Living Psalm 78 – Pentecost 23 A
Living Psalms Book
Psalms in the form of words and art, reborn in the specific contexts of our world, privileging the voices of historically marginalized communities and those acting in solidarity with them.
Living Psalm 78 for Pentecost 23 A
Beloveds, remember this!
Though we speak in modern language,
these holy truths reach from generations past.
The sacred stories we tell are made of the stuff that lasts
when everything else fades away.
They come from sources of wisdom tried and tested
through struggle and silence.
When the ones before us were pressed to their spiritual limits,
bound by oppressive restraints,
made weary by loss,
these truths were a lifeline.
It reaches to us still today.
It is our medicine, our strength, our memory, our future.
No matter the risks we face,
we will not sever the threads of wisdom
that weave our survival together.
We will carry on
and carry out these divine teachings,
that promise hope beyond our reach.
We will tell the stories of God.
We will not allow histories to become hidden –
not their ugly nor their glory.
For God has always set free through truths,
proclaimed and practiced.
This lineage of liberation that
companions through the impossible and the unimaginable
dare not end with us.
Living Psalm 78 for Pentecost 23 was written by Rev. M Barclay, enfleshed.
Living Psalms Book is created by UCC Witness & Worship Artists’ Group, a Network of UCC connected artists, activists and ministers bridging the worship and liturgy of the local church with witness and action in the community.
Logo is detail from Living Psalm 80 by Sophia Beardemphl, Redwoods, CA. Recovering from significant bullying, Sophia, age nine, read Psalm 80 and thought of brokenness that needs mending. She drew this broken and mended bowl.
© Copyright 2020 Maria Mankin. Permission granted to reproduce or adapt this material for use in services of worship or church education. All publishing rights reserved.
