Psalm 82 is a word from God for the Christians in Gaza, the West Bank, Ukraine, Suddan, Somalia, and other places where wars and genocide are a daily threat.
Psalm 82 is a word from God for innocent Christians imprisoned and persecuted including those in CECOT.
Psalm 82 is a word from God for refugees, who are homeless due to circumstances not of their making, rejected and forgotten by the world, or used in political games.
Psalm 82 is a word from God for those whose basic health care needs are denied and whose illness escalates as a result.
Psalm 82 is a word from God for those who cannot afford food when good food abounds and is regularly dumped.
Psalm 82 is a word from God for those who are targeted and arrested because of the color of their skin.
If we care for any of the people mentioned, Psalm 82 is for us as well as we join in their cries, “Rise up, O God, judge the earth” (Psalm 82:8). Psalm 82 is a psalm for all those who are victims of injustice and those who stand in solidarity with them.
In Psalm 82, God presides over an assembly made up of lesser gods where he judges them for not caring for the poor, the weak, and the needy. Even worse they use their positions of power for their own advantage and don’t grasp what ruin they are causing. Much has been written about who the “gods” are in the first verse, but to focus all our attention on solving this mystery misses an important point. Regardless of where one lands, Psalm 82 is a message for all people who hold power, which I would argue is the vast majority of us. Each of us has spheres of influence whether or not we have an official leadership title. And, therefore, all of us have the responsibility to speak loudly to those who are in leadership and have unjust practices, lest we become complicit.
Prayer of Confession
[This prayer of confession on Psalm 82 is for two readers. Reader one reads the black font, and reader two reads the text from Psalm 82 New Revised Standard Version, which is in the blue font.]
Rise up, O God, judge the earth.
God has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
“How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?”
Almighty God, we join with you in asking this question of those in power:
“How long will you defend the unjust?
How long until you see the destruction you are causing,
the trauma that is being exacted on the lives of innocent people?
All for what?
Adding yet more money to your already overflowing bank accounts?
For more prestige and power?”
Even while we cry out, we wonder,
“Are we innocent in all of this?
This is what you ask of us:
Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
Almighty God, forgive us.
Forgive us for the times we have failed to do
the very thing you have asked of us.
Forgive us for saying that we desire to be your faithful follower,
and then hoarding our riches
and failing to offer support where it is needed.
[The gods] have neither knowledge nor understanding;
they walk around in darkness;
all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
Forgive us for our complicity.
For choosing not to know.
For choosing not to see.
For choosing not to hear.
For living in our own darkness.
Forgive us for not calling to account those in power.
For not shining a light on their acts.
I say, “You are gods,
children of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, you shall die like mortals
and fall like any prince.”
Almighty God, help us to recognize our own mortality.
Remind those in power of their mortality—
that one day we will all die
and will stand before you to give an account of our lives.
Then you will ask us, “what have you done for the least of these?”
Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
for all the nations belong to you!
May your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen.
[Silence]
Assurance of Pardon:
Our Almighty God offers us these words of assurance, not to let us off the hook so that we can go back to our unjust ways but as our source of hope:
Hope for a new day when all will be well.
Hope for us as we work to bring about God’s kingdom of justice on this earth as it is in heaven.
Hear now God’s words of assurance and forgiveness from the prophet Isaiah:
Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake their ways
and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
—Isaiah 55: 6-7, New International Version
Call to Holy Living
Having experienced God’s judgment and grace, let us commit to live as he has commanded. Hear again God’s call on our lives from Psalm 82.
Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
Song of Commitment: “See My Hands and Feet” Bringle