Hello friends.
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monk in dogs.
Welcome as we continue to journey through these psalms of pilgrimage,
The songs of ascents.
As we begin,
As always,
I just encourage you to allow yourself to become still.
Just find a comfortable position,
Let your body relax.
Soften your shoulders,
Rest your hands in your lap.
If it's safe,
You might close your eyes.
Take a nice slow,
Deep breath in.
And out.
Consciously.
Bringing your body,
Your mind and your heart fully present into this moment.
Again a deep breath in.
And out.
As you just settle into your breathing,
Allow each breath to be a gentle reminder.
That this moment is a gift.
However the past few meditations.
We've begun walking the ancient pilgrim path of the Songs of Ascents.
Now these were songs that were first prayed by the people of Israel as they made their way to Jerusalem for the great festivals.
They carry the hopes,
Fears,
Gratitude and faith of generations who trusted that God journeyed with them.
Now,
As people who might call themselves followers of Jesus,
We don't replace that story.
We're graciously welcomed into it.
We receive these prayers as part of the scriptures that formed Jesus himself.
They were among the songs that he would have known,
Prayed and cherished.
And today the pilgrim pauses.
It's just a simple movement of the heart,
A lifting of the eyes.
Because hope still has somewhere to look.
So let's listen to the words of Psalm 123.
And once again,
Just allow.
A word or a phrase.
To come more deeply into your attention.
Psalm 123.
To you I lift up my eyes.
O you who are enthroned in the heavens.
As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master.
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress.
So our eyes look to the Lord our God.
Until he has mercy upon us.
Have mercy upon us,
O Lord,
Have mercy upon us.
For we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease,
Of the contempt of the proud.
So whatever the phrase happened to be,
Or the word.
That your attention was drawn to.
Maybe it was,
To you I lift up my eyes,
Or our eyes look to the Lord.
Maybe even have mercy on us,
Just simply notice it.
One of the striking features of this psalm is its simplicity.
There's no attempt to control the future,
There's no effort to persuade God,
There's no elaborate promises,
Just a posture,
Eyes lifted,
Waiting and trusting.
The image of servants watching the hand of their master can sound unfamiliar.
To our modern ears,
Especially because our experience of power is often marked by inequality or abuse.
But within the world of this psalm,
The image speaks of attentive dependence,
A household servant.
Watched the movement of a hand.
For guidance.
For provision.
Or maybe even for protection.
It's a picture of attentiveness,
Not one of anxiety.
It's the image of a life oriented towards another.
The Pilgrim's Song.
My attention belongs to God.
I wonder how different.
That is from the world that we inhabit,
Where our attention is constantly pulled in a hundred different directions.
This Psalm.
Gently gathers our scattered attention and turns it again towards the One who's faithful.
Because God is worthy of our trust.
Let's listen again to the words of the psalm.
And as you rest in silence,
Notice where your own attention.
Has been living.
Psalm 123.
To you I lift up my eyes,
O you who are enthroned in the heavens.
As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master.
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress.
So our eyes look to the Lord our God.
Until he has mercy upon us.
Have mercy upon us,
O Lord,
Have mercy upon us.
For we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease,
Of the contempt of the proud.
So I wonder,
What's held your gaze this week?
What's occupied your imagination?
What's shaped your heart?
The Desert Fathers and Mothers often spoke about attention.
As one of the great practices of the spiritual life.
And that's because love naturally follows attention.
What we continually look towards begins to shape us.
The pilgrim chooses again and again to lift their eyes.
It's not denying that there might be some suffering or hardship going on.
This psalm's remarkably honest about contempt and weariness in injustice,
So the pain's not ignored.
But rather the.
Pain gets carried into prayer.
Dependence on God isn't about escaping reality,
But refusing to let reality be defined by what's been wounding us.
There's always a larger horizon,
A deeper mercy.
And a faithful guard who sees.
Let's listen for one last time.
This time instead of listening.
For understanding.
Allow the words to become your prayer.
Allow them.
To be your own quiet act of trust.
Psalm 123.
To you I lift up my eyes.
O you who are enthroned in the heavens.
As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master.
As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress.
So our eyes look to the Lord our God.
Until he has mercy upon us.
Have mercy upon us,
O Lord,
Have mercy upon us.
For we have had more than enough of contempt.
Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease,
Of the contempt of the proud.
Let's pride.
Merciful God,
To you we lift our eyes.
When our attention is scattered,
Gather us.
When we become overwhelmed,
Steady us.
When the voices around us tempt us towards fear or despair,
Just teach us to return our gaze to you.
Give us patient hearts that can wait without losing hope.
Give us attentive hearts.
That notice your movements of grace.
Give us compassionate hearts that reflect your mercy to those who carry burdens of their own.
As we continue this ancient pilgrimage shape us into people.
Whose lives aren't centered by circumstances,
But by your faithful presence.
May our eyes remain fixed on Christ,
Who looked upon the world with compassion.
Who trusted you completely and who now walks beside us on every road.
Providing steps of grace,
Peace and love to be with us and there for us every step of the way.
Until tomorrow,
Friends.
Bye for now.
