Psalm 81:1, 10-16
Proper 17 (22) - Year C
Psalm 81:1, 10-16 or Psalm 112
Let us encourage one another with such words as:
You rise in the darkness as a light for the upright. You also bless those not able to catch a glimpse of such light.
You are gracious, merciful, and righteous. Your constraints are only upon those non-gracious, unmerciful, and ill-righteous promptings within and the greatest freedom to extend grace, mercy, and shalom beyond anything so far imagined.
You are generous and just. You don't play those off against one another but use each to spark more in the other.
You remain unafraid, unbowed, in the presence of the anger of the wicked (the non-gracious, unmerciful, and ill-righteous) at your grace, mercy, and justice.
You are a mouth-wide-opened fledgling being fed and ready to fly off to feed others. You join in singing together as we feast and open the door for others to come.
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2004/august2004.html
Psalm 81:1, 10-16 or Psalm 112
G*D faces the same issues that face every "image of G*D" when life goes astray.
Externalization: giving them over to their "stubborn hearts". It is their fault, let them live with the consequences.
Internalization: steadfast presence of grace, mercy, and presence. To be light that continues to rise in the darkness.
And so America, land of the free, continues to build more and more prisons with less and less health care or rehabilitation for more and more prisoners. [article] This is a one sided approach, dividing G*D from G*D.
- - -
from where and whence
will righteousness' wholeness
not be moved
for now it is tied to remembrance
it is clear in hindsight
but oh so cloudy today and tomorrow
having seen results
we can sift and winnow evil
assigning it its cause
recognizing situations differ
as well as continue
brings dissonance of head and heart
our evil-dar goes on the blink
in the blink of an eye
a wink of conspiratorial delay
until finally we see grace
and it so deeply angers us
we divide self from self
until calico cats and gingham dogs
thoroughly obliterate reconciliation
and we sink into eternal mourning
hardly daring to peek into tomorrow
for a better world to tie to
with every fiber of today
with time split from time
person from person
only hope and despair are left
choose you this day
whom you will serve
and you will be well served
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html
Take one
O that folks would listen to me - that I would be understood for what I meant, not what I said or did or didn't say or didn't do.
G*D seems to feel that having brought folks out of Egypt that G*D would never again have to face the cry, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately. Well, imagine that, G*D and G*D's image seem to have a lot in common.
Never in G*D/Israel connections has so much been offered to so few.
It would appear that if praise is going to be freely given, there must also be the possibility of not following every command performance to give gratitude.
Take two
Yesterday my mother had a stroke (bleeding kind, not clotting kind) in a very difficult spot. Surgery intervention is out. Doctor's prognosis is not good for recovery. As a family we are working on our response. Thank goodness she was as independent as she was to have the appropriate things in place for not playing the resuscitation game.
Hear this Psalm in a mother's voice -
Sing aloud to Mothers Anonymous, our strength; shout for joy to every Mother of G*D.
I am your Mother, who brought you up out of every trouble you have gotten yourself into. Open your mouth wide and I'll put another gingersnap in it.
"But my children did not listen to my voice; even my favorite would not follow my wisdom.
So I gave them over to the school of hard knocks, to follow their own counsel.
O that my children would listen to me, that each one would walk in my ways!
Then I would quickly subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their foes.
Those who are after my young-ones had better watch out, for a mother's wrath brings doom forever.
But my prodigal dear, I will still feed you with the finest oyster stew, and with crumbcake from scratch I would satisfy you."
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2010/08/pentecost-14-year-c-psalm-811-10-16.html