CXVII Perpetual Praise (7/22) Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise God as long as I live; I will sing praises to God my whole life long. (Psalm 146:1-2) Most of us don’t come from “praise the Lord” churches. We are more restrained, and yet sometimes we break out in an “Amen” or “Hallelujah” at the goodness of life, at making it through a tough time, at experiencing grace on a dark night, or simply... Read more
CXVI I Call Upon God (7/21) I call upon you, O God, come quickly to me. (Psalm 141:1) Anne Lamott says that three movements of prayer are “wow,” “thanks,” and “help.” Very few of us want to be dependent. We consider independence one of the most important virtues, something to aspire to. Yet, none of us are self-made nor has any one of us made it thus far on our own. There is another virtue, just as important as independence,... Read more
CXV Search My Heart (7/20) Do I not hate those who hate you?… Search me, O God, and know my heart…see if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:21, 23-24) Those words are jarring, arent’t they? We wonder why they were included in this most expansive of Psalms. Psalm 139 goes from the heights to the depths, to great nobility of thought to petty vindictiveness. That, however, is the nature of... Read more
CXIV I Am Wonderfully Made (7/19) praise you, for I am awesomely and wonderfully. (Psalm 139:14) We live in a God-filled world. God’s loving energy moves through our cells as well as our souls. Our body-mind-spirit, our whole being, is awesome – our immune system, our beating hearts, our senses, and creativity, our generosity and compassion. We truly are a wonder. When I studied with the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formative in Washington DC, I learned a chant that goes:... Read more
CXIII Where Can I Go From Your Spirit? (7/18) Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? (Psalm 139:7) God’s presence is everywhere. God’s love encompasses every moment of our lives. Wherever we are, God with us. The Psalmist adds, Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If... Read more
CXII You Have Searched Me and Known Me (7/17) O God, you have searched me and known me. (Psalm 139:1) Psalm 139 is among the most majestic pieces of spiritual literature. It encompasses, the totality of life, recognizes the wonder of human life, affirms the life-transforming power of a relationship with God, and God’s love despite our imperfections. “You have searched me and known me,” rejoices the Psalmist. Moreover, “You know when I sit down and when I rise up;... Read more
CXI From the Depths, I Pray (7/16) Out of the depths, I cry to you, O God. (Psalm 130:1) Sometimes we find ourselves, like Jonah, in the belly of the whale. Sometimes like Dante we must confess: In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost.” Denial won’t help us. Denial is destructive of trust and destroys lives in a time of pandemic. Nor will seeing... Read more
The Adventurous Lectionary – July 26, 2020 – Eighth Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 119:129-136 I Kings 3:5-12 Romans 8:26-39 Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52 Pentecost is the season of divine revelation and profound giftedness. Spirit moves in all things, awakening us to a democracy of inspiration. God’s abundance is strewn everywhere, for all to have, in every time and place and those who are attentive to it will experience wisdom and the ability to discern their vocation in life. They will discover... Read more
CVIX Our help is in the name of God! (7/15) If it had not been the Lord who was on our side…Our help is in the name of God, who made heaven and earth (Psalm 124: 1,8) The words we use are important. We know that language can affirm or demoralize us. A child who is told she lacks intelligence or beauty can come to believe it. Using sexist and racist language can destroy a person’s spirit. In contrast, words... Read more
CVIII Living in the Uplift (7/14) “To you I lift up my eyes.” (Psalm 123) When I was a child, there was a religious program on the radio called “Look Up and Live.” These days we need perspective. Psalm 121 asserts that when we look up to the hills, we find our help in God. The Coronavirus can be all-encompassing. We build our days around it. It determines whether and if we go out shopping. It shapes our travel plans.... Read more
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