Fully Known – In our summer look at psalms, today we are considering Psalm 139.  Carol points out that there are many people around our church in apartments, condominiums, hotels, hospitals, and dorms, and she cites research that shows that individuals are often lonely.  As a church, how do we deal with that, not only the loneliness in those people, but also the loneliness of those in our congregation?  Psalm 139, attributed to David, expresses awareness that God knows the psalmist intimately and has known the psalmist, even before his birth.  This is comforting, but the psalm also expresses knowledge that God is always watching, and that can be uncomfortable.  Trying to hide our doubts and things we would rather God doesn’t know can be damaging, but realizing that God does know our innermost thoughts can also be cleansing.  The last part of the psalm expresses the psalmist’s hatred for certain people and things, and since God knows everything about the psalmist, perhaps it is best to confess such feelings and come clean.  The psalmist ends by asking God to keep searching him.  This is a gift of witness we can offer to the lonely, loving each other, holding each other accountable, never forgetting that each of us is completely known and loved by God. 

(NOTE:  Emphasizing the importance of the Word, the video begins with the scripture reading, but if you want, you can scroll back to the beginning of the service in the video – the entire service is available.  NOTE:  There was a technical problem such that about five minutes into the video, the screen and sound go blank, but everything resumes a minute later.)