"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Tuesday, 9 August 2016 with Scripture Psalm 82

"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Tuesday, 9 August 2016 with Scripture Psalm 82

Psalm 82:(0) A psalm of Asaf:
(1) Elohim [God] stands in the divine assembly;
there with the elohim [judges], he judges:
2 “How long will you go on judging unfairly,
favoring the wicked? (Selah)
3 Give justice to the weak and fatherless!
Uphold the rights of the wretched and poor!
4 Rescue the destitute and needy;
deliver them from the power of the wicked!”
5 They don’t know, they don’t understand,
they wander about in darkness;
meanwhile, all the foundations of the earth
are being undermined.
6 “My decree is: ‘You are elohim [gods, judges],
sons of the Most High all of you.
7 Nevertheless, you will die like mortals;
like any prince, you will fall.’”
8 Rise up, Elohim, and judge the earth;
for all the nations are yours.[Complete Jewish Bible}
-------
We are having important conversations in our church about racism. It's a conversation that has smoldered for years, and even now we do not like to "talk" about racism for fear of saying the wrong thing. Worse, we may fear that we must face the fact that there are reasons why our particular denomination (ELCA) remains a predominantly white church.
In South Dakota, our church planting narrative centers around fearless pioneers--we recall Little House on the Prairie and sod houses. But we are also aware of some ugly abuses of our American Indian neighbors. When we moved here and looked for signs of these neighbors, the word that came to mind was invisible. The psalmist's words suggest that feeling of being invisible: "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked?"
In your community, who is praying, "Help?" Who is being judged unjustly and who has the power to keep the status quo?
Give us eyes to see how the power we have can heal not harm our God-given neighbors. Amen.
Kevin ('07) and Amber ('10) Marten Bergeson
Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Aberdeen, S.D.
Psalm 82:1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 "How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? (Selah)
3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I say, "You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince."
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you![New Revised Standard Version]
-------