Proper 18
Worship
Aids To The Psalms
Happy are those whom you discipline, O Lord,
and whom you teach out of your law,
giving them respite from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Who rises up for me against the wicked?
who stands up for me against evildoers?
If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
When I thought, "My foot is slipping."
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who contrive mischief by statute?
They band together against the life of the righteous,
and condemn the innocent to death.
But the Lord has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
He will repay them for their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will wipe them out.
Alternate Image
The Singer is on jury duty. She and the other jurors file into the jury box, spectators enter the courtroom, the prosecutor and the accuser with his lawyer enter and all stand as the judge comes into the courtroom. The charges are read. Witnesses are called to give their testimony frequently, pointing their fingers toward the accused. The Singer listens intently to all the words spoken, views all the expressions, ponders all the evidence. The jury retires to their quarters to consider a verdict, each juror sharing their point of view on how justice should be served. It occurs to the Singer that she and the other jurors are as much on trial as the defendant. They are to perform a god-like action, render judgment on another human being. Justice must be rendered right now, not in an after-life, but at this very moment. The Singer prays for wisdom for herself and her companions that their decision will be just, fitting and given with gentle, loving-kindness. She prays for the faithful justice and mercy that God will render to her.
Reflection
How we cry for justice when we believe we have been wronged. We call out for vengeance upon those who have dealt us dirt. We tell God to inflict on them the punishment they richly deserve for having injured us. When we feel we are in the right, we point our fingers in righteous indignation, thundering wrath upon those we believe have acted against us. How self-important we become when we see ourselves as the righteous instruments of God against the evil done in our society. At those times it behooves us to consider how we wish God to judge us and how God does mete out justice. Then we realize we do not want justice at all but mercy. That is what God offer us, mercy. We would do well to show that same mercy to others, for that will be how God judges our faith.
and whom you teach out of your law,
giving them respite from days of trouble,
until a pit is dug for the wicked.
For the Lord will not forsake his people;
he will not abandon his heritage;
for justice will return to the righteous,
and all the upright in heart will follow it.
Who rises up for me against the wicked?
who stands up for me against evildoers?
If the Lord had not been my help,
my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
When I thought, "My foot is slipping."
your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up
When the cares of my heart are many,
your consolations cheer my soul.
Can wicked rulers be allied with you,
those who contrive mischief by statute?
They band together against the life of the righteous,
and condemn the innocent to death.
But the Lord has become my stronghold,
and my God the rock of my refuge.
He will repay them for their iniquity
and wipe them out for their wickedness;
the Lord our God will wipe them out.
Alternate Image
The Singer is on jury duty. She and the other jurors file into the jury box, spectators enter the courtroom, the prosecutor and the accuser with his lawyer enter and all stand as the judge comes into the courtroom. The charges are read. Witnesses are called to give their testimony frequently, pointing their fingers toward the accused. The Singer listens intently to all the words spoken, views all the expressions, ponders all the evidence. The jury retires to their quarters to consider a verdict, each juror sharing their point of view on how justice should be served. It occurs to the Singer that she and the other jurors are as much on trial as the defendant. They are to perform a god-like action, render judgment on another human being. Justice must be rendered right now, not in an after-life, but at this very moment. The Singer prays for wisdom for herself and her companions that their decision will be just, fitting and given with gentle, loving-kindness. She prays for the faithful justice and mercy that God will render to her.
Reflection
How we cry for justice when we believe we have been wronged. We call out for vengeance upon those who have dealt us dirt. We tell God to inflict on them the punishment they richly deserve for having injured us. When we feel we are in the right, we point our fingers in righteous indignation, thundering wrath upon those we believe have acted against us. How self-important we become when we see ourselves as the righteous instruments of God against the evil done in our society. At those times it behooves us to consider how we wish God to judge us and how God does mete out justice. Then we realize we do not want justice at all but mercy. That is what God offer us, mercy. We would do well to show that same mercy to others, for that will be how God judges our faith.
