Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy,
for we have had more than enough of contempt,
too much of the scorn of the indolent rich,
and of the derision of the proud. – Psalm 123:3-4
Oh, the scorn of the indolent rich-
Dripping with mockery about generations other than their own,
As though the present deprivations, frustrations, and injustices
Are not directly tied to their decisions and their refusal to respond to truth.
Oh, the derision of the proud-
Certain that they made the world and all that’s in it,
but not her problems- those belong to ones before or maybe after,
But never to the ones who have consumed without fullness,
Wasted without wanting, harvested without sowing,
And demand more while their mouths are still full.
I can no longer utter, “How long, O Lord”,
For it has been too long and,
Though you hide it well,
Holy exhaustion with human behavior
Seems inevitable and nearly palpable.
Besides, I can hear the echo of those words in your call to us.
It is not that you have failed to be merciful, Love of Loves,
But that we appear to be so merciless as to be unable to perceive it.
Where do we go from here?
Our hope is built on nothing less than your mercy,
But where is the anchor of your hope located, O Holy One?
Is mercy so far in our rearview mirror that our cry must change?
Take pity on us, O Lord, take pity on us in this life.
Do not wait for what is to come.
Amen.
The Reverend Julia Seymour serves Big Timber Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Big Timber, MT. She blogs at lutheranjulia.blogspot.com and readsallthethings.com. She contributed to There’s A Woman in the Pulpit and is President of the board of RevGalBlogPals, Inc.
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