June 8, 2023 — Psalm 52 

“Why do you boast, O mighty one, of mischief done against the godly? All day long you are plotting destruction. Your tongue is like a sharp razor, you worker of treachery. You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking the truth. You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue. But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. The righteous will see, and fear, and will laugh at the evildoer, saying, “See the one who would not take refuge in God, but trusted in abundant riches, and sought refuge in wealth!” But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever. I will thank you forever, because of what you have done. In the presence of the faithful I will proclaim your name, for it is good.” Psalm 52 

Psalm 52 sets before us two different approaches to life – those who are into devouring and hoarding — and those who are into trusting G-d for the blessings we have. Which camp do you think G-d wants us to be a part of? Of course, it is better to learn to trust — it is to each person’s long-range benefit to learn to trust our G-d instead on relying on our own ability to hoard. 
 
But leaving that duality behind just for the moment, you have to be intrigued with the image of “a green olive tree in the house of God.” Have you ever felt like a tree flourishing in G-d’s house? What could this mean? I believe G-d wants all of creation to live a life where they feel as if they can flourish — especially in the house of the Lord. The Prophet Jeremiah writes: “The Lord once called you, ‘A green olive tree, fair with goodly fruit’; but with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed.” We should always remind ourselves that if we are to flourish as the people of G-d, then we need to continue to deepen and strengthen our trust in G-d and G-d’s Spirit. 
 
The image of a green olive tree is not a cause for pride, but an investment in deeper roots to have greener leaves and more bountiful fruit. As Kermit the Frog once said, “It’s not easy being green.”  

Prayer

Heavenly Father, you cut down the unfruitful branch for burning and prune the fertile to make it bear more fruit. Make us grow like rich olive trees in your kingdom, firmly rooted in the power and mercy of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen. 

June 9, 2023 — Psalm 53 

“Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they commit abominable acts; there is no one who does good. God looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God. They have all fallen away, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one. Have they no knowledge, those evildoers, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon God? There they shall be in great terror, in terror such as has not been. For God will scatter the bones of the ungodly; they will be put to shame, for God has rejected them. O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.” Psalm 53 

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God”. It would be really easy to turn this phrase around and say, “Only the uninformed think that there is no God”, for many intelligent men and women in the world think the same. Hence, this ‘Fool’s Creed’ is not about the person’s intelligence, but instead has to do with the person who puts their ‘self’ and their intelligence as reigning supreme against G-d.  

In the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:18-20) a certain rich man said, ”This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ‘ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool!”  It is obvious to me that the “rich fool” is an intelligent man, for he knows how to build his own wealth and protect his earnings from others. But his intelligence is also a sign of his selfishness and his proclivity to thinking only of himself. In contrast, then, a believer is a person of faith who acknowledges G-d in all his ways and makes G-d his center.  

Voltaire, the 18th century French atheist who was one of the greatest writers of his time, used his pen to write against Christianity. He once boasted, In “twenty years Christianity will be no more. My single hand shall destroy the edifice it took twelve apostles to rear.” But Voltaire’s arrogance could not stand up against the fate of all people — he too died before making any headway upon or against Christianity. And then, as if G-d’s hand were firmly writing a farce in the face of Voltaire’s claims, after his death, the very house in which Voltaire wrote was made a depot of the Geneva Bible Society.  

An atheist complained to a friend that Christians have their special holidays such as Christmas, Muslims have their Ramadan and Hindus have their Diwali. “But we atheists,” he said, “have no recognized national holiday. It’s unfair discrimination.” To which his friend replied, “Why don’t you celebrate April first?” 

Prayer

Holy Father, apart from you nothing is true, nothing is holy. Eradicate our sins and give us strength in our weakness, so that all who believe in your Son may rejoice in his glory now and forever. 

Amen.