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First of all, no, it is not Good Shepherd Sunday in the lectionary cycle. But you might be forgiven for thinking so, given the texts for this week. The 23rd Psalm begins with its familiar (...)

The lection consists of what are clearly the most familiar, beautiful, and beloved verses of Psalm 85, but it is helpful to look briefly at verses 1–7 in order to set the context. Ancient origin (...)

Ephesians 1:15 begins the letter’s thanksgiving, a customary element of the ancient letter genre that was frequently but not universally incorporated. In nonbiblical letters from the period, the thanksgiving was directed to an individual god (...)

Psalm 47 is classified as an enthronement psalm, a psalm celebrating God’s sovereignty over all creation. The only other enthronement psalms in the Psalter are grouped together in Book 4 (Psalms 93–99).1 That makes Psalm 47 (...)

Psalm 118 is the concluding psalm in the collection known as the “Egyptian Hallel” (Psalms 113–118). Hallel is the Hebrew word for “praise,” and this collection’s name reflects the emphasis in these psalms on praising (...)

As the worshiping church follows the Gospel narrative into Jerusalem and toward the cross, the song-prayers of the Psalms provide the “soundtrack” for the drama that unfolds. These words—already old and beloved by the time (...)

The first seven verses of Psalm 25 are, at the broadest level, a prayer for help.1 The psalmist calls upon God for relief from some sort of trouble involving unspecified “enemies” (verse 2). As such, (...)

This psalm is a prayer of penitence, confession, remorse, owning mistakes made, and seeking a fresh start of new life with a restored soul upon receiving God’s forgiveness.1  Psalm 51 is traditionally attributed to David, (...)

First there is a blinding flash of light and then the thunderous sound of God speaking.1 It’s the story of the Transfiguration, right? Yes. But it is also the beginning of Psalm 50. A festival (...)

As is usually the case, the particular verses of the psalm that the lectionary assigns can be more richly understood by reading Psalm 89 in its entirety. Doing this work will help the preacher recognize (...)