Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29 on biblegateway.com
Verse 1O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!
Verse 2Let Israel say, "His steadfast love endures forever."
Verse 19Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.
Verse 20This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.
Verse 21I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.
Verse 22The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.
Verse 23This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.
Verse 24This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Verse 25Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
Verse 26Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord.
Verse 27The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.
Verse 28You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you.
Verse 29O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Devotion
Today we start looking towards Palm or Passion Sunday. Throughout Lent, we have been living with our brokenness—both here and now in our families and the world—and through time from the earliest days after leaving the Garden. As we look towards Holy Week, we begin by singing with joy and lifting our praises in the deep conviction that God’s love endures forever. We know that God has sent Jesus to us, bringing a kin-dom we could not possibly imagine. Passion Sunday—which rehearses the entire story from hosannas to the crucifixion to Easter—offers us an overview, a summary, of what we will be walking through. On the first day of Holy Week, we are reminded that while love brings joy, it also brings deep grief. As this week goes forward, we will find ourselves moving through the valley of the shadow of death—both here and now in whatever ways we are inhabiting it—and through the deep story of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
Prayer
Saving God, walk with us through this time. Protect our hearts from the despair that brokenness can bring; draw us into the light of your love and help us to sing your praise. Amen.
Interested in digging deeper into today’s text?
Read more here.