A Reflection on Psalm 95 by Canon Rob, 12th March 2023, the Third Sunday of Lent If you are familiar with the Book of Common Prayer, you may remember using today’s psalm, headed “the Venite.” and set to be used each day, with one or two exceptions, at Morning Prayer. It was to be said …
A Reflection on Psalm 32 by Canon Rob, 26th February 2023, the First Sunday of Lent I am pretty sure that all of us who read and reflect upon this psalm will know what it is to feel guilty. Guilt can be a very heavy burden and, sadly, many carry it for years and suffer …
A Reflection on Psalm Psalm 136 by Canon Rob, 12th February, the Second Sunday before Lent Some psalms are more memorable than others and the psalm set for today is, to my shame, one of those I always remember, but for the wrong reasons! Whenever we said or sung it at theological college my heart …
A Reflection on Psalm 27.1-11 by Canon Rob, 22nd January 2023, the Third Sunday of Epiphany Today’s psalm is a personal prayer expressing confidence in the God who, as verse 1 puts it, “is my light and my salvation;” and continues, “whom then shall I fear?” The answer to the question is assumed to be: …
A Reflection on Psalm 29 by Canon Rob, 8th January 2023, the First Sunday after Epiphany Along with many other Churches, at St Dunstan’s today, we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany and remember the Visit of the 3 Kings to the Child Jesus. However, in the Church of England Lectionary, the title is “The …
A Reflection on Psalm 96 by Canon Rob, 25th December 2022, Christmas Day. The author of the psalm set for today could not have Christmas in mind because the birth of Jesus, bringing about a new relationship with God, was many years in the future. However, the psalm was probably written to celebrate another new …
A new Beginning and a Blessed and Joyful Christmas! Read More »
A Reflection on Psalm 80.1-8 by Canon Rob, 18th December, 4th Sunday of Advent To appreciate the meaning of Psalm 80, a little bit of Israel’s history is useful. The psalm is sometimes called “A Prayer of Restoration” and for good reason. After the reign of King Solomon, Israel became a divided kingdom following a …
A Reflection on Psalm 72.1-7 by Canon Rob, 4th December, 2nd Sunday of Advent We are now in the Church’s season of Advent: these four weeks full of expectation and wonderful hymns, like “O come, O come, Emmanuel” with its chorus, “Rejoice, rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.” For Christians, Christ is Emmanuel: …
A Reflection on Psalm 46 by Canon Rob, 20th November, Feast of Christ the King. Immediately after Queen Elizabeth 2nd died on 8th September, her son Charles was pronounced King, just as Elizabeth had been pronounced Queen as soon as her father had died in 1952. “The Queen is dead: God save the King!” I …
A Reflection on Psalm 17.1-8 by Canon Rob, 6th November, 3rd Sunday before Advent Surprisingly, the refrain and heading for Psalm 17 in “Common Worship: Daily Prayer” is “The Lord is my strength and my song.” I say “surprisingly” because the tone in most verses is a cry for help. The author is clearly desperate …
