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Psalm 27:1, 4-9
Epiphany 3A
The Lectionary is known for chopping up psalms and other passages. Sometimes the reasons are painfully obvious: we need to brush past sentiments about wicked people and pleas for God to deal with them severely. Let’s keep the Jesus who says nice things but bracket out his calling down woes on Chorazin and such. In…
Psalm 40:1-11
Epiphany 2A
Psalm 40 is certainly one of the more curious of the psalms. The first 11 verses (which is all the Lectionary is directing us to) comprise an upbeat song of thanksgiving and praise to God. The psalmist claims to have waited patiently for God to come through for him and then God did. He lifted…
Psalm 29
Epiphany 1A
Last week the Year A Lectionary had us in Psalm 147 where God’s power and presence were depicted as being inside snow storms and icy blasts. This week Psalm 29 makes the same move but shifts the weather to thunderstorms. And if you think God’s awesomeness can be seen in a wintertime blizzard, that’s nothing…
Psalm 147:12-20
Christmas 2A
In Michigan where I live, since Thanksgiving Day we have already endured our share of snow spreading out like wool and some serious icy blasts as well. One good thing about winter is that it gives you a leg up on understanding the various psalms that, like Psalm 147, use winter weather as imagery for…
Psalm 148
Christmas 1A
The first Sunday after Christmas in 2025 is also a mere three days after Christmas Day. By then most of us, if we are honest, are a bit worn out and worn thin by all the holiday hustle and bustle. Good times were had perhaps. Or maybe the holidays were more stressful than good as…
Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19
Advent 4A
Since I have been writing the Psalm sermon commentary for quite a few years now, I find that it seems like I have to write something for Psalm 80 every year. There’s a reason for that feeling: I have been writing on Psalm 80 every year during Advent because the Lectionary assigns it in Years…
Psalm 146:5-10
Advent 3A
However it was that the Virgin Mary composed her Magnificat song as recorded in Luke 1, one thing that is certain is that she had a lot of Old Testament material at her disposal to work from. Particularly she had many apt psalms to draw upon, and Psalm 146 is surely one of them. No…
Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
Advent 2A
In too many places all over the world it has long been the case that some who come into power as kings, presidents, prime ministers, and the like seem to see their power as principally an avenue by which to enrich themselves. Power corrupts, they say, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. And all too often…
Psalm 122
Advent 1A
It may be difficult for us in the modern world and in the era of Christ’s Church to understand Ancient Israel’s attachment to Jerusalem. This city still exists today of course and visiting it is probably always a key destination for all tourists who want to visit “The Holy Land.” There is no denying the…
Psalm 46
Proper 29C
Many of us are old enough to remember that whatever preachers around the world and particularly in the United States had planned to preach on for Sunday September 16, 2001, all that changed after that fateful Tuesday now referred to by the shorthand of 9/11. And so very many of us who preach switched to…
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