Psalm 137 is, as previously noted, written from the perspective of those carried off into captivity in Babylon. Verses 1-6 give voice to moving and heartrending lament. Weeping grows into rage,...

Like Lamentations 1, Psalm 137 is a poem of lament arising from Israel’s captivity in Babylon. Lamentations 1 is written from the perspective of those left behind in Jerusalem. Psalm 137...

One of the great Motown hits of the 1960s is the Smokey Robinson song, “The Tracks of My Tears.” Three of the four passages we’ll encounter this week mention weeping in...

A few years ago, I helped celebrate Holy Communion at an affluent church. We used the liturgy of The Great Thanksgiving for Advent. In the middle of the liturgy, the celebrant...

Wake up. Go to work. Sit in traffic. Engage with members of your family. Eat. Go to bed. Rinse. Repeat. For many people, this pattern represents a good life (well, minus...

Newsflash: Christmas is three months away! Do not panic! Rather, consider this an invitation to ponder what it means to be content. Very soon, the “best sales events of the year”...

Songwriter Diane Warren penned a Grammy award-winning tribute to her father, “Because You Loved Me.” The lyrics of the song proclaim a love that profoundly influences the life of another. In...

Twenty-four-hour news broadcasts leave us longing for peace, mercy, justice, hope, and love. Children lose their lives, leave families; and friends wonder why. Young adults feel a sense of insecurity in...

My real estate agent asked as we stood outside the office for my house closing, “Are you ready for this?” I wanted to shout, “No way! What crazy person decided it...

The prophet Jeremiah receives a promise—a word from the Lord—which seems poorly timed. A war rages, and Jeremiah is in jail. Those looking at the situation from the outside would find...