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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. Some will look (...)

Fifteen psalms in the middle of Book Five of the Psalter, Psalms 120-134, all share a common superscription, “Songs of Ascents”. The verbal root of “ascents” is “to go up.” The frequent references to Jerusalem (...)

Psalm 107 opens with the words: O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, those he redeemed from trouble (...)

Psalm 22 is a familiar psalm to most of us. It opens with the words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? — words uttered by Jesus on the cross in the gospel (...)

The final verses of Psalm 22 provide us with a wonderful hymn of praise. The psalmist is inviting—no, compelling—the whole community to join her in standing in awe of the Lord. One wonders what type (...)

Psalm 78’s superscription reads, “A Maskil of Asaph.” While some commentators and readers ignore the superscriptions of the psalms, these little introductions often provide significant clues for understanding the psalms’ meanings and purposes. In the (...)

One of the more helpful approaches to the Psalms is considering these poems as pilgrimage songs of faith. The people of ancient Israel went on pilgrimage to the temple to worship, and these are the (...)

Psalm 107 opens with a typical call to praise. All those who have been redeemed from trouble and exile by the Lord are summoned and called upon to give thanks for God’s steadfast love and (...)

From the utter abandonment of its opening line to its exuberant, full-throated praise in its final strains, Psalm 22 is a study in contrasts. It is a prayer of one who is utterly alone, at (...)

Psalm 107 is a psalm of thanksgiving, extolling God for delivering God’s people from a variety of troubles. The lectionary text has been selected from the psalm to form a parallel to the Gospel text (...)