Psalm 9

Pentecost +3 – Year B

Psalm 9

It seems the very snare we set for others is the one we ourselves get caught in. The very pride we have in something well-done becomes our downfall, minimally as a trap to keep on doing the same thing over and over again.

The very desire to go away with Jesus ends up in a storm. Goliath’s reliance upon violence returns violence. Again and again we are our own worst enemy.

Our challenge is to not let this rest in an arena of judgment, but to find a way or two, no matter how teensy, twisty, or hidden, to what we experience as deliverance – becoming our own best friend.

A hint here is that of singing praise. This is an expansive praise launched from creation and extended beyond the miracle of the present into an anticipation of hope forever. This is not the kind of praise that expects a return, is obligatory or a hedge against judgment.

With large praise we are opened to see small avenues of opportunity that open to a larger picture. In a Wisconsin United Methodist Federation for Social Action meeting tonight we heard about community organizing from folks in ESTHER in Appleton who are doing social justice work and growing in it. Their training, expertise, relationship building, passion, persistence, and celebration each adds a shine to the work of living and exemplifying G*D’s presence and deeds among people and deep within the environment.

Social Justice is praise solidified into action, is joy set free.