Open-ended, Life-centred,
Gospel-Focussed Explorations of Australian Prayer Book Psalms.
Psalm 25:1-9...PENTECOST PLUS 20 (A)
.... (For the
Gospel, please scroll)
INTRODUCTION: 1]The
PSS used here are
alternatives for SS. after
Pentecost. 2]
Psalms
are poetry for singing;
personal; not rhyming, but developing an idea,
contrasting it, etc., dating from pre-1000 BC (David)
to mid 400s
BC. 3] Being of their day, we
may
find attitudes in some PSS abhorrent. 4]
In v.1 the PB translation for some reason omits a Hebrew
expression meaning the
lifting up of our hearts, ( = our essential self, our life-force, to
God...R.Alter, ad loc) 5] A
'meek' person (v.9) is 'someone who thinks neither too little nor too
much of themself'' (William Barclay)
WARMING UP: Are there many
people we hope & trust in, or have we become cynical?
TREASURES OLD & NEW:
Identify God at work in anything this week?
ENTERING INTO THE STORY:
1-2 Referring to N.4 above) is it our
essential self, our life-force, our heart, our soul, we lift to God, or
something less? How practised are we at lifting all of ourself to all of God? All
the time, or just when we think of it? Are we ever ashamed of: a)
something we're doing? b) someone else? c) our church / faith / God?Do we have any active enemies?
What makes them so, or what makes us their target? What does it mean to
'break faith' - in any sense? Does breaking faith always lead to
'being confounded, gaining nothing'? Where else?
3-4 Is there
any clearer way for God to 'show us His
ways and paths' than in the Person of Jesus? Is there a practical
difference between being shown, & being taught, such things? Is
'Lead me in your ways' simply a re-stating & strengthening of
'showing & teaching' or is there more to it than that? What is the
connection between God & salvation? What is salvation?
How much does our answer to that depend on the kind of God we relate to
& worship?
5-9 Do we
connect God with 'hope' as much as the PSt does? Hope in / of / for
what? What's the connection between our hope & God's goodness? If
we think of compassion & loving-kindness more as Newer Testament
attributes of God whereas the PSt thinks of them as 'of old',
might we need to take a step back into the Older Testament to check out
whether more 'user friendly' aspects of God have always been there
under our noses?
Are there 'sins of our youth' that
still weigh on us? Have not they, together with other transgressions,
been dealt with by the merciful forgiveness we have in Jesus Christ?
Are we ourselves as compassionate, loving, & merciful to others as
God is to us? Are we as good & upright as God is, as seeking to
'direct sinners in the way' as God is? If not, why not, & what's to
do about any of these?
If being meek (N.5 above)
& humble are pre-requisites for acting justly and walking in God's
ways, are we wasting a lot of effort in trying to attract, convert,
educate, etc., people who aren't either meek or humble enough to be
ready enough to take the first step along God's ways? Where to from
here?
PLUS: In the Gospel (MT 21: 23-32) is Jesus in effect talking
about people who get what the PSt's saying here & those who don't?
