[Psalm 100]

Ever wonder why some psalms are in brackets? Ever notice? If you have the Electronic Common Prayer app, you’ll see that today’s liturgical psalms are 97, 99, and [100]. The reason for brackets on psalms is twofold in the Episcopal Church: the first is when an instance like today occurs. Since psalm 100 is appointed but is also used as the jubilate in Daily Morning Prayer (part of the daily office), it is optional as a psalm of the day. Other psalms such as 95 (the venite) are also bracketed when they are assigned.

But these aren’t the only psalms the Book of Common Prayer uses brackets on, hence the second reason. Some psalms are pretty rough to downright horrific. The leadership decided to make these optional due to their violent imagery and/or depiction of an angry or judgment-heavy (the word is imprecatory) God. I can understand the need for ‘lighter’ verses during heavier times, as well as understanding that reading about horrific death of defenseless ones is not necessarily something I want to wake up and do.

However…

Is this what we have come to? Do we just read the happy parts of the bible, and use the rest when we feel like it? These psalms may bring up judgment; it hurts those who have been judged for who they love, who they are in the world. They may bring up memories—losing a child, seeing harm done, feeling isolated from God. And yet, I can’t help but think that they were written as a testimony and witness to their writers’ times. Not all psalms have something to do with us—put another way: It isn’t always about us, today. Usually, this line of argument isn’t one I’d readily preach or write, but today I’m making an exception. We cannot ignore the history of those who came before us just to make today a little easier. When we opt for something gentler, we opt to silence the hurt screaming from centuries’ past.

Being faithful is easy when the reading is good. Being a Christian should come with hard days. If it was easy, everyone would do it and it would have no merit, no worth, and no opportunity for growth. Sometimes we have to fight through the difficult times to get to the good ones. And we always need to remember that God is good, all the time. Evil is abundant in the world due to people choosing not to follow the way; due to people ignoring the Good News of Jesus Christ. In a way, ignoring the plight of those who cry out from history is no better.

Read the hard things. Listen to the witness and harsh realities people faced back then. If we don’t, we’re not only muting them, we might end up in the same predicament because we refused to listen. I know it won’t be easy. Lord knows I don’t want to do it, either. But I will. And with God’s help, and a lot of grace, I’ll get through it. They deserve to be heard.

Faithfully,

Fr. Sean+