Open-ended, Life-centred,
Gospel-Focussed Explorations of Australian Prayer Book Psalms.
Psalm 85: 8-13...PENTECOST PLUS 13 (A)
.... (For the
Gospel, please scroll)
INTRODUCTION: 1]The
alternative PSS
set for after
Pentecost are used here. 2]
Psalms
are poetry for singing;
personal, depending not on rhyme, but on developing an idea,
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.
3] Though all thePSSarepoetry, some of these vv. reach the very highest level.
WARMING UP: What are our personal priorities for life?
TREASURES OLD & NEW:
Identify God at work in anything this week?
ENTERING INTO THE STORY:
8-9 Is there
anything in particular we hear God
speaking? Or don't normal people hear, or admit to hearing, God these
days? How can we discern the voice of God among all the other voices
'speaking' to us today? Is it only God's faithful ones, those whose
hearts are turned to God, who can hear God? Can any of us ever change
if we can't or won't hear God? Or is there no such distinction between
can't & won't? How high is peace on our 'wish list'? Can we expect
God to bring about peace if we're not prepared to be His peace-makers, but only
peace-wishers? Didn't Jesus have something to say about this?
10-11 Does the
sheer poetry of these vv. move us at all? Quite apart from the content
of what the PSt's singing about, or does the contgent add to the
quality of the song? How important is our choice of language in making
the case for God or anyone / anything else? What's the connection
between mercy & truth? Between righteousness & peace? Can we
experience any of them without the other(s)? Do we go to a lot of
meetings without either mercy or truth being apparent? Could we put
what the PSt is saying into practice at the next meeting, of any sort,
we attend? What difference might this make to the quality of our
meetings? Do we do a lot of kissing without righteousness & peace
being evident? Could we put the PSt's poetry into practice next time we
kiss somebody? What difference might this make to the quality of our
relationships?
Is truth likely to 'flourish out of the earth' if we don't practise it?
Who else is going to make it present if we don't? Is there any point in
'righteousness looking down from heaven' if it's not also looking up
from earth because we're
acting rightly? Do we ever take the view that these good things will
happen because God will make them happen, drop them down from heaven,
without taking on board that God chooses to work through us here at
ground zero?
12-13 Can we
truly expect God to 'give us all that is good' if we aren't giving /
doing all that is good to each other? Are there more ways than one our
land could 'yield its plenty'? Is God moving the PSt to encourage us to
look beyond agricultural crops to societal, spiritual, etc. crops? If
we focus only on plenty money, plenty possessions, plenty greed of one
kind or another, what happens / is happening to our 'spiritual'
economy? How much does the answer to this kind of question hang
on righteousness - whether we're acting rightly in
God's sight? What marked changes could we see in the way our society
operates if righteousness went before not just God's feet, but our feet
as well?
PLUS: If there are troublesome waters in any of the above, is
there any encouragement in the Gospel (MT 14:22-36)
