"I ask for the desire to pray and meditate on behalf of my community of faith. May be tolerant, patient, gentle, compassionate and empathetic. May we abstain from anger, anxiety, compulsive behaviour, discouragement, and shame. May we know and follow Jesus more closely, seeking justice loving kindness and walking humbly."
Psalm 130:5-8
5 I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the Lord
more than those who watch for the morning,
more than those who watch for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord!
For with the Lord there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
8 It is he who will redeem Israel
from all its iniquities.
1) "...wait for the Lord;" "...in his word, I hope;" "...my soul waits for the Lord;" "...more than those who watch for the morning;" "...hope in the Lord!" "...steadfast love;" "...power to redeem;" "...he... will redeem;"
2) As I read today, I think of Michael Dowd's distinction of "day language" and "night language" day language is transmission of information through precise, sometimes technical language to depict as denotatively as possible what is while night language is the language of metaphor, song, myth and scripture. I hear "Lord" as night language for the Cosmos, everything that is, what we know, and what we don't and what we cant, the push and the pull of creation. The "Lord" isn't just some old man with a long beard outside creation with his finger over a couple buttons labeled "smite" and "redeem." Steadfast love, redemption, hope, power, are infused in the very fabric of the cosmos, everything that is, that isn't, that could be. And that "Is-ness" favours what is, favours life, favours intelligence, favours diversity, favours community, favours chaos and order from the chaos. That "Is-ness" is me, and the members of my community (even the disagreeable ones), and the world we are serving. And that, I can wait for, my soul can wait for, even more than those who watch for the morning, more than those w ho watch for the morning.
3) What is the invitation in all this? To remember that as the world is turning to ashes all around us, the turning to ashes is happening in this context, a huge context in which it is worth waiting for the Lord. To patiently, humbly, kindly, justly, go on doing what we know is right. And once again, some days, we'll do better than others.
"Holy One, instill in me a sense of your sacred presence infused with all that is as I wait, seeking justice, loving kindness and walking humbly."
Breathprayer: "My soul... waits for the Lord."
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