Psalm 25:1-9

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; my God, I put my trust in you;
let me not be humiliated, nor let my enemies triumph over me.

2 Let none who look to you be put to shame;
let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes.

3 Show me your ways, O Lord,
and teach me your paths.

4 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation;
in you have I trusted all the day long.

5 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love,
for they are from everlasting.

6 Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions;
remember me according to your love and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.

7 Gracious and upright is the Lord;
therefore he teaches sinners in his way.

8 He guides the humble in doing right
and teaches his way to the lowly.

9 All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness
to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen. Please note that these days in the church, there are two tracks of readings in the lectionary, offering a choice of psalms. Your church may or may not have read the psalm included in this email.

Be Thou My Vision

A priest who led a large urban parish chose to open the doors of the church to those who were unhoused. It was a beautiful ministry, especially when weather was extreme. But it was not universally embraced. One pillar of the parish told the rector that he didn’t like all these people in his church. The rector responded that it was not his church. It was not her church. It was God’s church.

The rector was later asked how she was able to lead this congregation, given these kinds of concerns about her open-door policy. She said that she tries to see Christ in every person who walks through the door. She added that Christ sometimes comes very well disguised. I never heard whether she referred to the unhoused people in need of a shower, or the entitled parishioner registering complaint. In which case was it harder to see Christ? I’m not sure. But this story made me think this week about how we look at each other.

Our tradition has something to say on the subject. One baptismal promise says we are to seek and serve Christ in all persons. Not all fellow parishioners. Not all Episcopalians. Not all Americans. All of them. Another promise says we are to respect the dignity of every human being. That promise bears the same expansive, no-exceptions principle. When it comes to how we look at each other, we have agency. We have choice in the matter. I have no illusions that the choice is easy.

The psalm reprinted above, a psalm read yesterday in many churches, tells us that God shows us the way. God makes that kind of choice. The psalmist offers a prayer, asking God not to judge him based on the sins of his youth. Instead, the psalmist asks God to regard him through the lens of God's compassion and love. God clearly has the option to keep score of all the ways we have messed up. Lord knows, we all have done stupid, even hateful things in our youth, and in the years that follow.

The message of the psalm, indeed a message woven throughout scripture, suggests the widening of God’s mercy. Scripture offers no illusions that we have it all together in our youth (or in our dotage). Name a prominent biblical character besides our Lord and Savior who has not revealed a seriously flawed character, a fallen nature. 

But God chooses to regard us with mercy, seen nowhere more clearly than in the holy presence of Jesus, the offering of his very life leading to new life, leading to reconciliation. He is the one who chose to look on his executioners this way: “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

The implication, the so-what factor for us is that if God chooses to regard us in this way, we are called to do the same in relationships with others. Maybe when we sing that hymn “Be thou my vision,” we’re asking for the godly perspective that looks at others with compassion, not with judgment.

How might you be called to do that this week? Christ is present in each person you will encounter this week. Can we believe that? Each person is made in the image of God? Really? Each one? In a season of partisan divide, can we choose to see each other through a lens of compassion and grace? (Note: I'm not claiming to be there yet.)

Can we let go of resentments for stupid and hurtful things that people have done to us and offer forgiveness and compassion? Can we let go of regret over stupid and hurtful things we have done, and forgive ourselves? It doesn’t mean that those stupid and hurtful things don’t matter. Rather, it’s an invitation to look at them differently. The psalm challenges me to recognize what is good in each of us, made in the image of God, Christ present. Consider the wisdom of Dorothy Day. She said: “I really only love God as much as the person I love the least.”

Give it a try. Think of a person who is really bugging you. Can you see some goodness in that person? Can you see Christ in that person? Think of foolish and hurtful things you have done? Can you see Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27)?

-Jay Sidebotham