Living Psalm 1

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 1_ Mankin for Feb 16, 2025

This is not your grave!
Get yourself up
and go out into the world –

we have things to do,
people to loudly love,
bigotry to oppress
with truth and joy.

We have protests to join,
money to vote with,
voices we can raise
again and again.

Every day, there will be
a thousand tiny choices
we must make to fan the flames
of hope into an inferno

because we have no choice.
This is not a grave.
It is a dust storm,
a terrible passing moment
when hatred and wickedness
and fear creeps out to test us.

And they will test us –
our patience, our resistance,
our belief that this too shall pass –
until the fear of failure and pain
grows heavy enough to plague our dreams.

We will get tired.
We will be scared.
We will ask ourselves
if any of this matters,
and we might even lie down
where it’s cool and dark

until God whispers
Stand up, beloved.
This is not your grave.

Until God puts your hand in mine,
and wraps us together –
always together – bound
together with glorious Love.

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Living Psalm 1 was written by Maria Mankin.

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. Maren Tirabassi, editor

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.