Don't Get Distracted - A Reflection on Psalm 11

Usually I think that being informed is a good thing.  When we know better we can do better.  But I admit that these days there seems to be so much "news" - some of which is fact, much of which is observation, and the majority appears to be opinion - that being informed is more confusing than clarifying.

The conversation that is clogging the airwaves concerns reopening.  Which states, counties, towns, businesses, churches etc. are doing it when and how.  Is it too soon?  Is it too slow?  Is it safe? Who's doing it wrong and who's doing it right?  Who values life more than money or money more than life? And who gets to chose - which is a privilege ironically denied to those we deem "essential".

It's all more than a bit scary, and surprisingly is causing me more anxiety than the initial outbreak of Covid 19 when we didn't know what it was but at least we all seemed aligned that it was bad and we wanted to stop it.   But now that we have bought ourselves some time by "flattening the curve" and feel more confident in our ability to cope with the reality that Covid 19 is going to be with us for the long haul, we appear to be turning much of our energy to judging other's reaction to the virus - particularly if it doesn't align with our own world view.

We naturally assume, or at least hope, that our personal perspective is righteous, and that those who behave in ways that don't align with our thinking are wrong, ignorant, misguided, selfish or just plain bad people.  Do they want to infect people? Do they want businesses to fail and people to lose their jobs and ability to feed their families?

The psalmist reminds us however that God sees all of what's going on, loves what is right and hates what is wrong.  And that God makes sure that wickedness is not rewarded.  Although it might seem to us that they are getting away with something, we can trust that they are not because God's got this.

"He will rain coals of fire and sulfur; a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup".  

Sounds a bit like Santa Claus.  He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, and if you're misbehaving you can expect coal in your stocking at Christmas, so be good for goodness sake!  In modern times I don't know of anyone who's actually received coal for Christmas, but I can appreciate the sentiment that one should be good "for goodness sake" - not just for the reward.  And similarly, those who choose not to be good will suffer the natural consequences of that decision.  In God's time.  I can't control that.  And I shouldn't let it distract me from doing what I believe is right.

God calls us to "love our neighbor" and defines our neighbor as everyone.  Those we know and those we don't.  Those we like and those we don't - and even those who don't like us.  The psalmist reminds us that we are free to focus on doing that, which occasionally may mean that we're called to care for those who have been victimized by the wickedness of other people or unjust systems.  That takes a lot of courage and energy.  It can be tempting to instead focus our energy on judging and criticizing the wrongdoer.  But is that really doing the "good" that God loves?

Lord, help me to keep focused on helping the poor, the widow, the orphan, the vulnerable, the sick, the needy, the marginalized - the victims.  Help me to trust that you see the wicked and to believe that although some days it seems that they may be winning, goodness and righteousness will prevail.  Particularly if I keep my eyes on the prize.  Amen.

In Whose Image - A Reflection on Psalm 8

Imago Dei has always been a foundational underpinning of my theology and a guiding principle for how I strive to act out my faith in real life.  Of course I love the idea that I was made in the image of God, but what's more relevant is that all humans are made in the image of God.  That's an important thought for me to keep in mind when I'm challenged to accept and honor the diversity of people who don't look like me, act like me, or think like me. 

I find it to be particularly helpful when I need to deliver a "tough love" message or performance feedback, because it helps me to focus on the behavior, not the person.  After all, if we're all made in the image of God then we contain an inherent "goodness", even if we aren't always "good".  Reflecting on that possibility helps me to "speak the truth in love" because I want to honor that they too are a beloved child of God, whether they acknowledge it or not.

Of course this becomes much harder to swallow when faced with people who do hateful and evil things. Are those folks also made in God's image?  And if so, what does that say about God?  Or perhaps more significantly, what does it say about the choices that we as humans make?  As the psalmist says, God made human beings "a little lower than God".  That little bit may make a very big difference.

Reflection on Psalm 8

It's interesting that this psalm speaks of God's glory but with very human, physical imagery. It is almost as if we have created, or imagined, God in our image vs the other way around.  The assertion that God has made humans "a little less" than Godself is both modest and arrogant.  But maybe that is to be expected given the psalmist is human.  One wonders what this psalm might sound like from the perspective of the beasts of the field - sort of like the dog & cat memes that we see on Facebook in which they are rejoicing/tiring of their humans "sheltering in place".

When we speak of God's hands and fingers, we make God relatable, and that is good because it makes God less remote and scary. So it's easier to become comfortable in relationship with God.  But it's also a slippery slope to diminishing God's power and our admiration & awe.  God isn't God-like; God is God.

Dear Lord, I love thinking of you handcrafting creation and designing me in your image.  But help me to widen my imagination so that I see ALL of creation in you - not just a reflection of me.  Amen.

Bring Many Names

I grew up thinking of God as "the Father".  Not "the Godfather" but rather like a father one might find in a Disney fairy-tale.  A father who loved his daughter more than anyone else in the world, unconditionally and forever.  Even when the father seemed to be absent, or even dead, somehow his love was still strong enough to protect his child when she was in danger - either directly or through agents (like fairy-godmothers) who mysteriously appeared just in time to set things right.  This was a comforting thought and I honestly didn't spend much time critically examining it because it worked for me.

Over time I realized that others had different images and names for God, based on their up-bringing and experience, and that helped to expand my relationship with God too.  Sometimes "the Father" image was perfect.  But other times a "mother hen" image fit better.  Or a "talking cricket" sitting on my shoulder. Or even "a big whale that was keeping me trapped to help focus my attention and understanding" - I can be really stubborn:).  All of us our multi-dimensional, so it makes sense to me that God would be even more so.  Impossible to pin down with one name, or one image.

But here's the tricky part.  I know that there are people who find some of the traditional images of God old-fashioned, irrelevant, hurtful or even offensive.  Some may find them limiting, while others would strongly prefer that we limit ourselves to them only.  Whenever I refer to God as "She" in a sermon or prayer, it's always noticed and commented on - and the comments are not all the same!

I believe that God is loving and radically inclusive of all living creatures, including humans.  And that because God loves us in our individuality, our relationships with God will reflect that diversity.  So will the language that we each use to describe that ever evolving relationship.  May we benefit from that range of expressions to explore the potential for new layers in our own relationship with the Divine.

Reflection on Psalm 7

It is clear that the psalmist believes God to be a righteous god.  But it also clear that the psalmist believes that he personally is in the right, and therefore God will naturally and fairly be on his side.  In fact, he's so sure that he's in the right that he's baiting God, saying "If I did what they accuse me of, strike me down".  So confident.  And then emboldened by the fact that he isn't struck down.

But what if those who accuse him are also praying the same prayer?  Confident that they are right and that God will judge in their favor.  It's concerning to have so much confidence that I boldly assume God will punish my enemies unilaterally.  Is that what a righteous God would do?

Is it possible that neither the psalmist nor his enemies are 100% righteous or 100% evil?  Would the psalmist be able to accept that.  Would we?

Lord, thank you for providing a safe space for me, and protection from my enemies.  Help me to be righteous, not self-righteous.  Amen.