Today’s scripture: Psalm 136 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Keith Phillips):
This is a favorite psalm of mine. I like that it tells of God at work throughout the history of God’s people. And I like how it does that, by means of a particular structure. There are 26 verses about what God has done in Israel’s story, and 26 times the phrase, “for [the Lord’s] steadfast love endures forever,” is repeated. I’m a big fan of congregational participation in worship, and that’s exactly what’s going on here. Imagine the Israelites gathered at the Temple to worship; and this psalm is used. The priests speak the first half of each verse, and then the congregation follows with the refrain, “for [the Lord’s] steadfast love endures forever.”
If I were to develop a litany, based on this structure and emphasizing my spiritual journey, it might look like this:
One: O give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord is good,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever.
One: The Lord is the One who birthed me into a family of strong Christian values,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever;
One: who took me from the conservative wilderness of New Hampshire,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever;
One: who brought me into the enlightenment of a liberal arts college in Massachusetts,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever;
One: who transformed me by the power of the Holy Spirit,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever;
One: who, through Bill Cook, revealed to me my gay sexual orientation,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever;
One: who, at about the same time, empowered the Stonewall Inn queens not to take it anymore,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever;
One: who raised up Rev. Troy Perry, founder of the first MCC congregation,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever;
One: who called me into pastoral ministry,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever;
One: who led me to a Quaker seminary and to American Baptist pastorates in Indiana;
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever;
One: who detoured me into a marriage, producing two glorious children,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever;
One: who, against my “better” judgment, permitted the marriage to be dissolved,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever;
One: who opened the way into hospice chaplaincy,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever;
One: who gifted me with a friend, Brad Burton, prompting me to become publicly gay again,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever;
One: who led me to an affirming community of faith, Jesus MCC/LifeJourney Church,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever;
One: and who leads me forward into the future, by faith, one step at a time,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever.
One: O give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord is good,
All: for the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever.
Thought for the day: Take some time to develop a litany based on your own spiritual journey, remembering from your past that “the Lord’s steadfast love endures forever.”
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.