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The Psalms enrich preaching during Holy Week and Easter, even if few preachers base an entire sermon on a psalm.1 Jesus prayed the Psalms from the cross, and the Gospels quote the Psalms to tell (...)

How odd it is to be hearing and singing Psalm 95 in the middle of Lent!1 The “preacher” who composed the book of Ecclesiastes famously wrote that “for everything there is a season, a time (...)

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 worship in the (...)

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, (...)

After the birth narrative, Matthew’s story of Jesus skips to the adult Jesus coming to the Judean desert to be baptized by John the Baptizer. When John the Baptizer is handed over and eventually executed, (...)

The lectionary selection from Psalm 40 includes 10 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 (...)

God has seemingly turned God’s face away.1 So distant, so imperceptible is God’s presence in Psalm 80 that the psalmist concludes that God must be angry with Israel. Why else would God allow the fruit (...)

In Psalm 17, the author finds himself in a dire situation.1 Verses 1–9 are a plea from an innocent to be vindicated in a world that seeks the psalmist’s demise. In the midst of this (...)

The Songs of Zion celebrate God’s presence with the community in Zion, the Jerusalem temple, the central place of worship for the community.1 This divine presence in the sacred temple brings life to the community. (...)

Psalm 121 is a “song of ascent.”1 It is the second psalm in a collection used by Israelites making pilgrimages to Jerusalem (Psalms 120–134). In Exodus, Israelite males are commanded to “see the face of (...)