You do good, you get good. You do bad, you get bad. It is a rule. It works. It is right and fair. We count on it. It is how we, people of faith, understand God and life. It is very much a part of why we do what we do. We believe God to be just and fair, and so a just and fair God is going bless good and punish bad. And it is a bit of a crisis when the rule doesn’t work. Look with me at Psalm 73.

On this Memorial Weekend we remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice on the field of battle, and it has grown to including all who have died in uniform. This day was started in 1868 and called Decoration Day. On May 30th of each year communities would decorate the graves of those who died in the Civil War. That evolved to the fallen in all of our nation’s conflicts. 1971 is when Memorial Day became a federal holiday observed the last Monday of May. A day of this kind of remembrance is what the psalms would call a day of lament. As we are doing a series in the Psalms, let’s look at a psalm of national lament, Psalm 79.

On this Memorial Weekend we remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice on the field of battle, and it has grown to including all who have died in uniform. This day was started in 1868 and called Decoration Day. On May 30th of each year communities would decorate the graves of those who died in the Civil War. That evolved to the fallen in all of our nation’s conflicts. 1971 is when Memorial Day became a federal holiday observed the last Monday of May. A day of this kind of remembrance is what the psalms would call a day of lament. As we are doing a series in the Psalms, let’s look at a psalm of national lament, Psalm 79.

Who do you talk to the most? Who is your go to, to process what happened today? Who do you want to share the exciting news with or what they did? As names and faces come to us, I am almost positive not one of us thought of the person we talk to the most. Yourself, a conversation that never ends. And we never choose the conversation. It just happens. That might mean our self-talk is taking us to thoughts and places that we don’t want to go, and we are not doing anything to resist because who do we trust more than our own voice. Today we continue our series in the Psalms and that brings us to Psalm 103. As we read it, hear the Psalmist telling himself what to think.

Who do you talk to the most? Who is your go to, to process what happened today? Who do you want to share the exciting news with or what they did? As names and faces come to us, I am almost positive not one of us thought of the person we talk to the most. Yourself, a conversation that never ends. And we never choose the conversation. It just happens. That might mean our self-talk is taking us to thoughts and places that we don’t want to go, and we are not doing anything to resist because who do we trust more than our own voice. Today we continue our series in the Psalms and that brings us to Psalm 103. As we read it, hear the Psalmist telling himself what to think.

Today we look at Psalm 109, one of the most challenging Psalms in the Psalms. Psalm 109 is where the Bible doesn’t sound like the Bible. And it is not a mistake that it is here. It is reality. When I introduced the Psalms, I said we will see some statements in Psalms we think, 'Is it okay to say that?' This Psalm isn’t justifying these thoughts but acknowledging the reality of these thoughts and showing us where to go with them. Psalm 109 speaks to the reality of the pain and unfairness we can experience in this world and the desperate desire for justice. Who makes you so angry in our world, your world? Where are you at complete loss for how they continue to get away with it? Let’s read Psalm 109.

Today we look at Psalm 109, one of the most challenging Psalms in the Psalms. Psalm 109 is where the Bible doesn’t sound like the Bible. And it is not a mistake that it is here. It is reality. When I introduced the Psalms, I said we will see some statements in Psalms we think, 'Is it okay to say that?' This Psalm isn’t justifying these thoughts but acknowledging the reality of these thoughts and showing us where to go with them. Psalm 109 speaks to the reality of the pain and unfairness we can experience in this world and the desperate desire for justice. Who makes you so angry in our world, your world? Where are you at complete loss for how they continue to get away with it? Let’s read Psalm 109.

What is the last song you shared. We love to share music, don’t we, and it is so easy today to do so. Some of us remember if you wanted to share a song, you had to carry the record over to their house, or get them to come to yours, and play it on a stereo, while dinosaurs roamed up and down the street. Used to be a good bit of effort to share a song. Well, whatever effort is or is not involved, God wants us to share a song. Look at Psalm 96.

What is the last song you shared. We love to share music, don’t we, and it is so easy today to do so. Some of us remember if you wanted to share a song, you had to carry the record over to their house, or get them to come to yours, and play it on a stereo, while dinosaurs roamed up and down the street. Used to be a good bit of effort to share a song. Well, whatever effort is or is not involved, God wants us to share a song. Look at Psalm 96.

Can someone have everything they need? I have moments, and so do you, where everything in life is good. I just enjoyed a moment like that back at Christmas, all our kids and grandkids at Christmas dinner. Perfect moment. I think of a mission trip last year Karen and I went on to Zimbabwe, and another trip with the church to Israel. Oh, and a river cruise for an anniversary. Yeah, I like to travel. And yet some of the most satisfying and full moments are a nice dinner on our deck in the back yard. These are moments I might say, 'I have everything.' But doesn’t it feel like David is talking about something more than a moment, more than a good trip, meal, family time? How is that possible?