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Thursday, September 27, 2007

Morning Prayer - Psalm

Summer Series is over. It's fall. Life is busy. Contemplative spaces are scarce. Acts of Hope is bringing back opportunities for meditation and prayer. This one is simply the Psalm appointed for today's Morning Prayer in the Episcopal Church. It had a timely ring as I read it. Then again, most Psalms do. The late Dorothee Soelle said you should eat a Psalm for breakfast every day. (I am paraphrasing, I have the exact quote somewhere.) Chew on this one.

Or as the old words say: read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest.


Psalm 146 Lauda, anima mea
1
Hallelujah!Praise the LORD, O my soul! *I will praise the LORD as long as I live;I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
2
Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *for there is no help in them.
3
When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *and in that day their thoughts perish.
4
Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *whose hope is in the LORD their God;
5
Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *who keeps his promise for ever;
6
Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *and food to those who hunger.
7
The LORD sets the prisoners free;the LORD opens the eyes of the blind; *the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;
8
The LORD loves the righteous;the LORD cares for the stranger; *he sustains the orphan and widow,but frustrates the way of the wicked.
9
The LORD shall reign for ever, *your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.Hallelujah!

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7 comments:

  1. johniebSeptember 27, 2007 at 10:53 AM

    I've long been fond of The New English translation (NEB) for v. 2 "Put no trust in princes, in anyone who has no power to save." It has special resonance for me.

    This is one of my favorites, whether or not that's allowed.

    ReplyDelete
  2. DeirdreSeptember 28, 2007 at 5:18 AM

    Jane,

    The juxtaposition of this Psalm with our HofB statements has been on my mind all week-- see http://www.episcopalcafe.com/daily/
    Deirdre

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jane RSeptember 28, 2007 at 8:14 AM

    Thank you, D. A fine essay which I would have missed if you hadn't pointed it out. (There is so much on Episcopal Cafe and I'm so swamped these days that I've only been reading E.C. occasionally and in bits.) Have a look, all.

    JohnieB, of course that's allowed. (And I like that version, too.)

    ReplyDelete
  4. johniebSeptember 28, 2007 at 9:54 AM

    Slightly off-topic(?): I'm off to a weekend with my family on the coast.

    ReplyDelete
  5. June ButlerSeptember 28, 2007 at 2:55 PM

    Jane, I do try to eat a psalm for breakfast every day by reading from the Lectionary. It's a good way to start the day.

    ReplyDelete
  6. laurajSeptember 29, 2007 at 9:26 AM

    Jane,
    I'm eating this with my oatmeal 2 days late, but right when I need it. Put no trust ... in anyone who has no power to save. Whew. That is exactly what I needed to hear today. Exactly.
    Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  7. johniebSeptember 30, 2007 at 9:22 PM

    Such a radical trust Jesus calls us to, but what are the alternative(s)? The Joshua pericope Von Rad was fond of--I don't remember when it gets in the Lectionaries: "Choose this day...me and mine choose G_dde."

    Have we been wrong in this? Impatient? How is it to be shown?

    ReplyDelete

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