Proper 21
Worship
Aids To The Psalms
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.
He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
And there he lets the hungry live,
and they establish a town to live in;
they sow fields, and plant vineyards,
and get a fruitful yield.
By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their cattle decrease.
When they are disminished and brought low
through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
but he raises up the needy out of distress,
and makes their families like flocks.
The upright see it and are glad;
and all wickedness stops its mouth.
Let those who are wise give heed to these things,
and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Alternate Image
The Singer meets a woman crying in a refuse dump. She confides to the singer that she was an abused child, that her parents both took little joy in her birth and would yell at her and beat her daily. Later in school, bullies would punch her and steal her milk money. Even her friends who seemed to like her and tell her that she was pretty would take advantage of her good nature, borrow her clothes and return them as rags. In her adulthood she loved to garden but neighbors would steal her vegetables and children would trample her beautiful flowers. The end result was, no matter how hard she tried to make her garden beautiful and fruitful, others would reduce it to a barren weed patch. Last night she was raped by men high on power and drugs and left used, broken and bleeding in the city dump. The Singer asks her what her name is. She replies, "Mother nature."
Reflection
Is nature self-destructive or suicidal? Of course not, it is we, who God called to be the caretakers of nature, who make nature suffer. It is we who spoil the water, erode the soil, create deserts and pollute the air. That is what we do. What God can do is even more amazing. What happens if you water a desert? It bursts into bloom. God's blessings in nature are more powerful than our sins against nature. God can achieve the same feat with our human nature, reclaim what is spoiled and make it clean again. This is what the family of God celebrates. We are glad because of God's staunch, adamant love for us.
for his steadfast love endures forever.
He turns rivers into a desert,
springs of water into thirsty ground,
a fruitful land into a salty waste,
because of the wickedness of its inhabitants.
He turns a desert into pools of water,
a parched land into springs of water.
And there he lets the hungry live,
and they establish a town to live in;
they sow fields, and plant vineyards,
and get a fruitful yield.
By his blessing they multiply greatly,
and he does not let their cattle decrease.
When they are disminished and brought low
through oppression, trouble, and sorrow,
he pours contempt on princes
and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
but he raises up the needy out of distress,
and makes their families like flocks.
The upright see it and are glad;
and all wickedness stops its mouth.
Let those who are wise give heed to these things,
and consider the steadfast love of the Lord.
Alternate Image
The Singer meets a woman crying in a refuse dump. She confides to the singer that she was an abused child, that her parents both took little joy in her birth and would yell at her and beat her daily. Later in school, bullies would punch her and steal her milk money. Even her friends who seemed to like her and tell her that she was pretty would take advantage of her good nature, borrow her clothes and return them as rags. In her adulthood she loved to garden but neighbors would steal her vegetables and children would trample her beautiful flowers. The end result was, no matter how hard she tried to make her garden beautiful and fruitful, others would reduce it to a barren weed patch. Last night she was raped by men high on power and drugs and left used, broken and bleeding in the city dump. The Singer asks her what her name is. She replies, "Mother nature."
Reflection
Is nature self-destructive or suicidal? Of course not, it is we, who God called to be the caretakers of nature, who make nature suffer. It is we who spoil the water, erode the soil, create deserts and pollute the air. That is what we do. What God can do is even more amazing. What happens if you water a desert? It bursts into bloom. God's blessings in nature are more powerful than our sins against nature. God can achieve the same feat with our human nature, reclaim what is spoiled and make it clean again. This is what the family of God celebrates. We are glad because of God's staunch, adamant love for us.
