it seemed to me a wearisome task...

Such are the wicked;

always at ease, they increase in riches.

All in vain have I kept my heart clean

and washed my hands in innocence.

For all day long I have been plagued,

and am punished every morning.

If I had said, "I will talk on in this way,"

I would have been untrue to the circle 

of your children.

But when I thought how to understand this,

it seemed to me a wearisome task,

until I went into the sanctuary of God;

then I perceived their end.

Psalm 73: 12-17 New Revised Standard Version

Ah yes, so easy to be the victim when we look around and see how others are gaining traction and recognition in the world. I get the writer of this psalm!

Too often I think we as humans look at what others are doing, see their maliciousness, but fail to see our own contribution to the "ills" of the world. We look on and all we can say is "woe is me!" 

Jesus rarely sugarcoats anything. In Matthew 7:5, Jesus tells those who have gathered to hear his sermon on the mount, "You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbor’s eye."

If there is anything the church does really well, it is hypocrisy. As members of Jesus' Holy church, we could all use a lesson in owning our misgivings so that we can grow into the likeness of Christ. We all struggle accepting that we aren't perfect, and I'll be the first to admit that I often fail to see my shortcomings. I'm great at being the victim, but I believe that's a part of our brokenness. It is who we are, but we must not become so obsessed with comparing our faults and imperfections as less than someone else's. Otherwise we fail to grow. 
For example, I may see that your way of communicating may not be effective, without first looking at my communication style. Am I a clear and concise communicator? Have I raised myself above you because I think your way is the wrong way? Or have I washed my hands of you and thought to myself, "in vain I continue on because you will always get the upper hand?" 

If I choose the latter option, then what I've done is become like the wicked the Psalmist speaks of. Of this, we must be mindful! None of us are any better than the other. When we become locked in thinking our wickedness is less wicked than those we envy or see as bad, then we perpetuate a system that continues to fail those who are oppressed and truly suffering.

When we enter into the sanctuary each Sunday morning, or whenever you may worship, we rededicate our lives to doing the work Christ has called us to. Otherwise, the whole thing becomes a wearisome task. 

May all kings bow down before him

Psalm 72: 11-14 (The Inclusive Psalms)
All other rulers will pay homage,
and all the nations will serve your anointed.
Your anointed will rescue the poor when they cry out,
and the oppressed when there is no one to help them.
Your chose one
will take pity on the lowly and the poor,
and will save their lives.
Your chosen one
will rescue them all from violence and oppression,
and will treat their blood as precious.*


By all accounts Americans are looking for a savior, someone to rescue us from the darkness we seem to be drowning in. I wonder if our savior comes in the form of a president... or from a hotly contended senator race in the state of Alabama. I wonder how long we will look to other humans for salvation. History has proven time and again that our hope cannot reside on the shoulders of a mere mortal. What or who then will save us from this time of turmoil?

Psalm 72 gives us a glimpse of who - a king, or a sovereign who lifts up the poor (I'm not a fan of the word pity that the Inclusive Psalms use) who saves them from violence and oppression. Can a single human do this? This psalm is one of anointing - a psalm that portrays an ideal king. Two thousand years ago a baby was born who would usher in an upside down realm where suffering and crying will be no more. He wasn't born into riches, but in a what we would of as a cave where animals slept.

A Bethlehem house with cave-like stable underneath.

As we wade through the thickness of the murky waters, my hope is in this baby boy. This baby boy that demonstrated that hope is born through relationships. My hope is that we will join together to help usher in this upside down realm (NOT a Stranger Things Upside Down, think the opposite of that!). It's up to us, and faith in a God that doesn't break promises, and God who will hold our heads above water when we think the waves will drown us out.

The light is alive in all of us - where is it in you?


* The Inclusive Psalms (Brentwood, Maryland: Priests for Equality, 1997), 92.
Stable photo can be found at http://revjcn.org/.