Bible Commentary Index

In the opening verses of Genesis, God exhibits a certain creative style.

The major obstacle in this text is getting past the first verse.

Both the Old and New Testament texts focus on "firsts."

It is easy to miss the wonder of a well-known biblical passage.

"Community" and "relationship" are "in words" in current environmental and creational discussions.¹  All creatures of God constitute a community in relationship.

This text (Genesis 2 and 3) marks the beginning of the nine-month narrative lectionary.

The Old Testament lectionary texts for the six Sundays of Lent each year typically touch on selected high points in the story of God and Israel.

Context means everything.

It could very well be that the familiarity of this passage breeds contempt, or at least, a desire to investigate the other lectionary texts for this Sunday!

The book of Genesis begins with two different but complementary stories of God's creation of the world.

Reading the Genesis 3 text in light of Jesus' confrontations with people who thought he was "out of his mind," focuses our attention on expectations about the relationships between God and humans, and humans and creation.

Like the charming tales in Kipling's Jungle Book, the stories in Genesis 3-11 originally tried to answer age-old questions such as: Why is childbirth painful?

The story of Noah and the flood is one of those biblical narratives that we are so familiar with we think we know the whole story.

What does it mean for God to give an eternal promise to every creature, including the animals, the birds, and the earth?

The promise to Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 12:1-4 marks one of the most dramatic transitions in the entire story of the Old Testament.

Something that all the cultures of the world share is ancestor stories.

What could God possibly do to counter the spread of sin that dominated the story in Genesis 3 through 11?

The brevity of this text belies its theological weight: in just six verses, we have messages about the reliability and timing of God’s promises, lessons about prayer, and a verse so packed with import that it is quoted in two New Testament passages as a lynchpin for understanding the relationship between faith and works.

In Genesis 1-11, the LORD struggled with all humanity to redeem a sinful and violent world. Beginning in Genesis 12, the LORD tried a new approach.

To understand the divine promises to Abraham here in Genesis 15, it is helpful to step back and look at what has been happening in Genesis up to this point.

The language found in the opening verse of the chapter shapes the reader's perception of Abram.

A name is a powerful thing.

God's promises are the central feature of the Abrahamic story.

When I was a child, one of my family’s common dinner prayers was, “Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let this food to us be blessed.”

This passage (Genesis 18:1-10) has literally become iconic: the fifteenth century Russian icon by Andrey Rublev that depicts the three visitors to Abraham as a type of the Holy Trinity appears as a now-familiar image everywhere from mouse pads to refrigerator magnets.

Introduction

The assigned story for this week in the narrative lectionary might be termed the Old Testament version of the Christmas story.

Last week we read about the wonderful promises God made to Abram (Gen 12:1-3). A major theme in the stories of Genesis 12-50 is how God overcomes obstacles in order to keep these promises.

Whenever we think about or talk about God, there is a wonderful tension between certainty and mystery.

What I love about this passage is the way in which Abraham appeals to God's better nature, as one does when one is trying to persuade someone with power to do the right thing.

This continuation of Genesis 21:1-7 describes the conflict in Abraham's family caused by Isaac's birth.

The near-sacrifice of Isaac, or the Akedah as it is called in the Jewish tradition, is a narrative filled with narrative suspense.

"Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him." This protest from heaven halts Abraham in the horrific act of slaughtering his own son.

Genesis 24 constitutes an expansive narrative regarding the quest of finding a wife for Isaac.

What appears to be a simple account of an arranged marriage turns out to be the intersection of several faith journeys.

Our lectionary text for today starts with the reference that Rebecca was barren, and that after her husband Isaac prayed for her, she conceived (verse 21).

God may be commonly associated with the gifts of peace and unity, but this story of the struggle between Jacob and his brother, Esau, highlights family conflict as a context within which God also works.

In the lectionary reading for today, we encounter Jacob on the way. Jacob is portrayed as a fugitive fleeing for his life; a vagabond somewhere between a conflict-ridden past and an uncertain future.

Jacob finds himself all alone at nightfall. He is on the run from his brother Esau because of a blessing.

Genesis 29:15-28 is small slice of a much larger story.

Our text for this week is a continuation of the story of Jacob.

In Genesis 32, Jacob and his family have finally left the homestead of his father-in-law Laban who is responsible for much of Jacob's present circumstances:

The story of Jacob's wrestling with the angel provides an embarrassment of riches for homiletical possibilities.

The story in Genesis 32 about the wrestling match between Jacob and God is one of the key texts for understanding the character of Jacob.

In our text for today, sibling rivalry comes close to murder and sets in motion a chain of events that occupy the rest of the book of Genesis (chapters 37-50).

In our text for today, sibling rivalry comes close to murder and sets in motion a chain of events that occupy the rest of the book of Genesis (chapters 37-50).

The story of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 37-50 is a story of jealousy and sibling rivalry...

Introduction: The Context of Joseph's Story

The story of Joseph (Genesis 37, 39-50) is one of the longest sustained narratives in the Old Testament, and is the longest in the Book of Genesis.

The story of Joseph's reunion with his brothers is among the most tender in the scriptures.

The text for today describes a moving scene of reconciliation, the self-revelation of Joseph to the brothers who sold him into slavery many years before, and gives us the theological lens through which to view the whole story of Joseph.

Coming at the end of the Joseph narrative, this episode in which Joseph's brothers seek his forgiveness is not as straightforward as it seems.

Jacob showed special favor to his young son Joseph, the child of his old age (Genesis 37:3).

Introduction: A Sprawling Story -- The Exodus

This week's assigned narrative lectionary text is a big, sprawling story -- the story of the Exodus, plus a few verses from the start of the Wilderness story.

These first verses of Exodus use concise prose to set a tragic scene of oppression.

Exodus 1:8 -- 10: From Welcomed Guests to Suspected Terrorists

Who Sees the Burning Bush?
The burning bush scene in this chapter of Exodus is surely among the top ten best known biblical stories.

Exodus 3:1-6: Coming Home--A Mountain, a Bush and the Call of Moses

The book of Exodus begins with all 70 members of Jacob's family living as immigrants in the land of Egypt.

The Passover narrative in Exodus is intriguing and frightening.

Passover in the Old Testament is at the heart of the Exodus experience.

This Passover text is appointed for Maundy Thursday each year.

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday of Holy Week.

The church should reclaim the Passover.

The Past Becomes Present: The Ritual of Passover

This fourth semi-continuous selection from the Book of Exodus focuses on what most people mean by the Exodus: the escape from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea.

Just as the central New Testament story of Jesus' death and resurrection comes to us in four different versions (the four Gospels), so the central Old Testament story of the exodus and Red Sea event in Exodus 14-15 comes to us in three different versions that have been woven together and placed alongside one another.

What does it mean to know God?

Give us this day our daily bread...and meat.

"Whine, whine, whine.... Complain, complain, complain. That's all the Israelites do."

Exodus 16 has many themes that speak to Christians today--grumbling by the people of God, good provision by God, and the importance of Sabbath rest.

In this week's text, we continue journeying with the Israelites in Exodus' narrative of the wilderness trek.

I never fully appreciated the Hebrews grumbling in Exodus until two years ago when given the opportunity to journey through the Sinai wilderness on a Middle East travel seminar.

Exodus 17 records the fourth occurrence of "complaining" by the Israelites in the early days after the exodus from Egypt.

This elegant story is, first and foremost, a dual commentary on human nature and divine character.

During the four years that I was a student at Luther Seminary I can recall only one assignment which involved memorization of Scripture. In his course on the Pentateuch, Professor John Milton required us to memorize Exodus 19:4-6.

This week's lectionary text is a bit daunting. The Ten Commandments!

Exodus 19:1 states that "on the third new moon after the Israelites had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai."

God creates and recreates us, God calls us and names us.

Biblical law remains on the front pages, both in church and society.

"Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel.

Exodus 24:12--18 has shaped the traditions of transfiguration that we find in the Synoptic Gospels. Placed on Transfiguration Sunday, this passage, which describes Moses' encounter with the Lord on Mount Sinai, brings the season of Epiphany to conclusion. Thus, in this season of reflection upon God's manifestation and incarnation, today's lesson brings us to the place of revelation--God's holy mountain--where heaven meets earth and humans encounter the divine.

In the prelude to the story of the Golden Calf, Moses has led the Israelites out of their slavery in Egypt through the wilderness to Mount Sinai, "the mountain of God" (Exodus 24:13).

With the golden calf narrative, preachers have an opportunity to explore with their congregations the stunning, and even surprising, character of God and God's way with the world.

Tell me, whose side are you standing on? I'm standing on the Lord's side. Whose side are you standing on? Standing on the Lord's side. I stand, I stand, I stand, I stand...

A Commentary on Human Nature

We are entering this Sunday right into the midst of an ongoing argument between Moses and God about the shape of God's relationship with the newly formed people of Israel.

In Exodus 32:1-14, Moses appeared calm and collected as he successfully negotiated with God on top of Mount Sinai to save the Israelites from God's anger about the golden calf.

In the Protestant lectionary, Transfiguration Sunday stands at the juncture between Epiphany and Lent, and as such, offers a glimpse forward to the Easter Season and the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ.

Preachers really should talk about Leviticus, since it can cause great confusion and division among Christians.

The lectionary from Leviticus begins with the familiar Levitical refrain: "You shall be holy, for I the LORD am holy" (19:2b).

For additional lectionary resources on the assigned texts for Reformation Sunday, please see the Craft of Preaching articles.

The year begins with a benediction!

These verses stand near the beginning of part II of Israel's time of wandering in the wilderness, having just departed from Mt. Sinai (10:11-36:13; see Exodus 15:22-18:27 for part I).

The book of Numbers can be a theological quagmire.

The text for today doesn't seem like altogether good news.

"You have lacked nothing!" (Deuteronomy 2:7).

Moses will never enter the land of promise.

Psalm 119:97 proclaims: "Oh, how I love your law!"

This week we're talking about Law, and we have in our reading two texts that loom large in both Christian and Jewish theology: the Ten Commandments (obviously Law) and the Shema (more on that in a minute).

There's no denying that Jesus was a good Jew.

Chapter 6 begins a new unit in Deuteronomy that runs until 11:32.

I grew up in a home wherein virtually every room contained a publicly displayed Bible verse.

Prophets are a rather complicated gift.

Where are the prophets today? Who speaks for God?

The text for this week comes at the end of a well-fashioned legal corpus in Deuteronomy (chapters 12-26).

Many Christians today seem to assume that keeping God’s law is impossible.

The single-minded focus on the law in the book of Deuteronomy can too easily be summed up into catch phrases.

"See I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity..."

The majestic speech of Deuteronomy nears its conclusion in this stirring exhortation.

Time flies.

For additional lectionary resources on the assigned texts for Reformation Sunday, please see the Craft of Preaching articles.

The story of the crossing of the Jordan highlights the authorization of Joshua's leadership and demonstrates that sustained attentiveness to sacred tradition is foundational for Israel's cultural identity.

For additional lectionary resources on the assigned texts for All Saints, please see the Craft of Preaching articles.

Even though the Old Testament reading for this week is brief, it plays a critical role within the book of Joshua.

Bondage to a lie, or freedom's integrity.

Martin Luther King Jr. begins his autobiography by stating,

The closing address in the book of Joshua is a brilliant example of ancient Israelite rhetoric.

This Old Testament lesson has been excerpted from the second farewell speech of Joshua (see Joshua 23 for the first farewell speech).

Women's Work

Judges 4:1-7 introduces two biblical chapters which focus on Deborah, in the form of a story (4) and a song (5). These materials are interesting for a number of reasons.

Deborah is among the most prestigious female leaders in the Old Testament and her exemplary leadership may provide encouragement to lay and ordained female leaders in the church today.

The Old Testament readings for this week and next come from Ruth.  The selections seem designed to evoke the whole short book.

Ruth is a story of biblical proportions including everything from famine, widows, gleaning in the fields, levirate marriage, and justice at the gate to the birth of children of destiny.

This week, we have as our text the first chapter of the book of Ruth, which gives us a good taste of the whole story, but just a taste.

This week's reading concludes the book of Ruth, which was begun last week.  The prescribed passages appear to be representative of the book overall, and especially this week preachers must fill in the gaps.

After taking up Ruth 1:1-18 in the Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost, the lectionary now skips to 3:1-5 and 4:13-17.

Hannah: The woman who gives voice to suffering

The first chapter of 1 Samuel presents itself as a watershed moment in the history of Israel.

A mother's prayer results in an unlikely beginning to kingship.

At first glance this text about Samuel's early years seems not to provide many resources for preaching and teaching.

The narrative of the calling of Samuel is replete with irony and foreshadowing.

What does it mean to be called by God?

"We Want a King!"

It's hard to find a headline during this campaign season in which candidates, politicians, and special interest groups are not demanding "radical" change in the way things are done in America.

While promise, covenant and anointing have become exalted terms in both Jewish and Christian traditions, ancient Israelites perhaps had a more realistic view of what they entailed.

In 1 Samuel 15, Samuel denounces King Saul for violating the rules of Holy War by sparing the king of the Amalekites and keeping booty from Israel's war against them.

¹The name David occurs more often than any other human name -- more often than Abraham, or Moses, or Jacob, or Joseph.

In the tradition in which I was raised, Bible study material often tried to present a "Central Bible Truth" for each lesson--the one thing that the biblical text said was important to "take home."

One of the primary messages of this story is that God is (yet again) providing for the welfare of the people,

The story of David slaying Goliath, violent though it is, has been used for generations to open the imagination of children to the LORD's power.

The lectionary's desire to include the story of David and Goliath in the Sunday lessons is made difficult by the length of the story in the Bible.

David's lament over the deaths of Saul and Jonathan, a fine example of Hebrew poetry, is a particularly difficult text to preach, for this convergence of difficultly intertwined relationships lacks any reference to the LORD.

The second half of 1 Samuel recounts the contest between Saul and David.

This pericope focuses on David's coronation and capture of Jerusalem.

David was anointed to be king three times.

Since the pulp-patron saint of archaeologists, Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr., appeared on the cinematic scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1984), the ark of God has played a role in popular imagination beyond the pages of Scripture and the walls of any synagogue or church.¹

Over the next three weeks, we move from a "yes-but" narrative (2 Samuel 6) to a "YES!" narrative (2 Samuel 7) to a "NO!" narrative (2 Samuel 11).

Royal hope and an undisturbed place

The opening chapters of 2 Samuel describe protracted and bloody conflict over kingship between David and Saul's son Ishbaal, assisted by their respective armies.

Within David's checkered story (a patchwork of triumph and downfall) comes a pivotal glimpse into the Lord's relationship with David, Israel, and ultimately all of history by way of the promise of an eternal 'house.'

"I am living in a house of cedar, but the Lord lives in a tent."

The opening clause of 2 Samuel 7 sets up a tension that is explored throughout the chapter.

David wishes to build a temple-house, but instead, God builds a greater dynasty-house.

Every week, a small group of seminarians and professors meet at a local watering hole here in Dubuque to talk theology and enjoy a beer.

The preacher needs to plan carefully how to allocate the segments of the David and Bathsheba narrative over the next two weeks.

The lectionary gives us only the terse conclusion to the lengthy and dramatic episode preceding Nathan’s parable.

Judgment rings out loud and clear in God's displeasure, in Nathan's sermon, in David's confession, and perhaps also in our own reactions to the text.

To make sense of the lectionary text, we have to back up to the beginning of Chapter 11: the story of David and Bathsheba.

On one level it is obvious: this is a story about David's sin. God knows it.

The tension of this text begins with the enigmatic order of David to his commanders: "'Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom'" (5a).

The long, violent conflict between David and Absalom has finally run its course.

The narrator of 2 Samuel 23:1-7 tells us that these verses contain "the last words of David."

Whether these "last words" of David were spoken by the king himself or composed by a later supporter of the monarchy (as most scholars believe), their purpose is clear:

The Old Testament readings for this week and next week both feature prayers of King Solomon.

"What would you wish for if you could wish for anything?"

Today's Old Testament lesson is the famous text where Solomon asks God for wisdom.

It would certainly be easy to preach this week's lectionary text as offering contemporary believers a model of faithful prayer.

At the height of Israel's success as a monarchy, King Solomon stops and prays.

It was common in the ancient Near East for kings (in imitation of the gods in the mythic tradition) to erect a temple early in their reign, and for very good reasons.

Like last week's reading from Kings, this week's selection also features a prayer uttered by King Solomon.

Having been introduced to King Solomon in last week's reading, we meet him now eleven years later, as he finishes the work for which he is perhaps best remembered:

Last year’s lectionary cycle included longer selections from 1 Kings 8, at the heart of which is Solomon’s prayer at the dedication of the Jerusalem temple (1 Kings 8:[1, 6, 10-11] 22-30, 41-43).

Elijah and a Phoenician widow find themselves in serious trouble.

On the surface, 1 Kings 17:8-16 tells a familiar story of a prophet who performs miracles.

"Do not be afraid."

Chapter 17 of 1 Kings begins a series of stories about the prophet Elijah and his successor, Elisha.

Sometimes God's provision comes in the most unlikely of places and by means of the most unlikely of people.

How do we know that Elijah is really a “man of God”?

The wheels almost come off the wagon of the bold narrative known as the Elijah cycle, when the boy dies unexpectedly.

450 v. 1 is truly no contest.

Elijah is tired, discouraged, suicidal, and God is with the prophet.

The story of Elijah told in 1 Kings 19 is both comically tragic and awesomely powerful.

This Old Testament reading ranks among the most famous of Old Testament texts.

Elijah's story lends itself well to preaching, with plenty of miraculous deeds and his challenge of the ungodly authority of Ahab and Jezebel.

Elijah's story lends itself well to preaching, with plenty of miraculous deeds and his challenge of the ungodly authority of Ahab and Jezebel.

Elijah has had a good run, literally and figuratively.

1 Kings 19 begins with Elijah fleeing, not only from Ahab and Jezebel, but also from his place of ministry and the struggles it entails.

The call of Elisha is not like other prophetic call narratives in the Old Testament.

At first glance this passage appears as a story of how Elisha becomes a prophet and succeeds in Elijah's position.

“I don’t preach a social gospel; I preach the Gospel, period. The gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ is concerned for the whole person. When people were hungry, Jesus didn’t say, ‘Now is that political or social?’ He said, ‘I feed you.’ Because the good news to a hungry person is bread.” – Bishop Desmond Tutu.

The story of Naboth's vineyard, a tale of a wealthy and powerful person (Ahab) who oppresses (to the point of death) a less wealthy and powerful person (Naboth) who is simply seeking to do the right, is rich in lessons for our world today.

Transition is never easy.

The story of Elijah's ascent into heaven by way of fiery horses and chariot on a heavenly whirlwind is a text with many boundary-crossings: the geographic crossing of the River Jordan, the passage of the prophetic mantle from one generation to the next, and the seeming rip in the fabric between earth and heaven.

The book of Kings almost teases readers about the succession from Elijah to Elisha.

The opening verse of this pericope hints at the focus of the following narrative, reminding the reader that everything that follows must be read in light of the end of the story.

Only two verses long, this lectionary selection is obviously -- and notably -- quite short!

Today's reading is one of two back-to-back but separate stories of Elisha providing food for his disciples.

Set amidst international politics is a remarkable story about healing, humility, and universalism, which centers around the character of Naaman.

Last fall, the wife of a good friend and colleague was diagnosed with lymphoma.

Healing seems to be the big take away from the story of Naaman.

This delightfully pesky story of the healing of Naaman the Aramean by Elisha the prophet of Israel is a story of border-crossings, whereby the Lord works in mysterious ways -- unwelcome by anyone, ancient or modern, who wants the Lord to observe humanity's boundaries, and welcome by those finding themselves at the margins or on the outside.

The text this week centers on a common theme: the faith of a servant acted out on foreign soil.

In the eighteenth year of King Josiah, the king sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, son of Meshullam, the secretary, to the house of the LORD. . . (2 Kings 22:3)

I challenge you: If you do not choose to preach on Nehemiah 8, then let this passage inspire you to preach on the Torah.

If you haven't ever read the book of Esther, read it now.

Esther is a strange and difficult book for several reasons, first and foremost because it is apparently non-theological.

We enter this week into one of the most difficult and theologically sophisticated books of the Old Testament: the book of Job.

During the month of October (Pentecost 18-21), we are treated to a rare opportunity--a run through the book of Job, in shorthand.

Notes for a six-week preaching series on Job.

Handel Had It Right

Job sits on an ash heap, bereft of children and wealth, covered by painful sores and surrounded by three "friends" who tell him that it's all his fault.

The last line of Job 2:1-10 (last week's first reading, 18 Pentecost) reckons Job's behavior, above all his speech, as righteousness:

Like George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, Job responds to his troubles by wishing he had never been born (Job 3).

"Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers," drawled Garth Brooks.

The book of Job, like the lament psalms, serves to keep us honest.

I remember well the first time I read the speeches of God in the book of Job.

We have walked with Job the last few weeks through the book that bears his name. This week we read the final chapter of the book and find out what becomes of Job in the end.

In some ways I kind of hate the ending of Job, at least the very, very end.

Albeit an unlikely starting point, the place to begin any discussion of this short psalm is at the poem’s end:
            for the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
            but the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalm 1:6, NRSV)

Drinking Deeply from the Psalms: Notes (and hymns) for a six-part preaching series on the Psalms.

"Why do they keep messing with my Bible?"

How fascinating: the book of Psalms, the prayer book of the Bible, the hymnal of ancient Israel, opens with a poem about ethics, lifestyle, and decisions.

How fascinating: the book of Psalms, the prayer book of the Bible, the hymnal of ancient Israel, opens with a poem about ethics, lifestyle, and decisions.

How fascinating: the book of Psalms, the prayer book of the Bible, the hymnal of ancient Israel, opens with a poem about ethics, lifestyle, and decisions.

Psalm 2 does little to contradict the common stereotype that "the God of the Old Testament" is a deity overflowing with wrath.

[Thank you to the members of the South Carolina Synod (ELCA) Commission on Inclusiveness for your reflections on this Psalm. Your shared wisdom is embedded in these comments.]

Psalm 4 is good for what ails you.

Psalm 8 is a hymn of praise.

James Limburg has described Psalm 8 as "a psalm for stargazers"¹ and indeed, it is that. But even more, this is a psalm for soul searchers.

A problem with our hearing of Psalm 8, as with so many other biblical texts, may be our affluence.

A problem with our hearing of Psalm 8, as with so many other biblical texts, may be our affluence.

"Are We Alone?" asks the December 2009 issue of National Geographic, against the backdrop of a sky billowing with stars.

A problem with our hearing of Psalm 8, as with so many other biblical texts, may be our affluence.

Our question was, “How do we get into this place?”

¹LORD, who may dwell in your tabernacle? Who may abide upon your holy hill?

The opening verse of Psalm 15, asking who can be admitted to worship at the tabernacle/temple, makes for a daunting introduction to this "entrance liturgy" psalm.¹

A Response to the First Reading

The opening verse of Psalm 15, asking who can be admitted to worship at the tabernacle/temple, makes for a daunting introduction to this "entrance liturgy" psalm.¹

In recent years, Psalms scholarship has been inclined to attend more carefully to the sequencing of the poems.

If you are preaching on the Gospel text -- and its doom and gloom End Times themes -- then there might not be too much to back you up here in Psalm 16.

Psalm 16 is a very problematic psalm, and for a gaggle of reasons:

A Response to the First Reading

Psalm 16 is a very problematic psalm, and for a gaggle of reasons:

Some scholars rather rashly declare Psalm 19 to be not one but two distinct Psalms, one on the glory of creation, the second on the goodness of the Torah.

Psalm 19 offers plenty of useful avenues of engagement. Indeed, it presents the interpreter with an embarrassment of options.

Preaching on a text about preaching is no small task.

Preaching on a text about preaching is no small task.

C. S. Lewis called Psalm 19 "the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world."¹

The lectionary tries to steal this psalm from us, but we don't need to let it.

Psalm 22 is a prayer of complaint that, perhaps more than any psalm, serves as a link between the Old Testament and the story of Jesus' passion.

This is one of the Bible's saddest texts, appropriately read by Christians on Good Friday, the saddest day of the church year.

This is one of the Bible's saddest texts, appropriately read by Christians on Good Friday, the saddest day of the church year. I find myself emotionally drawn into the agony of the speaker, and I also experience the speaker's joy as he celebrates his rescue and prospect for the future.

The Psalter lection includes portions of the two major components of an individual lament/complaint.

If we follow the lectionary reading for this Sunday, we enter Psalm 22 right in the middle of an anguished scream.

Psalm 22 is a familiar psalm to most of us.

The final verses of Psalm 22 provide us with a wonderful hymn of praise.

How odd is it, during Easter, to return to the Psalm of Good Friday, the chilling scream of the crucifixion?

How odd is it, during Easter, to return to the Psalm of Good Friday, the chilling scream of the crucifixion?

Notice this Psalm’s emphasis on our active Lord.

Psalm 23 is classified as an Individual Psalm of Thanksgiving.

Psalm 23 is one of the best-known and most often-quoted passages in the Bible.

Everybody knows Psalm 23. In an era of increasing biblical illiteracy, this is an encouraging sign.

Psalm 23 is classified as an Individual Psalm of Thanksgiving.

The 23rd Psalm is a perennial favorite.

Everybody knows Psalm 23. In an era of increasing biblical illiteracy, this is an encouraging sign.

Psalm 23 is classified as an Individual Psalm of Thanksgiving.

The 23rd Psalm is a perennial favorite.

Like Psalm 46, last week's psalm, Psalm 24 is related to Jerusalem (see Psalm 46, Reformation Sunday).

Psalm 24 is an entrance liturgy.

The first lesson makes it clear that God will neither require children to pay for the sins of their parents nor allow them to rest satisfied in their parents' goodness; rather, God will judge each person according to his or her own deeds: righteous or wicked.

The Good Samaritan text for this Sunday is the equivalent of a fastball right down the middle, and most preachers will want to take a swing at it!

Psalm 25 is the reading for the first Sunday in Lent, the season in which Christians prepare themselves for the passion of Jesus.

A Response to the First Reading

Psalm 25:1-10 appears three times in the Revised Common Lectionary:

Psalm 25 is one of those Psalms which seems to lend itself less toward commentary and more toward verbalization.

Psalm 26 is a sturdy prayer that can be prayed by any individual at any time.

Psalm 27 is classified as an Individual Lament.

Pastors regularly point to the psalms when people feel angry with God or despair of God's goodness.

Though it is impossible to know what tune accompanied Psalm 29 in its original recitations, the rhythms of its many repeated phrases convey a sense of musicality on their own.

The Bible speaks often of the effective power of the word of God.

Psalm 29 is a call to worship, not only by the assembled congregation in the Jerusalem Temple, but also by the angels in God's heavenly court.

There are a number of directions that the interpreter of psalm 29 could take.

There are a number of directions that the interpreter of Psalm 29 could take.

Psalm 29 is a call to worship, not only by the assembled congregation in the Jerusalem Temple, but also by the angels in God's heavenly court.

Psalm 30 is a song of thanksgiving. That label is appropriate for two reasons.

In his article, “Psalms in Narrative Performance,” Walter Brueggemann writes about making generic Psalms concrete: “To re-narratize the Psalms is to protest against vacuous generalization and to focus on concreteness wherein real people live real lives of agony and ecstasy.”¹

Psalm 30 frames the struggles of the life of faith within a glorious edifice: the Jerusalem Temple, a powerful cultural icon that "narrates" the faith of the believing community, the enduring presence of God, and the inviolability of God's promises to Israel.

From Mourning to Morning

Psalm 30 frames the struggles of the life of faith within a glorious edifice: the Jerusalem Temple, a powerful cultural icon that "narrates" the faith of the believing community, the enduring presence of God, and the inviolability of God's promises to Israel.

Psalm 30 is an Individual Psalm of Thanksgiving.

For centuries, Christians have found the book of Psalms to be a powerful resource for all dimensions of life -- the highs, the lows, and all the places in between.

The last words that Jesus spoke from the cross, according to Luke, were taken from this psalm:

Three psalms in particular have served as a treasure trove of evocative imagery for the Gospel writers’ renditions of the crucifixion.

If your congregation plans to highlight the Sunday of the Passion (instead of Palm Sunday), spending some time with this Psalm will benefit your preaching.

The Psalms enrich preaching during Holy Week and Easter, even if few preachers base an entire sermon on the Psalms.

We enter Holy Week hearing "Hosannas" from the crowd and move from triumphal entry into Jerusalem to the cross of humiliation.

The Psalms enrich preaching during Holy Week and Easter, even if few preachers base an entire sermon on the Psalms.

The Pursuit of Happiness

Long before the insights from contemporary psychology concerning repression, biofeedback loops, and psychosomatic disorders, the ancient psalmist knew very clearly that unacknowledged and unresolved guilt could have serious physical consequences.

In Christian tradition, Psalm 32 has long been classified as one of the seven "penitential psalms," which are often read during the liturgical season of Lent.

Three of the readings for this Sunday, including Psalm 32, speak of sin and forgiveness.

The Hebrew Psalter is a marvelous resource for a living response to the God who has created us and redeems us in Jesus Christ.

God Watches. We Wait.

God is Great, God is Good

Music has a way of provoking memories of events long forgotten.

Psalm 34 is classified as an Individual Hymn of Thanksgiving.

Psalm 34 is classified as an Individual Hymn of Thanksgiving.

⁹Fear the LORD, you saints of the LORD, for those who fear the LORD lack nothing.

Last Sunday's Psalm lection (34:1-8) contained some of the typical features of individual Psalms of Thanksgiving, where a worshiper invites others to praise God (verses 1-3) for an act of personal deliverance (verses 4, 6).

¹⁵15The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and God's ears are open to their cry.

With the concluding verses of Psalm 34, the author has returned to the subject matter with which he began, namely the suffering from which God delivered him (verse 4).

One could go in a variety of directions in preaching on this psalm.

Written as an acrostic poem, approximately every other line in Psalm 37 begins with a successive letter of the twenty-two letter Hebrew alphabet.

A dear relative once told me, "You know, people don't have good sense until they get old."

Psalm 40, classified as an Individual Lament, consists of two seemingly distinct parts, verses 1-10 and verses 11-17, suggesting to many scholars that two originally separate psalms were joined at some point to form a single psalm.

An Initial Decision: Psalm 43?  Or Psalm 42/43?

Psalm 43, in its canonical placement, is actually the final third of a longer poem which makes up all of Psalm 42-43.¹

The good news of Psalm 46 is essentially the same as that of last week's psalm (see Psalm 91:9-16, Twenty first Sunday after Pentecost) -- that is, God is "with us."

"A Mighty Fortress is Our God" -- the hymn, which according to Ulrich Leupold, "more than any other epitomizes Luther's thought and personal experience" -- is a rather free paraphrase of Psalm 46.

Psalm 46 is a song of trust in Yahweh.

"Ein feste burg ist unser Gott..." is the original, German phrase that opens Martin Luther's famous hymn.

"A Mighty Fortress is Our God"--the hymn, which according to Ulrich Leupold, "more than any other epitomizes Luther's thought and personal experience"--is a rather free paraphrase of Psalm 46.

Since ancient times Psalm 47 has been used for worship.

“The One Who Dies with the Most Toys Wins.”

Lifestyles of the Rich and Ransomed

The chosen portion of Psalm 50 is rich with the light imagery that is common to all of the lectionary selections for Transfiguration Sunday.

How do you respond to the words, "The boss would like to set up a meeting with you?"

Psalm 51 is classified as an individual lament in which a single voice cries out to God for deliverance from a life-threatening situation.

Psalm 51 is one of the most common psalms recited by Protestant Christians.

Psalm 51 is, by any measure, one of the best-known and most often read penitential texts in the canon, and, as such, presents both opportunities and challenges for the interpreter.

A single voice speaks to us in this text.

Psalm 51 is, by any measure, one of the best-known and most often read penitential texts in the canon, and, as such, presents both opportunities and challenges for the interpreter.

Our brothers and sisters in the faith before us have provided two important keys for unlocking this psalm.

Our brothers and sisters in the faith before us have provided two important keys for unlocking this psalm.

Our brothers and sisters in the faith before us have provided two important keys for unlocking this psalm.

Perhaps you've heard the old saw, "Announcing your plans is a good way to hear God laugh" (or something like that).

Why the passion of this psalm?

Retain the Refrain!

Psalm 62 has elements of a Psalm of praise, thanksgiving, lament, and wisdom.

Psalm 63 offers minimal words for a minimal place where experience is anything but minimal. The Psalmist’s poetics here are like a minimalist painting that shows only one or two strokes of paint across a field of white.

In a recent gathering, one of my students led a guided meditation.

When one surveys Psalm 65 as a whole, what is most striking is the breadth of the psalm's subject matter.

As suggested in last week’s essay on Psalm 16, the sequencing of psalms sometimes seems intentional, or at least significant. In terms of today’s lection, the beginning of Psalm 66 follows beautifully the conclusion of Psalm 65.

A Response to the First Reading

I Love To Tell the Story

The sixth Sunday of Easter may feel a bit like the twelfth day of Christmas -- officially still in the zone but, practically speaking, most people have moved on.

A Liturgy of Blessing

As the twice-repeated refrain (verses 3, 5) indicates, Psalm 67 is a song meant for public worship.

As we had occasion to observe in relation to Psalm 148, last week's psalm, Israel's songs of praise regularly invite an expansive congregation to praise God.

God of Power, God of the People

Psalm 70's superscription, in the New Revised Standard Version, is "To the leader. Of David, for the memorial offering." Scholars offer two ideas about the phrase "for the memorial (from the Hebrew root zakar) offering."

This psalm has long been one of my favorites.

Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19 is timely for the season of Advent. We come in these Advent Sundays to hear and experience the kingship of the Messiah, who has come, is present, and will come in power and glory as the Son of Man on the clouds of heaven.

When one approaches an abstract painting by any one of the 20th century abstract painters -- Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollack, and so on -- they are met by art work that prompts cognitive dislocation and reflection.

Psalm 78's superscription reads, "A Maskil of Asaph."

In the conclusion to his excellent book, Seeing the Psalms: A Theology of Metaphor, William Brown explains that "the power of metaphor . . . lies in its ability (and manipulability) to inspire new theological vision."¹

When a psalm is divided up, like the one for this Sunday (verses 1-7, 17-19), the integrity of the psalm is lost.

Psalm 80 is a communal lament in which the worshipping community calls upon God to rescue them from trouble.

Psalm 80's thrice-repeated refrain (vv. 3, 7, 19) is a clue both to the psalm's liturgical origins and its driving theological concern.

This portion of Psalm 80 responds to the first lesson from Isaiah 5 by employing the same metaphor of God's people as a ruined, forsaken vine and vineyard.

“The Gods May be Crazy . . . but They are Definitely Unjust!”

The Shaking of the Foundations

Throughout life, we humans sometimes identify certain places or times as special.

The biblical texts for the second week of Advent are Isaiah 40:1-11, Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13, 2 Peter 3:8-15a, and Mark 1:1-8.

The psalm assigned for last week (Advent 1) included a thrice-repeated refrain that included the petition, "Restore us, O God" (80:3, 7, 19).

Reflecting on Psalm 85:8-13 without the first 13 verses is akin to a liturgy that omits the call and prayer of confession, moving instead straight to the assurance of pardon.

An interpretation of Psalm 85:8-13 needs first to find a context in the whole of Psalm 85.

An interpretation of Psalm 85:8-13 needs first to find a context in the whole of Psalm 85.

Psalm 86 is classified by most scholars as a psalm of individual lament, in which an individual expresses the pain of his present condition and seeks relief from God.

At the heart of Psalm 89 is the question of faithfulness.

Taken as a whole, Psalm 89 contrasts the might and faithfulness of God,

This marathon of a psalm is found in the last psalm in Book III of the Psalter.

This week's psalm selection is the opening section of one of the great lyrics of the Bible -- Psalm 90.

Psalm 90 has often been categorized as a wisdom psalm, which, like the book of Ecclesiastes (see 3:19-20; 7:2), is very much in touch with human finitude and the brevity of human life (see also Psalms 39:4-6; 49:10-12, 16-20).

This week's psalm selection is the closing section of one of the great lyrics of the Bible--Psalm 90.

This psalm is an exultant hymn of proclamation and praise.

Although it is not entirely unique in the Psalter, the most striking thing about Psalm 91 is that it ends with a divine speech in verses 14-16.

The psalm text for the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost is the "promise" section of the famous Eagles' Wing poem, Psalm 91.

Psalm 92 is the only Psalm with a superscription assigning it to the Sabbath.

The two portions of Psalm 92 chosen by the lectionary each offer interesting possibilities for interpretation and connection to the life of the church, and interpreters may find it useful to focus on one or the other.

This brief, straightforward psalm is teed up for your Christ the King-themed sermon. Psalm 93 begins by proclaiming that "the Lord is king" (Hebrew: YHWH melek).

Yahweh malak.

Psalm 95 appears in a grouping of psalms that focus on the reign of God (Psalms 93, 95-99).

Psalm 95 appears in a grouping of psalms that focus on the reign of God (Psalms 93, 95-99).

Psalm 96:1-9 calls all people of the earth and indeed the earth itself to sing praise to God and to worship God in God’s temple.

Is it too idealistic to think that Christmas Eve is one of those times when so many of us (if not all) are ready and willing to do what this psalm exhorts us to do?

Psalm 96 is one of five psalms in Book Four of the Psalter that are classified as Enthronement Psalms, psalms that celebrate the reign of God as king over all creation.

Psalm 96 is one of five psalms in Book Four of the Psalter that are classified as Enthronement Psalms, psalms that celebrate the reign of God as king over all creation.

Is it too idealistic to think that Christmas Eve is one of those times when so many of us (if not all) are ready and willing to do what this psalm exhorts us to do?

Ascension Day falls on a Thursday, but many churches observe it on the Seventh Sunday of Easter.

Psalm 97 is one of only seven psalms in the book of Psalms that is classified as an enthronement psalm (Psalms 47, 93, 95-99).

Imagine Psalm 97 as the psalmist's Christmas sermon.

Recent scholarly work on the book of Psalms has focused considerable attention on the collection to which Psalm 97 belongs -- Psalms 93, 95-99, the enthronement or God-reigns psalms. 

Talk about inclusive!

"Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre and the sound of melody! With trumpets make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!" (Psalm 98:5)

"Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre ... and the sound of melody! With trumpets ... make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!" (Psalm 98:5).

I write these lines just after hanging up the telephone.

In my preaching classes at Trinity Lutheran Seminary we talk often about "ignore-at-your-peril" preaching situations.

All Those Bagpipes

Psalm 104 presents a glorious picture of God as creator and a sweeping view of the world God made.

Psalm 104, a hymn of praise to God as creator, is remarkably comprehensive in its survey of earth and space, flora and fauna, topography and geology.

It is a blessing to the preacher when the movement of a passage of Scripture offers a ready guide to interpretation and proclamation.

It is a blessing to the preacher when the movement of a passage of Scripture offers a ready guide to interpretation and proclamation. This reading from Psalm 104 is a case in point.

It is a blessing to the preacher when the movement of a passage of Scripture offers a ready guide to interpretation and proclamation.

Psalm 107 opens with the words:

Psalm 107, classified as a community hymn of praise, was most likely a liturgy of thanks offered by worshipers at a festival at the temple in Jerusalem.

Psalm 107 opens with a typical call to praise.

Psalm 107:1 will always have a very special place in my heart.

Following an initial doxological summons to “praise the LORD” (hallu yah), the psalmist composed Psalm 111 in the acrostic form.

"The ABC's of Theology"

Psalm 111 is classified as an Individual Hymn of Thanksgiving, a psalm type in which the singer gives thanks for God's goodness in delivering him/her from various life-threatening situations such as illness, oppression, or enemy attack.

Psalm 111 is classified as an Individual Hymn of Thanksgiving, a psalm type in which the singer gives thanks for God's goodness in delivering him/her from various life-threatening situations such as illness, oppression, or enemy attack.

Psalm 112, a Wisdom Psalm, provides instruction in right living and right faith in the tradition of the other wisdom writings of the Old Testament.

When I think of interpreting the psalms I am immediately thrust into a world that is both foreign and familiar.

Psalm 116 is a prayer of thanksgiving.

A single voice speaks here, drawing me into the psalmist's experience and, in effect, leading me to compare my own with his.

A single voice speaks here, drawing me into the psalmist's experience and, in effect, leading me to compare my own with his.

A single voice speaks here, drawing me into the psalmist's experience and, in effect, leading me to compare my own with his.

Psalm 116 is sung or read each year at Passover celebrations in Jewish homes to this day.

Psalm 116 is a song of thanksgiving of an individual, a poem written after a difficult time of life has been endured, survived, or overcome.

In the lectionary portion of Psalm 116, we do not get to the question of verse 12, "What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?"

Given that the occasion of this Sunday is so prominent (as it should be), we will inevitably end up interpreting this Psalm through the lens of Easter resurrection.

On Easter Sunday, the church proclaims, "O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 118:1).

On Easter Sunday, the church proclaims, "O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 118:1).

On Easter Sunday, the church proclaims, "O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 118:1).

Since this pericope represents the first eight verses of Psalm 119, it might help to say a word or two about the entire psalm.

Psalm 119 follows Psalms 113-118, known as the Egyptian Hallel, which are psalms recited during the Jewish festival of Passover.

Christians generally have not been in love with Psalm 119.

Here we are again, so to speak. As was the case about a month and a half ago, the psalm selection for this week is one stanza of Psalm 119.

At 176 verses, Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Book of Psalms, and yet it is perhaps the most noticeably, or even most rigorously, ordered.

The appointed psalm for this week is a small section of Psalm 119, which is the longest psalm in the Psalter.

Psalm 121 is identified by its title as "A Song of Ascents."

Journeys tend to be significant times for those who take them.

The lectionary readings for this Sunday offer a variety of preachable texts.

Psalm 122 is a perfect psalm for the beginning of a new church year on this First Sunday of Advent.

Psalm 112 is constructed as an acrostic poetic text.

Fifteen psalms in the middle of Book Five of the Psalter, Psalms 120-134, all share a common superscription, "Songs of Ascents".

One of the more helpful approaches to the Psalms is considering these poems as pilgrimage songs of faith.

[Adapted from commentary posted for Third Sunday of Advent, Dec. 11, 2011]

In this psalm, the notion of reversal occupies a central place, inviting the reader to recognize that restoration by God does more than simply restore what was lost. The kind of divine restoration envisioned in this psalm means much more than compensation.

The theme of restoration that appeared in Psalms 80 and 85 during the first two weeks of Advent continues with Psalm 126.

Cyrus, a Persian emperor, ruled Babylonia from 538-530 B.C. His military victories put him in control of the largest empire of the world at that time.

The psalm selected for the Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost, for those traditions and congregations that do not observe Reformation Sunday, is Psalm 126.

The theme of restoration that began with Psalm 80 in Advent 1, and Psalm 85 in Advent 2, is continued this week in Psalm 126.

Psalm 130, best known by its Latin incipit De Profundis, "Out of the Depths," has inspired church musicians for centuries, usually in the context of a Requiem Mass.

Once while leading a study tour of the Middle East, my group visited the chapel of the Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem.

When I read the first line of Psalm 131 -- "O LORD, my heart is not lifted up" -- I immediately think of the sursum corda,

Behold! A psalm that oozes with hopefulness even in the face of perceived impossibilities.

Psalm 133 is a Song of Ascents--a song for going up to a high place.

Is it realistic to have faith?

On the day I called. . .

Psalm 138 is a song of thanksgiving and trust. The text is comprised of three main sections.

The word "extreme" seems to be especially popular in the language of our day.

In the conventional understanding, the Psalm in the weekly lectionary is chosen to meditate on the First Reading and, like that reading, to anticipate the Gospel.

Psalm 139 is classified as an Individual Hymn of Thanksgiving.

As a response to the first lesson, Psalm 145 was chosen to show how Jonah knew that God was "merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing" (Jonah's version of verse 8).

Thomas Merton once stated "Praise is cheap," and it seems as though these words remain true today.

Psalm 145 is an acrostic in Hebrew,

Psalm interpretation can sometimes feel like swimming against a swiftly flowing mountain stream.

Psalm 145 is the last of a group of eight psalms at the end of Book Five of the Psalter that are ascribed, in their superscriptions, to David (Psalms 138-145).

Each day began the same way in the elementary school where I grew up.

The first lesson addresses a fearful people with a prophetic promise that God will bring justice, salvation, and healing.

This psalm of praise resonates with peace and justice.

Israel has long employed three groups of hymnic praise or "Hallels" in worship:

As I have done with the previous three Psalm lections, I again tie the theme of worship with some other theme of the passage.

Psalm 146 is the first of the five great Hallel (praise) Psalms (146-150) that conclude the book of Psalms.

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 147 is part of a group of Psalms (146-150) which close the Psalter.

January has always seemed to be something of a letdown.

Psalm 147 is one of five psalms that concludes the Psalter.

Psalm 147 is one of five psalms that concludes the Psalter.

In the “Preaching from Psalms” class I am teaching, we are reading/singing/meditating our way through the Psalter.

Isaac Watts got it right: "Joy to the world, the Lord is come!" -- which means, he writes, that every heart will "prepare him room" and that "heaven and nature" will sing.

And Heav'n and Nature Sing

In its songs of praise, Israel regularly invites an extraordinarily expansive congregation to praise God --

Psalm 148 is part of the Psalter's concluding section that offers and calls for praise to the Lord.

And Heav'n and Nature Sing

This is a great psalm to preach on when you want to exhort your flock to (a) give praise to the Lord, (b) to sing a new song, and/or (c) to take up the sword in order to execute vengeance on the nations and punishment upon the peoples.

The celebration continues! On this second Sunday of Easter, the sound of trumpets still echoes in our sanctuaries and is joined by the Hallelujah Chorus of Psalm 150.

Wisdom is introduced to the reader as a female character in Proverbs 1:20 and the following verses.

This is the first time that Wisdom, personified as a woman, speaks in the book of Proverbs (see 8:1-36; 9:1-6).

What is the connection between wisdom and joy?

A Facebook friend recently posted an article on parenting entitled, "Good Parents, Bad Results: 8 Ways Science Shows that Mom and Dad Go Wrong When Disciplining Their Kids."

Wisdom has built her house... Proverbs 9 continues what might be called the "Acts of Wisdom" begun in Proverbs chapter 8.

In many ways, the message in this text of Proverbs is quite simple: wisdom is better than foolishness.

The book of Proverbs includes a collection of folk wisdom sayings of various lengths so that in some chapters the individual verses are not actually related to each other.

Tradition assigns authorship of three biblical books to Solomon.

Imagine yourself on vacation.

This familiar passage tends to draw a strong response, either positively or negatively, but rarely neutral.

Proverbs 31:10-31 is the famous poem celebrating the "capable wife."

What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 2:9)

It is the beginning of August. You are two-and-a-half months into Pentecost with three-and-a-half months to go. Perhaps you are need of a little adrenaline rush.

The Song of Songs is a celebration of erotic love,

"What in the world is this doing in the Bible?"

The first verse of the book of Isaiah invites the reader to hear the prophecy in the context of the eighth century BCE.

Reform School - for Everyone

A single stop in the book of Isaiah should not presume a complete picture of the narrative texture of the book.

Isaiah's vision begins with "the mountain of the Lord's house" (2:2).

To preach on this text stands us in good stead: Isaiah preached on it, too! Or so it seems. The text occurs twice in the Bible-with minor variations-here in Isaiah and again in Micah 4:1-3.

The song of the vineyard is a ditty turned tragic.

Last week's Old Testament lesson from Isaiah 1 highlighted the importance of justice and righteousness.

Grape Expectations: Our experience with Isaiah 5:1-7 can be strangely similar to that of the characters in the passage itself.

It has long puzzled interpreters that the apparent call of Isaiah is not recounted until chapter 6.

Holy Trinity Sunday is the First Sunday after Pentecost, ushering in the season when the church hears about Jesus' ministry and then about the church's own ministry.

This text is among the more famous in the Hebrew Bible, serving as a source for the centuries' old shape of worship (Praise, Confession, Forgiveness/Pardon, and Response).

Here is the promise: God is with us, so that we might live.

The difficulty of today's text is perhaps also its genius: God is with us-and the consequences are altogether ambiguous. Properly understood, is that not the ambiguity of Advent itself? God is coming: Rejoice! Or, God is coming: Beware!

These first few verses of Isaiah 9 contrast sharply the previous states of subjection with God's current, mighty acts of deliverance.

Epiphany is a season that celebrates God's manifestation in the world through the person of Jesus Christ. When the divine becomes manifest in the world, then strange and marvelous things happen.

For historical backgrounds that may underlie this complex passage, please see the entries by Terence Fretheim (Christmas 2009) and Karoline Lewis (Christmas 2010).

The appointed Old Testament lesson for Christmas Eve is always these poetic verses from Isaiah and likely, to be honest, will not be the basis of a sermon when Luke 2 is the Gospel reading.

Isaiah 9:1 is not a part of the lectionary text, but helps put this Christmas Eve text in historical and literary context.

Isaiah 9:2-7 has been chosen for Christmas Eve because of its the theme of light shining in the darkness (v. 2) and its reference to a child "born for us" who will usher in justice and righteousness "from this time forward and for evermore" (v. 7).

Isaiah preaches hope in a time of terror and justice in a time of oppression.

It's a "dog eat dog" world, we say: "Nature, red in tooth and claw." It's survival of the fittest, and it's not pretty. All true in its way. But is it all that's true?

"I will trust, and will not be afraid" (Isaiah 12:2). These words were spoken by the prophet Isaiah to the people of Judah and Jerusalem more than twenty seven hundred years ago, when the Assyrian Empire was the dominant power, and Judah lived in the shadow of its might.

Feasts, festivals, banquets, and wedding suppers abound in the Bible, and with good reason: meal fellowship represents community of the closest kind, especially perhaps in tribal cultures (then and now); and feasts give rise to abundance, even in times of distress.

Giving attention to the text and getting at tension in the text:

Isaiah 25:6-10a serves up one of the most glorious images in the Hebrew Bible.

Food is not just the fuel that we use to propel our bodies through the challenges and joys of daily life.

"They will rejoice."

This is one of those texts for which many of the hearers will know not only the words but the tune, because it stands behind the well-known alto recitative in George Frideric Handel's Messiah:

The oracle begins with a command to speak, to proclaim words that remedy weakness and conquer fear (Isaiah 35:4).

In many of our churches, we tend to align salvation with God's grace, themes that we then set over against divine judgment.

The passage begins with an insistent double imperative: Comfort! Comfort!

With these opening words of Second Isaiah (chapters 40-55), the prophet offers a balm for the festering wounds of exile.

Given the choice between a source of relief that is distant and slow acting but guaranteed and one that is nearby but ineffective, most persons may tend to choose the relief close at hand.

The text this week holds two thoughts in tension.

For too long has Isaiah 42:1-9 been read solely within the context of the so-called "Servant Songs" (Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12).

"New things" are afoot. Israel's penalty paid twofold, her exile at an end, the prophet known as Second Isaiah whispers tenderly "Comfort, O comfort" (40:1) and heralds the approach of "the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth...the Holy One of Israel" (40:28; 41:20).

"But now" -- hear the jarring declaration of reversal (43:1). Whatever has gone before is now swept away.

Yesterday's gospel is today's law. We need to hear it afresh, every day.

Isaiah 44:6-8 is a short, defensible unit, marked off from the unit that follows (verses 9-20) which shifts to prose in the NRSV (contrast NIV and TNK),

Trauma theorists tell us that one of the essential steps for trauma victims reconstituting their shattered lives is to repair their narrative identity, i.e., constructing fragments of their former selves into a sense-making narrative.

"I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the Lord do all these things" (Isaiah 45:7).

Messiah Cyrus and the sovereign will of God:

Isaiah 49:1-7 comprises the second of the so-called "Servant Songs" (Isaiah 42:1-9; 49:1-6; 50:4-9; 52:13-53:12), a designation that I indicated in last Sunday's commentary on Isaiah 42:1-9 to be problematic.

One week after the Baptism of Our Lord, the lectionary texts from the Old Testament sit us squarely in the promise and pain of servanthood.

Isaiah 49:8-16a, the Old Testament lectionary text for this Sunday, is part of a larger poetic unit comprised of all twenty-six verses of chapter 49.

Isaiah 40-66 uses female images for God more frequently than any other Old Testament body of literature.

Isaiah 50:4-9a is part of a larger poem that extends to 50:11.

"I know that I shall not be put to shame" (Isaiah 50:7 NRSV).

Teresa of Ávila, the sixteenth century mystical writer, knew of suffering.

One of the challenges of preaching the lectionary in conjunction with the liturgical calendar is that of remaining true to the tradition of the church season while allowing the biblical texts to speak anew to our communities of faith.

The first reading for this week is the third of Second Isaiah's four Suffering Servant Songs.

What is the meaning of suffering?

When we preachers engage the Suffering Servant passages we enter territory that is both evocative and mysterious.

"God has given me the tongue of a teacher," says the prophet--something, no doubt, all preachers would like to claim.

Large transitions disorient us. Moving, changing jobs, personal transitions...all of these mix up our lives by taking us out of our patterns.

Isaiah 51 emphatically seeks to break open an unimaginable future. Expectations are reversed; life is to be changed.

The larger context of these verses (see 51:17-23) vividly describes how the people of Israel have been devastated and depopulated in the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 587 BCE.

One of the most famous poems of Second Isaiah, Isaiah 52:13-53:12, depicts a human being, a servant of God, at what seems to be the very lowest point of his life.

In the history of Christian interpretation of the Old Testament, few texts are more revered than Isaiah 53.

This "servant song" (with 42:1-7; 49:1-6; 50:4-9) has been the subject of much scholarly debate.

The church always reads this marvelous text on Good Friday.

On Good Friday, the most somber day of the year, why should we preach on the Old Testament text instead of the Gospel lesson?

"Who is the suffering servant?"

The central movement of the Suffering Servant poem in Isaiah 53:4-12 is from humiliation to exaltation, from shame to honor, from weakness to greatness.

Like many other selections from the lectionary, Isaiah 55:1-5 is a small unit that, while relatively self-contained, has connections both to what precedes and what follows (preachers beware!).

Nothing in life is free. Particularly if one has grown accustomed to the harsh policies of the empire that is set to exploit the peasants by means of heavy taxation.

Chapter 55 serves as the conclusion to the section of Isaiah frequently dubbed "Deutero-Isaiah" (chapters 40-55).

The job description of the prophet contains among other less than coveted tasks the ability to speak a life-giving word of hope when all the events seem to point to the contrary.

The job description of the prophet contains among other less than coveted tasks the ability to speak a life-giving word of hope when all the events seem to point to the contrary.

Imagine a trumpet bleating atop the highest peak to announce the gathering of all the peoples of the world.

"The foreigners who join themselves to the Lord" and "eunuchs who keep my [the Lord's] Sabbaths...and hold fast my covenants" are the particular marks of the salvation and deliverance that God will perform and reveal.

This final section of Isaiah, known as "Third Isaiah" (Isaiah 56-66), is written to the residents of Jerusalem during and after Israel's return in 539 BCE. 

This pericope was likely teamed with the gospel reading because of its emphasis on the Sabbath. However, there is a lot more going on here that is worthy of attention.

Bleak midwinter seems a fitting stage for this lectionary text that likely dates to the early days of Israel's return from Babylonian captivity. Those days are cast easily in hues of grey -- the city of Jerusalem and its temple yet in ruins, the community rag-tag and divided, the once proud monarchy now a small colony on the fringe of the Persian Empire. 

Hope sprouts from the ruins

The passage begins with an announcement of divine presence and action.

With the Nativity of Our Lord drawing nigh, ponder this pericope in concert with Jesus' interpretation of his sermon in the synagogue in Nazareth.

The passage seems to contain multiple voices: a preacher and healer, an administrator, and YHWH. These three speakers play a major role in the Jerusalem renaissance.

The lectionary's creators evidently viewed this portion of Isaiah as both eminently appropriate to Christmas and flexible in its boundaries.

Our text falls within the central section (chapters 60-62) of what is traditionally known as Third Isaiah (chapters 56-66).

I. Will. Not. Keep. Silent.

Isaiah 62:6-12 is the Proper 2 Old Testament Christmas reading every year.

Last night's Old Testament lesson came from First Isaiah (chapters 1-39) that covers roughly the 40-year period of the latter half of the Eighth century.

Isaiah 62:6-12 is the first reading assigned for Christmas Day.

Unfortunately the long standing tradition of celebrating Advent and Christmas is becoming replaced by the sole focus on a one or two day event.

The Sunday after Christmas is typically a "low Sunday." The energy and anticipation of Advent has given way to wonder at the incarnation. Travelers weary from star-lit journeys now rest and rejoice in the light that shatters all darkness.

A cry of misery. An appeal for mercy

These verses are part of a larger psalm of communal lament (Isaiah 63:7-64:12) that begins with a praise-filled account of God's mighty acts of deliverance throughout Israel's history.

This pericope is simultaneously rooted in the rich memories of God's saving acts and mired in the muck of dashed expectations and the experience of God's absence.

As I write this, the mass shootings of the past year are fresh in my mind.

Isaiah 65 begins with images of a long-suffering, patient deity.

Isaiah invites us into a theological vision of what life can be for God's faithful people.

You know what it’s like to be bone-tired.

Everything about this final chapter of Isaiah heralds God's sovereignty.

In one way, we have here a typical prophetic call story. God calls, the prophet objects, God assures (often through a specific action--here, the touching of Jeremiah's mouth) and then commissions.

"I have put my words in your mouth" (Jeremiah 1:9).

The first step in preparation for worship on August 29 is choosing the lector for this passage.

Many preachers avoid topics like divine judgment.

Self-righteous judgment among humans, while all too common in today's religious landscape, is inconsistent with biblical thinking for at least two reasons.

The book of Jeremiah is filled with tears.

How are the faithful to respond in times of pressing difficulty?

In 2003, cartoonist Bruce Eric Kaplan published a cartoon in The New Yorker that depicts God standing on a cloud, saying to a man standing in front of him, "I am big. It's the questions that got smaller."

Prophets preach. Perhaps this sounds obvious. Actually, it is not.

One difficulty that preachers will face with this text is sorting out the individual and communal import of Jeremiah.

The call of Jeremiah used six verbs to characterize his prophetic activity: "pluck up," "pull down," "destroy," "overthrow," "build" and "plant" (1:10, New Revised Standard Version).

The story of Jeremiah's visit to the potter's house and God's use of the potter's process as a metaphor for God's own work is wonderfully and frustratingly straightforward. We get it. But it immediately raises questions.

Reading through this text brings to mind what Professor John Bright once wrote about these "confessions" of Jeremiah:

Leadership is a buzzword in many disciplines these days: business, law, medicine, education, politics, and congregational life.

Words one does not want to hear from God: "You have not attended to them. So I will attend to you" (Jeremiah 23:2).

The passage opens with an ominous tone: Woe! The voice is that of the prophet Jeremiah however the words are Yahweh's.

The scathing scolding present in Jeremiah 23 suggests that false prophets had become an insidious problem.

My work on this text was interrupted by a telephone call from a Jewish friend. When I told him I was dealing with the encounter between Jeremiah and Hananiah, he immediately launched into a narrative telling of his role in a play produced at a summer Hebrew camp.

“How can we pray for you?”

It was for all intents and purposes the end of the world.

The two visions of hope and homecoming from Jeremiah featured by the lectionary (Jeremiah 31:7-9 and 31:31-34) this week might best be characterized as anomalous when read in the context of the book as a whole.

This lection is quite short, a snippet from within a larger literary context.

It is quite peculiar that a text from Jeremiah disrupts a series of Isaianic texts in the lectionary calendar.

This text is part of Jeremiah's Book of Consolation, often identified with chapters 30-31, but probably including chapters 32-33.

Chapters 30-33 constitute a distinct section of the book of Jeremiah, traditionally known as Jeremiah's "Book of Comfort" or "Little Book of Consolation."

The promise of a "new covenant" in this passage may evoke the Christian scriptures, stories, and promises for many readers.

From the very beginning of his ministry, Jeremiah was "appoint[ed] . . . over nations and kingdoms, to pluck up and pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant" (1:10; see 18:9; 24:6; 31:28; 45:4).

The new covenant God makes with "the house of Israel and the house of Judah" (31:31) is both strange and familiar, rooted in and ripped from tradition.

Hope for a renewed future is an apropos theme on this fifth Sunday of Lent.

On this Reformation Sunday, we hear words of promise from the prophet Jeremiah, words about a new covenant and a renewed relationship between God and God's people.

The end of the church year brings several special occasions or festivals (Reformation, All Saints, Christ the King), which, like all such days, inevitably cause the preacher to ponder whether to preach on the event or on the text.

The book of Jeremiah is dominated by doom and gloom, condemning the people of Judah for their great sin and announcing the imminent destruction of the nation and the exile to Babylon that would come in 587 BCE.

In the first chapter of this book six verbs define the ministry of Jeremiah: pluck up, pull down, destroy, overthrow, build and plant (1:10).

Hope often comes in the middle of judgment. Belief and courage become most pronounced in the face of despair.

As Advent begins this year, we immediately hear God's assertion: "I will fulfill the promise I made... I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up... Jerusalem will live in safety."

On this first Sunday of Advent, one cannot read the prophecy of a "righteous Branch" springing up for David in anything but a messianic light.

The book of Lamentations articulates the anguish of the Hebrews in the wake of the conquest of Jerusalem and the razing of the city by Babylon.

National tragedies threaten to render communities speechless. The collective grief can be overwhelming.

What if the center cannot hold, as William Butler Yeats feared in his famous poem, "The Second Coming"?

The small poetic book of Lamentations was composed during the fall of Jerusalem to the invading Babylonian armies in the early years of the sixth century BCE.

Preachers may "understand" this text too quickly -- as in, Yes, I get it: The preacher is called, like Ezekiel, to proclaim a hard word of God to a recalcitrant people.

Passages like this one can lead in two very different directions.

In this text, Ezekiel gives us yet another of the Bible's many images of God: God as tree planter and tree tender.

Anytime a text from Ezekiel is thrown up by the lectionary, most preachers hope against hope that it is the "dry bones" passage from chapter 37.

"The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge."

"The parents have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge" (Ezekiel 18:1).

Today's gospel lesson is a hard one for those of us who live  in a culture whose motto "live and let live" quite often replaces the much more challenging work of mending broken lives by tending to the causes of brokenness.

"So you, mortal, I have made a sentinel for the house of Israel" (Ezekiel 33:7).

The Times They Are A-Changin'

These days at the end of November are a season of changing times.

The "kingship" of Christ is problematic for some of us today because of its male and hierarchical overtones.

Luminous promises radiate from this passage in Ezekiel.

Our culture seems obsessed with death imagery.

The "valley of dry bones" is almost certainly the most beloved and well known of Ezekiel's visions.

No Other God -- that assertion is at the core of this chapter as it is in the entire book of Daniel.

Daniel 6:6-27 is written in Aramaic not Hebrew as most of the Old Testament is written. Scholars wonder why.

Daniel Chapter 7: four great beasts, resembling a winged lion, a tusked bear, a four-headed leopard, and a ten-horned and iron-toothed monster.

These verses from the Book of Daniel provide the reader with one of the most graphic depictions of God found in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (HB/OT) (cf. Isaiah 6; Ezekiel 1; Exodus 33:17-23).

It would be easy to preach our lectionary text for today as referring to Jesus coming on a cloud.

Today's reading from Daniel 12 consists of an apocalyptic scenario -- an unveiling (which is the meaning of the Greek word apokalypsis from which our term "apocalyptic" comes) of the end of human history.

Our lectionary text for today considers a question that these days may be all too real for those of us beleaguered by the free-fall of the economy, unemployment, a life-threatening disease

Hosea 1:2-10 introduces the metaphor that occupies chapters 1-2 and that resonates throughout the book -- a bad marriage that is saved by the loving forgiveness of the faithful partner.

Following the devastation of the previous verses, 5:15 is a word from God that introduces the response from Israel in 6:1-3.

However one seeks to wrestle a word of good news from these two excerpts from Hosea one cannot escape the end of the narrative for Israel expressed in 2 Kings 17:6 ("The king of Assyria captured Samaria; he carried the Israelites away to Assyria").

Like last week's Old Testament lesson (Hosea 1:2-10), Hosea 11:1-11 offers striking testimony to the gracious, merciful, and steadfastly loving character of Israel's God.

The few occasions that Joel appears in the lectionary it seems to support material that frames the interests of Christian festivals.

Ash Wednesday  begins the 40-day journey of Lent with a gathering of the community to confess our sins,

Joel 2:1 commands the blowing of the shofar.

We know nothing about the prophet "Joel, son of Pethuel," aside from what we can glean from the writings that appear in his book.

There are two patches in Joel's prophetic  quilt.

The prophet Joel writes in response to an ecological disaster, a plague of locusts that exceeded their regular breeding and feeding cycles.

"Therefore the prudent will keep silent in such a time; for it is an evil time" (Amos 5:13).

Amos worked full-time for much of his life as "a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore trees" (Amos 1:1; 7:14) in the village of Tekoa in the southern kingdom of Judah.

It doesn't go well for the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

A brilliant ironist, Amos reverses his audience's expectations at every turn in the book that bears his name.

The Old Testament reading of this Sunday is from the prophet Amos, as it was last Sunday.

"You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting," mocks Prince Adhemar, as he admonishes William, a young squire posing as a knight in the 2001 movie adaptation of Chaucer's A Knight's Tale.

This brief passage consists of a vision (verses 7-9; the third of five visions in Amos), a report (verses 10-11), an eviction notice (verses 12-13), and a defense (verses 14-15).

Far from wishy washy is the judgment of the Lord that comes from the mouth of Amos. Rather, it is clear, to the point, biting...and surprising as it comes to Israel, the Northern Kingdom, in a time of peace and prosperity.

"Silence!" is the Lord's command to Amos.¹

The Theological Context of Amos 8:4-7: Justice

The Book of Jonah is simultaneously pathetic and hilarious.

"Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"

Today is the day to tell the story of Jonah, for this is its only appearance in the regular lectionary cycle.

For reasons that make the book of Jonah a ripping good story, it takes a good while for Jonah to get to Nineveh.

God commanded the prophet of Israel to preach repentance to a faraway city whose evil was so great it rose up heavenward like a stench.

This year, at least for many, Pentecost 20 is also Reformation Sunday, but we really need not change or manipulate the texts chosen for the former in order to observe the latter.

For additional lectionary resources on the assigned texts for All Saints, please see the Craft of Preaching articles.

On this last Sunday of Advent, we come to another familiar prophetic passage, familiar at least in part because it plays a prominent role in Matthew's story of the birth of Jesus.

Micah prophesies during the second half of the 8th century BCE in Judah.

When have the sainted people to whom you preach ever heard a sermon based on God's timeless word to Habakkuk? This week is their chance. Do not let them down.

When have the sainted people to whom you preach ever heard a sermon based on God's timeless word to Habakkuk? This week is their chance. Do not let them down.

My wife and I attended a Scottish Episcopal church in St. Andrews, Scotland.

Zephaniah threatens that God will annihilate all living things due to human wickedness.

The third Sunday of Advent traditionally has a focus on joy. And, indeed, almost all the texts for this Sunday speak of joy.

The co-temporal prophets Haggai and Zechariah mark a shift in how the exiled community of Judah sees itself.

For me at least, this is one of those biblical texts that cannot be read without hearing music. In the midst of puzzling over the visions and sayings of Zechariah, it comes as a refreshing surprise to find the words of our lectionary text for today.

For me at least, this is one of those biblical texts that cannot be read without hearing music. In the midst of puzzling over the visions and sayings of Zechariah, it comes as a refreshing surprise to find the words of our lectionary text for today.

Familiar to many from its use in Handel's Messiah, this passage from Malachi speaks of purification and judgment,

The opening affirmation of the book of Malachi should be read across the book.

Treacherous days, treacherous texts.