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Karen Hollis | March 16, 2025 Lent 2
Psalm 27
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
When evildoers assail me to devour my flesh-- my adversaries and foes-- they shall stumble and fall.
Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise up against me, yet I will be confident.
One thing I asked of the LORD; this I seek: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will set me high on a rock.
Now my head is lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD.
Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!
"Come," my heart says, "seek his face!" Your face, LORD, do I seek.
Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off; do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!
If my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will take me up.
Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries, for false witnesses have risen against me, and they are breathing out violence.
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
I was glad to see that Voices United used the word God in the Psalm, because the New Revised Standard version uses a convention I had forgotten about. When you see LORD written in all capitals in the Hebrew Bible (old testament), it doesn’t mean Lord in a hierarchical way, rather this is in reference to the Divine Name of God, the name that cannot be spoken, only breathed. The origin of this convention traces back to ancient scribes who were trying to protect the Divine Name from being spoken. I am very happy to be reminded and find this distinction important and powerful in this morning’s psalm.
The more time I spent with the Psalm this week, the more I was drawn into it. While most of the war and conflict imagery wasn’t useful for me, I was drawn in by the rest of it, and I found myself sinking into the words, I allowed them to wrap around me. Now that we’ve engaged with the text once, I invite us to experience it again in a Lectio Divina exercise, or Divine Reading. I have taken excerpts from the psalm just to shorten it and I’ve included some names for God that I hope reflect the name that cannot be pronounced. As I read the psalm slowly, I invite you to listen for a word or phrase that speaks to you or stands out, or has some energy for you. When I finish the reading I’ll invite those who wish, to speak their word or phrase aloud.
First, let us pray . . .
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be reflections of your word to us today, in Christ’s name we pray. Amen
LECTIO Exercise:
The Source of All is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Source is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
One thing I asked of the Creator;
this I seek: to live in their house all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Creator, and to inquire in their temple.
For they will hide me in their shelter in the day of trouble;
they will conceal me under the cover of their tent;
they will set me high on a rock.
Hear, O God, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!
"Come," my heart says, "seek their face!" Your face, O God, do I seek.
If my father and mother forsake me, the Holy One will take me up.
Teach me your way, O God, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Almighty in the land of the living.
Hope in the Source of Life;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
hope in the Source of Life!
Which word or phrase stands out to you from the reading?
Hope stands out to me this morning. A few months ago, during the season of Advent, we learned about the Hebrew word Qvah, which is found twice in our reading this morning. This hope is not based on current circumstances, thank goodness, rather it is a tension that is waiting in anticipation. The psalmist writes: Qvah in the Source of Life. This is a hope that knows who God is.
Our psalmist begins this morning by proclaiming: “The Source of All is my light and my salvation, the stronghold of my life.” God is the foundation of their world, the ground of their being. Even if their parents, the people who should be the most steadfast for them, should leave, God will be there still. Because of God, the psalmist is able to do hard things and act with courage. They know that they are never alone.
Paired with their affirmation of God’s faithfulness is an expression of their profound need. In the face of certain danger, the psalmist prays intensely for God to set them high on a rock or hide them in God’s tent . . . they pray for God to teach them, hear them and reveal God’s face. While God’s faithfulness is great, so is the psalmist’s need. They somehow emerge together out of their human experience. Perhaps as our need increases . . . in these critical moments we come to know the depth of our own faith.
This practice of waiting, holding the tension of hope, doesn’t mean that God is not present with us, and it doesn’t mean that God is not at work. What if it is God providing the tension on the other side of hope. What if we hold our end, knowing God is there and God is busy. I do wonder what God is up to. Where God is at work in these crazy, sideways, and upside-down days in which we find ourselves. It’s all unfolding so quickly . . . the world is spinning, seemingly out of control, and we are dizzy. Where do you hope God is at work? I can think of a few places. Like the psalmist, we hope to see God’s face, we hope to see a visible sign of God’s action – think about where you would like to see evidence of God’s action, God’s justice , God’s mercy. God is present with us, holding onto that tension in the unfolding of these days, the unfolding of Creation.
The psalmist says: I believe that I shall see the goodness of God in the land of the living. Is that where people slow down to hear one another’s fear and worry? Is that where people share stories of ache and hope? The living attend to life. Even when it is stormy, the living plant gardens, because we know in the long run they will grow.
Here in the season of Lent, we lift up hope in our midst, we turn toward the Holy One and pray with the psalmist: teach us your way, O God. What in this season would you have us practice as we walk this path toward Easter? Something that includes hope? Something that includes movement or stillness, words written, verbalized, or no words at all; a particular time of day, with people or individual, more of something or less of something, indoors or outdoors. Is it a single experience or a regular practice? What is this season inviting you to? What is God inviting you to lean into?
If I zoom out on this Lenten journey so that I can see Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday in the distance, I think our collective hope is that the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection becomes real for us in our world. I think what God did in Jesus was show us in no uncertain terms the way of God’s renewal . . . what is true for Jesus is true in the cycle of sunset and sunrise, is true in the turning of the seasons and the springtime that always arrives, is true in our lives and in our WORLD. The tension of hope is there as we journey through beginnings, endings, and new beginnings on all scales and timelines. While it is unlikely that the world will finish whatever we are living through by easter, we, along with all people of faith, can walk with hope – the hope that knows who our God is – that our God is living and at work in and around all of creation. Thanks be to God.