“God shares the throne”

The second week of the Psalmist orienting us was all about equity and praise of the Lord for raising the lowly up.  Alfred so wonderfully explained how the poor man in the ash heap that God looks down on and has compassion on is translated more literally to be the man living in the garbage heap.  God has compassion on both male and female, and not just a compassion that recognizes their plight and speaks kind words.  God lifts the man from the garbage heap and seats him with princes; God notices the barren woman and gives her a dwelling.  Alfred recalled so many wonderful images and scripture passages; my favorite from this part of the Psalm was the connection to Genesis 2 where God is intimately involved with creation ‘playing in the dirt’ to make humanity.  

Psalm 1 was all about what road we are on, and where we find ourselves rooted; we were encouraged to find ourselves rooted in God’s care and instruction because it will mean sustenance, peace, nurture and fruitfulness.  Psalm 113 was all about God taking notice of creation especially humanity and sharing the throne; making seats for the poor, outcast, and forgotten members of society.  

Taken together it would seem the psalmist wants us to trust in God, to see our relationship with God and God’s word to be that which gives us instruction and nurture, and that Gods nature in relationship with us is to take notice of us, and to be about making things fair, equitable, and in right relationship.  What do we do with that and how do we respond to that?  

I believe it all comes back to the two great commandments Jesus gives his disciples.  Jesus says the love of God and the love of neighbors summarizes all of the law and the prophets.  I wonder about the phrase “to take notice,” and how that might be a clue towards loving God and loving neighbors.  If.  If Psalm 113 is all about how God “takes notice” of all of humanity and loves them properly and without discrimination; perhaps its also a call to us to “take notice” of our neighbors and love them without discrimination?  If we did nothing else as a church but this, imagine how much of an impact that would have on our communities of Victor, Farmington and surrounding areas?  

I can imagine people saying this: “that is the church that noticed when: I was on my last dollars of my paycheck, we were struggling to feed our family, we felt like no one cared about us because we were not white like our neighbors, we were being hurt, etc.”  Let’s be those that notice, and lets be those that show love without discrimination!

Pastor Nick