It took a year to read the Bible, then almost 9 months to read the Apocrypha. Now, I'm going to try to offer reflections on the Narrative Lectionary. But, I won't be posting daily--at least, for a while.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Courage, Confidence, Celebration, Reflection on Psalm 27:6-9

The psalmist has recognized and shares the recognition. Not silently, either, but with shouts of joy. I'm pausing here to wonder how a typical church congregation would react to someone actually shouting at church. Then, I'm beginning to wonder how we do show our appreciation to God and how we tell others that we do have this appreciation.

In the psalm after the gratitude for what has happened in the past, the psalmist then continues to pray for continued help. Because we have suffered in the past, we recognize that hard times can come again. Because we have been helped in the past, we have confidence of where to turn for help in the future. And, we say all this joyfully and publicly.

John H. Hayes in Preaching through the Christian Year A summarizes this, "Courage and confidence would culminate in celebration.

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