One of my great joys as a priest is Lent, and not just because I like to remind folks that they are gonna die on Ash Wednesday – which, since I missed it because I was sick . . . you’re gonna die one day. I love Lent because it’s an opportunity to payContinue reading “Withered Bones in the Embrace of Mercy”
Tag Archives: Lent
Working Toward the Dawn
There is something holy about the break of dawn. Like most folk, my life has had ebbs and flows, but one of my most favorite seasons of life allowed me to witness the slow overwhelm that the day has as night fades away. Dawn tends to happen sort of all at once; it’s aContinue reading “Working Toward the Dawn”
Psalm 91: I Will Be with Them in Trouble
Oh Psalm 91. Many people have recited these words and many people have misused them. Psalm 91 is a brilliant and beautiful song of trust and faith in God’s provision for God’s people, But that it can mistakenly be understood that those who profess a belief in God and a devotion to God will haveContinue reading “Psalm 91: I Will Be with Them in Trouble”
Psalm 86: Incline Your Ear, O Lord
In a Book Three surprising twist, Psalm 86 claims to be a psalm of David, which, one many noticed, were declared to have ended in Book Two. Likely this is not a prayer composed by David himself, but rather Psalm 86 takes David’s words and repurposes them for a new age, and gives them aContinue reading “Psalm 86: Incline Your Ear, O Lord”
Psalm 81: Raise a Song
It might be easy to forget what a gift the Psalter is; the fact that we still have some pre-exilic songs of worship of the Jewish people is amazing. One of the psalms set for this evening, Psalm 81 is a window into the ways in which the Israelite people worshipped God. It starts withContinue reading “Psalm 81: Raise a Song”
Psalm 78: They Tested God Again and Again
Psalm 78 is a psalm that is out to teach a lesson. This psalm, which is broken up in the readings for the morning and the evening Daily Office, is a recounting of Israel’s history and the psalmist wants to use the history lesson contained therein to teach the people a lesson. The history recountedContinue reading “Psalm 78: They Tested God Again and Again”
Psalm 77: I Cry Aloud to God
When I read through the psalms, there are psalms that fall flat on my ears; there are those psalms that are so bouncy and happy and just hardly seem entirely true. Then there are psalms that strike deep in my soul and wreck me with the truth that they contain and the truth that IContinue reading “Psalm 77: I Cry Aloud to God”
Psalm 23: For You Are With Me
Psalm 23, one of the psalms set for this evening, is probably the most known passages of scripture. It is known across religions, and has often made its way into popular culture. It is almost always prayed together at a funeral. It’s words, with the Lord’s Prayer, are often found on the lips of thoseContinue reading “Psalm 23: For You Are With Me”
Psalm 73: How Can God Know?
The psalm set for this evening is the one direct before the psalm set for last night. Sometimes I wonder what logic there is in the arrangement of the Daily Office, but this one seem clear. Whereas last night’s psalm, Psalm 74 sits in the uncomfortable reality that God’s absence is deeply felt, and neverContinue reading “Psalm 73: How Can God Know?”
Psalm 74: Remember Your Congregation
For the most part, when reading the Psalms with regularity and intention, it becomes obvious that there are certain patterns that most of the psalms follow. There are the psalms that express never-failing confidence in God and God alone. There are psalms that give rise to both individual and communal laments. There are psalms thatContinue reading “Psalm 74: Remember Your Congregation”
Becca Kello 