Today’s Readings: Psalm 109; Exodus 5:1-6:1; Luke 10:25-37; Romans 10:10-13; Psalm 44
Have you ever been so angry at someone that you just had to sit down and write that person a lengthy email venting the depths of your frustration? Chances are you’ve found yourself in this situation at least once during the course of your lifetime. Most folks find that by the time they finish writing down their thoughts, much of their anger has passed and they no longer feel compelled to send off the angry email. On those rare occasions when writing the email wasn’t enough, chances are you at least slept on your words before you sent the email. Once in a while, however, you probably found yourself so hot under the collar that you gave in to your impulses and sent off the email the second you finished it. If you’re anything like me, chances are you regretted sending the email the second you hit the “send” key. To make matters worse you then had to spend time worrying about how the other party would respond to your email. Today’s first reading from the Psalms sounds to me like someone who composed an angry email in the midst of their frustration and hit the “send” key before they realized it. I say that because the Psalm not only wishes the worst on the offender (“give him a short life and give his job to somebody else”); it has the nerve to go one step further and go after the offender’s children (“turn his children into begging street urchins, evicted from their homes – homeless”). There are two things that strike me about the unpleasant nature of the Psalm. First, the Psalm reminds me that we worship a God who is big enough to embrace not only the warm fuzzy pieces of ourselves, but the small (and downright petty) pieces of ourselves as well. Second, the Psalm points me toward the realization that while God may embrace the small and petty pieces of ourselves, God doesn’t leave us to wallow in the depths of our pettiness. For once we take the risk and get real with God; God has an uncanny ability to take us to new places. How do I know? Psalm 109:30 is great proof – for while the psalmist started off by cursing the ones who upset him, the psalmist ended his composition in a spirit of total praise (“My mouth’s full of great praise for God, I’m singing Hallelujahs surrounded by crowds!”). The next time you find yourself mired in feelings of complete anger or frustration toward someone or some thing, stop and take a moment to express the depths of your feelings to God. As you do so, be prepared to leave behind your pettiness as God’s loving and transformative grace will undoubtedly take you to new places. Til next time…
Have you ever been so angry at someone that you just had to sit down and write that person a lengthy email venting the depths of your frustration? Chances are you’ve found yourself in this situation at least once during the course of your lifetime. Most folks find that by the time they finish writing down their thoughts, much of their anger has passed and they no longer feel compelled to send off the angry email. On those rare occasions when writing the email wasn’t enough, chances are you at least slept on your words before you sent the email. Once in a while, however, you probably found yourself so hot under the collar that you gave in to your impulses and sent off the email the second you finished it. If you’re anything like me, chances are you regretted sending the email the second you hit the “send” key. To make matters worse you then had to spend time worrying about how the other party would respond to your email. Today’s first reading from the Psalms sounds to me like someone who composed an angry email in the midst of their frustration and hit the “send” key before they realized it. I say that because the Psalm not only wishes the worst on the offender (“give him a short life and give his job to somebody else”); it has the nerve to go one step further and go after the offender’s children (“turn his children into begging street urchins, evicted from their homes – homeless”). There are two things that strike me about the unpleasant nature of the Psalm. First, the Psalm reminds me that we worship a God who is big enough to embrace not only the warm fuzzy pieces of ourselves, but the small (and downright petty) pieces of ourselves as well. Second, the Psalm points me toward the realization that while God may embrace the small and petty pieces of ourselves, God doesn’t leave us to wallow in the depths of our pettiness. For once we take the risk and get real with God; God has an uncanny ability to take us to new places. How do I know? Psalm 109:30 is great proof – for while the psalmist started off by cursing the ones who upset him, the psalmist ended his composition in a spirit of total praise (“My mouth’s full of great praise for God, I’m singing Hallelujahs surrounded by crowds!”). The next time you find yourself mired in feelings of complete anger or frustration toward someone or some thing, stop and take a moment to express the depths of your feelings to God. As you do so, be prepared to leave behind your pettiness as God’s loving and transformative grace will undoubtedly take you to new places. Til next time…
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