Proper 14
Worship
Aids To The Psalms
Fools say in their hearts, "There is no God."
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is no one who does good.
The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek the after God.
They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.
Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon the Lord?
There they shall be in great terror,
for God is with the company of the righteous.
You would confound the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is their refuge.
O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
Alternate Image
The Singer is at one of those types of parties; you know the kind, where every person you meet is a bigger fool than the one before. The first person she meets is a silly man who tries to impress her with his wiles with the ladies. She quickly dismisses him and meets a woman who appears as dumb as a sap-damaged post. Not able to carry on any type of intelligent conversation with her, the Singer moves on to another party-goer. The next man makes the previous women look like a member of Mensa; he is a total idiot. The Singer presses onto yet another party-goer. This woman speaks with overly cultivated speech but shows a spark of intelligence. Not long into the conversation the woman reveals herself to be a cynical snob castigating all the other party members as beneath herself and not worth bothering with, including the Singer. The Singer is sickened by the entire gathering at the party. She mumbles to herself that God has obviously fouled up with the entire human race. They are all totally corrupt and stupid, a, collection of fools. The Singer walks past a mirror, considers herself, and realizes all the party-goers are fools including herself with her impious thoughts about the zenith of God's creation, people. All the fools there act as if God did not care about them or was not concerned with their actions. This indeed makes them all fools. Suddenly in the midst of this circle of fools the Singer sees God in their midst socializing with these fools. God mingles with each, is not put off by foolish conversation but steers them into meaningful dialogue. In touch with each other and the Singer and her new friends sing a song of wisdom.
Reflection
The Quaker said, "All the world is crazy except me and thee and sometimes I wonder about thee." How easy it is for us to conclude that all others are stupid, uncultured, snobbish, boring, and downright crazy, including ourselves. And, there is truth in our observations. When we focus solely on ourselves we are downright fools, fools among a foolish people. Amid all the Tom, Dick and Harriet foolery, God steps into our midst, raises our vision and recreates us creatures just below God himself. That is the power of the transcedent and eminent God.
They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;
there is no one who does good.
The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind
to see if there are any who are wise,
who seek the after God.
They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse;
there is no one who does good,
no, not one.
Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers
who eat up my people as they eat bread,
and do not call upon the Lord?
There they shall be in great terror,
for God is with the company of the righteous.
You would confound the plans of the poor,
but the Lord is their refuge.
O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad.
Alternate Image
The Singer is at one of those types of parties; you know the kind, where every person you meet is a bigger fool than the one before. The first person she meets is a silly man who tries to impress her with his wiles with the ladies. She quickly dismisses him and meets a woman who appears as dumb as a sap-damaged post. Not able to carry on any type of intelligent conversation with her, the Singer moves on to another party-goer. The next man makes the previous women look like a member of Mensa; he is a total idiot. The Singer presses onto yet another party-goer. This woman speaks with overly cultivated speech but shows a spark of intelligence. Not long into the conversation the woman reveals herself to be a cynical snob castigating all the other party members as beneath herself and not worth bothering with, including the Singer. The Singer is sickened by the entire gathering at the party. She mumbles to herself that God has obviously fouled up with the entire human race. They are all totally corrupt and stupid, a, collection of fools. The Singer walks past a mirror, considers herself, and realizes all the party-goers are fools including herself with her impious thoughts about the zenith of God's creation, people. All the fools there act as if God did not care about them or was not concerned with their actions. This indeed makes them all fools. Suddenly in the midst of this circle of fools the Singer sees God in their midst socializing with these fools. God mingles with each, is not put off by foolish conversation but steers them into meaningful dialogue. In touch with each other and the Singer and her new friends sing a song of wisdom.
Reflection
The Quaker said, "All the world is crazy except me and thee and sometimes I wonder about thee." How easy it is for us to conclude that all others are stupid, uncultured, snobbish, boring, and downright crazy, including ourselves. And, there is truth in our observations. When we focus solely on ourselves we are downright fools, fools among a foolish people. Amid all the Tom, Dick and Harriet foolery, God steps into our midst, raises our vision and recreates us creatures just below God himself. That is the power of the transcedent and eminent God.
