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| Image by Eric Huybrechts |
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A GREETING
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me, hear my words.
(Psalm 17:6)
A READING
Guard me as the apple of the eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from those who are harmful. Rise up, O God, confront them, overthrow them! May their bellies be filled with what you have stored up for them; may their children have more than enough; may they leave something over to their little ones.
(Psalm 17:8;13;14b)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul,
and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’
(Luke 10:27)
A PRAYER
Eternal Spirit,
Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver,
Source of all that is and that shall be,
Father and Mother of us all,
Loving God, in whom is heaven:
The hallowing of your name echo through the universe!
The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world!
Your heavenly will be done by all created beings!
Your commonwealth of peace and freedom
Sustain our hope and come on earth.
With the bread we need for today, feed us.
In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us.
In times of temptation and test, strengthen us.
From trials too great to endure, spare us.
From the grip of all that is evil, free us.
- Lord's Prayer, found in A New Zealand Prayer Book in English and Maori
VERSE OF THE DAY
As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
when I awake I shall be satisfied, beholding your likeness.
(Psalm 17:15)
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| Image by Greg Myers |
Psalm 17 is one of the chapters in the Psalms that can make us feel uncomfortable. The Psalmist is begging God to bring retributive justice to the ones who are giving the Psalmist pain. In this way, the psalms can sometimes bring forward some of our more difficult emotions. As human beings, we may experience times when we wish that those who make life difficult for us could somehow know what it feels like. Meanwhile, Jesus teaches us to love our neighbour as ourselves. How do we reconcile our instincts alongside Jesus' profound call to live a life of love? Is it possible that Jesus gives us this teaching precisely because we have these moments?
Verse 14 of this psalm has been the source of contrary interpretations by scholars and translators. After a long rant, the text appears to suddenly switch gears and ask God for these same people who have been challenging to be showered in God's abundance. Is this a mistranslation, or a problem of missing text? There has long been debate. Some translators amend the text so that it flows from the previous verses. Other translations (like the NRSV in today’s reading) present the juxtaposition of texts exactly as they appear.
The conundrum of the apparent contradiction brings forward a primary principle of being in community, which is that what affects each one of us, affects the whole. When we make life hard for others, we harm ourselves. Our actions toward others are inevitably a part of who we are. Working hard for right relationships, is part of how we live into our discipleship.
The final line of the psalm describes the psalmist looking forward to waking up in a place of righteousness and happiness. Some see this as a reference to the afterlife. Some hear in it a reckoning of an evolved consciousness, in which the Psalmist has worked through the pain caused by the other to be in a place of peace. Scripture holds many mysteries this way, that compel us to move even deeper into the text.
When we gather in worship as a community, the building, the surroundings, the familiar faces, the bells, raised voices, remind us of our common purpose in discipleship. Being gathered together is part of how we remember that to care for one is to care for all. Meanwhile, we can rest in knowing that God loves all of us. God sees the wider fuller reality of who we can be. God knows that all of us have the capacity to be better people.
How can we be challenged to think of love in new ways? How can Jesus help us overcome what gets in the way of our own healing, both as individuals and as communities?
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A STORY OF ENDURANCE
Ben Maton is an organist based in Salisbury, UK who is also an Oxford scholar of church music. Known on youtube as the Salisbury Organist, he tours the countryside of his native Wiltshire to visit churches, tell us their story, and play for us. His deep love of churches and church music infects every moment of his videos. In this one, he visits a 900-year-old Norman church that still offers weekly worship. He helps us see how the church endures, despite all. The video is 21 minutes long. If you are pressed for time, minute 6:00 to minute 17:45 offer the heart of this particular story.
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LC† Awakened by the Spirit is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!