Psalm 99 Sermon Commentary
Transfiguration Sunday
The Lectionary gives us two choices for a psalm lection on Transfiguration Sunday in Year A. Both Psalm 2 and Psalm 99 work the same side of the street in terms of celebrating God as the ultimate King and then also the kings of Israel in Jerusalem who are God’s chosen representatives, who serve as…
Psalm 112:1-9 (10) Sermon Commentary
Epiphany 5A
It’s never terribly clear to me just what it means when the Revised Common Lectionary puts a single verse in parentheses. It’s the final verse, verse 10, of Psalm 112 that gets that treatment. Maybe it’s meant to say “Include it in your sermon or don’t—it’s up to you.” They are not skipping that verse…
Psalm 15 Sermon Commentary
Epiphany 4A
It’s a pretty tall order spiritually speaking. The job description for the person who can dwell in God’s sacred place stacks up pretty fast and in the end sketches an ideal and nearly perfect person. Indeed, when we read this, the thought all-but inevitably occurs to us that really, the only person who ever fit…
Psalm 27:1, 4-9 Sermon Commentary
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 Sermon Commentary
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 Sermon Commentary
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 Sermon Commentary
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 Sermon Commentary
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 Sermon Commentary
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…
Sermon Commentary Library
Our weekly sermon commentaries are Lectionary-based, which across its three-year cycle, encompass a vast array of biblical texts. Filter the Sermon Commentary Library to search Scripture texts by book and chapter to find commentary, illustrations, and reflections to spark ideas.
Looking for something else? View our Heidelberg Catechism sermon resources and our Reformed Connections to the RCL section that traces Lectionary texts to specific parts of the Heidelberg Catechism and the Belgic Confession.