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Psalm 96:11-12 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it resound; let the plains be joyful and all that is in them! Then shall all the trees of the forest exult. Joy—unmitigated gift! We can’t conjure it or manufacture it or fake it. When it comes to⦠Read More
Psalm 89:3-4 I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations. Today’s psalm invites us to reflect on an Advent theme I rarely ponder– the coming Davidic king-messiah. For the Israelites, to recall King David⦠Read More
Psalm 89:16-17 Blessed the people who know the joyful shout; in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk. At your name they rejoice all the day, and through your justice they are exalted. As always, Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation is so lively! I especially like his language in the fifteenth verse, “passwords⦠Read More
Psalm 80:14,17 Once again, O LORD of hosts, look down from heaven, and see; take care of this vine, and protect what your right hand has planted, the son of man whom you yourself made strong. I will be in California with my mom today. Celebrating the thirty-second anniversary of our pilgrimage to the United⦠Read More
Psalm 33:20-21 Our soul waits for the LORD, who is our help and our shield, For in him our hearts rejoice; in his holy name we trust. I am sure that “waiting” has always been a difficult thing to do; however, today in a world of instantaneous-ness, it can be excruciating. Waiting for the train,⦠Read More
Psalm 24:7 Let the Lord enter; he is the king of glory. As the time draws nearer to the celebration of Christmas, busyness may get the best of us so much so that we might just forget what it all means. Simply put, it’s the time of the year to remember that God wants to⦠Read More
Psalm 71:3-4 Be my rock of refuge, a stronghold to give me safety, for you are my rock and my fortress. O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked. From our conceptions in our mothers’ wombs, to our inevitable returns to dust, God is always with us. In Psalm 71, an aging⦠Read More
Psalm 72:12-13 For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save. It is striking how many of our Advent psalms and scripture readings speak of⦠Read More
Psalm: 72 1-2 O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king’s son; He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment. Many years ago, I made a weekend retreat with the priest -spiritual writer Ronald Rolheiser. He said something that stayed with me. “In the⦠Read More
Psalm 72:7 Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace forever. The bus driver was rude this morning, so my fellow riders decided to be rude right back. Justice had been served! Or had it? To think we have the power to serve as judge, jury and executioner is to forget that we⦠Read More