The English Standard Version (ESV) titles Psalm 48: Zion, the City of Our God. You can read in 2 Samuel 5 the account of David's conquest of Zion and the establishment of his kingdom in Jerusalem. During David's reign, Zion came to mean the city of God. In David's day, worship of God centered in … Continue reading God’s city, Psalm 48
God is king and he reigns over all the earth. That's the message of Psalm 47. With references to Old Testament ceremony and ancient eastern pomp, it celebrates God's rule as the Most High King. Ascribed to the Sons of Korah, the psalm begins with praise imperatives (Psalm 47:1, ESV): Clap your hands, all peoples! … Continue reading The King Reigns, Psalm 47
Rather than writing my own meditation today, I'm posting a link to a sermon on Psalm 46 preached by Rev. Stephen Donovan at Escondido United Reformed Church in Escondido, CA. He preached "Facing the Fearsome" on the last evening of 2012, when many people felt anxious about the coming year. Rev. Donovan's message is available at … Continue reading “Facing the Fearsome” by Rev. Stephen Donovan
In lieu of writing my own meditation on Psalm 45 today, I'm posting a link to a sermon on the psalm, preached by Rev. Jeremy Veldman in 2004. Rev. Veldman now pastors Covenant United Reformed Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but at the time he preached this sermon he was serving an internship at Covenant URC in Kansas … Continue reading “Welcome to the Wedding” by Jeremy Veldman
Rather than writing a meditation today on Psalm 44, I'm sharing a sermon on the psalm by Rev. Paul Ipema of Community United Reformed Church in Schererville, IN. He preached this sermon at the evening worship service on February 6 of 2011. It can be accessed on the Sermon Audio website. In this message, Rev. Ipema speaks … Continue reading “When God Hides His Face” by Rev. Paul Ipema
Any regular reader of this blog knows that I love psalms. I love reading and meditating on them. And I love singing them in worship. But I also like singing hymns during the service, especially when they tie in well with the sermon and focus the mind on the divine. Hymns often duplicate the message … Continue reading Literary lyrics
Yesterday we heard two convicting sermons. At the morning service our ministerial intern, Pablo Landázuri, preached on "Running the Race of Christian Life" from Hebrews 11:32-12:3. He pointed out that this race requires perseverance and patience. There are three ways we must run the race: by considering that we are surrounded by a great cloud of … Continue reading Looking and listening to Jesus
Most scholars believe that Psalm 43 belongs with Psalm 42. In The Literary Study Bible ESV, editors Ryken and Ryken write: "The case is overwhelming that these two poems actually constitute a single worship psalm" (p. 792). They point out how the combined psalms express the longing of an exile to return to worship God in his … Continue reading Far from home, Psalm 43
Contrary to some popular preachers, you can't live your best life now. You're actually living your worst life now. Can you imagine a manuscript titled Your Worst Life Now? Any editor or publisher consider that proposal an epic fail in marketing strategy. It's too negative! It's too pessimistic! But it's only too true. What you're living now as … Continue reading Your worst life now, Psalm 42
On Friday I wrote about how I've been "doubling time" lately. Even though many regular readers of this blog frequently express their appreciation for the meditations, my doubling time schedule has kept me from posting a new one for several weeks. Some major life events are past, but I still have some huge concerns and … Continue reading Bible Gateway
Glenda Faye Mathes 