Lent

  • Withered Bones in the Embrace of Mercy

           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 . .… Continue reading

    Withered Bones in the Embrace of Mercy
  • 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… Continue 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… Continue 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… Continue 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… Continue 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… Continue 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… Continue 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… Continue 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,… Continue 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… Continue reading

    Psalm 74: Remember Your Congregation