Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20

1 I will cry aloud to God;
I will cry aloud, and he will hear me.

2 In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord;
my hands were stretched out by night and did not tire; I refused to be comforted.

11 I will remember the works of the Lord,
and call to mind your wonders of old time.

12 I will meditate on all your acts
and ponder your mighty deeds.

13 Your way, O God, is holy;
who is so great a god as our God?

14 You are the God who works wonders
and have declared your power among the peoples.

15 By your strength you have redeemed your people,
the children of Jacob and Joseph.

16 The waters saw you, O God;
the waters saw you and trembled; the very depths were shaken.

17 The clouds poured out water;
the skies thundered;
your arrows flashed to and fro;

18 The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lit up the world; the earth trembled and shook.

19 Your way was in the sea,
and your paths in the great waters,
yet your footsteps were not seen.

20 You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

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.

What have you done for me lately?

What have you done for me lately?
Is such a common attitude.
What have you done for me lately?
Is how old friends show their gratitude.
Now just when you need a little support
Their faces get long and their memories get short.
What have you done for me lately?
Lately I've been doing without you

- Steve Goodman

Often when I read stories about the children of Israel, I think of the song by folksinger Steve Goodman. In collaboration with Shel Silverstein, he wrote “What have you done for me lately.” (Steve Goodman is probably best known for writing the song “City of New Orleans.” For Chicago friends, Goodman wrote “Go Cubs Go.” He died of leukemia at age 34, a great loss to the music world.)

So what’s the biblical connection to “What have you done for me lately?” It would be funny if it wasn’t sad. Funny if it wasn’t still true of us. The Israelites were delivered from oppressive slavery in Egypt with a series of remarkable miracles. Having been liberated, they find themselves on the shores of the Red Sea where they accuse God of bringing them there to die. The sea opens up before them, a pathway to new life. The enemy vanquished, it’s not long before they’re complaining about having no water. Water gushes from a rock. Problem solved. They praise God, for the moment. Then they get hungry. Learning of their dissatisfaction with room service, God sends manna from heaven. They get sick of eating that holy bread, so God sends quail. You get the idea.

The call for an attitude of gratitude is strong in scripture. It usually involves a recollection of how God has acted with grace in the past. C.S.Lewis said that in the journey of faith, we don’t so much need to be instructed as we need to be reminded. So the scriptures, especially the psalms, do a lot of reminding. The Bible tells the story of salvation, deliverance, provision over and over. (Case in point: the psalm reprinted above, which you may have heard in church yesterday.) The book of Deuteronomy calls on people to teach their children, to pass on the stories of how again and again God had met them in a time of need. Fast forward to the last supper. Jesus meets with his disciples the night before he dies and calls on them to take the bread and wine, and to do so in remembrance of him.

That injunction has been carried over into the liturgy for Holy Eucharist. In the prayer over bread and wine, there’s a portion in which we recall good things God has done for us: the beauty of creation, the calling of God’s people, the hope of salvation in Jesus. That section of the eucharistic prayer is called anamnesis. That literally means “not amnesia.” “Not forgetting.” We are reminded week and after week because we are a forgetful sort. Meanwhile, many of us live life before God asking: What have you done for me lately?’

What might we do to counter that tendency? Maybe we're asking the wrong question. Maybe it should not be "What have you done for me lately?" Maybe the question should be "How can I live in a way that reflects the grace I've received?" Asked another way: "How can I be of service?"

For more than 45 years, I've had the privilege of knowing a saint who showed me how to ask the right questions. My 96 year old father-in-law went to be with Jesus last Saturday morning. He was a bright light in his generation. He died doing what he loved: fishing. He would often call early in the morning and ask: "How can I help you today?" while many of his contemporaries had long lists of things for their children to do. He knew grace in his own life which allowed him to show grace to others. He was guided by St. Francis' prayer, asking to be God instrument. He leaves a big gap for many. But his parting offers space for us to ask the right question: "How can I be of service today?"

I often recommend a regularly scheduled look in the spiritual rear view mirror, to reflect on how God has acted in our lives. It’s not always easy to see that holy activity in the moment. In retrospect, we have a chance to see where divine providence has acted. We are called to notice those moments, to give thanks for them. And when changes and chances of life cause us to wonder what God is up to, or to feel as if God has forgotten or abandoned us, we can look back on those moments and act in confidence that God is with us. That God is for us. And we can look to bright lights in our own generation, like my father-in-law, to see how others have put faith to work in the world, how we can know grace and then show grace.

I’m praying this morning for those who look back on their lives and sense that God has been absent, inactive. For those who can cite moments of holy activity, let those recollections sustain in the days ahead, when inevitable challenges present themselves. Know that God is with us. Know that God is for us. Know that God loves us. Know that we're called to share that love, asking "How can I be of service today?"

- Jay Sidebotham