Psalm 20 The King trusts in the Lord 1 The Lord answer you in the day of trouble! The name of the God of Jacob protect you! 2 May he send you help from the sanctuary, and give you support from Zion. 3 May he remember all your offerings, and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices. Selah 4 May he grant you your heart’s desire, and fulfill all your plans. 5 May we shout for joy over your victory, and in the name of our God set up our banners. May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. 6 Now [...]

Psalm 16, NRSV 1 Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge. 2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;     I have no good apart from you.” 3 As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble,     in whom is all my delight. 4 Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;     their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out     or take their names upon my lips. 5 The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup;     you hold my lot. 6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in [...]

Psalm 133 1 How very good and pleasant it is     when kindred live together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil on the head,     running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron,     running down over the collar of his robes. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon,     which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing,     life forevermore. Reflection: This psalm reflects an obvious concern in ancient Israel, the importance of family values. The family is a crucial institution for every culture. It affects everyone, for better or for [...]

Psalm 100 A Psalm of Thanksgiving 1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Reflection: Psalm 100 is the biblical standard [...]

Psalm 150: 1 Hallelujah! Praise God in his holy house of worship; Praise him under the open skies; 2 Praise him for his acts of power, Praise him for his magnificent greatness; 3 Praise with a blast of trumpet, Praise by strumming of soft strings; 4 Praise him with castanets and dance, Praise him with banjo and flute; 5 Praise him with cymbals and a big brass drum, Praise him with fiddles and mandolin. 6 Let every living, breathing creature praise God! Hallelujah! Reflection: I am thrilled that we have such an outstanding student ministry here at St. Luke’s. [...]

Psalm 127 God’s Blessings in the Home 1 Unless the Lord builds the house,     those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city,     the guard keeps watch in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early     and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil;     for he gives sleep to his beloved. 3 Sons are indeed a heritage from the Lord,     the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior     are the sons of one’s youth. 5 Happy is the man who has [...]

Psalm 2, NRSV 1 Why do the nations conspire,     and the peoples plot in vain? 2 The kings of the earth set themselves,     and the rulers take counsel together,     against the Lord and his anointed, saying, 3 “Let us burst their bonds asunder,     and cast their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;     the Lord has them in derision. 5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,     and terrify them in his fury, saying, 6 “I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 I will tell of the decree of [...]

Psalm 132 The Eternal Dwelling of God in Zion 1 O Lord, remember in David’s favor all the hardships he endured; 2 how he swore to the Lord and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob, 3 “I will not enter my house or get into my bed; 4 I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, 5 until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.” 6 We heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar. 7 “Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at [...]