Category: Prayers

At a demonstration or a march, call and response cheers get everyone’s spirit’s up. Think: “What do we want?” “Peace.” “When do we want it?” “Now!” Cheerleaders at a football or basketball game are great at getting the crowd going using call and response cheers. This is a way of getting everyone involved and getting a message across.

Many of the psalms, if not all of them, were originally used in worship in the Temple in Jerusalem. The priests and people would offer the Psalms as prayers during the rituals and services. In Psalm 118, the focus psalm for this week, we see a call and response liturgy. It is almost like a cheer.

We can almost hear the priests chant, “Let Israel say – ”
And the congregation responds, “God’s steadfast love endures forever.”
The priest again, “Let the house of Aaron say – “
And the congregations chants back, “God’s steadfast love endures forever!”
The priest again, “Let those who trust God say – “
And the congregation replies, “God’s steadfast love endures forever!”

If we were using this format in church, we might say:
Let the women say –
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Let the men say –
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Let the children say –
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Let the parents say –
Let the working people say –
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Let the unemployed people say –
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Let the retired people say –
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Let the joyful people say –
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Let the grieving people say –
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Let the contented people say –
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Let the angry people say –
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Let the frustrated people say –
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Let the lovers of justice say –
God’s steadfast love endures forever.
Let the lovers of peace say –
God’s steadfast love endures forever.

We could go on for the whole service, naming all sorts and conditions of people, and the response could stay the same, over and over again: God’s steadfast love endures forever. God as all-encompassing, never-ending love, never changes. No matter what our circumstances, no matter how we feel about life, no matter what is going on in the world, nothing changes the nature of divine love. It is constant. It is eternal. It is ever present. Now that is something to cheer about!

Prayer
We are grateful for love which infuses our lives in so many forms and ways. Divine love pursues us whatever our life circumstances. Perhaps when things are at their worst, divine love becomes all the more persistent. There is no escaping the power of love. May we look for that love and give thanks in all situations of our lives. Amen.

In his memoir, True Compass, Ted Kennedy reflects on the incident at Chappaquiddick. He does not rehash the actual event, but he does discuss his feelings about the tragedy and its aftermath. As one point, Kennedy writes,

“I had suffered many losses during my life. I had lost all of my brothers and my sister Kathleen. My father had been lost to me in many respects because of his debilitating stroke. And now this horrible accident. But again, the difference this time was that I myself was responsible. I was driving. Yes, it was an accident. But that doesn’t erase the fact that I had caused an innocent woman’s death.

“Atonement is a process that never ends. I believe that. Maybe it’s a New England thing, or an Irish thing, or a Catholic thing. Maybe all of those things. But it’s as it should be.” [page 292]

Kennedy never forgot that terrible tragedy, and it haunted him every day of his life. But as he said, atonement is a process.

I think sometimes when we seek forgiveness from God or someone else, we want a magical “zap” that vaporizes the whole grisly experience. That’s not how sin works. We do things that harm others, ourselves, the world, and we feel regret and remorse. We do our best to repent and reconcile. Yet the memory is with us. Maybe that memory keeps us from committing the same wrong again. Maybe it reminds us of our humanity. Maybe it makes us more sympathetic to others. Maybe it reminds us of divine forgiveness. Maybe it is a sign of transformation in some way that continues to give us hope. But we don’t forget. So atonement becomes a process.

Maybe the writer of Psalm 51 continues to pray the psalm each and every day. A reminder of God’s deliverance. Remembering where he was and how far he has come, thanks to God.

Perhaps if we see forgiveness of a sin(s) as a one time over and done episode, we are disappointed that our memory revisits the situation over and over. But maybe there is value in the remembering. Atonement is a process. That may make it an even more precious gift.

Prayer
It is said that only God can forgive and forget. We can only forgive. May we cherish our memories of forgiveness we have received and give thanks for the new life that has come to us in the process. May we cherish the forgiveness we have given so that our capacity for compassion and grace continues to grow. Amen.

We live in a society that is based on buying and selling. You want something, you pay something. If the exchange does not involve money, then there is the assumption that it will involve time, or expertise, or payback in kind, or some kind of compensation. We all know that you don’t get somethin’ for nothin’. The presupposition of market transactions pervades our lives. And this had led to the commoditization of people and relationships. What’s this person worth to me? What can I get from this person? And, sadly, we think in those terms even outside of the workplace and business world.

We can also see how this transaction mentality has taken hold in some expressions of Christianity. In classic theology, we have sinned. We owe God a debt for our sin. We cannot pay that debt. Nothing we can do can satisfy that debt. So God has sent Jesus to live a sinless life, and to give that life in payment of our debt. If we believe in him as God come in human form for this purpose, then our debt is paid. If we are of another religious tradition, or do not believe in Jesus that way, then our debt is not paid, and we will spend eternity in hell. That’s the thinking behind “Jesus died for my sins.” Jesus completes the transaction with God that nullifies our sin if we buy into him.

This perspective may sound familiar to us, even if we do not subscribe to it. Let’s look a little deeper. I’m wondering about a God that has to be “paid”? This sounds like an account keeping God. A bottom line God. An assets and losses God. And that’s not at all the way God is conveyed in the stories associated with Jesus. Jesus talks about forgiveness with no payment. He doesn’t ask people to make recompense before they are forgiven. He tells of God like a shepherd looking for a lost sheep or a woman looking for a lost coin. This doesn’t sound like a God waiting to be paid.

Also, Jesus freely forgave people, fed people, healed people, and he didn’t ask for their money or their theological credentials ahead of time. He doesn’t ask for their insurance card, verifying belief in him as the divine son of God sent to pay our way to heaven, before offering his services. He goes right ahead and extends compassionate care and community to all, no questions asked. That also does not fit with the God who requires correct belief as payment to gain access to heaven.

In Psalm 51, the writer pleads:

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.

This is not a request to go to heaven in the next life. This is a plea for healing and restoration in this life. The word salvation is related to the word for salve, and implies healing. The writer wants to be restored to right relationship with God by receiving God’s forgiveness and mercy, here and now. And this is before Jesus. Salvation is life lived in right relationship with Divine Love, one another, and the earth. It is about ethics and outlook, not doctrine and dogma. It is based on grace, which can never be acquired through a transaction, or it is not grace. That’s the scandal of divine grace. No transaction. No purchase. No bartering. No quid pro quo. No exchange. No compensation. No payback. No commoditization of grace. That’s why the writer of Psalm 51, from the depths of despair, in anticipation of the grace that God cannot withhold and still be God, declares: “my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance. . . and my mouth will declare your praise.” No payment required. Only praise.

Prayer
In a world of exchange and transaction, it is hard to shift gears to a dominion of love, free grace, and uncompensated service. And yet that is the reality we are invited to be part of by Jesus. May we accept what we are offered and keep no score. Simply praise, praise, praise! Amen.

Am I sinner because I sin? Or do I sin because I’m a sinner? These two questions point to a fundamental issue within Christianity. The perspective, I am a sinner because I sin, is how our faith began. Our creation myths tell of God creating a world and pronouncing everything good, including human beings who are created in God’s image. The premise is that we are fundamentally good.

Then the story of Adam and Eve explains why there is suffering in life and why we don’t always do the good. It accounts for why life is hard. It gives a cautionary perspective on free will. But the assumption is still that we are fundamentally good. We are good people who sometimes make bad choices.

Let’s go back to the beginning of this reflection and the second perspective offered. Do I sin because I am a sinner? This presumes we are sinners, bad people, to the core, so we can’t help but sin. The foundational premise is that the story of Adam and Eve marks us down to our essential essence as fallen, bad, sinners from our conception on.

This perspective is not inherited from our Jewish roots, nor is it part of the understanding of early Christianity. The concept or original sin and the fall really gained traction with Augustine of Hippo [354-430]. The story of Adam and Eve implicates Eve as the evil doer, which validated the subjugation of women in the church (and society). And the perspective that original sin is passed on through sexual activity led to the long held view of the church that sex was to be for procreation only.

The perspective, I sin because I’m a sinner, carries all the weight of the doctrine of original sin which was not original to Christianity or Jesus’ teachings.

When we look back at Psalm 51, we read:

Indeed, I was born guilty,
a sinner when my mother conceived me.

Is this a validation of original sin? It wasn’t for the Jews or for early Christians. This kind of language and imagery is entirely characteristic of the poetic language of the Psalms. The Psalms use extreme language, strong language, to convey intense feeling. It is poetic. It is metaphor. It’s the writer’s way of expressing intense guilt and shame and remorse.

In another verse of the Psalm, the writer says, “Let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.” We don’t assume that God has literally crushed the actual physical bones of the writer. It’s a way for the writer to convey how he feels beaten down by his circumstances. It’s not meant literally. And neither is the verse about being born guilty.

I sin because I’m a sinner. Or I’m a sinner because I sin. It’s up to us which perspective we will take. They both have very significant and far reaching implications. Which will we choose? What effect does that have on our lives? On how we see others? On our wider views about society? It’s really up to us to decide. And the decision matters.

Prayer
We are grateful to be part of a faith tradition that puts an emphasis on forgiveness. Whatever happens in this life, whatever we do, we know that the door of forgiveness is always open. May we walk through that door readily and may we readily forgive. This is the freedom that spawns creativity and transformation and generosity. Amen.

Most days when we wake up in the morning, even those of us who need a cup of coffee before we can open our eyes, we want to feel positive about what’s ahead. A new day. A new beginning. A new adventure. A new challenge. A new opportunity. We have no idea what awaits us. What surprises will we encounter? What delights will there be? What odd coincidences will happen? Who knows? A day should begin with a sense of hopeful expectation. Even in the midst of “the blues,” waking up in the morning still pretty much beats the alternative!

If your devotions include reading a psalm each morning, what happens when you come to Psalm 51? You start your day with, “Have mercy on me. . .” When you just get up, you haven’t even had a chance to do something wrong! It’s not exactly starting your day on the sunny side!

One commentary suggests that instead of, “Have mercy on me, O God,” a more accurate translation would be, “Grace me, O God.” I like that much better. In fact, I could see starting every day with “Grace me!” Grace me with the beauty of nature, an encounter with a friend, a delicious meal, a chance to do a good turn for someone, a great run, a good day at work. Grace me! Bring it on! It has a sense of positive expectation as well as adventure and mystery. Grace me!

Then, think about ending the day reflecting on how you have been graced that day. Where was the grace? Was there a lot or a little? Were you left stunned by grace? Did you miss the grace that day? What was that about? How are we graced each and every day? What a beautiful way to end a day. Perhaps this is something you might try as part of your daily spiritual discipline. Start the day with the affirmation, “Grace me!” and then end the day looking for the fulfillment.

Prayer
We live each and every day by grace. But often it’s easier to grouse than to look for grace. May we seek grace, expect grace, and trust grace to shape our days. And may we abound with gratitude for the presence of grace in our lives and in the world. Amen.