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Psalm 22 has been described rather glibly as “the fifth passion narrative” for the imagery it has contributed to the evangelists’ depictions of the closing events of Good Friday. While this description does wrench the (...)

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 (...)

It is easy to see why Psalm 118 is the psalm selection for Easter for all three lectionary years. The psalm is bursting with exuberance and joy, the language barely adequate to the task of (...)

Since ancient times Psalm 47 has been used for worship. It is plain to see why Christians have used it on Ascension Day. “God has gone up with a shout” (verse 5) brings to mind (...)

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. Whereas last week’s essay explored the ecological implications of (...)

This psalm selection begins with a sharp transition calling upon God (“But you, O LORD,” v. 19a). The Hebrew construction invites us to emphatically pronounce “you” (referring to God). The urgency of his plea is (...)

Chosen for a Sunday toward the end of the liturgical season of Ordinary Time that confirms the constancy of grace manifested mysteriously in the middle of doldrums, Psalm 66 blows in fresh air with its (...)

“The One Who Dies with the Most Toys Wins.” Forgive my crude attempt at upending the philosophy of a well-known bumper sticker (“The one who dies with the most toys wins”) at least from my (...)

Psalm 15 is usually categorized as an entrance liturgy. The mention of God’s “tent” in v. 1 recalls the portable tabernacle of the wilderness era (Exodus 33:7-11; Numbers 12:5); but the designation came to be (...)

In Psalm 82, the poetic imagination of the Psalmist conjures a mythic heavenly court. This court is different from typical pictures of the radical monotheism of Israel. The one true God is now surrounded by (...)