Author: Administrador

This is the final week in the liturgical calendar. Christians around the world will proclaim and celebrate the reign of Christ before beginning the journey of the Christian year anew. However, in all of this week’s lectionary texts, interesting juxtapositions await Christians eager to celebrate the glory, power, and reign of Christ the King. The … Continue reading “Psalm 46 Commentary by Eric Mathis”

This Reformation Sunday is a time to ask whether the church, and by this I mean the whole Christian Church on earth, needs to have a big rummage sale. I’m not talking about a literal rummage sale where people bring used clothing, tools, and vehicles to sell and give the proceeds to the poor. I’m … Continue reading “Psalm 46 Commentary by James Limburg”

Luther was right! Psalm 46 is usually classified as a Song of Zion that along with Psalms 48, 76, 84, 87, and 122 delights in the special place reserved for Jerusalem as the center of the world, chosen by God as the earthly center of the divine presence. That this is so, may be seen … Continue reading “Psalm 46 Commentary by Mark Throntveit”

Psalm 46 provides the basis of Martin Luther’s “A Mighty Fortress is our God” — Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott. These words encircle the tower of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. Ironically this is the same church that Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to almost 500 years ago beginning the Protestant Reformation. … Continue reading “Psalm 46 Commentary by J. Dwayne Howell”

The author of Luke-Acts was a master storyteller. Writing for a Greek-speaking audience, he communicated the good news of Jesus Christ in a style reminiscent of the Greco-Roman epic. Writing for a Greek-speaking audience, he communicated the good news of Jesus Christ in a style reminiscent of the Greco-Roman epic. Replete with heroes and heroic … Continue reading “Psalm 46 Commentary by Karla Suomala”

An Initial Decision: Psalm 43?  Or Psalm 42/43? Psalm 43, in its canonical placement, is actually the final third of a longer poem which makes up all of Psalm 42-43.1 When considered together, the unified poem consists of three stanzas of equal length, each of which is followed by an identical refrain:  Why are you … Continue reading “Psalm 43 Commentary by Rolf Jacobson”

Most interpreters today treat Psalms 42 and 43 as one psalm because a number of Hebrew manuscripts present the psalms together in one text and because the psalms share vocabulary and themes. The refrain in the two psalms (Psalms 42:5, 11; 43:5) is the clearest sign of their unity. The practice of separating the psalms … Continue reading “Psalm 43 Commentary by W. H. Bellinger, Jr.”

Psalm 40, classified as an Individual Lament, consists of two seemingly distinct parts, verses 1-10 and verses 11-17, suggesting to many scholars that two originally separate psalms were joined at some point to form a single psalm. In the psalm’s first ten verses, the psalmist recounts God’s deliverance from some life-threatening situation–described in verse 2 … Continue reading “Psalm 40:1-11 Commentary by Nancy deClaissé-Walford”

Drinking Deeply from the Psalms Commentary and hymns for a six-part preaching series on the Psalms.1 This worship and preaching series on the Psalms is meant to move through six psalms in a manner that reflects how believers actually experience the life of faith. The series loosely follows Walter Brueggemann’s typology that in life we … Continue reading “6-week preaching series on Psalms.]

Psalm 40:1-11

Psalm 40:1-11 Commentary by James Howell”

[This is Week 5 of a 6-week preaching series on Psalms.] Week 5 (June 28, 2015) Preaching text: Psalm 40:1-10; accompanying text: Luke 17:11-19 Reorientation, Part 2: A New Song The most famous version of Psalm 40 is by the rock band U2. For many years they ended most concerts singing, “I will sing, sing a … Continue reading “Psalm 40:1-10 Commentary by Rolf Jacobson”