by Mark Oakley
Refrain:
I love the Lord, for he has heard the voice of my supplication.
Prayer:
Jesus Christ, Son of God,
who passed through the dark sleep of death,
remember those who cry to you
in shame and silence and defeat
and raise them to your risen life,
for you are alive and reign for ever.
Psalm 14
The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’Corrupt are they, and abominable in their wickedness.
‘God is in the company of the righteous’ (v.5)
This psalm is not concerned with the theoretical atheism that challenges faith today but with the practical outcomes of living as though God did not exist. The psalmist laments the way in which the world seems entirely to be run on human selfishness and self-centredness. As he sees it, there is no one who does good, and he grieves at the cost of wickedness, a cost that is borne chiefly, as it so often is, by the poor (vv.4,6).
But along with mourning comes judgement. The selfishness of the wicked reflects a fundamental lack of wisdom. Those judged corrupt fail to recognize that, from a heavenly perspective, all the children of earth are made to be responsible for one another. Those who reject this heavenly wisdom create a sterile and joyless world.
Yet God does not give up on the world of his creation. He is present in the company of the few who do act justly and he continues to protect the helpless. In small ways his people still bear witness to the joyful promise that God holds out to humanity, a promise that will come from Zion. From a Christian viewpoint, this is a prophecy that looks towards the age of the Messiah, the coming of the king of righteousness and peace. For us, it means that our small daily efforts to live fairly and responsibly are infinitely worthwhile.
Reflection by Angela Tilby
Refrain:
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Prayer:
God of heaven,
look with mercy on all who are consumed by ignorance and greed,
and let the children of earth know
that you are God for ever.
Psalm 15
Lord, who may dwell in your tabernacle?Who may rest upon your holy hill?
‘Whoever leads an uncorrupt life …’ (v.2)
But who is that? Which of us can guarantee our entitlement to a place atop this holy hill? Which of us can make our feet firm against the chaos not only of life but of the human heart, with all its distractions and mixed motives? We remember the sense of extraordinary unworthiness Simon Peter feels in Luke 5 as he is confronted, and his ship is destabilized, by the vast number of fish that suddenly fill his nets. He found his life secured for him, but knew he could not possibly have earned this new standing with his Lord in the face of the world’s threats.
The Christian belief, though, is that he did not need to earn it. That’s what the Book of Common Prayer means when in the baptismal service it asks God’s mercy to ‘grant to this child that thing which by nature she cannot have’. By grace we take our place on the hill of the Lord, which for Christians is to say that by grace we are ‘incorporated into Christ’, who alone is uncorrupt. Then, where Christ goes, we go, and where Christ enters in, we enter in.
The incorporation of Christians into Christ – our sharing with him in name, and in all the benefits of his death and resurrection – means that when the gates of the city on the hill are thrown open, and the King of glory comes in, we come in too. It is a triumphal entry made possible by the free and gracious work of God.
Reflection by Ben Quash
Refrain:
Through the greatness of your mercy,
I will come into your house.
Prayer:
Lord, lead us to our heavenly home
by single steps of self-restraint
and deeds of righteousness;
through the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Psalm 16
Preserve me, O God, for in you have I taken refuge;I have said to the Lord, ‘You are my lord…’
‘In the night watches he instructs my heart’ (v.6)
It can be lonely in the night watches. That is the time when the mind starts to list all the things that should have been done but have not. It is the time when problems churn around the head. You put the light on, make a list, try to get back to sleep, get up, make a cup of tea …
It seems the psalmist has an even bigger worry. We know the human fate is to die. But will that be the end of us? Will we simply disappear into nothingness, the ‘Pit’ of Old Testament thinking? In the dark of the night, our worst fears emerge. Are we putting our trust in the wrong place? The psalmist sees the attractions of ‘idols’, other objects of worship, but turns away from them. Our deepest fears can be faced only with the aid of God himself: ‘in the night watches he instructs my heart’ (v.6).
So what does the heart then know? That God is there for those who seek refuge in him. That we have a ‘goodly heritage’, the long story of our faith, the example of those who have gone before us. That in God may be found life and joy, which never fails for all eternity. When we are most afraid, the psalmist gives us the words to express our trust in this God, the only power in the universe that can save us.
Reflection by Gillian Cooper
Refrain:
The Lord is at my right hand; I shall not fall.
Prayer:
Give to us, Lord Christ,
