PHOTO: MARY VAN BALEN
Praise the Lord!
O give thanks for the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
from everlasting to everlasting.
And let all the people say, Amen.
Praise the Lord!
P 106, 1; 48
Todays Psalm begins and ends with praise, but in between is a long list of Israels unfaithfulness and sin. From grumbling in Egypt to worshipping a golden calf to adopting the gods and rituals of the pagans, Gods people forgot the Holy Ones work in their lives and in the lives of their ancestors. They forgot who they were: God’s own people. Forgetting who we are is easy to do: Our lives are busy and stressful; our country and the world struggle with injustices, hatred, and violence. Without roots sunk deep into the history of God and our ancestors, we do not see the Sacred in our midst; we do not remember that we are glorious children of God.
Jesus tells those who will listen that they do not see what is in front of them. John the Baptist gave testimony to the One who was to follow him, and his testimony was true. He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. But I have a testimony greater than Johns (Jn 5, 35-36). Jesus was doing the work he was sent to do, and while those works were testimony to his divinity, many were unable to recognize it.
We need to be still, remember, and know that God is with us as God has always been, offering forgiveness and love because we are children of the Holy One. When we do remember who we are, our works will be testimony to the greatness of this Loving Presence and will be joined to Jesus life work of transforming the world.
© 2010 Mary van Balen
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