June 24, 2023 — Psalm 66 

“Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! Because of your great power, your enemies cringe before you. All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among mortals. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him, who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations—let the rebellious not exalt themselves. Bless our God, O peoples, let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept us among the living, and has not let our feet slip. For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.” Psalm 66:1-10 

A person who fears G-d, who holds the works of G-d in reverent fear, knows that fear of G-d means respect. The difference between fear and reverence is found in the relationship that the person has with G-d. The person who loves G-d and believes that G-d loves him/her will find that fear is the feeling of respect and reverence.

“How awesome are your deeds”, the Psalmist writes. In this verse, the psalmist thinks of G-d’s deeds as fearsome/awesome, because they exhibit the power to create and to destroy—to reshape the world—to reshape our lives.

While we know powerful people, they come and go. They hit and miss. We can see their weaknesses and their failings. Not so with G-d. G-d was before the beginning and will be after the end. Every discovery of creation inspires us to explore that creation in even greater detail. But however far we explore, we always find that G-d’s deeds are awe-inspiring, trustworthy and true.

Prayer

Almighty Father, you brought us through the waters of baptism to the shores of new life. Accept the sacrifice of our lives, and let us enter your house, there to praise your unfailing power and love, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

June 23, 2023 — Psalm 65 

“Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion; and to you shall vows be performed, O you who answer prayer! To you all flesh shall come. When deeds of iniquity overwhelm us, you forgive our transgressions. Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, your holy temple. By awesome deeds you answer us with deliverance, O God of our salvation; you are the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas. By your strength you established the mountains; you are girded with might. You silence the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples. Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds are awed by your signs; you make the gateways of the morning and the evening shout for joy. You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with richness. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.” Psalm 65 

In this verse, “Happy are those whom you choose and bring near to live in your courts”, the psalmist says that the person whom Yahweh chooses to come near—to live in Yahweh’s courts—has reason for great joy—even exuberance.

To give even the slightest example in this day and age, imagine that the president invited you to the Oval Office. Wouldn’t you feel honored? Wouldn’t that be an occasion to remember for the rest of your life? We like to consider each president with respect, but presidents are human—each flawed in their own way. While I respect some of the 14 presidents who have served during my long life ( JFK thru Biden so far), all have disappointed me—some monumentally—some in the many small ways that all people disappoint us. 

But like Psalmist says, the Lord rules over kings, queens and presidents. While I would be honored to be invited into the inner court of a president (something that will never happen, I am sure), I am especially honored to be invited into the Lord’s inner court (something to come in the age to come).

But I do not need to wait to speak to the Lord once my time on this earth is over. We are all privileged to go to the Lord in prayer any hour of any day to share our concerns and plead our case. We tend to forget what an honor that is —  but we also need to remember the wonder that such an honor should inspire. 

Prayer

Lord God, joy marks your presence; beauty, abundance, and peace are the tokens of your work in all creation. Work also in our lives, that by these signs we may see the splendor of your love and may praise you through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.