Epiphany 7
Preaching
Aids To The Psalms
Exploring The Message
Happy are those who consider the poor;
the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble.
The Lord protects them and keeps them alive;
they are called happy in the land.
You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.
The Lord sustains them on their sickbed;
in their illness you heal all their infirmities.
As for me, I said, "O Lord, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you."
My enemies wonder in malice when I will die,
and my name perish.
And when they come to see me, they utter empty words,
while their hearts gather mischief;
when they go out, they tell it abroad.
All who hate me whisper together about me;
they imagine the worst for me.
They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me,
that I will not rise again from where I lie.
Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted,
who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.
But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them.
By this I know that you are pleased with me;
because my enemy has not triumphed over me.
But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence forever.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.
Alternate Image
The wandering Singer reflects on the first stage of his
journey. "Lord, you have blessed me. You have blessed me in
quickening my conscious about those in need. And so, I have
sought to do those things that help others. I have shared my life
and substance, my sorrows and joys, my words and melodies. There
are those who question my motives. Some call me a do-gooder
looking for stars for my crown or accolades for my deeds. And,
when I fell ill they seemed to take perverse pleasure in my
affliction and even hoped that I would die. I think I understand
why I upset them so much. They think they are privileged in a
personal salvation; they surround themselves with like-minded
hypocrites and in the guise of singing your praises, sing their
own. They think to be chosen is to be special without
responsibilities. They laugh at the less fortunate rather than
feel a need to help them. Frankly Lord, I don't like those
hypocrites and wish that I could thump them. Why don't you give
them grief and make me well so they will understand that my model
of faith is better than theirs? Well Lord, pardon my vengeful
thoughts. Accept my songs of praise and those that follow,
forever."
Reflection
It feels good to help the poor, to teach and share with those
who would learn, to divvy with others our material blessings; to
do the things we believe God has told us to do for others. When
those moments occur it is as though God's passion for people is
so great that it spills out through our own lives; we have
participated in a divine act. It is a good feeling. Then there
are all those suspicious folk who question our motives and seem
offended by our faithfulness. It is irksome and angers us. We
wish God would punish them for their wrong thinking. Then we
realize that their punishment has already been visited upon them
through their own negative and mean-spirited thoughts. They are
not happy folk. The rewards, God's blessings, are ours already in
our obedience. It feels good to do good. We give eternal thanks
to God for blessing us in this meaningful way.
the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble.
The Lord protects them and keeps them alive;
they are called happy in the land.
You do not give them up to the will of their enemies.
The Lord sustains them on their sickbed;
in their illness you heal all their infirmities.
As for me, I said, "O Lord, be gracious to me;
heal me, for I have sinned against you."
My enemies wonder in malice when I will die,
and my name perish.
And when they come to see me, they utter empty words,
while their hearts gather mischief;
when they go out, they tell it abroad.
All who hate me whisper together about me;
they imagine the worst for me.
They think that a deadly thing has fastened on me,
that I will not rise again from where I lie.
Even my bosom friend in whom I trusted,
who ate of my bread, has lifted the heel against me.
But you, O Lord, be gracious to me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them.
By this I know that you are pleased with me;
because my enemy has not triumphed over me.
But you have upheld me because of my integrity,
and set me in your presence forever.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.
Alternate Image
The wandering Singer reflects on the first stage of his
journey. "Lord, you have blessed me. You have blessed me in
quickening my conscious about those in need. And so, I have
sought to do those things that help others. I have shared my life
and substance, my sorrows and joys, my words and melodies. There
are those who question my motives. Some call me a do-gooder
looking for stars for my crown or accolades for my deeds. And,
when I fell ill they seemed to take perverse pleasure in my
affliction and even hoped that I would die. I think I understand
why I upset them so much. They think they are privileged in a
personal salvation; they surround themselves with like-minded
hypocrites and in the guise of singing your praises, sing their
own. They think to be chosen is to be special without
responsibilities. They laugh at the less fortunate rather than
feel a need to help them. Frankly Lord, I don't like those
hypocrites and wish that I could thump them. Why don't you give
them grief and make me well so they will understand that my model
of faith is better than theirs? Well Lord, pardon my vengeful
thoughts. Accept my songs of praise and those that follow,
forever."
Reflection
It feels good to help the poor, to teach and share with those
who would learn, to divvy with others our material blessings; to
do the things we believe God has told us to do for others. When
those moments occur it is as though God's passion for people is
so great that it spills out through our own lives; we have
participated in a divine act. It is a good feeling. Then there
are all those suspicious folk who question our motives and seem
offended by our faithfulness. It is irksome and angers us. We
wish God would punish them for their wrong thinking. Then we
realize that their punishment has already been visited upon them
through their own negative and mean-spirited thoughts. They are
not happy folk. The rewards, God's blessings, are ours already in
our obedience. It feels good to do good. We give eternal thanks
to God for blessing us in this meaningful way.
