Whether it be in revisiting the victory song that is Psalm 118, or hearing the legends of exile recapped in Psalm 105 or 66, all of the Psalms the Lectionary nominates for Easter Day invite us to: Come and see what God has done (Psalm 66.5 NRSV) These psalmists also agree that all God’s deedsContinue reading “psalms for passiontide: Easter Sunday Psalm 66.5”
Tag Archives: Lent 2020
psalms for passiontide: Holy Saturday Psalm 31.1-4,15,16
refuge rock refuge fortress rock fortress refuge These are the images of Psalm 31.1-4, the oh-too-solid opposites of the tangled net the psalmist feels closing around him. On Holy Saturday, these are also images of a tomb in which an already much-mourned, much-loved, broken body lies waiting for its final anointing and arranging once theContinue reading “psalms for passiontide: Holy Saturday Psalm 31.1-4,15,16”
psalms for passiontide: Easter Eve vigil Psalm 136
Thank God! He deserves your thanks. His love never quits. Thank the God of all gods, His love never quits. Thank the Lord of all lords. His love never quits. Thank the miracle-working God, His love never quits. The God whose skill formed the cosmos, His love never quits. The God who laid out earthContinue reading “psalms for passiontide: Easter Eve vigil Psalm 136”
psalms for passiontide: Good Friday Psalm 22
This is such a richly textured psalm, densely packed with all kinds of imagery, depicting a plethora of emotional experience, and provoking in me a vast range of emotions. It feels too much to unpack (and it is!); it feels too raw for me to want to sit with it for long. God, God . . . myContinue reading “psalms for passiontide: Good Friday Psalm 22”
psalms for passiontide: Maundy Thursday Psalm 116.1,10-17
As I write this I am at present without a voice due to a virus I picked up several weeks ago. My throat is my weak spot and a barometer to the state of my overall health, and over the last few years I have experienced several lengthy periods where I can only whisper, andContinue reading “psalms for passiontide: Maundy Thursday Psalm 116.1,10-17”
psalms for passiontide: Holy Wednesday Psalm 70
I find it fascinating that the Lectionary gives two days for me to contemplate this psalm in Holy Week. What can possibly be so important in it that I need to hear it twice? The subtitle of this psalm reads, ‘To the leader. Of David, for the memorial offering’ and there is an academic theoryContinue reading “psalms for passiontide: Holy Wednesday Psalm 70”
psalms for passiontide: Holy Tuesday Psalm 70
Psalm 70 is a psalm for anyone (like me) whose faith seriously wobbles from day to day, moment to moment. It is a psalm that is a cry for help, and the psalmist needs help in a hurry. It is full of worry, of panic, and there is a growing sense of urgency as theContinue reading “psalms for passiontide: Holy Tuesday Psalm 70”
psalms for passiontide: Holy Monday Psalm 36.5-11
I begin where I ended yesterday, reminding myself of Your steadfast love. The Message version of Psalm 36.5-6 tells me in no uncertain terms that I cannot underestimate the extent of Your love and of Your constancy; that when I try to speak of them no superlative is too extravagant: God’s love is meteoric, hisContinue reading “psalms for passiontide: Holy Monday Psalm 36.5-11”
psalms for passiontide: Palm Sunday (Psalm 118.1-2,19-24)
Is this a psalm for a victory parade or a protest march? I can hear the cheerleaders encouraging the onlookers lining the route to join in with the passing refrain: ‘God’s steadfast love endures for ever’. I can hear the warm up act encouraging the marchers’ chants before they set off: “let me hear youContinue reading “psalms for passiontide: Palm Sunday (Psalm 118.1-2,19-24)”
Psalms for Passiontide: Passion Sunday: Psalm 51.1-13
A poem full of washing images seems utterly appropriate at this time of pandemic when I am so aware that where some are bored, others are paralysed by anxiety; when some are taking opportunities to get to grips with new technologies, others are pressured to the point of seeming breaking by the demands of beingContinue reading “Psalms for Passiontide: Passion Sunday: Psalm 51.1-13”
image into ikon 