Some Things Never Change
Psalm 53
1 The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ Corrupt are they, and abominable in their wickedness; there is no one that does good.
2 God has looked down from heaven upon the children of earth, to see if there is anyone who is wise and seeks after God.
3 They are all gone out of the way; all alike have become corrupt; there is no one that does good, no not one.
4 Have they no knowledge, those evildoers, who eat up my people as if they ate bread, and do not call upon God?
5 There shall they be in great fear, such fear as never was; for God will scatter the bones of the ungodly.
6 They will be put to shame, because God has rejected them.
7 O that Israel’s salvation would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people then will Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.
Reflection
This psalm reads like it could have been written today. Books arguing that there is no God are on the best sellers list. Our economic and political systems are being gamed, enriching and empowering those who already have a lot at the expense of everyone else. And people are still hoping for salvation.
The witness that the Christian community offers today is vital. Yet we operate in an environment in which many question whether the life of faith has anything to offer. They see how far too much of the wider church conducts its affairs and think they want nothing to do with hypocrisy, exploitation, intolerance, irrelevance. That’s why during Lent, we in the church universal have a special call to ask how we can help meet the needs of our brothers and sisters.
The message of hope, the Good News of God’s love is needed now as much as it’s ever been needed. Let’s pray that through our actions and words we point to the way of Israel’s salvation – and not the path followed by the corrupt, the evil, the foolish who are all too often celebrated by our society.
1 The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ Corrupt are they, and abominable in their wickedness; there is no one that does good.
2 God has looked down from heaven upon the children of earth, to see if there is anyone who is wise and seeks after God.
3 They are all gone out of the way; all alike have become corrupt; there is no one that does good, no not one.
4 Have they no knowledge, those evildoers, who eat up my people as if they ate bread, and do not call upon God?
5 There shall they be in great fear, such fear as never was; for God will scatter the bones of the ungodly.
6 They will be put to shame, because God has rejected them.
7 O that Israel’s salvation would come out of Zion! When God restores the fortunes of his people then will Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad.
Reflection
This psalm reads like it could have been written today. Books arguing that there is no God are on the best sellers list. Our economic and political systems are being gamed, enriching and empowering those who already have a lot at the expense of everyone else. And people are still hoping for salvation.
The witness that the Christian community offers today is vital. Yet we operate in an environment in which many question whether the life of faith has anything to offer. They see how far too much of the wider church conducts its affairs and think they want nothing to do with hypocrisy, exploitation, intolerance, irrelevance. That’s why during Lent, we in the church universal have a special call to ask how we can help meet the needs of our brothers and sisters.
The message of hope, the Good News of God’s love is needed now as much as it’s ever been needed. Let’s pray that through our actions and words we point to the way of Israel’s salvation – and not the path followed by the corrupt, the evil, the foolish who are all too often celebrated by our society.
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