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Ancient Songs Sung Anew, creation, Creator, divine, Genesis, Lynn Bauman, psalm 93, sacred presence, The Sophia Center for Spirituality
There are great images of God as Creator in today’s lectionary psalm. Reminiscent of the first two chapters of Genesis, Lynn Bauman’s translation of Psalm 93* addresses God and ties the Creator to the creation in a beautifully lyrical manner. Listen:
O sovereign Lord, O ruler over all, you wear beauty as a cloak, and bind yourself in power as with a belt. Immersed in strength you take the world and make it firm so we can never move it…And in its youth you covered earth with waters deep; its voice, the pounding waves was speaking loud…Your sacred presence touches everything, and holiness becomes your house for evermore. (vs. 1,2,4,6B)
In the commentary that follows, Bauman notes: “It is quite natural for our conception of God to be shaped by images we receive in the creation.” His question that follows is quite apt for this Spring season of beauty in the Northeast of the United States but could be fitting for any location of the globe in some way, I believe. He asks: “What images taken from nature speak to you most forcefully of the divine?”
I’m already one half-hour into my answer and I’m glad the question wasn’t asked in a way that asked for only one simple response! I will surely be finding new answers as I look around me all day long!
*Ancient Songs Sung Anew: the Psalms as Poetry
I found a lovely translation of the psalm for the day in Nan Merrill’s book, Psalms for Praying. The lectionary verses speak very well, I think, to the relationship between the Creator of the universe and God’s stewards – us. I offer it as a thought for the day and bow in humility at God’s generosity even as I am reminded of our responsibility for our Mother Earth.
The Sophia Center for Spirituality 