O sing to the Beloved a new song, for Love has done marvelous things!
By the strength of your Indwelling Presence,
we, too, are called to do great things;
we are set free through Love’s forgiveness and truth.
Yes, your steadfast Love and faithfulness are ever-present gifts in our lives.
All the ends of the earth have seen the glory of Love’s Eternal Flame.
Make a joyful noise to the Beloved all the earth;
break forth into grateful song and sing praises!
Yes, sing songs of praise extolling Love’s way;
lift up your hears with gratitude and joy!
Let the voices of all people been in harmony,
in unison let the people magnify the Beloved.
Let the sea laugh, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!
Let the waters clap their hands; let the hills ring out with joy before the Beloved,
who radiates Love to al the earth.
For Love reigns over the world with truth and justice
bringing order and balance to all of Creation.
Nan C. Merrill Psalms for Praying
Reflection:
God’s reign makes the world safe—not through fear or domination—but through righteousness, equity, and the reorientation of all creation toward love, forgiveness, truth, and justice.
White Christian Nationalists sometimes point to the enthronement psalms to claim that because their god reigns, they too are entitled to reign—bringing that rule about through military might and the oppression of the vulnerable. But this is not the way God reigns.
We are not made safe by guns or bombs.
We are not made safe by laws that police our bodies or dictate whom we may marry.
We are not made safe when people are deported because of the color of their skin.
We are made safe by love and compassion—lavishly and freely given to all.
We are made safe by kindness to our neighbors and by building communities where everyone’s needs are met. That is the way of love. That is the path of peace.
So sing a new song with your beloved neighbors—
a song of gratitude,
a song of joy,
a song that celebrates God’s reign—
where every person has what they need to truly thrive.
Check out other psalm reflections in the links below or find more of my writing published in Presbyterian Outlook or listen to my experiments in podcasting on the Period Pastor Podcast. Follow me @periodpastor
I began writing Psalm reflections during Lent of 2020. Shortly after, we decided to close the church building, work from home, and worship via zoom. Many churches use the Revised Common Lectionary (RLC) that rotates scripture on a three-year cycle (A, B, and C). Starting in Advent 2019, the church decided to worship with the texts from Year D, which is still not circulated as are years A, B, and C. Year D was created with the goal of including scriptures that were left out or not used as frequently as others. While we were using Psalms in year D, most other lectionary followers were using Year A. In Advent of 2020 we rejoined those who use the lectionary in year B. Advent of 2021 year C. When we returned to in person worship, we took the psalm reflections out of the order of worship. I continued to write them for the blog. Advent of 2022 year A. I left church work in July of 2023 but continued the practice of writing psalm reflections. Advent of 2023 year B.
I use the Vanderbilt Divinity Library’s resource for lectionary readings to make text selections.
1st Sunday in Advent Psalm 25, 2nd Sunday in Advent instead of a Psalm the lectionary gives Luke 1:68-79, 3rd Sunday in Advent instead of a Psalm the lectionary gives Isaiah 12:2-6, 4th Sunday in Advent Luke 1:46b-55 or Psalm 80, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day Psalm 96, Psalm 97, Psalm 98, 1st Sunday after Christmas, Psalm 148, New Year’s Day Psalm 8, 2nd Sunday after Christmas Psalm 147, Epiphany Psalm 72, 1st Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 29, 2nd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 36, 3rd Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 19, 4th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 71, 5th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 138, 6th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 1, 7th Sunday after Epiphany Psalm 37, Transfiguration Sunday (Sunday before Lent) Psalm 99
Lent: Ash Wednesday Psalm 51, 1st Sunday in Lent Psalm 91, 2nd Sunday in Lent Psalm 27, 3rd Sunday in Lent Psalm 63, 4th Sunday in Lent Psalm 32, 5th Sunday in Lent Psalm 126, 6th Sunday in Lent (Palm or Passion Sunday) Psalm 118 or 31
Easter: Easter Psalm 118 or Psalm 114, 2nd Sunday of Easter Psalm 118 or Psalm 150, 3rd Sunday of Easter Psalm 30, 4th Sunday of Easter Psalm 23 or 114, 5th Sunday of Easter Psalm 148, 6th Sunday of Easter Psalm 67 or 109, Ascension Psalm 47 or Psalm 93, 7th Sunday of Easter Psalm 97 or Psalm 2, Day of Pentecost Psalm 104
Season After Pentecost (Ordinary Time): 1st Sunday after Pentecost (Trinity Sunday) Psalm 8, 2nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 42 and Psalm 43 or Psalm 22, 3rd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 77 or Psalm 16, 4th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 30 or Psalm 66, 5th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 82 or Psalm 25, 6th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 52 or Psalm 15, 7th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 85 or Psalm 138, 8th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 107 or Psalm 49, 9th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 50 or Psalm 33, 10th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 80 or Psalm 82, 11th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 71or Psalm 103, 12th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 81 or Psalm 112, 13th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 139 or Psalm 1, 14th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 14 or Psalm 51, 15th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 79 or Psalm 113, 16th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 91 or Psalm 146, 17th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 137 or Psalm 37, 18th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 66 or Psalm 111, 19th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 119 or Psalm 121, 20th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 65 or Psalm 84, 21st Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 119 or Psalm 32, 22nd Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 145 or Psalm 98 or Psalm 17, 23rdSunday after Pentecost Psalm 98, 24th Sunday after Pentecost Psalm 46.
Sources and notes:
“The psalm lifts up the prospect of a coming kingdom where power and policy make for salvation.” Mays p. 312
“The psalm believes and claims that Israel’s God had been shaping Israel’s particular history to establish and reveal his rule over universal history. The belief is astonishing and the claim appears to be theological bravado. But the basic conviction was as old in Israel as hymns like Exodus 15 and Psalm 68 that celebrated the exodus and possession of the land as the manifestation of the LORD’s everlasting reign. Long before the rescue of he exiles from Babylon, some in Israel had been given the insight that the LORD’s victories in Israel’s history were the work of the God whose victory over primeval chaos had brought forth the world. Salvation corresponded to and continued creation. Both were the royal work of the one who rules over all.” Mays p. 313
“Psalm 98 proclaims exuberantly the message that pervades and forms the theological heart of the psalter: God reigns. Like other enthronement psalms, Psalm 98 presents justice and righteousness as the essence of the worldwide policy that God wills and enacts (vv. 2, 9). Psalm 98 also makes it clear that this policy is motivated by God’s faithfulness and love (v. 3). In short, the good news is that God rules the universe with faithfulness and love, and the ecumenical, ecological, economic, social, and political implications of this message are profound.” NIB p. 579
“In verse 1 the psalm singer proclaims that YHWH’s right hand and holy arm have achieved “victory,” in verse 2 that the Lord has made known his “victory,’ and in verse 3 that all the ends of the earth have seen the “victory” of God. Thus we observe a movement in Psalm 98 of the promise of “victory” — from being told of it to knowing it to actually experiencing it.” W p. 35
“The assurance of YHWH’s victory (vv. 2-3) and the promise that YHWH will judge the entire world and all the peoples provided the women and men in exile in Babylon and those who returned to the land after the exile and lived under Persian rule with confidence of a secure future despite the exigencies of life. Thus the “new song” celebrates YHWH’s goodness to the people in the past and offers a firm promise for the future.” W pp. 35-36
Brueggemann Chapter 5 Enthronement Psalms in From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms.
“Two things are clear about the imaginative, liturgical world of ancient Israel. First, that world was peopled by many gods. There are many indicators in the Bible that Israel’s religious world was not monotheistic but consisted in a plurality of gods who sometimes cooperated and sometimes competed. Second, it is clear that the community of gods was not a democracy but was organized into a hierarchy that was often competitive.” Brueggemann, From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms. p. 49
“When we come to the book of Psalms, it is clear that YHWH’s victory in the exodus is just one instance of an often-repeated lyrical celebration of YHWH’s victory over many things: (1) the gods, with the establishment of YHWH as king over all other deities who must submit to YHWH; (2) the threat of chaos; and (3) over all the powers of evil and death. Thus this God is peculiarly allied with Israel but is at the same time celebrated as the cosmic king over all creation. This interface of Israelite particularity and cosmic sovereignty is a regular feature of Israel’s psalms, an interface that constitutes one of the wonders and one of the quandaries of Israel’s faith.” Brueggemann From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms. p. 49
“Six psalms are regularly identified as hymns that celebrate the kingship of YHWH over all gods and all creation and are, of that reason, termed “Enthronement Psalms” (Pss. 47, 93, 96, 97, 98, 99). Each of these six palms identify YHWH as “king,” a claim that evokes celebrative doxology in Israel that constitutes , in each case, the body of the psalm. It is the establishment and acknowledgment of YHWH’s kinship aha makes the world safe. Because of YHWH’s triumph, the other gods are either subordinate agents who cooperate with YHWH’s rule (as in the “council of the gods” in Psalm 82) or are completely defeated, humiliated opponents. Thus the lyrical imagination of Israel manage dot acknowledge a commonly assumed purity of gods while at the same time asserting YHWH’s superiority among the gods.” Brueggemann From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms. pp. 49-50
“The other gods are advocates of other social policies, characteristically policies of greed and violence. One primary reason for jubilation is that teach god brings with him or her a set of norms and social policies. YHWH always comes with policies and norms of neighborliness.” Brueggemann From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms. p. 53
“Yahweh will judge, which means he will establish a rule marked by righteousness and equity. … The world will be fully tuned in a new direction.” Brueggemann The Message of the Psalms p.148
Joy to the World by Issac Watts is based on Psalm 98
Alter, Robert. 2007. The Book of Psalms: A Translation with Commentary New York: W. W. Norton & Company
WBC Allen, Leslie C. 1983. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 101-150. Vol. 21. Waco, TX: Word Books, Publisher.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. 1974. Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible. 8th ed. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Press.
Bourgeault, C. (2006). Chanting the psalms: A practical guide Audio Book. New Seeds.
Brueggemann, Walter. 2007. Praying the Psalms: Engaging Scripture and the Life of the Spirit. 2nd ed. Eugene, OR: Cascade.
Brueggemann, Walter. 2014. From Whom No Secrets Are Hid: Introducing the Psalms. Edited by Brent A. Strawn. 1st ed. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
Brueggemann, Walter. Davis Hanskins, Editor. 2022. Our Hearts Wait: Worshiping Through Praise and Lament in the Psalms Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville KY.
Brueggemann, Walter. (2002). Spirituality of the psalms. Augsburg Pub. House.
Brueggemann, Walter. (1984). The Message of the Psalms: A Theological Commentary. Minneapolis: Augsburg.
Chilson, Richard, ed. You Shall Not Want: A Spiritual Journey Based on the Psalms. Ave Maria Press, 2009.
Chittister, Joan. (2011). Songs of the heart: reflections on the psalms. John Garratt Publishing.
Cudjoe-Wilkes, G., Wilkes, A. J., & Moss, O. (2022). Psalms for black lives: Reflections for the work of Liberation. Upper Room Books.
WBC Craigie, Peter C. 1983. Psalms 1-50–Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 19. Waco, TX: Word Books.
Creach, Jerome Frederick Davis. 1998. Psalms: Interpretation Bible Studies. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
DAFLER, J. (2021). PSOBRIETY: A journey of recovery through the psalms. Louisville, KY: WESTMINSTER JOHN KNOX.
W de Claisse-Walford, Nancy L. WISDOM COMMENTARY: Psalms Bks. 4-5. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Vol. 22. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2020.
Green, Barbara. 1997. Like a Tree Planted: An Exploration of Psalms and Parables Through Metaphor. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press.
W Hopkins, Denise Dombkowski. WISDOM COMMENTARY: Psalms Bks. 2-3. Edited by Barbara E. Reid. Vol. 21. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2016.
NIB Keck, Leander E. 2015. The New Interpreters Bible Commentary. Vol. 3. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Lewis, C. S. (2017). Reflections on the Psalms. Harper One, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers.
Mays, James Luther. 1994. Psalms. Louisville, KY: John Knox Press.
McCann, J. C. (1993). A theological introduction to the book of Psalms: The Psalms as Torah. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
McCann, J. C., & Howell, J. C. 2001. Preaching the Psalms. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press.
Merrill, N. C. (2020). Psalms for praying an invitation to wholeness (10th Anniversary Edition ed.). London, England: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Miller, Patrick D. 1986. Interpreting the Psalms. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press.
Morgan, Michael. 2010. The Psalter for Christian Worship Revised Edition. Westminster John Knox Press.
Schlimm, Matthew Richard. 2018. 70 Hebrew Words Every Christian Should Know. Nashville, TN: Abington Press.
Spong, M. (Ed.). (2020). The words of her mouth: Psalms for the struggle. Cleveland, OH: The Pilgrim Press.
WBC Tate, Marvin E. 1990. Word Biblical Commentary: Psalms 51-100. Edited by David Allan. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Vol. 20. Waco, TX: Word.
Weems, Ann. 1995. Psalm of Lament. Westminster John Knox Pres
OTL Weiser, Artur. 1998. Old Testament Library: Psalms. Translated by Herbert Hartwell. 3rd ed. New York, NY: Manchester University Press.
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