 |
Environmental
Stewardship Commission
(MEESC) |
 |
Episcopal Diocese of
Minnesota
Lectionary
Reflection
Year C, Proper 22,
Psalm
Psalm 37:1-18
| Do not fret yourself because of evildoers;
*
do not be jealous of those
who
do wrong.
For they shall soon wither like the grass,
*
and like the green grass
fade away.
Put your trust in the LORD and do good; *
dwell in the land and feed
on its
riches.
Take delight in the LORD, *
and he shall give you your
heart's
desire.
Commit your way to the LORD and put your trust
in
him, *
and he will bring it to
pass.
He will make your righteousness as clear as
the light
*
and your just dealing as
the noonday.
Be still before the LORD *
and wait patiently for
him.
Do not fret yourself over the one who
prospers, *
the one who succeeds in
evil schemes.
Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; *
do not fret yourself; it
leads
only to evil. |
For evildoers shall be cut off, *
but those who wait upon the
LORD
shall possess the land.
In a little while the wicked shall be no more;
*
you shall search out their
place,
but they will not be there.
But the lowly shall possess the land; *
they will delight in
abundance
of peace.
The wicked plot against the righteous *
and gnash at them with
their teeth.
The Lord laughs at the wicked, *
because he sees that their
day
will come.
The wicked draw their sword and bend their
bow
to strike down the poor and needy, *
to slaughter those who are
upright
in their ways.
Their sword shall go through their own heart,
*
and their bow shall be
broken.
The little that the righteous has *
is better than great riches
of
the wicked.
For the power of the wicked shall be broken,
*
but the LORD upholds the
righteous. |
Reflection on Psalm 37:1-18
by John G. Gibbs, PhD
It really is a challenge to be committed to eco-justice and at the
same
time maintain ones inner stability, ones focus, and ones hope. Psalm
37 has some words of wisdom for us, both negatively and positively.
Do not fret (vv. 1, 7, 8), do not be envious (v. 1), refrain
from anger (v. 8). Not even when wrongdoers are getting away
with
it, not even when some folks borrow, and do not pay back (v. 21; as
with Enron, WorldCom, and other corporations that in effect robbed
their
shareholders) even then: do not fret.
Nelson Mandela was in prison 27 years, and during that long oppression
he developed enormous inner strength, and extraordinary capacity to
hold
on to hope. As his autobiography shows, he overcame despair and
bitterness,
and lived one day at a time according to his inner compass, while
nurturing
the community of his peers in prison. He had 3 of his jailers
present
by special invitation at his inaugural as the first Black President of
South Africa. He models the kind of approach that eco-justice
requires
of us in this oppressive time of corporate welfare, dismantling of
environmental
safeguards, political cynicism, and the spread of hopelessness and
escapism
within an alienated electorate.
Trust in the Lord, and do good (v. 3); take delight in the Lord
(v. 4); be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him (v. 7);
wait
for the Lord, and keep to his way (v. 34). Even though we live
in
a time of contraction rather than expansion, a time of growing
imbalance
between rich and poor, a time that is dominated by 9/11 rather than by
any manifest destiny, even though all this is the case, and
especially
because this is the case: trust in God, delight in the Creators
character
and purposes. Keeping on keeping on in His way is the positive
orientation
of eco-justice.
To Reflections on other Readings for
this
Sunday:
John
Gibbs, PhD, a retired theologian, attends Trinity Episcopal Church,
Park Rapids, MN. He originally wrote
this reflection in 2003. John and we
welcome
your comments. Please address your comments or additional reflections
to
John
Gibbs or any MEESC
member, or mail them to:
|
|
MEESC
Holy Trinity Church
Box 65
Elk River, MN 55330-0065 USA |
|
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