Saturday Donuts

Dear Sutton and Savannah, 

Sometimes life feels very complicated and cluttered. Kind of like waking up on a Saturday morning and thinking this would be a good day to clean out the garage, or organize the basement, or downsize the contents of all the closets. And then you walk into the garage and it feels so overwhelming that you walk right back into the kitchen and have two more donuts. Working on the inner life can sometimes feel the same way. I might suggest not trying to do everything at once. Instead, focus on a couple of things that will help you feel like you are making progress. Then have another donut.

-Dad

Inside Out Lectionary Letters

Year A - Proper 5 (Texts, Art, Hymns)

Readings for Sunday, June 7, 2026

Genesis 12:1-9 / Psalm 50:7-15 / Romans 4:13-25 / Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26

Psalm 50:7-15: Scripture as a Mirror of the Soul

Psalm 50 is unusual because the Divine is the speaker. The voice that emerges is powerful, expansive, and entirely self-sufficient. God reminds the people that every creature, every mountain, and every resource already belongs to the Divine. Nothing is lacking. Nothing needs to be supplied through sacrifice. The divine Voice almost sounds amused by the idea that human beings could somehow provide something that God lacks.

This creates an important question. If God does not need our offerings, then what does God desire? The answer is surprisingly simple:

“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and honor your vows” (v. 14).

Gratitude and honesty. Not performance. Not perfection. Not endless striving. Gratitude and honesty. These two qualities are among the most transformative forces in the inner life.

Psalm 50 carries forward the same theme of gratitude as was found in last week’s Psalm reading. Gratitude does not deny grief, disappointment, anger, or fear. It simply widens our perspective. It reminds us that even in seasons of struggle there are gifts, relationships, moments of beauty, and traces of grace that remain present.

Honesty performs a similar function. It invites us to stop pretending. It loosens the grip of image management, self-deception, and unrealistic expectations. Honest people can establish healthy boundaries because they are no longer fighting to maintain an illusion. Honest people become trustworthy because they are willing to live in reality. The inner journey moves forward when we are willing to see ourselves clearly and compassionately.

Perhaps the deepest surprise of this psalm is that these expectations do not arise from an authoritarian demand, but from a voice that seeks our wholeness. We often project our fears, insecurities, and rigid standards onto God. But Psalm 50 suggests a different possibility. What if grace means that the Divine is continually projecting the values of the Kingdom—gratitude, honesty, freedom, and trust—onto the human soul? If so, the path toward joy may not be found in acquiring more, achieving more, or sacrificing more. It may begin with a shift in perspective. Gratitude and honesty simplify the inner world. And when the inner world changes, the outer world is often transformed as well.