Psalm 86:11-17

Proper 11 (16) - Year A

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Teach me your ways --

Lover. Rescuer. Kinder. Tender. Mercy-er.

-- in the midst of my dealing with experiences of the opposite type.

Give me strength, in the presence of the bullies I face, to continue receiving and passing on your loving rescue through the kindness of tender mercy.

http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2002/july2002.html

 

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Psalm 86:11-17 or Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24

It is always astounding how we take the universality of G*D and narrow it down to my present situation. If G*D is going to be wherever I am, even Sheol, then I am set free to take that off my hyper-alert list.

However, a temptation is to keep G*D me-sized (even mini-me-sized). G*D may be with me in Sheol, but G*D wouldn't be with you at any time for G*D be on my side! So go the fundamentalist of any age or faith. Even prophets get into this kind of state. This temptation seems to be as universal as G*D.

So it seems to nearly always be appropriate to examine our hearts for the ways in which we have narrowed the wideness of G*D's mercy.

We pray, show me a sign of your favor, O G*D, so we who have narrowed your love into our hate might see it and be shamed and transformed by your comfort of our constricted lives and the lives of those we constrain.

http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2005/july2005.html

 

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Psalm 86:11-17 or Psalm 139:1-12, 23-24 or Wisdom of Solomon 12:13, 16-19
Genesis 28:10-19a or Isaiah 44:6-8
Romans 8:12-25
Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Yes, let the righteous shine -- but not at the expense of those not yet righteous or deemed never to be righteous.

We have a long-standing tendency to idealism. Somehow or other, we yearn for days to come where all choice is taken from us so we won't even consider an alternative because such might eventually, incrementally, lead us elsewhere, astray. Likewise, we dream of days of non-complicity wherein evil is externalized and we are implicitly innocent.

Truth be told, I hold invasive weed and intentional wheat in tension. Neither can be denied its present reality. So was a first garden and so a future garden already holding an unrepentant thief.

Beware enthusiastic righteousness (even G*D's) rooting out all but itself -- it is unbalanced with only one leg to stand on.

- - -

what's G*D doing
at the bottom of the ladder
while angels climb
up and down down and up

angels are a diversion
while G*D sneaks up
as imagination soars
with the ladder

angels bring not messages
from above
but store promises
with the rain

together they fertilize
our present
to bring forth much future
growing up

promises spoken
are carried on high
to baptize tomorrow
resurrect a day after

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html