“Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all who live in this world, both low and high, rich and poor alike: My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the meditation of my heart will give you understanding. I will turn my ear to a proverb; with the harp I will expound my riddle: Why should I fear when evil days come, when wicked deceivers surround me—those who trust in their wealth and boast of their great riches? No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them—the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough—so that they should live on forever and not see decay. For all can see that the wise die, that the foolish and the senseless also perish, leaving their wealth to others.” Psalm 49:1-10

The problem that gave rise to the psalm is identified in the middle verses: certain wealthy persons are making the lives of others in the community miserable so that they live in fear. The Psalmist gives three reasons why those being oppressed should not fear the wealthy: 1. They too will die — their wealth will not save their lives; 2. When they die, they will not take their wealth with them — no one does; 3. Like so many sheep, these oppressors are marching toward death.

What we need to remember every day, or I should say what I hope you are doing in these days of sheltering in place, is that you take some time to stop binge watching television and spend some time with G-d — remembering that it is G-d alone who has ransomed you and me from the power of death. It is Christ who has redeemed us — “So do not be afraid!”

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, you condemned the rich because they have already received their reward, and you proclaimed the poor blessed because the kingdom of heaven is theirs. Teach us to seek imperishable goods and to have confidence in your blood, poured out as the price of our redemption; and to you be the glory now and forever.

Amen.

April 20th — Psalm 50

“The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets. From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth. Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages. He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people: “Gather to me this consecrated people, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice. “Listen, my people, and I will speak; I will testify against you, Israel: I am God, your God. I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me. I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? “Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.” Psalm 50:1-15

By following the lead of the whole of Psalm 50 (of which I have given you a portion) the Psalmist is making the plea to faithfulness issued in the first six verses — it is a covenantal faithfulness. G-d’s people, redeemed through Jesus Christ, whether in the first century or in the church today, are called to attend to the substance, the purposes, the incarnate meaning of their ministry and proclamation, and not merely the forms of them. They are called to give offerings as an act of thanksgiving, rather than of grudging surrender of what they imagine to be their own. They are called to be disciplined and led by the words of the covenant, both the old and the new, and not merely to recite them. The message of Psalm 50 is that in seeking to follow these calls, the people give honor to G-d and are shown the way of G-d’s salvation.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, because Jesus your servant became obedient to death, his sacrifice was greater that all the holocausts of old. Accept the sacrifice of praise we offer you through him, and help us show the effects of it in our lives by striving to do your will, until our whole life becomes adoration in spirit and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. For the LORD Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth. He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.” Psalm 47

I read this Psalm and I am reminded of the hymn “The Strife is O’re”, written by an unknown author in 1695:

1 Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The strife is o’er, the battle done;

the victory of life is won;

the song of triumph has begun.

Alleluia!

2 The powers of death have done their worst,

but Christ their legions has dispersed.

Let shouts of holy joy outburst.

Alleluia!

We should often turn to songs of praise when worshipping our G-d. The rich hymnody tradition of the Lutheran Church gives us many songs and hymns to choose from. Not only are they songs of praise, but they can also serve as words of prayer.

This pandemic may keep us apart for a time, but the words of scripture and songs of praise can bring us together in many new and powerful ways.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, the dominion of the universe is yours, for you have ascended on high and are seated on the throne prepared for you by the Father. Gather all peoples into your Church and make them a holy nation, a royal priesthood, your own chosen heritage, to praise and adore your divine majesty now and forever.

Amen.

April 18th — Psalm 48

“Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. Beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth, like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress. When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together, they saw her and were astounded; they fled in terror. Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor. You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind. As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the LORD Almighty, in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever. Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness. Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments. Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation. For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.” Psalm 48

Has it ever occurred to you that G-d describes heaven as a city? And not just the city of G-d, but a Heaven that is filled with rooms and mansions. So if you want to spend eternity in heaven, you’d better get used to city living — so to speak. I know then, if this is how Heaven will be, that we will have lots of neighbors as well — for there will be a multitude of people praising G-d.

In the Bible, cities usually the desirable place to live — after all we read stories like the “”Good Samaritan” and hear how dangerous it was to travel outside the city. To be away from the city opened up the possibility of being attacked by bandits, invading enemies, and predatory wild animals. The biblical mindset, we could say is this: “Why in the world would anyone want to move out of the city into the wilderness?”

In America, there is also a cultural tendency towards individualism. We prize the rugged individualist. When we relate to one another, we tend to compete rather than to cooperate. As American Christians, we often hear people speak of having a personal relationship with Christ, but that neglects the reality that the Christian life is more than just you and Christ — the Christian becomes a member of the “body of Christ” which includes the body of believers. You become a fellow citizen with the saints, a member of God’s household, a member of the Christian community. Or, to put it another way, you become a citizen of God’s city. It is in community where we enjoy the togetherness of ministry, worship and support.

This Covid-19 pandemic may force us apart for a time, but we will continue to be, together, the body of Christ.

PRAYER

Father, the body of your risen Son is the temple not made by human hands and the bulwark of the new Jerusalem. Make this holy city, built of living stones, so shine with spiritual radiance that it may show your greatness in the sight of all nations; for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.