Psalm 84:1-7 / Luke 18:9-14

This Sunday’s Psalm is 84:1-7. This is one of my favorite Psalms. In verse 3 it says, “Even the sparrow finds a home/and the swallow a nest for herself” in the courts of the Lord. I always think of that verse in June, when I hear the baby swallows whose nest is under the eaves along the sanctuary wall at MBPPC.

The Gospel reading is Luke 18:9-14. This is a great one to read using the “lectio divina” exercise. Read the passage a first time, and note which words, phrases, or images stand out for you. Read it a second time, and note your own reactions — joy, confusion, peace, wonder, confirmation, sorrow; relaxation or ease in breathing; tension; calm. Read it a third time with the expectation that God has something meaningful to communicate to you through this passage and your reaction to it. Before the third reading, I like to pray the sentence from I Samuel 3 — “Speak, Lord, Thy servant is listening."