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. 

June 6, 2023 — 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. The psalmist reminds us that G-d does not need “…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.” 

Whether in the first century or in the church today, are called to attend to the substance, the purposes, the incarnate meaning of our ministry and our proclamation. In other words, we should worry about offering G-d our prayer, praise and thanksgiving and not worry so much about the forms of them.

We are called to give offerings as an act of thanksgiving, rather than begrudging the loss of some of our blessings. If not for G-d where would our blessings come from? The message of Psalm 50 is that in seeking to follow the call of offering our prayer, praise and thanksgiving, we give due 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. 

June 7, 2023 — Psalm 51 

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; 

according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 

Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 

Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; 

so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. 

Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place. Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Savior, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.” Psalm 51:1-16 

The words, “Create in me a clean heart” from Psalm 51, have long been a part of the church’s worship life. For example, in Evangelical Lutheran Worship, four hymn settings of verses 10-12 are available as options for each of ten worship settings (see ELW pages 106, 128 and hymns 185-188). And, for the astute listener, this petition is not only a prayer for individuals in distress, but it is also a prayer for the community on Ash Wednesday and for the worship of G-d’s People each week. 

There are certain Psalms that I would encourage any Christian to remember certain lines, and verses, and to memorize them if possible. Psalm 51 is one of those Psalms. We have been given a lot to handle in these last four to five weeks — and it is in times like these that we should turn to the Psalms to find some comfort. 

Prayer

Almighty and merciful Father, you freely forgive those who, as David of old, acknowledge and confess their sins. Create in us pure hearts, and wash away all our sins in the blood of your dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen.