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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 (...)

It is probably best to break the reading from Ephesians into two pieces: 1:11-14 and 1:15-23.  Verses 11-14 are the second half of a single Greek sentence (the longest in the New Testament!) that begins (...)

This is the tenth psalm lection on which I’ve commented for this website that contains only part of the canonical psalm in question. There will always be people in the pews wondering why we’re leaving (...)

Type “Psalm 46” in the Working Preacher search box and you’ll discover that there are 11 other scholars whose commentaries on this psalm have been posted (or re-posted) a total of 19 times! We are (...)

In Psalm 82, the poetic imagination of the Psalmist conjures a mythic heavenly court.1 This court is different from typical pictures of the radical monotheism of Israel. The one true God is now surrounded by (...)