Invitation - March 11
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 95 [for the Invitatory] 40, 54; PM Psalm 51, Gen. 40:1-23; 1 Cor. 3:16-23; Mark 2:13-22
Just before we begin reading the scripture passages appointed for the day in Morning Prayer, we say what is called an invitatory psalm. Usually that is a portion of Psalm 95, beginning, “Come, let us sing to the Lord; let us shout for joy to the Rock of our salvation.” These words are a prayer inviting us to be in God’s presence as we begin our day. These verses beckon us to ground our day in thanksgiving, no matter what, because God has created all that we are and that surrounds us. As such, in gratitude we are also invited to get down on our knees to pray.
On Fridays in Lent, we pray the whole of this psalm, rather than only the first seven verses in the Book of Common Prayer. Here’s what I note in pondering these additional verses of the psalm. The speaker shifts from the voice of a worship leader or friend to the voice of God. The words change from esteeming the Lord and describing what God has done, to stating what humans have done – and ought not do – in relationship to God.
Let’s look deeper. We read in verse 8: “Harden not your hearts, as your forebears did in the wilderness, at Meribah, and on that day at Massah, when they tempted me.”
Do you find yourself wondering what happened at Meribah and Massah?
In Exodus 17, the chronicles of Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness continue. The people are complaining, hungry, and thirsty. And complaining. They plead with Moses again and again, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” Moses is frustrated beyond belief and cries out to God, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” The Lord tells Moses to go ahead to the rock at Horeb, where God will be standing on a rock…and when that rock is struck, water will gush forth and provide refreshment for the Israelites. That place is named Massah and Meribah, meaning “Test” and “Quarrel”, for these days in the wilderness were full of hardship and testing. And Moses was done without God’s saving help.
This wilderness context helps us understand what is going on in this latter part of Psalm 95. That theme continues as we read verse 9 and through the end of the psalm: “They put me to the test, though they had seen my works.” That makes more sense, right?
Then, verses 10 and 11: “Forty years long I detested that generation and said, ‘This people are wayward in their hearts; they do not know my ways.’ So I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter into my rest.’” Recalling Moses and the wandering wilderness stories of the Old Testament, I can understand these verses better, though it hurts to hear that our unchangeable God would detest a generation and remain distant from them.
Like many parts of the Bible, reconciling and receiving the message takes time and prayer. Holy Scripture helps us reflect on our own lives and how we might lean more toward God and bend away from those things that detract us from faithful living. Others’ stories and prayers help us see and understand. Regardless, we sit with this scripture. We pray it on Fridays in Lent as we are invited into a prayerful time. Perhaps we will be moved to softened hearts and deeper reliance upon God, minimizing the testing and quarreling.
-- Katherine+
Questions for Reflection
What practices help you get into a prayerful mindset during the day?
How do you begin prayers? How do you end them?
Daily Challenge
Read Psalm 95 again. Write down the word or phrase that helps open your heart to God. Use that word or phrase in the days ahead as a word of focus and invitation to cover your day in prayer.