Irreverently Reverend

  Ordinary Time:  Series on the vows of The United Methodist Church 43  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  44  But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  45  so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.  46  For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?  47  And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the gentiles do the same?  48  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. 6  “Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2  “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as...

  Ordinary Time Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers,  2  but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, and who meditates on his law day and night.  3   That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers.  4  Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away.  5  Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.  6  For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction. (NIV)             My midterm, I think it was, for medieval Latin in my Master of Arts program was to translate this psalm.   I was so thrilled; it’s short, it’s a bit repetitive, it doesn’t have any ridicul...