"Who is like the Lord our God, who sits enthroned on high, but stoops to behold the heavens and the earth? The Lord takes up the weak out of the dust." Psalm 113:5-7 On islands in British Columbia we could wander for hours, stooping to pick up shells, stones, sea-smoothed wood, bits and pieces of this or that. It was a quiet, absorbing activity lulled by the sounds of … [Read more...] about Psalm 113 (Psalms on the Trail)
Archives for April 2016
Psalm 112 (Psalms on the Trail)
"It is well with those who deal generously and lend." Psalm 112:5 This isn't my story, but I heard Shane Claiborne (https://sojo.net/biography/shane-claiborne) speak at a synod event a few weeks ago. He once traveled with other community leaders to volunteer and work with Mother Teresa in India for a time. Shane was working with children. Although volunteers were told not … [Read more...] about Psalm 112 (Psalms on the Trail)
Psalm 111 (Psalms on the Trail)
"Reverence for you, O Holy One, is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all who practice it." Psalm 111:10 This verse is usually translated "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." I get it. One who can make the explosive and incredibly detailed universe must be terrifying. But I am opting for Nan Merrill's paraphrase (Psalms for Praying). In … [Read more...] about Psalm 111 (Psalms on the Trail)
Psalm 110 (Psalms on the Trail)
"Princely state has been yours from the day of your birth; In the beauty of holiness I have begotten you, like dew from the womb of the morning." Psalm 110:3 Reflection: The fragrance of these wild azalea covered with dew was breath-taking (pun intended)! So are this psalmist's words. A poet of ancient Israel blesses her king with words her inspired imagination hears God … [Read more...] about Psalm 110 (Psalms on the Trail)
Psalm 109 (Psalms on the Trail)
"O God of my praise, do not be silent!" Psalm 109:1 "Silence is frightening, an intimation of the end, the graveyard of fixed identities. Real silence puts any present understanding to shame; orphans us from certainty; leads us beyond the well-known and accepted reality and confronts us with the unknown and previously unacceptable conversation about to break in upon our … [Read more...] about Psalm 109 (Psalms on the Trail)