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Psalms for Everyone - Remembering Makes All the Difference
Psalms for Everyone - Remembering Makes All the Difference
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Remembering Makes All the Difference Psalm 57 I’ve been thinking about memory. As a result of a comment by a student, I found myself reflecting on the fact that we don’t think much about the link between memory and our life with God—our ethics and our spirituality—though there ar…
Psalms for Everyone - Did You Have Your Eyes Shut, Then?
Psalms for Everyone - Did You Have Your Eyes Shut, Then?
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Did You Have Your Eyes Shut, Then? Psalm 37: 21-40 There’s a poem by Jacqueline Osherow in which she imagines a Jewish boy who has learned the Psalms by heart saying them at Auschwitz and puzzling over Psalm 37 (“Psalm 37 at Auschwitz,” in Dead Men’s Praise [New York: Grove Press…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - If You Build It, He Will Come
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - If You Build It, He Will Come
by SPCK - John Goldingay
If You Build It, He Will Come Psalm 132 In an hour’s time, I am off to our diocesan convention, where clergy and laypeople will make decisions about policies and initiatives for the coming year. We will begin by asking for God’s guidance and wisdom in connection with our discussi…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - A Mere Breath
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - A Mere Breath
by SPCK - John Goldingay
A Mere Breath Psalm 144 Some years ago I did a little bit of research into tracing my ancestors. These were pre-Internet days, and the research involved poring over ancient volumes in the repository of such records in London. Sometimes I would discover another “John Goldingay” fr…
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Shadow of the Almighty
Psalms for Everyone Part 2 - Shadow of the Almighty
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Shadow of the Almighty Psalm 91 I have a vivid memory from when I was a teenager of watching a filmstrip (a prehistoric antecedent of DVDs) that told the story of five young men from the United States who went to a rainforest in Ecuador to seek to bring the gospel of Christ to th…
Psalms for Everyone - When You Feel Vulnerable and Threatened
Psalms for Everyone - When You Feel Vulnerable and Threatened
by SPCK - John Goldingay
When You Feel Vulnerable and Threatened Psalm 66 Today is the anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the United States. For some reason it has reminded me of the first time I visited the United States, during the first Gulf War in 1990. The plane was half empty, which seemed …
Psalms for Everyone - On Telling God What to Do
Psalms for Everyone - On Telling God What to Do
by SPCK - John Goldingay
On Telling God What to Do Psalm 70 As usual, this Sunday morning in church we prayed that the church might be one, that it might faithfully preach the gospel to the ends of the earth, that there might be justice and peace on the earth, and that the world might be freed from pover…
Psalms for Everyone - Where Is Your God?
Psalms for Everyone - Where Is Your God?
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Where Is Your God? Psalm 42 There is a poignant movie called James’ Journey to Jerusalem about a young Zulu who has been designated to be his village’s next pastor. If it were the West he would be sent to seminary, but the village decides that the best way to prepare him for his …
Psalms for Everyone - Be Still and Know That I am God
Psalms for Everyone - Be Still and Know That I am God
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Be Still and Know That I Am God Psalm 46 For nearly a thousand years, most of what is now Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium, and other areas comprised the Holy Roman Empire. It had a legislative assembly confusingly called a diet, which in 1521 met at a Germ…
Psalms for Everyone - I Can't Wait
Psalms for Everyone - I Can't Wait
by SPCK - John Goldingay
I Can’t Wait Psalm 25 “We can’t wait till you come to see us next year,” a friend in the Philippines said. “I can’t wait till the concert on Saturday,” a singer-songwriter said. “We can’t wait to meet your new wife,” a friend said. “I can’t wait for Christmas,” another friend sai…
Psalms for Everyone - I Wash My Hands in Innocence
Psalms for Everyone - I Wash My Hands in Innocence
by SPCK - John Goldingay
I Wash My Hands in Innocence Psalm 26 In the Episcopal church, when we move from the first part of a service, which focuses on the reading of Scripture, to the celebration of communion, someone pours a little water over my hands as the priest and I say some words from Psalm 26: “…
Psalms for Everyone - How to Be Immoderate
Psalms for Everyone - How to Be Immoderate
by SPCK - John Goldingay
How to Be Immoderate Psalm 59 People just down our street are incensed. There’s an affordable housing project whose residents are incensed because it has become a base for drug dealers and a locus of conflicts between local gangs. City officials and city police are incensed becau…
Psalms for Everyone - How to Pray with Your Leader
Psalms for Everyone - How to Pray with Your Leader
by SPCK - John Goldingay
How to Pray with Your Leader Psalm 61 During a recent presidential election, a spoof organization called the American Institute of Mentality published the findings of a research project on the question “Why would anyone run for president?” Their conclusion was that presidential c…
Psalms for Everyone - They're Trying to Wash Us Away
Psalms for Everyone - They're Trying to Wash Us Away
by SPCK - John Goldingay
They’re Trying to Wash Us Away Psalm 31 Last night we went to a concert by the great honky-tonk/blues singer Marcia Ball, who grew up in Louisiana. Her closing song was Randy Newman’s unbearably moving “Louisiana.” The song describes how the Mississippi River rose all day and all…
Genesis for Everyone Part 1 - Blessing and Tithing
Genesis for Everyone Part 1 - Blessing and Tithing
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Blessing and Tithing Genesis 14: 19-24 In the nondenominational church where my parents sent my sister and me to Sunday school, tithing was an important part of Christian commitment. But as a teenager I also became involved with my Church of England parish church. In those days i…
Genesis for Everyone Part 2 - Entertaining Unawares
Genesis for Everyone Part 2 - Entertaining Unawares
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Entertaining Angels Unawares Genesis 18: 1-15 One of my friends thinks she may once have met an angel. She was driving to work along a stretch of road surrounded by open land in a well-to-do part of the Los Angeles area, and she passed someone who looked rather like a homeless ma…
Psalms for Everyone - Silence toward God
Psalms for Everyone - Silence toward God
by SPCK - John Goldingay
Silence toward God Psalm 62 A friend of mine has gone on a month’s silent retreat (he is answering e-mails, which seems a bit like cheating, but then maybe so is reading or listening to talks). He needs to know what is to be the next stage in his life and his service of God, and …
Isaiah for Everyone - A Day When There Will Be a Song to Sing