Living Psalms 78: 1-7 Pentecost 24A

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.

Listen to the teachings that are clear as a window.
as a precious glass of water, a teardrop.

Sign them, punch them in Braille,
dance the heart out of them,
with marimbas or ankle bells.

Let them not be easy to ignore
like parables of long ago
turned palatable, familiar, bland.

Let the gospel truth
scriptured in headlines and updates,
be known in spite of
those in power who obscure them.

These teaching were clear to the ancestors –
the Diné, the Yoruba and Igbo,
the Sami, Māori, Druze, Rohingya.

Tell your children, and tell them
to tell all the children,
every child, everywhere

so they will not forget God’s works,
so they will not forget to live
in the path of God’s open-hand love.

Living-Psalm-78-1-7_Tirabassi-for-November-12-Twenty-fourth-Sunday-after-Pentecost Download

Living Psalm for Pentecost 24A – Psalm 78: 1-7 was written by Maren Christine Tirabassi.

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.