Daily Lectio, Friday Morning, May 29

This morning I awoke to wonderful fog and the sounds of the crazy bird choir.  I love mornings like this, when there’s this strange mixture of silence and song, of fog and fanfare, all laid out on some great canvas.  To take time, to use time to become more mindful, more aware of what I am doing–really aware–is a gift.  It’s a gift because I can learn so much about the world around me, about how the world is interconnected…and beautiful.

And, then there’s Psalm 66 this morning, an amazing text of praise and worship.

“Make a joyful noise to God, all

the earth;

sing the glory of his name;

give to him glorious praise.

Say to God, “How awesome are

your deeds!

Because of your great power,

your enemies cringe before you.

All the earth worships you;

they sing praises to you,

sing praises to your name.”

When I read this while sitting and looking outside this morning, I don’t think that “all the earth” includes just people by an means.  All the earth means all the earth.  It has to.

And it helps me to remember that when one “makes a joyful noise,” it isn’t always with a shout or frills.  Sometimes, one’s joyful noise is a whisper, like the fog that slowly rolls in and settles down.  It’s important for me to remember this, that not all joyful noises are bells and whistles.  I have to make room in my heart for the whispers and even the silent smiles that are their own ways of pouring out praise to God.

As Nan Merrill lays out:

“Sing a joyful song to the Beloved

all the earth,

and praise Love’s name;

Sing in glorious exultation!

We say to You, “How magnificent are

your ways:

So great is your power that fear and

doubt vanish before You;”

In the end, doesn’t everything have a song to sing?  Does everything “praise Love’s name?”

When we look around our world, it may not seem so.  With violence and suffering.  But I remember H. H. the Dalai Lama saying once that these things make the news because they are abnormal, wrong, deviations from our true nature, our true purpose, which he says is goodness and compassion.  Makes me wonder….

S+