May God Continue to Bless Us

This meditation is based on a passage for December 19, 2010 in the Daily Lectionary Year 1 from the Book of Common Worship for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) (1993).

Text: Psalm 67

Reflection and Question: The most striking word in this happy psalm is the little pronoun, “us.” The prevalent emphasis in the church on personal piety — being reborn, being saved, knowing God’s purpose for one’s own life — is nowhere to be found in this cooperative appreciation for God’s bounty and rallying cry to praise God. And the “us” here stretches beyond the people of Israel to “the nations upon the earth.” It reminds me that Jesus’ parable of the separation of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 is of nations, not individuals. What are the consequences of this broad “us” for your faith?