June 26, 2021 — Psalm 68

“Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
 lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds—
his name is the Lord—be exultant before him.

Father of orphans and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation. God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious live in a parched land.” Psalm 68:4-6

“The scandal is that the gospel means liberation, that this liberation comes to the poor, and that it gives them the strength and the courage to break the conditions of servitude.” (James H. Cone, “God of the Oppressed”)

Read the words of Psalm 68, “Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land.”  For this psalmist, life is not the achievement of our own ends but dependence upon G-d and openness to G-d’s ways. As the psalms were regularly read in worship (and are, of course, still today) our words in worship include this picture of G-d as a G-d of justice, and reminds us of our responsibility to be agents of hope and social change.

Remember, once Jesus had come into the world, and began his ministry, he did not attempt to change the world on his own. He called disciples, first twelve, and then 150, and then the early church grew exponentially as the disciples carried his message to the known world – through the power of the Holy Spirit.

If we are to take care of the widows and end the injustices of the world, it will take many, many of Jesus’ disciples to make that happen.

Pastor Dave