Psalm 139 

To the leader. Of David. A Psalm.

O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
    you discern my thoughts from far away.
You search out my path and my lying down,
    and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
    O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before,
    and lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
    it is so high that I cannot attain it.

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

For it was you who formed my inward parts;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
    Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
    My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
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.
How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
    I come to the end—I am still with you.

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

If you are at my local church on communion Sunday, chances are slim you will be first in line. That spot is taken by my daughter. She isn’t speedy, but she will beat you every time. Communion is one of her very favorite things we do at church.

Meredith is developmentally delayed and has some physical challenges. Church has always been a special place for her. Watching her as the communion liturgy starts is a real treat. If you look closely you can see the light in her eyes and the smile grow on her face. Next comes the bouncing. She cannot contain her excitement! A giggle or flat out laugh follows as we near the moment of invitation to the table. With her admittedly ungraceful gait she makes her way up to the table to be first in line to fully participate with our church family in this holy meal.

I don’t know what she understands about communion. I think she and Jesus have had conversations regarding what this holy mystery means. It’s decidedly not just a snack in the middle of church. I know in my bones she understands deeply the importance and most importantly the joy with which we should all approach the table.

It doesn’t matter if she has memorized verses of the Bible for class, because she hasn’t. It doesn’t matter that she can’t say the Lord’s Prayer perfectly, because she doesn’t speak. She can participate fully in communion because she is fully known by the Lord and is fearfully and wonderfully made.

 

Prayer for Reflection

Jeremiah 2:4-13
Psalm 81:1, 10-16
Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16
Luke 14:1, 7-14