Psalm 8

"Holy Name" - Years A, B, C
New Year - Years A, B, C
"Trinity" - Years A, C
Proper 22 (27) - Year B


The first seven Psalms are prayers for help. Symbolically that would be all the prayers for help that would ever need to be prayed. Then comes Psalm 8, a hymn.


It seems appropriate to have this be a hymn, for, after praying prayers for help, we do finally have to give that over and simply sing for yet being alive. We begin to catch a glimpse of how our prayers for help might be settled without divine intervention.

First, we recognize a gift of creation—vast and venerable. There is a soft, far-off hymn of creation and new creation going on independent of ourselves. How, then, can we keep from singing?

Second, we claim an important spot in relationship to gods and angels. We have authority to make a difference in the situations we find ourselves.

Third, we know such importance does not mean domination. Our dominion, care, is not exploitative of creation nor over one another.

When these three become clear, we sing our little hearts out.

 

- - - - - - -

 

a food chain mystery
is no less a mystery
than a unitized trinity

 

we eat another’s lunch
and in turn are eaten
but wait there’s more

 

circles can end
children’s songs
drown marching orders

 

As found in Wrestling Year A: Connecting Sunday Readings with Lived Experience

 


 

Glory is found above and below any given point. Whether you measure from the heavens above, the earth around and about, or the depths of the sea/sheol—glory abounds.

 

This omni-perspective loosens our two eyes to let yet a third eye gaze thither and yon. Whatever is gazed upon is honored and glory shines back.

 

Whatever Pentecost has come to mean, there is everywhere evidence of background glory. In the midst of locked rooms, on the Serengeti Plain, circling Mars, exploring the Mariana Trench, or where you are, eyes that can see, see glory.

 

In the movie Up! the dog, Dug, is easily distracted by "Squirrel!" May you be easily distracted by, "Glory!"

 

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2013/05/psalm-8.html

 


 

Whether looking from the perspective of the moon and stars and seeing ourselves as but a speck of star dust or from the perspective of plants and animals and seeing ourselves as having mastery and being responsible, we continue questions of space and place.

We also find this Psalm between a prayer in a time of affliction (7) and a resolution toward refuge (9/10). Here, between, we find the mystery of majesty and the echo of ecclesiastes (the assembled alternatives).

http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2003/january2003.html

 


 

"Out of the mouths of babes and infants...."

NISB Note: "It is unclear how babes and infants silence the enemy and the avenger. Does the praise of children have the power to silence foes? Or does v. 2a continue v. 1b so that even children recognize God's majesty in all the earth? Or does the psalmist celebrate the power of human speech present even as speech begins."

Hinge verses that can go with what comes before or what comes after are special verses. They remind us of the life of the scriptures beyond answers. They also remind us of our current place in life. Are we going to mostly be connected with our past, our future, or swing back and forth?

If you had to evaluate your past week from this perspective, would have been mostly oriented to what has gone on before or to what is entering from the future? Have you been evenly balanced or weighted in one direction? Any given week may be unique - sort of why, when folks are "church shopping," we need to encourage trying a month in a row as any given worship experience may or may not reflect what is usually going on. So, how's the last week been and what do you have to be intentional about to honor your hingeness?

http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2003/october2003.html

 


 

A-big-frog-in-a-small-pond Syndrome shows up in any number of ways.

That which frogs eat wonder at at surviving not being eaten. That's part of the benefit of an increase and multiply survival strategy. How majestic is the next step up the food chain.

That which eats frogs knows frogs to be valuable to their tummy but still lower on the food chain and thus lower in value.

A wonderful CD is Walkin' Jim Stoltz's The Vision. One of the songs is "The Food Chain Song". A PDF of the <a href="http://www.walkinjim.com/Oh_food.pdf">lyrics and chords</a> are available at Jim's website. You might want to check out more of his environmentally oriented <a href="http://www.walkinjim.com/">website</a>. If you get a chance to hear Jim, do

At any rate, who this day can eat your lunch and whose lunch can you eat? Can you envision a great day of potluck with flies and frogs and herons when lions and lambs lie down and arise as friends and not as prey and predator?

The trinity picture turns this linear chain of eat and be eaten into a mysterious relationship -- as mysterious as children's songs drowning out soldier's marching orders.

http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2004/june2004.html

 


 

A trinity here looks like "God, humans, and creation".

Do you have any trouble substituting this trinity for the now traditional "Father, Son, and Holy Spirit"?

What limits and insights come as you rub these against one another? Are these ontological and theological issues or a matter of habit and preference?

Just as we sometimes fall into an idolatry of the second person of the trinity, even Christ Jesus (or trinitarianly is it only Christ or only Jesus?), so we can continue to fall into the idolatry of ourselves. 

This may make the second person easier for us to understand or even more mysterious. Is it a particular part of the trinity or the whole that gives you the most difficulty? If you were to speculate about why that is, what would you come up with?

http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2005/may2005.html

 


 

The first seven Psalms are prayers for help. Symbolically that would be all the prayers for help that would ever need to be prayed. Then comes Psalm 8, a hymn.

It seems appropriate to have this be a hymn, for, after praying prayers for help, we do finally have to give that over and simply sing for yet being alive. We begin to catch a glimpse of how our prayers for help might be settled without divine intervention.

First, to recognize the gift of creation - vast and venerable. There is a soft, far-off hymn of creation and new creation going on independent of ourselves. How, then, can we keep from singing?

Second, to claim an important spot in relationship to gods and angels. We have authority to make a difference in the situations we find ourselves.

Third, to know such importance does not mean domination. Our dominion, care, is not exploitative of creation nor over one another.

When these three become clear, we sing our little hearts out.

- - -

a name is not a name is not a name
it is very significant
signifying both potential and completion
it is very magnificent
magnifying this moment and opportunity

what creation has been
what creation yet is becoming
these call back and forth
each responding to a line in play
a veritable variation upon variation

rising from the ground
we care for the ground
tilling it with sweat
that it might become
sweet soil for all

rising from the ground
never loses touch with the ground
lest our groundless anger
be lethally grounded
in another's sweet song

[Note: Try a goldbergian variation. To try some more go to http://www.jsbach.net/midi/midi_goldbergvariations.html and try those that end in ".mid".]

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html


 

Psalm 8
Genesis 1:1-2:4a
2 Corinthians 13:11-13
Matthew 28:16-20

It is easy to see how we can get to a Christian doctrine of Trinity from the Christian scriptures. This does seem to be significant jump from the Jewish scriptures and their focus upon G*D being one.

It is next to impossible to tell whether Trinitarian language rolled trippingly off the tongue of Jesus or was put in his mouth. It is possible to tell that this is a uniquely Christian doctrine. As such it has gotten in the way of Christian talking to Christian as well as between someone who is a Christian and someone who is not.

Ultimately this construct, no matter how helpful some think it is, needs to take a back seat to an appeal to live in peace (2 Cor. 13:11). This peace begins to be seen with three key (but not exclusive or exhaustive) descriptions of peace as grace, love, communion.

- - -

heads trip on making patterns
where none is to be found

hearts trip on breaking patterns
where too many are present

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html


 

Psalm 8 or Psalm 26
Job 1:1; 2:1-10 or Genesis 2:18-24
Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12
Mark 10:2-16

To walk in my integrity implies an understanding of what has been joined to G*D and therefore is joined to me. It is easy to see good joined to G*D, not so easy to see evil having a connection. This is probably a function of our ability to see rather than G*D's experience of good and evil.

It is easy to see inherent relationships between lovers who find themselves in one another, not so easy to see divorce as a sacred event (only a state event). Yet, for integrity's sake, we find we cannot live only one side of an equation. What is being joined and separated in our living today? What is defined and named and to what are we still so blind we cannot see to name? This state of already and not-yet is the interface where we find the energy and experience of life.

May your helpmeet (experienced, whether legalized or not) assist you, with integrity, to both curse G*D and die, and come to yourself.

- - -

I wash my hands in innocence
again and again
I am washed away by life circumstance
again and again

my very same hand hugs my brother
again and again
that slaps my sister
again and again

so I define and define
again and again
and am in turn defined
again and again

until I cannot tell
again and again
truth from falsehood
again and again

and am joined to the cosmos
again and again
and divorced from myself
again and again

redeemed
again and again
gracious
again and again

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_10_01_archive.html


 

In solidarity with those taking final exams in some school systems, here is an essay question:

By how much have you and I (we) missed being G*D, a fourth partner?

Please respond to this question by first considering it in light of humanity and secondly in regard to your own individual life.

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html

 


 

How much less being than God, Angel, Divinity, Creation, or Wisdom does it take to put one outside of same? Since there is a tradition of this being Trinity Sunday we can say that coming in second place because of a God mono-winner; a God/Wisdom or Father/Jesus tie for winner; a God/Wisdom/Creation or Father/Son/Spirit trinitarian tie for winner - is still coming in second.

So take pride in your sportsmanship that can offer praise to those more than a nose prior to yourself. You still can claim that second-place is better than coming in a more distant third or worse, like those sheep, oxen, or wild things of land, air, and sea. You did your best, having tread water for forty days and nights, trained on Babel's incline, and trod deserts for forty years.

All praise to the winner/winners, able to set a glorious gold medal above the heavens.

Is it obvious that I'm tired that this was the only comment to come forth? Perhaps it would have been better to have the discretion to say nothing at all, but that doesn't seem to be our relationship. We'll practice some more and demand a re-match. On your mark, get set, . . . .

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2010/05/psalm-8.html

 


 

From the Bottom Up

9 - O G*D, partner, Wow!

8 - Birds above and fish below sail their course,

7 - beasts near and far continue their way.

6 - We engage all that sets our context

5 - and revel in our connection—

4 - bringing to mind how care-full we are.

3 - Under every light, we open again

2 - to hear a new word beckon a new picture—

1 - tomorrow and today together.

http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2014/06/psalm-8.html