantly drawn to God’s goodness and insight.

Mem: Fountain of Wisdom – All true wisdom that nourishes and lasts is found in God and so we rely on this wisdom as source and foundation of understanding, counsel and guidance.  This is God’s promise: Christ will always be present to us.

When we study God’s word, we encounter God’s message . . . Christ, God Among Us.

When we study God’s word, we are gifted with God’s promise . . . the Spirit, God’s Wisdom Within Us.

When we study God’s word, we give thanks for God’s goodness . . . The Creator, God’s Call to Each of Us.

Tomorrow, A Prayer to Hear God’s Message, Promise and Call.  

For a Bible reading plan, click on the image above or go to: http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2013/12/27/a-bible-reading-plan-for-readers/

Read Full Post »

Psalm 119:97-104: Mem

Posted in Mini-Noontime, tagged , , , , , , on January 29, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Friday, January 29, 2021

MemPsalm 119:97-104

Mem

Your command makes me wiser than my foes, for it is always with me . . . I have more understanding than all my teachers, because I ponder your decrees . . . I have more insight than my elders, because I observe your precepts . . . From your edicts I do not turn, for you have taught them to me . . . How sweet to my tongue is your promise . . . through your precepts I gain insight.

God’s commands, decrees, precepts and edicts are often seen as roadblocks because they are too often presented to us by those who think in an either-or, black-white, dual way. In reality God’s law is the Law of Love bringing us wisdom, understanding, insight, sweetness and promise.

God says: If you worship with others who see me full of wrath and revenge, remember that they and I are in a conversation in which I am bringing them to my Law of Love. If you worship with others who see me as a passive force of kindness only, have patience with them as well and remember that they are afraid to see the injustices that surround them. If you find yourself impatient with my plan and its timing, remember that you and I are also in conversation and that you see only a small portion of the universe.  In the end, I make my promise to each of you, I live in union with all of you even when you turn away. Remember that I love you dearly and well. Remember my promise to you. Remember . . .

How do we struggle against our foes? How do we gain wisdom greater than our teachers and insights greater than our elders? How do we taste the sweetness of God’s promise? We rest in God daily, turn to God in every hour, live in God each moment. We read and ponder God’s Word, reflect and meditate on God’s message, enact and carry out God’s Law of Love.

The Lord’s Law of Love is pure, enduring forever.  The statutes of the law are true; all of them just; more desirable than gold, sweeter also than honey or drippings from the comb.  (Psalm 19:10-11)

Tomorrow, Nun.

To learn more about the letter Mem as a fountain of wisdom, go to: http://www.inner.org/hebleter/mem.htm

 

Read Full Post »

Psalm 119:89-96: Lamedh

Posted in Mini-Noontime, tagged , , on January 28, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Thursday, January 28, 2021

12-lamedh[2]Psalm 119:89-96

Lamedh

Your word, Lord, stands forever; it is firm as the heavens . . . Had your teachings not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction . . . I have seen the limits of all perfection, but your command is without bounds.

There is no true perfection but God’s and so the flawlessness God asks of us is that we persist in following the Law of Love. Our own perfection lies not in our living life without error, but in our determined turning to God in all things.

God says: Do not tax yourself with the millions of details that fill your day. This is not where true perfection lies. Do not punish yourself for the slips you make along life’s path. The pain of those errors is punishment enough. Do not expect that you will live a life without fault. What I ask is that you always turn and return to me. And then I ask that you forgive one another as I have forgiven you . . . no matter how difficult this may be. In your willingness to attempt this following of my Law of Love . . . in this lies your perfection.

We need not create a world of guilt for ourselves and others. When we read the many parables through which Jesus still teaches us today, we understand that God is always willing to love us no matter how grave our error, and that we are asked to extend this same forgiveness to others.

Peter asks Jesus: Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?  As many as seven times? Jesus answers: I say to you not seven times but seventy-seven times.  (Matthew 18:21-22)

To learn more about the letter Lamedh, perfection, and the contemplation of the heart, click on the image above, or go to: http://ascribelog.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/limited-perfection-psalm-119-lamedh/ or http://www.inner.org/hebleter/lamed.htm

Read Full Post »

Psalm 119:81-88: Kaph

Posted in Mini-Noontime, tagged , , , on January 27, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Psalm 119:81-88

images[4]Kaph

I am like a wineskin shriveled by smoke, but I have not forgotten your laws . . . In your kindness give me life, to keep the decrees you have spoken.

This eleventh strophe of Psalm 119 reminds us that God can renew even the shriveled wineskin.

God says: Do not worry about how your renewal will come about. Your transformation is part of my plan for your joy.D o not worry about how you will find your new comfort zone. I will provide a new wineskin for the new wine of your renewal. Your personal challenge is this . . . to dispose of habits that must be re-visited, to replace any old, self-defeating practices with new traditions that will be fitting for your new life.

Jesus says: No one sews a new cloth on an old cloak. If he does, its fullness pulls away, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and skins are ruined. Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins. (Mark 2:21-22)

When we ask God to sort our problems and remove the obstacles before us . . . we must be prepared to change our old skin for new.

Tomorrow, Lamedh.

To learn more about the Hebrew letter Kaph, click on the word or the image above, or go to: http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/3_kaph.html or http://www.inner.org/hebleter/kaf.htm

Read Full Post »

Psalm 119:73-80: Yodh

Posted in Mini-Noontime, tagged , , , , on January 26, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Tuesday, January 26, 2021

imagesCAZPBI3NPsalm 119:73-80

Yodh

Your hands made me and fashioned me . . .

“A small suspended point, reveals the spark of essential good hidden within the letter”. (Ginsburgh)

God says: I hide nothing from you and you need not hide anything from me. Hiding, after all, is quite impossible for all truths are eventually revealed. When you read my Word, both the old and the new scriptures tell you that in the end all truth is revealed and all that was thought hidden is exposed to the light. How much better it is then, to live in the open truth rather than in dark corners that will eventually be flooded by light.

How much better it is to spend our energy on sharing the good news of God’s unconditional love with others than plotting and planning in the dark. This letter is the smallest in the Hebrew alphabet and this tenth strophe that bears its name teaches us a lesson in humility.

Lord, you have probed me; you know me: you know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar . . . Where can I hide from your spirit?  From your presence where can I flee? . . . You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.  (Psalm 139)

For more information on the letter Yodh, click on the image or go to: http://www.bje.org.au/learning/hebrew/alphabet/10yud.html or http://www.inner.org/hebleter/yud.htm

Ginsburgh, Harav Yitzchak . “Yud: The Infinite Point.” Hebrew Letters. “Introduction to the Hebrew Letters.” The Gal Enai Website. Gal Einai Institute, Inc., n.d. Web. 19 Jan 2014.

Read Full Post »

Psalm 119:65-72: Teth

Posted in Mini-Noontime, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 25, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Monday, January 25, 2021

In these days when we continue to recover from social, political, medical, and emotional turmoil, we look to this longest chapter in Scripture for guidance. Today, joy follows mourning.

9-teth[1]Psalm 119:65-72

Teth

Teach me your wisdom and knowledge . . . It was good for me to be afflicted, in order to learn your laws . . .

In this ninth strophe we near the middle of Psalm 119 and here the psalmist reaches out to God, asking for wisdom and knowledge specifically, promising to adhere to the Law of loving one another that Yahweh has written on our hearts. The psalmist expresses a truth we all know but often do not want to admit: we learn life’s lessons best when we are under siege or overwhelmed, and it is from this suffering that God calls forth joy.

God says: I tell you frequently so of this you may be certain: I am with you always, I see your joys and sorrows, and I bring all manner of goodness out of the great harm that some of you plot. So put away any plans of deception and come to the truth. Honesty, authenticity, integrity and love will heal any rift. In my plan and in my time, my love transforms even the darkest of hearts. You may believe my goodness to be hidden . . . but it lives forever in your hearts.

Rather than curse our painful circumstances, let us enter into God’s plan of inversion and allow our sorrow to lead us to the one who can heal the deepest of wounds. Let us allow God to love us infinitely and unconditionally.

When the Lord restored our fortunes we thought we were dreaming. Our mouths were filled with laughter; our tongues sang for joy . . . Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy. Those who go forth weeping, carrying sacks of seed, with return with cries of joy, carrying their bundled sheaves.  (Psalm 126)

Tomorrow, the letter Yodh.

For more information on the letter Teth and how it represents inversion and concealed good, go to: http://www.inner.org/hebleter/tet.htm or http://www.hebrewtoday.com/content/hebrew-alphabet-letter-tet-%D7%98

Read Full Post »

Psalm 119: A Prayer to Rejoice in Our Portion

Posted in Prayer, tagged , , , , on January 24, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Sunday, January 24, 2021

Psalm 119

A Prayer to Rejoice in Our Portion

Our life is a gift from God. What we do with that life is our return gift to God.

Our life is a gift from God. What we do with that life is our return gift to God. This is Our Portion.

God brings us connection to others and to nature.  Let us extend our own invitation to those who long for this same union. We rejoice in God’s desire to be connected with each of us. Amen.

We expect to find valor in obvious places. Let us prepare to discover bravery where we least expect it. We celebrate the courage God bestows on us. Amen.

God breaths in us a life force of inversion. Let us ask for deliverance from all that oppresses us knowing that with God all things are possible. We delight in the beauty God has in mind for all. Amen.

In countless stories from Old Testament and New, we learn to look for the good concealed in astonishing places. Let us seek the wonder of God’s goodness in ourselves and in others. We celebrate the splendor God shows us in impossible circumstances. Amen.

God is nothing but infinite goodness. Let us rejoice with God in our portion, God’s gift of life. Let us rejoice in our portion of God’s infinite love. Amen.

For more on the connection, valor, inversion, concealed and infinite goodness that is our portion in God’s plan, explore the second five stanzas of Psalm 119 in last week’s Noontimes.

Read Full Post »

Psalm 119: Our Portion

Posted in Web site included, tagged , , , on January 23, 2021| Leave a Comment »


Saturday, January 23, 2021

Psalm 119

Our Portion

Our life is a gift from God. What we do with that life is our return gift to God.

Our life is a gift from God. What we do with that life is our return gift to God. This is Our Portion.

Remember your word to your servant by which you give me hope . . . My portion is the Lord; I promise to keep your words.

Last week we reflected on how Mary treasured the Word of God in her heart and body. We know that we are created in God’s image; we understand that we are dearly loved by God; and we believe that God constantly accompanies us through life even though we do not always sense God’s presence. This is our portion in life.

As we explore God’s word in Psalm 119 strophes four through eight, let us also examine what our portion is. And let us consider the lessons and promises that unfold.

Daleth: Selflessness – God invites us to take part in creation by living out the Law of Love. Do we accept this door that invites us to love?

He: Thought, Speech and Action – We see how me might answer God’s call: first in our thoughts, then in our words and finally in our deeds. Do we accept this challenge to believe in God’s promise?

Waw: Connection – Even if we try to deny our connection with God it exists; even if we turn our back on God, God continues to dwell within. Do we recognize the portion God gives to us?

Zayin: Woman of Valor – God enters the human race in the person of Jesus, relying on a woman of valor, Mary. Are we equally willing to accept God’s presence in our lives?

Heth: The Life Value of Run and Return – We sometimes fail to recognize God in the marginalized who live at the edges of society. Are we willing to run toward the poor, the sick and the outcast in our return to God?

Tomorrow, A Prayer to Rejoice in Our Portion.  

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

%d bloggers like this: