Eastertide

May 12, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 1
Happy are those
   who do not follow the advice of the wicked,
or take the path that sinners tread,
   or sit in the seat of scoffers;
but their delight is in the law of the Lord,
   and on his law they meditate day and night.
They are like trees
   planted by streams of water,
which yield their fruit in its season,
   and their leaves do not wither.
In all that they do, they prosper.

The wicked are not so,
   but are like chaff that the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
   nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
for the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
   but the way of the wicked will perish.

The Lord is our judge and the judge of everyone*. None of us receive that assignment.  Our job is to love God with all our hearts, strength, souls, and minds, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves**.  God instilled in us the ability to do our job when we were made in God’s image***, the image of the One who is love. God was magnanimous (devoid of meanness) enough to desire that we choose to love by giving us free will. Love is not love unless it is freely given.

When I read the first part of Psalm 1, I was uplifted to be reminded that even amid evil, God is with us, loves us, and provides for our wellbeing. As I read the end of the second verse where it says the way of the wicked will perish, I realized it does not say the wicked will die, but their evil ways will be destroyed. If the evil ways are gone, the wicked are no longer wicked.

In our world today, we seem to have a pandemic of hate for those who do not view the world exactly as we do, which plays out as being self-righteous rather than the righteousness of God. The sad thing is that self-righteousness is often an expression of feelings of inferiority. At times we humans need to establish our self-worth by downgrading the worth of others.  All humans are made in the image of God. None of us need to establish that we are better than anyone else. God is great enough to love every one of us just as we are as we strive with God’s guidance to fulfill God’s dreams established at our creation. God can and will help us shed any wickedness we might have picked up along the way if we seek God’s help.

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, forgive us when we do not love ourselves enough to understand what it means to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Help us see clearly when the questioning of our worth fogs our relationships.  Amen.

*John 5:22
**See Luke 10:27
***See Genesis 1:27

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.