Reading: In you, O Lord, I take refuge; let me never be put to shame. In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me and save me. Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress, to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Rescue me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of the unjust and cruel. For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. Upon you I have leaned from my birth; it was you who took me from my mother’s womb. My praise is continually of you. (Psalm 71:1-6)
Reflection: These past 22 months have been a time for us to call on to God for protection and help. This Psalm was one I know I went to a few times. I also encouraged youth to look at the Psalms and then write their own. During the height of everyone being stuck in their houses I did a few lessons about the Psalms with the confirmation class over Zoom. The one was a night session that was supposed to be a lock-in, and we really dug into the laments and Psalms that called to God for help in their times of struggle. Composing Psalms with the youth was a real stress reliever for them. They also got a chance to write Psalms of praise which also was wonderful. Here is a little bit of what I told them before we started. “Taking time to cry out to God and praise God are expressions of faith. They do not need to be perfectly crafted. They should just come from the heart.” Maybe you can take some time to write you own Psalms when you need to relieve some stress or when you want to praise God. --Charlene Rineer Prayer: Loving God, we thank you that you care for us and protect us in times of trouble. Help us come to you when we are stressed. Also help us to remember to praise you and thank you for all you have done for us. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. Our devotions are based on this Sunday’s Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). The RCL is a three-year cycle of readings telling the story of our Christian faith and corresponding to the season church calendar. On any given Sunday, we are hearing and praying and examining the same Scripture with millions of Christians around the world. In our current Year C, the Old Testament readings progress through the Prophets and have the theme of the day that it is connected to the Gospel reading. The Psalm, a song the congregation sings in response to the Old Testament reading, most often corresponds to the theme of the Hebrew Lessons and/or that of the Gospel Lesson. The lesson from the Epistles or from Acts typifies the church’s focus on the meaning of Christ for today. The Gospel lesson is connected to the season of the Church Year. This year, our gospel readings are from Luke, who writes that Jesus is the universal Savior and the perfect Son of Man. In the current season of Epiphany, Christ is revealed, the disciples are called, and we see the early ministry of Jesus.
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