Home » Doug Bratt » Authors »
Rev. Douglas Bratt is a Minister of the Word in the Christian Reformed Church in North America. After serving Christian Reformed churches in Iowa, Michigan and Maryland, he retired in July, 2024. He enjoys spending time with his grandchildren, reading good literature, and watching televised sports in his free time.
Doug began writing sermon commentaries for the CEP website in 2006 and started writing weekly in 2012.
Psalm 89:1-4, 19-26
Commentary
Advent 4B
Notes and Observations Most scholars recognize that Psalm 89 is a psalm of lament. Yet the poet devotes most of it to praising God for God’s faithfulness and celebrating God’s covenant with David and his descendants. Even the segment toward which the lectionary directs our attention this week seems reluctant to highlight the lament aspect…
Psalm 147:12-20
Commentary
Christmas 2A
Comments, Observations, and Questions to Consider Psalm 147 is one of the psalter’s five last psalms, each of which begins and ends with a “Hallelu Yah!” It’s hard to imagine a more appropriate way to close God’s people’s hymnbook. In fact, this psalm even basically begins by asserting the fittingness of praise to God. It…
Luke 1:47-55
Commentary
Advent 3B
Notes and Observations While this is obviously not what’s popularly called a psalm, it is Luke’s record of Mary’s song of praise to God upon learning that she’s pregnant by the Holy Spirit with Jesus. Since it’s quite familiar to most worshipers, those who preach and teach Luke 1:47-55 may want to think about some…
Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13
Commentary
Advent 2B
Comments, Observations, and Questions to Consider Psalm 85 is essentially a prayer for God to restore God’s people. It, in fact, uses the word “restore” twice. In verse 1 the poet recalls how God “restored the fortunes of Jacob.” And in verse 4 she pleads, “Restore us again, O God our Savior, and put away…
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Commentary
Advent 1B
Notes and Observations You might think Psalm 80’s poet addresses Yahweh the way you’d address a napping grandfather: Wake up, Grandpa. Listen to me. I need you to help me. Yet the one to whom the psalmist speaks is no drooling, doddering geriatric. The poet clearly thinks of the Lord not only as a shepherd,…
Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14
Commentary
Epiphany C
Comments, Observations, and Questions to Consider One possible exercise for those who preach and teach the psalms is to ask what an “anti” Psalm 72 might look like. Psalm 72 is the poet’s prayer for an (unidentified) king. So like what might its opposite prayer look? For what sorts of things do we naturally ask…
- « Previous
- 1
- …
- 48
- 49
- 50
About Doug Bratt