In my attempts to sow peace and grace (Just Do It in ’22), I’m looking at people, history, entertainment, and scripture for examples. Today’s reading from the Book of Common Worship includes Psalm 15.
O Lord, who shall sojourn in your tent?
Who shall dwell on your holy hill?
2 He who walks blamelessly and does what is right
and speaks truth in his heart;
3 who does not slander with his tongue
and does no evil to his neighbor,
nor takes up a reproach against his friend;
4 in whose eyes a vile person is despised,
but who honors those who fear the Lord;
who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
5 who does not put out his money at interest
and does not take a bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things shall never be moved.
A person of peace and grace does not have to be so understanding that he/she accepts evil around him/her, or excuses evil behavior or accepts things as they are. We can, as scripture advises, as much as is possible, live peacefully with all people. Does that mean we tolerate cruelty, evil, or laws that cause us to deny God’s principles? Absolutely not. We can “despise the vile person,” the murderer of that lovely young grad student we heard about yesterday, or those who are stealing from railroad cars or businesses. We are to despise evil. On the other hand, we are to honor those who follow the Lord. We are to look for the good in people and thank God for those who display virtue.
These days if we watch the news, we see many opportunities to think the world is a scary place. But then we hear of the nobility of one who cares for others, who provides scholarships for children of incarcerated parents, who honors a war veteran who flew over 400 World War II missions and died at the age of 104–even after being preserved by God when his plane could have plummeted to earth over Germany. There are amazing stories. I’m suggesting that we continue to look for and appreciate the good, to greet the sunrise with our personal question, “Lord, how can I sow grace and peace today to someone who needs my attention?” If we listen and think about it, we can be the one who “does these things and shall never be moved” from “dwelling on God’s holy hill” or “sojourn in His tent.”
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