² Let Israel say,
    “His steadfast love endures forever.”
³ Let the house of Aaron say,
    “His steadfast love endures forever.”
⁴ Let those who fear the Lord say,
    “His steadfast love endures forever.”

⁵ Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
    the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
⁶ With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
    What can mortals do to me?
⁷ The Lord is on my side to help me;
    I shall look in triumph on those who hate me.
⁸ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to put confidence in mortals.
⁹ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to put confidence in princes.

¹⁰ All nations surrounded me;
    in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
¹¹ They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side;
    in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
¹² They surrounded me like bees;
    they blazed^[a] like a fire of thorns;
    in the name of the Lord I cut them off!
¹³ I was pushed hard,^[b] so that I was falling,
    but the Lord helped me.
¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my might;
    he has become my salvation.

¹⁵ There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;
¹⁶     the right hand of the Lord is exalted;
    the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”
¹⁷ I shall not die, but I shall live,
    and recount the deeds of the Lord.
¹⁸ The Lord has punished me severely,
    but he did not give me over to death.

¹⁹ Open to me the gates of righteousness,
    that I may enter through them
    and give thanks to the Lord.

²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord;
    the righteous shall enter through it.

²¹ I thank you that you have answered me
    and have become my salvation.
²² The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the chief cornerstone.
²³ This is the Lord’s doing;
    it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴ This is the day that the Lord has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.^[c]
25 Save us, we beseech you, O Lord!
    O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!

²⁶ Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.^[d]
    We bless you from the house of the Lord.
²⁷ The Lord is God,
    and he has given us light.
Bind the festal procession with branches,
    up to the horns of the altar.^[e]

²⁸ You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
    you are my God, I will extol you.

²⁹ O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
    for his steadfast love endures forever.

Prayer:

We give thanks to you, o Lord, for your steadfast love endures forever.
Today we give you thanks for
the prayers you have answered…
the weather outside…
healing we have experienced…
the love we have received…
the love we have given…
We remember the many blessings you have given to us.  Especially we thank you for these blessings….
Thank you, for loving us and allowing us to grow in wisdom.  Thank you for being patient with us as we learn about you and discover answers to the questions we ask.  Thank you for our salvation from a life without you.  Amen.

⁷ Where can I go from your spirit?
    Or where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
    if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
⁹ If I take the wings of the morning
    and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand shall lead me,
    and your right hand shall hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
    and the light around me become night,”
¹² even the darkness is not dark to you;
    the night is as bright as the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For it was you who formed my inward parts;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
    Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
¹⁵     My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
    all the days that were formed for me,
    when none of them as yet existed.
¹⁷ How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
    I come to the end^[a]—I am still with you.

¹⁹ O that you would kill the wicked, O God,
    and that the bloodthirsty would depart from me—
²⁰ those who speak of you maliciously,
    and lift themselves up against you for evil!^[b]
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord?
    And do I not loathe those who rise up against you?
²² I hate them with perfect hatred;
    I count them my enemies.
²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my thoughts.
²⁴ See if there is any wicked^[c] way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.^[d]

⁵ Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.
⁶ Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
    your judgments are like the great deep;
    you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.

⁷ How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
    All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
⁸ They feast on the abundance of your house,
    and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
⁹ For with you is the fountain of life;
    in your light we see light.

¹⁰ O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
    and your salvation to the upright of heart!
¹¹ Do not let the foot of the arrogant tread on me,
    or the hand of the wicked drive me away.
¹² There the evildoers lie prostrate;
    they are thrust down, unable to rise.

Prayer:
Loving God, we are amazed by your love which never seems to end.  Your care for us comes when we least expect it and extends to all of your creation.  You give us strength to face each day, the tools we need to be growing disciples, and the guidance we need to make wise decisions.  Lately our world seems to be a very frightening place, unpredictable and dangerous.  We see the challenges in our society which we need to address and overcome.  We see hatred and fear manifested in violence and hate-filled rhetoric.  We are frightened by a virus and illness as it spreads.  We pray that you will hide us under you wing.  Give us wisdom as we live each day trying to be your faithful disciples.  Surround us in your love and your grace so we may find peace and share peace.  In Christ we pray, Amen.

² Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
    and speak the truth from their heart;
³ who do not slander with their tongue,
    and do no evil to their friends,
    nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;
⁴ in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
    but who honor those who fear the Lord;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
⁵ who do not lend money at interest,
    and do not take a bribe against the innocent.

Those who do these things shall never be moved.

Reflection:
This psalm may be short, but it is full of insight into what God desires from us.  It seems even in ancient times people needed to be reminded that gossip, lying, and taking advantage of others all displease the Lord. These things truly have no place in the life of a faith community because these actions break down relationships and break hearts.  We end up spending so much time dealing with the murmering voices and hurt feelings and walking on egg shells that we have little time to proclaim the gosple, to engage in discipleship, and reach out to the world.  We become more focused on ourselves, on the hurt we have caused or will cause, on healing from the damage we have done to each other.  According to this psalm, there is no place within God’s presence for those who deliberately harm others.  Perhaps this should give us all pause when we consider how we speak about and to one another, how we treat those who are vulnerable, and how we keep our word.

Prayer:
Gracious God, help us be obedient to you through our words and our actions.  Help what we say and what we do help to build up your church rather than tear it down.  Help us to care for each other even when it is difficult.  We know you love us and want what is best for us.  Forgive us when we strain against your boundaries and behave selfishly.  Forgive us when we hurt others to serve our own purposes.  Keep us strong as we follow your commandments, as we love our neighbors, as we minister in your name.  Amen.

³ Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,
for we have had more than enough of contempt.
⁴ Our soul has had more than its fill
of the scorn of those who are at ease,
of the contempt of the proud.

Prayer:

Oh Lord our God, today we thank you for
the relaitonship we have with you which is nurtured in your church…
for friends and family who add joy and color to our lives…
for natural wonders around us which allow us to see you in a unique way…
for the diversity of this world – for the great family of humankind which is so diverse and yet so similar…
(other prayers of thanksgiving)…

We know you hear us when we offer thanks and when we ask for help.
Today we pray for
the church in all her many forms and especially the church in the southern hemisphere…
the ruling and teaching elders who, as the session,  watch over our spiritual well being….
for deacons who carry out the ministries of compassion…
for our nation, state, and community as we all try to navigate through the racial tensions and walk the path of reconciliation and peace…
for our world, nation, state, and community as we all try to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic: those who are ill, who are grieving, who are jobless, who are fearful or skeptical as a result of the virus….
(other prayers of intercession)… Amen.

⁶ The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
    and all the peoples behold his glory.
⁷ All worshipers of images are put to shame,
    those who make their boast in worthless idols;
    all gods bow down before him.
⁸ Zion hears and is glad,
    and the towns^[a] of Judah rejoice,
    because of your judgments, O God.
⁹ For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;
    you are exalted far above all gods.

¹⁰ The Lord loves those who hate^[b] evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful;
he rescues them from the hand of the wicked.
¹¹ Light dawns^[c] for the righteous,
and joy for the upright in heart.
¹² Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name!

³ For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
⁴ Against you, you alone, have I sinned,
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence
    and blameless when you pass judgment.
⁵ Indeed, I was born guilty,
    a sinner when my mother conceived me.

⁶ You desire truth in the inward being;^[a]
    therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.

¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and put a new and right^[b] spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me away from your presence,
    and do not take your holy spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and sustain in me a willing^[c] spirit.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
    and sinners will return to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
    O God of my salvation,
    and my tongue will sing aloud of your deliverance.

¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips,
    and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ For you have no delight in sacrifice;
    if I were to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
¹⁷ The sacrifice acceptable to God^[d] is a broken spirit;
    a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

¹⁸ Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
    rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
¹⁹ then you will delight in right sacrifices,
    in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
    then bulls will be offered on your altar.