All Souls Episcopal Church

Lent 36

Good morning, the flower beds are waking up after there winters slumber, it’d kind of like greeting old friends
A Psalm of David.

103 Bless the Lord, O my soul;
and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
5 who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
6 The Lord works vindication
and justice for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
8 The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide,
nor will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor requite us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
13 As a father pities his children,
so the Lord pities those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame;
he remembers that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
upon those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
18 to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
hearkening to the voice of his word!
21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts,
his ministers that do his will!
22 Bless the Lord, all his works,
in all places of his dominion.
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Reflection: There is much to be thankful in this life as David writes this psalm, he reminds us of the goodness of God. There is no ending thanks be, Jesus rescues us all from our sins, Such is our God to save us. Jesus is our advocate when we come to face God.
Bless the Lord O my soul, means even our soul needs healed guilt, fear, doubt, depression, anger, hate, jealousy, spite and greed are the few I can think of, all these take a toll on us. If we allow the Holy Spirit in he will heal us, our riches lay in how we loved, how we treated others, how like Jesus we become.
We serve a merciful God, who serves us grace even when we feel we don’t deserve it, one can’t measure God’s mercy, or his love for us it’s an infinite circle, that keeps growing larger and larger. No beginning no ending filled with the goodness of God and his love for us.
This psalm is 22 verses which is the number of Hebrew letters, and it’s a psalm that can be read as a round. Our praise to God should be endless.
I think of the plants that I’ve started totally depended on me caring for them, if I forget to water them they wilt and can die, I want them to produce deep roots so that when planted in the garden or flower beds they have enough roots to reach out and get nourishment, enough leaves so that they can get energy from the sun. This should be our faith life. Keep drinking the life giving words of God, digging deep so that our soul grows, thriving in the sun thanking God for all things even the suffering, which I think makes us more understanding of others in their walk, makes us less judgmental, more loving.
I am so thankful for the people that have fed me and watered me in the faith. Reminded me of who I could and should be.
Blessings Carole