Quote for the week: A theology of
weakness is a theology that shows a God weeping for the human race entangled in
its power games and angry that these same power games are so greedily used by
so-called religious people. Indeed, a theology of weakness is a theology that
shows how God unmasks the power games of the world and the church by entering
history in complete powerlessness. But a theology of weakness
wants, ultimately, to show that God offers us, human beings, the divine power
to walk on the earth confidently with heads erect. Henri Nouwen
Read Psalms 31-33
As you read Psalm 31 notice how
the Hebrew hymn writer swings from emotions of trust to terror/trauma. The Psalmist is honest that life is not all
chocolate rivers and yet God is present. We live in an either/or world. You are either good or evil, you are either a
hero or zero, you either win or lose. We
are, as Nouwen says above, entangled in power games that fuel and feed anger,
anxiety, greed, and hurt each other. And
yet, in God’s expansive, inclusive embrace there is room for the
contradictions and incongruencies that won’t be solved by our thinking. As you slowly savor Psalm 31, which verse
stirs your soul? Which verse causes you
to scratch your head thinking, “I don’t get it!”? Which verse is like sandpaper, or do you find
yourself skimming over? For me, I love
the images of God being a refuge and I wonder, when and where is God sheltering
me now? Or how I can feel like my soul
and body are consumed by grief/anguish.
Or I look at verses 9-10 and I hear about how the vulnerable are being
treated by the powerful, especially those who need help financially, medically,
or emotionally. And yet, I
trust in God rather than nihilism or numb out with Netflix. Slowly read this Psalm as a prayer meeting
you in your life today.
Psalm 32 speaks about
forgiveness, which is a word that has a lot of weight. What is provoked and evoked when you read
that word, “forgiveness?” I recently
read from the Greater Good website this, “Forgiveness, according to this
research, does not mean condoning or endorsing anything that was done that
caused harm to you. Forgiving also does not necessarily involve trying to
reconcile or resume any kind of meaningful social connection with the person
who wronged you. Rather, forgiveness involves imagining the perspective of the
harm-doer and actively letting go of the painful association between them and
yourself. Forgiveness means embracing your feelings of hurt with self-nurturing
and compassion, so that you can recover from the painful experience in a more
lasting and purpose-inspired way.” How
might you practice forgiveness, because the difficult and demanding truth is
the way that I might forgive someone who wronged me is not the
same as how you will find your way to a place of forgiveness. This is because we are distinctive and
because what we are forgiving the other person for is different. Ponder when was the last time you forgave
someone? Is there a grievance or grudge
you are holding on to right now? Don’t
worry, I am not going to ask you to forgive.
When you decide to forgive and how you embody that needs grow from your
soul, not just outsider telling you “should” do.
When you get to Psalm 33, I am
reminded of a morning meditation from the beginning of this month, May 2, when
I ask what was on the playlist of your soul.
I named a few songs that were meaningful to me. I might add to that list today some
additional songs. If you still have your
soul’s playlist, review it ~ or better yet ~ listen to some of those songs. Then, consider what would it mean for you to
“sing joyful to God” today?
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