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Psalm 118 is the psalm of psalms for the Easter season.1 The early church found in Psalm 118 the words of Jesus who remembered his suffering and persecution during Holy Week and who gave thanks (...)

Borne out of a gut-wrenching anguish, Psalm 22 is the cry of one who knows what it is to be bullied by his enemies, rejected by his community, and abandoned by God.1 The threat for (...)

Jesus’ words in Luke 23:46, incorporating the words of Psalm 31:5, “Into your hands I commit my spirit,” forever tie the psalm, along with Psalms 22 and 69, to the passion narratives of Jesus of (...)

Psalm 121 is one of the Songs of Ascent, Psalms 120-134, as indicated by its opening words.1 In general these psalms focus on Jerusalem, the journey to Jerusalem — always categorized as “going up,” and (...)

Psalm 130 is the eleventh of the fifteen Songs of Ascents in Book Five of the Psalter (Psalms 120-134).1 These psalms are most likely songs that ancient Israelite pilgrims sang as they made their way (...)

We don’t like to talk about sin. Especially if it means talking about our own sin.1 We would much rather talk about injustice, or evil, or the ways in which another’s sin has contributed to (...)

Psalm 15 is classified generally as a Community Hymn and more specifically as an Entrance Liturgy.1 In three movements—Question (verse 1), Response (verses 2-5b), and Promise (verse 5c), the prospective worshiper is schooled in the (...)

As much as any psalm in the Psalter, Psalm 27 expresses trust in the lord and claims absolute dependence on God.1 This is apparent in verse 1, which begins the lectionary reading: “The Lord is (...)

The lectionary selection from Psalm 40 includes ten verses that express thanksgiving (verses 1-10) and one verse of petition for help (verse 11).1 The shift from thanks to plea represents a major problem of interpretation (...)

Advent and Christmas never fail to stir up a vast range of emotions.1 There is holiday cheer and family warmth and commercially-catalyzed retail therapy aplenty. There is also FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) in full (...)