ISSL Reflections October 17 2021 Psalm 107:1-9, 39-43 Post 2

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IV.
As we return to Psalm 107 today let the words that close the Psalm be your path into hearing this Psalm –

Let those who are wise give heed to these things,
and consider the steadfast love of the Lord. (Psalm 107:43)

Read the Psalm once again and take time to consider the times and places the Psalmist thinks The Lord’s “steadfast love” was experienced.

V.
What “things” does the Psalmist ask his hearers to notice?

Why do you think “these things” connect to The Lord’s “steadfast love” in the Psalmist’s thoughts?

VI.
“Steadfast love” has in other places been translated as “kindness,” “faithfulness,” “lovingkindness,” and “mercy.”

It is the Hebrew word, hesed, and is often used when God’s covenant with his people is mentioned. I like to translate/paraphrase it as “covenant love.”

It is the word translated as “mercy” in Micah 6:8,

“… what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

VII.
As the Psalmist asks you what are “these things” that lead you to sense The Lord’s “steadfast love,” how do you reply?

When and where and how do you find you are a participant in The Lord’s covenant love?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 17 2021 Psalm 107:1-9, 39-43 Post 1

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I.

This week we will focus on some of Psalm 107.

First, take a few moments and hold these words from the Psalm in your soul – 

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so… (Psalm 107:1-2a)

Let those who are wise give heed to these things,
    and consider the steadfast love of the Lord. (Psalm 107:43)

Stay with those words for a time and don’t rush off too quickly.

II.

Now with those thoughts grounding you, consider the rest of this week’s focus passage – 

Psalm 107:1-9 (NRSV) 

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

    for his steadfast love endures forever.

Let the redeemed of the Lord say so,

    those he redeemed from trouble

and gathered in from the lands,

    from the east and from the west,

    from the north and from the south.

Some wandered in desert wastes,

    finding no way to an inhabited town;

hungry and thirsty,

    their soul fainted within them.

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

    and he delivered them from their distress;

he led them by a straight way,

    until they reached an inhabited town.

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,

    for his wonderful works to humankind.

For he satisfies the thirsty,

    and the hungry he fills with good things.

Psalm 107:39-43 (NRSV)

When they are diminished 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.

III.

The Psalmist speaks of The Lord’s “steadfast love.”

Not only does he ask his hearers to “give thanks” for the “steadfast love” of The Lord, he offers some thoughts on places and times the people had opportunity to know that “steadfast love” firsthand.

Read the Psalm once again and take time to consider the times and places the Psalmist thinks The Lord’s “steadfast love” was experienced.

charles

{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 10 2021 Psalm 9:1-12 Post 3

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VIII.
The Psalmist begins – “I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart …”

Whole-hearted thankfulness, whole-hearted praise – What does that look like? What does that sound like? What does that feel like?

Today spend time with this Psalm noticing how the Psalmist brings his “whole heart” to The Lord.

IX.
Psalm 9:1-12 (NRSV)

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

When my enemies turned back,
they stumbled and perished before you.

For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.

You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.

The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
their cities you have rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.

But the Lord sits enthroned forever,
he has established his throne for judgment.

He judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with equity.

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.

And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.
Declare his deeds among the peoples.

For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

X.
What “clues” did the Psalmist give us on what it might sound like to bring our whole heart to The Lord?

If we have been taught that praise and prayer must sound a certain way, be made up of certain words and phrases, what can prayer and praise be if those “prescribed” words and phrases do not arise from our whole heart?

Take time today to open your whole heart to yourself and to God and offer that in some way to God, remembering the Psalmist also told us, “… for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 10 2021 Psalm 9:1-12 Post 2

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IV.
Let’s start today by going back to the Psalm for another “slow” reading. Let’s not rush over it, thinking we know what it says, but rather take our time to let the words of the Psalmist rest in our minds and spirit.

V.
Psalm 9:1-12 (NRSV)

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

When my enemies turned back,
they stumbled and perished before you.

For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.

You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.

The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
their cities you have rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.

But the Lord sits enthroned forever,
he has established his throne for judgment.

He judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with equity.

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.

And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.
Declare his deeds among the peoples.

For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

VI.
I closed our time together the other day by calling our attention to what the Psalmist says regarding the “enemies” and the “wicked.”

Today let me point to C. S. Lewis’ Reflections the Psalms and some of what he writes about “cursing” in the Pslams,

“… we must not try either to explain them away or to yield for one moment to the idea that, because it comes in the Bible, all this vindictive hatred must somehow be good and pious. We must face both facts squarely. The hatred is there … and also we should be wicked if we in any way condoned or approved it, or (worse still) used it to justify similar passions in ourselves.”
(p 22)

“I found that these maledictions were in one way extremely interesting. For here one saw a feeling we all know only too well. Resentment, expressing itself with perfect freedom, without disguise, without self-consciousness, without shame – as few but children would express it today.” (pp 22-23)

VII.
How do you respond today to Lewis’ remarks?

Do they offend you?

Do they open a door to the spirit and heart of the Psalmist?

Do they in any way lead you to more value or less value what the Psalms presents to us?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 10 2021 Psalm 9:1-12 Post 1

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I.
Last week we heard that we are to, “Make a joyful noise …”

This week the Psalmist begins his words to us with,

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

As you spend time with this Psalm, what do you notice gives the Psalmist cause to “… give thanks … tell of all [the Lord’s] wonderful deeps … be glad and exult … sing praise to [the] Most high.”

II.
Psalm 9:1-12 (NRSV)

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.

I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

When my enemies turned back,
they stumbled and perished before you.

For you have maintained my just cause;
you have sat on the throne giving righteous judgment.

You have rebuked the nations, you have destroyed the wicked;
you have blotted out their name forever and ever.

The enemies have vanished in everlasting ruins;
their cities you have rooted out;
the very memory of them has perished.

But the Lord sits enthroned forever,
he has established his throne for judgment.

He judges the world with righteousness;
he judges the peoples with equity.

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a stronghold in times of trouble.

And those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion.
Declare his deeds among the peoples.

For he who avenges blood is mindful of them;
he does not forget the cry of the afflicted.

III.
The Psalmist speaks not only of praising the “Most High” but also of his “enemies” and “the wicked.”

What does he have to say about those people?

How does that strike you? Do you find yourself in agreement with the Psalmist or do you find his attitude problematic?

Do you think such words are proper for a Psalm or a prayer?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 3 2021 Psalm 100 Post 3

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VIII.
Let’s return to Psalm 100 and as you read it pay attention to what it tells you about who you are.

IX.
Psalm 100 (NRSV)

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

X.
The Psalmist makes several claims about God and makes several claims about us.

How does the Psalmist describe us?

How do you respond to the Psalmist claims about who you are?

As I reread the Psalm, it seems to me more and more the case that I have a hard time separating what the Psalmist reports about God and what he reports about who we are.

Take some time today and consider not only what the Psalmist reports about God but what you can say about God from your own experiences.

You might be led to make a joyful noise or you might be led to ask some questions of God. In other Psalms you find a number of questions posed to God.

If the Psalmist is on the right path when he says of The Lord, “his steadfast love endures forever,” I doubt our honest questions are a problem for God. Maybe we should be able to find some joy even in our asking.

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 3 2021 Psalm 100 Post 2

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V.
Let’s read Psalm 100 again and having already paid attention to the “command” we are given in the first words of the Psalm, let’s ask Why?

Why are we directed to make a “joyful noise”?

VI.
Psalm 100 (NRSV)

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

VII.
Why do you think we should make a joyful noise?

Have you ever heard the expression, “Fake it, till you can make it”?

Is that what the Psalmist suggests?

If you make a joyful noise long enough, with the effort required to do so, you will eventually be joyful?

The Psalmist even tells us to “come into his presence with singing.”

So this singing, this joyful noise, is a requirement to approach Him? Without the right kind of singing, without the right song, we should not approach Him and our worship is meaningless and a lost cause?

Or, should we pay attention to how the the Psalmist ends his song –

For the Lord is good;
His steadfast love endures forever,
And his faithfulness to all generations.

How would you factor that in the “joyful noise” we are encouraged to make?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 3 2021 Psalm 100 Post 1

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I.
I suspect this week’s reading is familiar to many of us.

Were you ever in “Vacation Bible School” and this was the “memory verse” for the day?

Even apart from that setting, I suspect it is (following Psalm 23) one of the most repeated Psalms.

So as we come to Psalm 100 this week, it might be more difficult to hear it afresh.

It might help for us to read it slowly, pausing for each phrase, so the words of that phrase can settle into our consciousness.

In any case, take your time with the Psalm and before we bring questions to it, let’s just read and reread it slowly to take it all in.

II.
Psalm 100 (NRSV)

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

III.
How does the Psalm “introduce” itself to us?
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord … “

Hold onto that image for a few moments – “ … joyful noise …”

Do you associate any sound or sounds with making a “joyful noise”?

What do you hear?

IV.
Now, holding that phrase, “joyful noise,

” in your mind, reread the entire Psalm and notice what the Psalmist associates with making a “joyful noise.”

How does the Psalmist “flesh out” what might be some of the components of this “joyful noise”?

How do you think you can embody your “joyful noise”?

Charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections September 26 2021 Acts 2:32-33, 37-47 Post 3

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VIII.
Let’s return to our focus Scripture once more. Let’s read it at least twice today.

First pay attention to how the daily life of these believers is described.

Then, read it once more and as you notice how they lived with one another, ask how this shared life describes or doesn’t describe your experiences in Christian community.

IX.
Acts 2:32-33

This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear.

Acts 2:37-47

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

X.
Did you find any parallels to your experiences in Christian communities?

For most of us, Christian community comes in various forms and shapes. We might first think of a local church congregation in which you participate in some manner. Then there is the community that exists in a Sunday School class, or Life Class, or other small group experiences. Maybe that is a Bible study group, a reading group or a mission group.

Let’s not forget that Christian community exists outside the walls of a local church building.

Did you notice in our Scripture passage – “Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.”

“… they broke bread at home …”

Do you think that was referring only to having a meal at home? Or might that have been remembering how Jesus “broke bread” with his disciples and knowing they now were included in that meal with Jesus?

XI.
What has your experience in Christian communities included? What was lacking?

What can you and I contribute to those communities?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections September 26 2021 Acts 2:32-33, 37-47 Post 2

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IV.
As you read this week’s Scripture passage, pay attention to what it has to say about the “common life” the believers shared.

V.
Acts 2:32-33

This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear.

Acts 2:37-47

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

VI.
What do you notice about their “common life”? What characterizes the life of this community?

Let’s see – “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

That could be what in part characterizes their “common life.” Their “fellowship.” We can find that in many Christian congregations today. Right?

And then – “Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.”

Do you think we find some of that in today’s congregations?

VII.
But wait. Here’s something else – “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

What do we make of that?

I have heard some suggest it was a “practice” for the early church but is not something to expect today.

Others find that kind of “common life” practiced to some degree in monasteries but not elsewhere.

But maybe there are places where it is still being tried.

Over the past several years I have read more and more about folks forming what has been called “intentional communities,” where folk do hold “things in common” and support one another. Some might work outside the community and bring the fruit of their work to the life of the entire community and thereby “distribute the proceeds to all.”

I doubt all are “called” to such a life, but might not some still be called to this kind of “common life”?

If you would like to read about such communities, allow me to offer a few suggestions –

Bruderhof Community
https://www.bruderhof.com/

Foundation for Intentional Community
https://www.ic.org/

Koinonia Farm
https://www.koinoniafarm.org/

The Simple Way
https://www.thesimpleway.org/

Schools for Conversion
https://www.schoolforconversion.org/

Nurturing Communities Network
https://www.nurturingcommunities.org/

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}