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Environmental
Stewardship Commission
(MEESC) |
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Environmental
Stewardship Commission
(MEESC) |
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Episcopal Diocese of Minnesota
Lectionary
Reflection
Year C, Easter 3, Psalm
Year C, Proper 14, Psalm
Psalm 33:
| Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous;
it is good for the just to sing praises.
Praise the LORD with the harp;
play to him upon the psaltery and lyre.
Sing for him a new song;
sound a fanfare with all your skilf upon
the trumpet.
For the word of the LORD is right,
and all his works are sure.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the loving-kindness of the LORD fills
the whole earth.
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
by the breath of his mouth all the heavenly
hosts.
He gathered the waters of the ocean as in a water-skin
and stores up the depths of the sea.
Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all who dwell in the world stand
in awe of him.
For he spoke, and it came to pass;
he commanded, and it stood fast.
The LORD brings the will of the nations to naught;
he thwarts the designs of the peoples.
But the LORD's will stands fast for ever,
and the designs of his heart from age
to age.
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Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD!
happy the people he has chosen to be
his own!
The LORD looks down from heaven,
and beholds all the people in the world;
From where he sits enthroned he turns his gaze
on all who dwell on the earth,
He fashions all the hearts of them
and understands all their deeds.
There is no king that can be saved by a mighty army;
a strong man is not delivered by his
great strength.
The horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
for all its great strength it cannot
save.
Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon those who fear him,
on those who wait upon his love,
To pluck their lives from death,
and to feed them in time of famine.
Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and shield.
Indeed, our heart rejoices in him,
for in his holy name we put our trust.
Let your loving-kindness, O LORD, be upon us, as
we have put our trust in you. |
Reflection on Psalm 33:
by John
Gibbs, PhD
The NRSV Annotated Bible aptly titles this psalm "Hymn to God as creator
and lord of history." "The word of the Lord" (33:4-9) brings to mind the
first creation story in Genesis 1. The character of the creative Word is
described in vv. 4-5: it is upright and works in faithfulness. The Lord
loves righteousness and justice, so much so that all "the earth is full
of the steadfast love of the Lord."
The great Swiss theologian Karl Barth used to emphasize that God is
not merely all-powerful (Allmächtige), but also and more basically
all-gracious (All-gnädige). That being the case, there is intimate
connection between covenant and creation, for the "hesed" of Yahweh ("steadfast
love") brought into existence both creation and covenant. What God does
in his all-graciousness knows no boundaries, for the whole earth is full
of the steadfast love of the Lord.
It is of utmost importance in this post-Holocaust era that the Church
celebrate with all Judaism the centrality of God's steadfast love within
the cosmic totality. Not only are humans bound together thereby with all
other living creatures, but so also are Jews and Christians. The One God
is both creator and lord of history.
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