Easter 6
Preaching
Hear My Voice
Preaching The Lectionary Psalms for Cycles A, B, C
The opening verse of this psalm echoes the blessing of Aaron found in Numbers 6:24-26: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace." The presence of the blessing in this psalm signals a theme that will be expanded in the remaining verses. The priestly blessing celebrates the presence of God and what that presence means to God's people -- and to others!
The psalm was probably composed to celebrate the harvest. The blessing of Aaron was invoked to remind worshipers that the true source of the harvest is God. The fruit of their labor and the land should be seen as a reminder of God's desire to bless God's people and care for them. The harvest is a symbol of God's bountiful care.
But this bountiful care is not just for the people of Israel alone to celebrate. God desires that all the people of the earth should praise God's goodness (v. 3).
The people of God have a vital role to play in making this praise possible. With the bountiful harvest comes a reminder of God's commitment to justice. The psalmist reminds us that God "judges the peoples with equity." In the context of Aaron's blessing, this equity takes on the force of an ethical imperative.
God blesses the people with a bountiful harvest. There is enough to eat, and more than enough. As a result, God's bountiful harvest allows God's people to accumulate wealth and substance. Unfortunately, there are always present in the world those who are hungry and homeless. We enjoy our prosperity in sight of their poverty.
God's equity indicates that God desires all people to share in the bounty God provides. In the same way Israel sees the harvest and is moved to praise God, so may those who benefit from our bounty come to believe that God has blessed them through us. As the poor experience God's bountiful harvest, they are moved to praise.
That means, of course, that our failure to share God's desire for equity has both economic and spiritual consequences. If we keep the harvest all to ourselves -- either by force, or by means of economic arrangements that favor us while allowing poverty and hunger to exist -- not only do we deprive the poor of food, but we may also deprive them the opportunity to experience the fullness of God's bounty. Our greed obscures the goodness of God and deprives God the praise of the poor.
Aaron's blessing in this psalm serves as a challenge to us. The "you" in the blessing becomes more than just the nearest member of our own kin or community. The "you" of the blessing becomes our neighbors who live on the edges of, or outside, our community. May the Lord bless "you."
-- J. E.
The psalm was probably composed to celebrate the harvest. The blessing of Aaron was invoked to remind worshipers that the true source of the harvest is God. The fruit of their labor and the land should be seen as a reminder of God's desire to bless God's people and care for them. The harvest is a symbol of God's bountiful care.
But this bountiful care is not just for the people of Israel alone to celebrate. God desires that all the people of the earth should praise God's goodness (v. 3).
The people of God have a vital role to play in making this praise possible. With the bountiful harvest comes a reminder of God's commitment to justice. The psalmist reminds us that God "judges the peoples with equity." In the context of Aaron's blessing, this equity takes on the force of an ethical imperative.
God blesses the people with a bountiful harvest. There is enough to eat, and more than enough. As a result, God's bountiful harvest allows God's people to accumulate wealth and substance. Unfortunately, there are always present in the world those who are hungry and homeless. We enjoy our prosperity in sight of their poverty.
God's equity indicates that God desires all people to share in the bounty God provides. In the same way Israel sees the harvest and is moved to praise God, so may those who benefit from our bounty come to believe that God has blessed them through us. As the poor experience God's bountiful harvest, they are moved to praise.
That means, of course, that our failure to share God's desire for equity has both economic and spiritual consequences. If we keep the harvest all to ourselves -- either by force, or by means of economic arrangements that favor us while allowing poverty and hunger to exist -- not only do we deprive the poor of food, but we may also deprive them the opportunity to experience the fullness of God's bounty. Our greed obscures the goodness of God and deprives God the praise of the poor.
Aaron's blessing in this psalm serves as a challenge to us. The "you" in the blessing becomes more than just the nearest member of our own kin or community. The "you" of the blessing becomes our neighbors who live on the edges of, or outside, our community. May the Lord bless "you."
-- J. E.
