Open-ended, Life-centred,
Gospel-Focussed Explorations of Australian Prayer Book Psalms.
Psalm 104:26-36...PENTECOST (A)
.... (For the
Gospel, please scroll)
INTRODUCTION: 1] Psalms
are poetry for singing;
personal, depending not on rhyme, but repeating an idea differently,
developing it, contrasting it, etc. They date from pre-1000 BC (David)
to mid 400s
BC. Being of their day, we may
find attitudes in some PSs abhorrent. 2]
The
APB text differs from Bible versions. 3]
Try reading, praying the Psalms in I & You language. 4] PS 104 is about Creation, &
Exodus as new Creation, hence the Pentecost connection. 5] vv. 29-30 make a table grace if
adapted. 6] v. 37 may be a
pious add-on by an ancient editor.
WARMING UP: How well do we make connections between events, God,
& us?
TREASURES OLD & NEW:
Identify God at work in anything this week?
ENTERING INTO THE STORY:
26-32 How much wisdom do we give God credit for? Does
humankind's increasing knowledge (doesn't = wisdom!) lead us to
discount God's wisdom? As
Wisdom is anciently thought of
as a Persona of God, often with a feminine 'face', how important might
it be for us to rediscover this 'side' of God? Does
Wisdom seem to be downplayed
in the pecking order of spiritual gifts? To our detriment?
Do we
still have in us some primitive streak of the fear the Hebrews had of
the seas as a threatening hang-over from the Chaos before Creation?
What about
when we sing:, '...For those
in peril on the sea'? What are
our greatest threats today? Does the thrust of what the PSt sings here
throw any light on what our
attitude might be now that the
world's food supply is under threat from climate change, bio-fuels,
farming practices, & just plain greed? Can we really expect
someone starving somewhere in
the world to have any idea what the PSt is singing about, let alone
expect them to join in?
Do we ever
feel God is hiding His
face from us? What about when we hide our face from God? Do we
still cling to some form of belief that it is God who
'takes away our breath'? Is
the other side of the coin, God '..sending forth His Spirit, creating,
renewing..' easier to cope with? Do we actually have a
consistent view of life &
death - consistent with our understanding of God, the Scriptures, etc.?
33-36 Is the kind of song
the PSt sings here ever in our own hearts, on our own lips? Does it
offer us a better base for relating to God than a lot of other religious
'angles'? Is what the PSt
sings just too positive for us to cope with? Try putting Jesus at the
Centre of what the PSt is saying here & focussing on Him as we
use it. Could we find a
greater encouragement for life, prayer, worship, etc. than vv. 35-36?
How can we 'make them our own' in our life as a Christian?
