This Psalm was written to be read Antiphonally in a group. This means the verses are read by two groups alternately. In the middle of each verse there is a pause at the slash for 3 seconds and then the group continues. I love and hate this form of reading. I have to attend to the words so much more and I also have to attend to the people around me:
Together: Today we can be the mother bird that pushes the chick out of the nest. / Today we can be the chick who has to realise they can fly.
- We are alive with a heartbeat that holds our love. / Hear our hearts pound with hope and compassion.
- We have strengths and muscles that drive our will. / Feel the drive of each sinew of your body moving you to where you dream of being.
- We can suffer and shipwrecked in despair. / We dream our way towards better worlds.
- We see a world of suffering and people in despair. / It cries out for action and transformation.
- We can feel our emotions rising up and creating turmoil. / We dampen these feelings with the rationale that action will not help.
- We can search for what drives us and gives us energy./ Can we find what we need to strive for?
- We can judge others for failing us. / We trap ourselves with judgments and so do not act.
- What do we long to change but stop our self from doing? /What do we do but long to change?
- We trap ourselves into inaction because of the risk of failure or rejection. / We can feel hopeless when we try to act on our own.
- We need to turn to our scars and see what they have taught us. / We need to be brave to try despite our falls.
- Can we reach out to others who want to act with us? / Can we move towards our dreams without fear of crashing into the cliffs of failure?
- We can find ways to choir our voices./ Finding the ways to sing with joy and sadness.
- What do we fear and how do we rationalise inaction? / Can we love who we are and can we ask ourselves to change?
- Can we ask ourselves to be fearless beings of will? / Can we ask ourselves to be compassionate?
Together: Every day we can act to be the mother bird that pushes the chick out of the nest. / Every day we can act to be the chick who has to realise they can fly.