On September 15, 2006 I began a new morning meditation on the Gospel of Mark. You can find this new collection of meditations at http://saintthomasdidymus.blogspot.com/

Say among the nations, ‘The Lord is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity.’ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with his truth. (Psalm 96: 10-13)

After 365 days of morning meditations on the psalms, my single most important insight is probably an element of grammar. Hebrew does not have a future tense.

Hebrew is not oriented to time. It is oriented to action.

"He is coming," is the description of a present action. This is not, "He is coming some day." It should be read, "God is coming right now!"

The translation "He will judge the world" is unfortunate. Better would be, "God is judging the world."

God is engaged in action. God is not finished. We can choose to help or hinder, but whatever we choose, God is already engaged.

Above is Convergence (detail) by Jackson Pollock.

The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes... You are good and do good; teach me your statutes. (Psalm 119: 64 + 68)

Psalm 119 is a long meditation on the statutes, laws, precepts, and principles of God.

The Hebrew translated here as statute is choq. It is a decree, ordinance, or limitation. It is guidance that has been enscribed or written. A recipe is a kind of choq.

A choq is a written instruction for doing something.

We seek to act as God would have us act. To do as God intends is to fulfill our purpose.

The intent of God is loving and good. God has given us guidance to love and do good.

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life for evermore. (Psalm 133: 1-3)

Do we seek and value what is good and pleasant?

It seems to me - in looking at my own life and that of many others - we may be more attracted to other outcomes.

We seek to be entertained and excited. We seek recognition. Some seek power. Others seek wealth. An unpleasant quarrel seems to attract more than a few.

Too often we measure ourselves by how we are different - better - than another. This is neither good nor pleasant.

What do you seek? What is your goal? Goodness and delight may deserve greater priority.

Rouse yourself! Why do you sleep, O Lord? Awake, do not cast us off for ever! Why do you hide your face? Why do you forget our affliction and oppression? For we sink down to the dust; our bodies cling to the ground. Rise up, come to our help. Redeem us for the sake of your steadfast love. (Psalm 44: 23-26)

National Public Radio recenty interviewed a lively, lovely, elderly New Yorker who - in the aftermath of the 911 attacks - became a committed atheist. She had been raised a Methodist, considered herself a believer, but was mostly a Christmas or Easter, wedding, and funeral Christian.

In her own words she was traumatized by the attack and its results. The random nature of who died and who survived was especially troubling. She had believed in a God who protected the weak and punished the evil. Instead she observed thousands of innocents being crushed and burned.

I understand Jesus to have been an innocent man who was tortured to death. He was executed by an oppressive colonial power to appease the petty purposes of a local elite. Jesus was one of thousands who were put to death often for simply being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The origin of my faith is in how Jesus - and eventually his followers - responded to this unjust execution. Jesus responded in agony, but also with forgiveness, love, understanding, courage, and an openness to a reality far beyond the excruciating pain of the moment.

In the midst of pain there is the possibility for joy. At the very moment that evil strikes, there is the opportunity to love. God is present. But we must reach out to God. God is prepared to make whole what has been shattered. God will work with us, but we must also be ready to work with God.

A transcript of the NPR interview is available here.

Above is Transcendence by Scott Saw.

My soul is satisfied as with a rich feast, and my mouth praises you with joyful lips when I think of you on my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63: 5-8)

In my earliest memories God is there. I cannot recall a time when I seriously questioned being in relationship with God.

I can - almost as a game - make credible intellectual arguments for God as a creation of human imagination. I can listen with interest to more earnest such arguments by others.

As I have matured in faith and reason I have become more aware of God being beyond my understanding. I am sure that God is beyond my capacity to fully know.

I doubt my understanding, but I do not doubt the presence of God. My innermost being is certain of God with and within me.

More and more I find my greatest satisfaction in acknowledging and simply abiding with that presence.

Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord’, and you forgave the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32: 5)

To sin is to go the wrong way, choose a hurtful path, to become lost, and even to lose oneself.

The psalmist suggests that acknowledgement is one way we can work with God. The Hebrew word translated above as acknowledge is yada'. This means to perceive, recognize, or admit. It also suggests experiencing, engaging, and embracing.

The translation offers, "I will confess my transgressions." Confession is the Hebrew yadah. Closely related to yada, this is to cast, throw or shoot - to actively bring the source of our sin to God. It is not just the wrong turn that we are to acknowledge, it is also our transgression or what caused us to choose the wrong turn.

In this psalm the sin is not forgiven. Rather it is the guilt of my sin. It is that aspect of my sin that twists, bends, and distorts. The sin's distoring influence is undone and set straight.

God forgives - nasa' - the guilt of my sin. Nasa is to lift, carry, take away. In some contexts it can even mean to be exalted or to lift up in triumph.

Out of pride or neglect I too often bend the truth, tarnish the beautiful, and compromise the good. God has given me a straight path, but I want to find my own path. In doing so I have sometimes brought others with me off the path.

God is ready to carry us back to the path we left behind.

Love the Lord, all you his saints. The Lord preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts haughtily. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the Lord. (Psalm 31: 23-24)

Today the lectionary pairs one of my favoritie psalms (Psalm 31) with a psalm I am inclined to reject out of hand (Psalm 35). Both are thought to have been written by King David.

In each case the author is in trouble. In Psalm 31 he reaches out to God. "Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me."

In Psalm 35 the author calls down God on his enemies. "Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!"

My God is also our God. We sometimes forget this. A personal relationship with God is a great gift. But it should not be misunderstood or - even worse - misused.

Thank you God for strength, courage, and the chance to create. Teach me to love you with my whole heart and to live out your love for all creation.

Above is an untitled work by Hans Hofmann.

Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37: 3-4)

If X then Y. If we trust in God and do good then there will be a specific outcome.

If you take delight in God then the desires of your heart will be fulfilled.

Absent delight in God the desires of our heart might be A. Filled with delight in God the desires of our heart might be Z. The predicate defines the subject.

If we love the Lord or God with all our heart, our soul, and our strength...

Then we shall love our neighbor as ourself. (Mark 12: 30)

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I will observe it to the end. Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain. Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways. (Psalm 136: 33-37)

I prefer a note to a comment. It is eccentric and almost certainly prideful. But whether another has a criticism or praise, I especially value receiving it in written form.

The written form allows me to review and reflect on the message again and again. The written form also seems to produce a more insightful message.

God has inspired a great library. The words of God and about God benefit from multiple readings and active reflection. It is a treasury of love letters to which I turn for strength.

Teach me, give me understanding, lead me.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God! All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light. (Psalm 36: 7-9)

Jesus taught that a great reconciliation with God was at hand. Many have understood this to mean an apocalyptic end of human history. Many look for signs of the end times.

What if the reconciliation has already happened? What if the life and death of Jesus marked an opening to this reconciliation?

Perhaps all that remains is for us - as individuals and as a species - to accept and abide within the love of God.

Above is Lone Star from PhysicsWeb. Some simulations suggest the first structure in the universe was a single massive star.

Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his decrees. (Psalm 25: 8-10)

Kind and pleasing is the Lord. He shows those who are lost the right way.

God leads those in need to develop good judgment. God teaches those in need a productive way of life.

If we are attentive to our experiences and relationship with God every step in life's journey may advance toward love and loyalty.

What is sin? What is humility? What is God's covenant? What are God's decrees? What is right? What is the way?

These are potentially dense and difficult concepts. They may also be exquisitely simple.

God, help me to choose your way.

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his host! Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded and they were created. He established them for ever and ever; he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed. Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and women alike, old and young together! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his faithful, for the people of Israel who are close to him. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 148)

Let loose your light. Bring forth your inner self. Shine, show yourself, and praise God.

The Hebrew for praise in this psalm is halal. We are to praise God. In praising God we also untether our best selves.

Halal is to shine, as the sun shines, as the face of Moses was bright after talking with God, as we can be when we step from the shadows and embrace God.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the Negeb. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. (Psalm 126: 4-6)

For most of the year the wadis of the Negev desert are dusty dry.

For the lives of most, tears are more common than joy.

But joy can erupt like a desert storm.

Above is Thirsty Land by Ron Gang. The artist specializes in Negev landscapes.

A week ago I was confident that yesterday would complete 365 days of daily meditations on the psalms. I was wrong. Twelve more days remain.

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure. For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures for evermore. (Psalm 16: 7-11)

I depend on God. I love, ignore, need, neglect, and cherish God. I know that my best path is to walk with God. But I sometimes take different paths.

Might these other paths also be part of God's intention? I do not mean that I am foreordained or manipulated. I am confident of free will.

But the rocky ways, dead ends, and becoming lost in the thorns have certainly shaped my relationship with God as well.

My greatest failures - so far - have not been when I knew I had chosen a different path. I have caused the most harm when I was sure of doing God's will - but was really just being willful.

Apart from God I encounter a deep need. It is a need that expresses itself in a variety of wonderful and terrible ways.

In this profound need I have found my limitations and better understood God's lack of limitations. When I am with God I sometimes lose my sense of being separate. I am swept up into God. I feel whole, complete, fulfilled. But without a true humility, this experience is dangerous, even misleading. This is why I so much value, "lead us not into temptation."

Without humility I am tempted to think that my understanding is God's understanding, that my judgment is God's judgment, that my will is God's will.

Because I have left the path and experienced the absence of God I am sure that God's understanding is entirely beyond my understanding, God's judgment is loving, caring, intricate, and exquisite in ways far beyond my ability. From off the path I have learned that my will is full of need, while God's will is constantly giving and creating.

Separated from God I have also come to understand that, despite my limitations, I have a part to play in fulfilling God's will. It is often a small part - but it can be crucial. The lessons I have learned off-the-path and away from God are often helpful in playing this role.

God has shown me the path of life. God has protected my exploring off the path. God has always welcomed me back to the path. Thanks be to God.