In Psalm 137 – we wept, the Hebrews wept when they remembered their homes, their country, their loved ones, and all that they had lost. What causes you to weep? Psalm 137 Psalm 137 is a lament, in the middle of psalms of praise and thanksgiving. If reading the Psalms in succession, it is a […]
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Psalm 126 – when, recalls a time of amazement when the Lord worked wonders, then uses that remembrance to provide hope. What else might we learn from this psalm? Psalm 126 Psalm 126 – when, is the seventh out of fifteen songs of ascents used by pilgrims to Jerusalem. Some posit that pilgrims recited a […]
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In Psalm 74 – rejected, the writer asks why God has cast him off. Chances are you have experienced rejection at some point in your life. Never a pleasant experience. But what of the rejection felt by someone who has lost their church, their foundation? Who feel God has rejected them? Such is the situation […]
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I completed my weekly journey through the Psalms in November with Psalm 150 so I’m taking a break from the Psalms this Advent in order to focus on Advent themes and readings from Isaiah. Each week will feature a different cup with Advent wreath themes: hope, peace, joy, love. Join me in a cup of […]
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I’ve been fortunate. I have never gone to bed hungry. Nor have I ever lived in exile from all I know and love. But the writer of Psalm 137 knows this. He knows what it is to live in exile. Statue of Liberty One of the myths about our current immigration crisis is that it […]
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Have you ever awoken from a nightmare, relieved to know it had only been a dream? You may be disoriented for a while as you adjust to reality. Imagine Mary Magdalene on Easter morning, how confused she must have been when she first saw Jesus. Was this a dream? Or was this reality and the […]
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How deep is God’s love? How far and how wide? Psalm 89 has something to teach us about this. Steadfast Love The Hebrew word which is translated as steadfast love in the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, is mercy and loving kindness in other translations. I personally prefer the term steadfast love to mercy […]
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It’s only paranoia if your fears are not based in reality. Are the fears expressed in Psalm 83 real or paranoia? What do you do when God appears to be silent? Do you imagine the worst? Psalm 83 Psalm 83 starts with the people calling to God, trying to wake him up. The people are […]
Read More Our psalm for last week of bargaining with God, gives way to depression this week with Psalm 80, the fourth stage of Kubler-Ross’ stages of dying. The Israelites are so sad that their daily bread is made up of tears, as well as their drinking water. “You have fed them with the bread of tears, […]
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On a rainy September 11, in 2010, on the campus of Michigan State University, my daughter Ruth married her college sweetheart. They had been aware of the significance of the day as they struggled to find a date that worked. They finally determined that this was one way to redeem a day fraught which such […]
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