Psalm 66:8-20

Easter 6 - Year A


Blessed be G*D—
my [our] need has not been rejected and
I [we] remain loved.
–WW


Whether a personal or communal prayer, it is that word “because” that sticks in the craw. I got the “love” I bargained for for myself or ourselves, but it remains eternally suspect and fragile. It continues to need positive results. For in another moment we may be cursing G*D when we find ourselves not rescued on our terms.

Escape from Egypt and Wilderness, Wildfires in Alberta, recent record floods of the Assiniboine and Mississippi rivers, and winds throughout the American midwest all bring forth individual foxhole prayers and blessings.

How will G*D continue to prove to be a G*D worth blessing? By continuing to show how exceptional we are—we can let a roulette wheel ride on red for 47 continuous turns and we win each time. Odds be damned. Realistic projection be damned.

Is it “hooray” for flush times and “boo” for the thin? Doesn’t this make G*D captive or me entitled? Might this be the flip-side of “If you love me, says Jesus, you will keep my commands”? Now, how do we step outside this house of religion built on so many conditions? It is as though Easter has been commodified. Only six weeks out from the astounding, dumbfoundingness, of “empty” and we are trying to stuff ourselves with the empty calories of privilege.

 

As found in Wrestling Year A: Connecting Sunday Readings with Lived Experience

 


 

We are joyful based on our interpretation of being blessed.

What we see as good stuff – it has arrived. What we see as bad stuff – it has been avoided, rejected, redeemed.

In response to our perspective on events we set up rules and rituals to further our cause of garnering more good and side-stepping the bad.

We even go so far as to set up a god that will steadfastly love us so we can expect to be cared for and protected.

Imagine for a moment that there are folks who make joyful noises who do not automatically claim the reason for their joy is a god. Can this be? Seems so. How does this help us reshape our relationship with whatever god we have grown into?

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html


 

Psalm 66:8-20
Acts 17:22-31
1 Peter 3:13-22
John 14:15-21

"Now, who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?" (1 Peter 3:13)

It's probably that old unknown God Paul stumbled upon and defined in one way. Unfortunately, unknowns are multivalent. They can roughly slouch in many directions, not just Bethlehem or Empty Tombs (to mention one set of parentheses).

It may even be that Advocate of a Spirit of truth, not receivable by the world.

In these instances we find harm set in opposition to good, very Greek. Our Hebrew Psalter brings another perspective that harm is not from something other than "our" God, but is directly related to G*D. We are tested and tried, burdened, trampled, overcome, and, yet, brought to a spacious place beyond such duality. [Yes, there is a duality here of ourself and G*D that needs to be furthered looked at on another day.]

How do you understand your own state of being these days? Particularly if you are finding it confused or adversarial?

- - -

praying without iniquity
a heartfelt desire
trips me up every time
for steadfast love continues
too rooted for one
with a head full of clouds

making up offering after offering
I plot an acceptable sacrifice
of property or guilt
attributing it to this god or that
searching for someone to receive
that which I don't understand

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html

 


 

Blessed be [G*D], because he (sic) has not rejected my [our] prayer or removed his (sic) steadfast love from me [us]. ~Psalm 66:20

Whether a personal or communal prayer, it is that word “because” that sticks in the craw. I got the “love” I bargained for for myself or ourselves, but it remains eternally suspect and fragile. It continues to need positive results. For in another moment we may be cursing G*D when we find ourselves not rescued on our terms.

Escape from Egypt and Wilderness, Wildfires in Alberta, recent record floods of the Assiniboine and Mississippi rivers, and winds throughout the American midwest all bring forth individual foxhole prayers and blessings.

How will G*D continue to prove to be a G*D worth blessing? By continuing to show how exceptional we are - we can let a roulette wheel ride on red for 47 continuous turns and we win each time. Odds be damned. Realistic projection be damned.

Is it “hooray” for thick times and “boo” for the thin? Doesn’t this make G*D captive or me entitled? Might this be the flip-side of “If you love me, says Jesus, you will keep my commands”? Now, how do we step outside this house of religion built on so many conditions? It is as though Easter has been commodified. Only six weeks out from the astounding, dumbfoundingness, of “empty” and we are trying to stuff ourselves with the empty calories of privilege.

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2011/05/acts-1722-31_25.html

 

 

We adore G*D for having a plan. This makes it very easy for us to claim any bump in the night as our responsibility and every plum that comes our way in the day to be of G*D, through no virtue of ourselves.

We seem to know G*D better than G*D knows G*D. We claim that G*D is both in charge of everything and limited by our iniquity. G*D knows all and yet waits for the words of my prayer before acting (oh, yeah, forgot, the out here is that G*D’s plan included my asking at just the right time when G*D was going to shift gears and move from curse to blessing).

Somehow or other this psalm about G*D turns out to be all about us. Awesome G*D. Awesome me.

Where did the surprise of Easter go? The technique described here removes all doubt and surprise. Just bless G*D. That’s it, just bless G*D. No relationship or partnership with G*D or Neighb*r, just bless G*D.

Someday we may yet be surprised that we are blessed even while iniquitous.

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2014/05/psalm-668-20.html