Ballynoe Stone Circle, Northern Ireland photo

Wisdom Psalms

Scripture: Psalm 25:1-22 (NRSV)

Reading the wisdom psalms can feel a lot like reading the book of Proverbs. Wisdom psalms are often in acrostic form, which is a memory device for the one reciting the poem. Each segment begins with a new letter in the Hebrew alphabet—starting with A, then B, all the way to Z. From A to Z, from first to last, beginning to end, we see what a lifestyle of wisdom looks like, from the womb to the tomb, the cradle to the grave. Wisdom helps us see life comprehensively, from the whole and the part, as an individual and part of a community—the Me and the We. Psalm 25 oscillates, even jerks back and forth between expressions of trust and petitions for help. Kind of like real life—crammed with highs and lows, ups and downs, valleys and mountain tops. Psalm 25 is a prayer that God—the Alpha and the Omega, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, might be a patient and forgiving teacher, guide, and confidant—from start to finish. “Unto to thee O Lord, do I lift up my soul.” (Psalm 25: 1)

 

August 8, 2021 – Online Service Bulletin and Bible Study

Sermon Art: Ballynoe Stone Circle, Northern Ireland (fair use)

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