Psalm Devotion
April 9, 2020
Hello All!
I am sorry I wasn't in touch last night but I trust
you are all availing yourselves of the various spiritually nurturing
on-line opportunities All Saints' is providing during this Holy Week.
Once
again I am reminded as I write of the importance of slowing down,
taking a breath, and remembering I have a soul. I'm more than meets the
eye and so are you!
So I invite you to take a few moments now to consider your concerns.
And then to consider what might be your deeper concerns.
And then maybe even concerns beyond those.
And then to recall each other and how we all have layer upon layer of concern during this time.
That
might not be so comforting, but I think it's grounding and reminds us
we are in this together regardless of how isolated we might feel.
And that brings me to a psalm.
One psalm stands out in stark relief as we approach the passion of Jesus, and that is Psalm 22.
On
the cross, he says, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Taken
out of context, those might be disturbing words. But the context is a
setting and a gospel steeped in knowledge of the Jewish scriptures.
Those words about being forsaken are a way of bringing to mind Psalm 22
for Jesus' hearers at the cross, the original readers of Matthew, and
also us.
I encourage you to read through that psalm several times
these days, and as you do, remember Bonhoeffer's thesis that Jesus is
THE ONE who can fully pray these psalms. Note that the psalm begins with
an outcry of isolation from the very source of being but works its way
through honest acknowledgements of suffering to a place of faith,
exhortation, and even hope for the future.
May these be meaningful days of spiritual light wherever you find yourself.
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