From the Daily Lectionary for the First Friday and Saturday after Pentecost
Psalm 55
Give ear to my prayer, O God; do not hide yourself from my supplication.
Attend to me, and answer me; I am troubled in my complaint.
I am distraught by the noise of the enemy, because of the clamor of the wicked.
For they bring trouble upon me, and in anger they cherish enmity against me.
My heart is in anguish within me, the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
Fear and trembling come upon me, and horror overwhelms me.
And I say, “O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest; truly, I would flee far away; I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
I would hurry to find a shelter for myself from the raging wind and tempest.”
Confuse, O Lord, confound their speech; for I see violence and strife in the city.
Day and night they go around it on its walls, and iniquity and trouble are within it; ruin is in its midst; oppression and fraud do not depart from its marketplace.
It is not enemies who taunt me—I could bear that; It is not adversaries who deal insolently with me—I could hide from them.
But it is you, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend, with whom I kept pleasant company; we walked in the house of God with the throng.
Let death come upon them; let them do down alive to Sheol; for evil is in their homes and in their hearts.
But I call upon God, and the Lord will save me.
Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he will hear my voice.
He will redeem me unharmed from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me.
God, who is enthroned from of old, Selah will hear, and will humble them—because they do not change, and do not fear God.
My companion laid hands on a friend and violated a covenant with me with speech smoother than butter, but with a heart set on war; with words that were softer than oil, but in fact were drawn swords.
Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.
But you, O God, will cast them down into the lowest pit; the bloodthirsty and treacherous shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.
The book of Psalms is an anthology of hymns of ancient Israel, collected and edited into its final form in the 5th or 4th century BCE. There are 150 psalms, which are divided into five parts. Almost half (73 in all), including Psalm 55 in today’s lectionary, include “Of David” in the title, with the implication that David was the author. It is unlikely, however, that David wrote most of the psalms attributed to him. They have been divided into categories according to content and genre, the main categories being petitions (laments), songs of thanksgiving, songs of trust, liturgies, and hymns of various types. The psalms have a very universal message, largely concerned with the fundamental aspects of the human condition, with individuals and communities who are or feel threatened, ill, persecuted, or on the other hand happy, grateful, and trusting (Michael D. Coogan). They are as applicable to the human condition today as when they were written centuries ago.
Psalm 55 is one of the psalms for the lectionary of this Saturday. It is a lament or petition, a plea for justice and for deliverance from violence and oppression. Notice the passion expressed in the plea as the psalmist describes his plight: “I am distraught by the noise of the wicked…the clamor of the enemy… they bring trouble against me… in anger they cherish enmity against me… my heart is in anguish…terrors of death have fallen upon me… fear and trembling come upon me…horror overwhelms me…iniquity and trouble are within… oppression and fraud do not depart….” These words bring to life the pain and suffering, make it almost palpable! Could not these same words be used to describe the plight of those oppressed and pushed aside in our society today, those who are now voicing their grief and anger to the powers that are oppressing them, protesting the injustice visited upon them? I think so. And to whom is the psalmist crying out? It is to God: “But I call upon God, and the Lord will save me;” “he will hear my voice;” and in the last line “But I will trust in you.” The Rev. Dick Schmidt, in his reflection on Psalm 55 in his book Praises, Prayers and Curses: Conversations with the Psalms, uses verse 6 (“Oh that I had wings like a dove, I would fly away and be at rest”) to talk about the fantasy of flying away for those who feel trapped in all kinds of situations, including neighborhoods trapped in poverty.
I chose this psalm for today’s reflection because it is so applicable to our current situation. In it are both pain and suffering as well as opportunity and hope. If the Church is indeed the body of Christ, then the Church is also God in action in the world. A common topic for discussion during seminary over these past three years has been the diminishing role and significance of the Church in society today. The era of Christendom has passed. Statistics show decreasing attendance at and affiliation with churches, and less confidence and trust in what “organized religion” has to offer, particularly with the millennials and younger people. Where is this leading us? What will the Church look like in the years ahead? I have no answer to these questions, but I do see hope. That hope is in Christ, alive and active through the actions of the Church. The author of today’s psalm calls upon God to save him. If the cries of those in our current crisis are to be heard, they must be heard by the Church which is Christ in the world.
And the Church has heard and is responding with a loud voice in this time of suffering and need! Look at the passionate letter our own Bishop Russell Kendrick wrote to Donald Trump, expressing his “deep remorse, confusion, and anger” over the actions of the President. He continued: “One of the demands of my citizenship is that I will not enjoy its promise unless everyone is welcome, too…. It is up to me to part a way for freedom for those who are enslaved. It is up to me to hold up the cross of mercy for all.” The Rev. William Barber, so instrumental in developing The Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival (it will be a virtual demonstration on June 20th), has spoken clearly and loudly against the racial injustice even more exposed by the Covid19 pandemic, and against the powers, including government, which have enabled the crisis. Our Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, in his sermon “Pentecost in a Pandemic” given on May 31st at the National Cathedral, talked about the “pandemic of self-centeredness” which “has been the root cause of every humanly created evil that has ever hurt or harmed any child of God or even the earth itself… every war… every bigotry… every injustice… every wrong….” He, like others including William Barber, addressed racial injustice exposed by the killings of George Floyd, of Breonna Taylor, of Ahmaud Arbery, and others. These are strong men of the Church, addressing our current crisis with strong words and actions. This is Christ at work through the Church into the world. This is the hope for both the world and the Church, the opportunity and hope expressed in Psalm 55 today. And we too, you and I, are the Church, called to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world. We too have a role to play, voices to be heard in the face of injustice of any type. In the words of the Rev. Tiffany Chaney of Montgomery, Alabama, a plea to all of us as followers of Jesus in the midst of this current crisis: “As you go out into the unique places God sends you, may the passion of peace ignite a fire in you. May the winds of joy lift you off your feet. May the passion of unity light you into action. May the winds of love blow through your communities. May the fire of the Holy Spirit ignite you to speak life to a broken world. May the winds of the Holy Spirit lead you to break down boundaries that divide.” And her prayer:
“God of wind and fire, embolden us this day to receive your power through your word. Give us strength and courage to proclaim your love as a call for justice for those who are dying to receive it. Amen.”
Bob Donnell
Collect for the Power of the Spirit among the People of God (specifically written for this time)
God of all power and love,
we give thanks for your unfailing presence
and the hope you provide in times of uncertainty and loss.
Send your Holy Spirit to enkindle in us your holy fire.
Revive us to live as Christ’s body in the world:
a people who pray, worship, learn,
break bread, share life, heal neighbors,
bear good news, seek justice, rest and grow in the Spirit.
Wherever and however we gather,
unite us in common prayer and send us in common mission,
that we and the whole creation might be
restored and renewed,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
