Hello friends and welcome to this Lectio Divina on Psalm 50.
And as we begin giving a few moments to settle,
To arrive,
To allow all of you to be in this space,
To gather yourself,
To settle in,
To slowly and gently come to stillness,
To notice your breath,
To notice your body in the space that you're in,
And maybe to notice how you come to this Lectio Divina.
You are welcome here,
Every part of you.
You are met with love,
You are seen.
In these moments of settling in,
Allow your heart to be open to receive the gifts that these words bring.
This is a long psalm,
So I'm going to read all of it just once,
And then we're going to return to a few verses.
The Beloved,
Through the energy of love,
Brought forth the world.
From rising to the setting sun,
Love radiates out to all the nations,
Perfect in beauty.
The Beloved has come and will not keep silence,
For divine love is a consuming fire,
Calling forth heaven and earth to the judgment of all people.
Gather around,
My loyal friends,
All who by repentance and recompense follow the inner way.
The universe forever proclaims justice,
And the Beloved's indwelling presence guides those who hear with their heart's ear.
Listen,
All people,
And I shall speak.
I will bear witness against you,
O nations,
As divine presence,
Eternal flame of love.
Shall I not find fault with what you call holy?
These offerings of greed and war that are before me always,
Your lies and deceitful ways,
Your greed for power and wealth are spawned by darkness.
Have you forgotten that we are to be one in love and truth?
That all life is sacred gift?
I know every creature,
Every plant,
Every mineral.
I know you,
Your every need and your fears.
The earth and all that is in it belongs to the whole,
To be tended by all in cooperation with love.
Shall I accept your proud and boasting hearts,
The oppression,
The injustices brought about through your fearful deeds?
Never shall I accept such burnt offerings.
Rather,
Offer to the Beloved a gift of thanksgiving with grateful hearts,
For what other return can you make for all that love offers to you?
My friends,
Search for the still voice that dwells in the silence.
If you call upon me in times of trouble,
I am ever present to you.
You will know me in your hearts as you honour my love for you.
To you whose hearts have turned to stone I say,
What right have you to mouth empty prayers and make so free with words attributed to love?
You who hate correction and turn away when you hear my voice speaking within your heart.
You rob the poor with your greed and prejudice.
You consort with murder and destruction.
You blame others for your own deceitful ways,
Thinking I am blind to your iniquities.
The air,
The earth and the seas have become foul with the pollution of your self-seeking ways.
In the name of nationalism,
Security and progress,
All this you have done and shall I keep silence?
You think that I am another like yourself,
But point by point I shall rebuke you to your face.
Think well on this,
You who disdain divine love,
For you will reap in proportion the suffering that you have sown and no one will be able to save you from your own destruction.
All who surrender to the love of the great mystery,
Whose hearts are merciful and kind,
Will go in beauty and walk with grace.
And all who reverence love's eternal flame will know love's companioning presence.
We're now going to return to a few verses lifted from this song and I'm going to read them twice.
On this first reading I invite you to notice words or phrases that capture your attention.
I know every creature,
Every plant,
Every mineral.
I know you,
Your every need and your fears.
The earth and all that is in it belongs to the whole,
To be tended by all in cooperation with love.
My friends,
Search for the still voice that dwells in the silence.
If you call upon me in times of trouble,
I am ever present to you.
You will know me in your hearts as you honour my love for you.
As I read those words again,
Receive the gift that they're bringing to you.
Allow the ones that you noticed that resonated with you to bring you what you need.
Receive them into those deeper places to minister to you.
I know every creature,
Every plant,
Every mineral.
I know you,
Your every need and your fears.
The earth and all that is in it belongs to the whole,
To be tended by all in cooperation with love.
My friends,
Search for the still voice that dwells in the silence.
If you call upon me in times of trouble,
I am ever present to you.
You will know me in your hearts as you honour my love for you.
Do return to these words if you want to hear them again and linger in them.
Welcome them to wrap around you and to entwine around your heart.
May you be blessed.
May you know grace and peace and love.
Amen.
