pSunday Psalms: Sermon on Psalm 146

Today, I had a special opportunity to preach in the Community Church where I served four years ago. The pastor, a dear friend, invited me to come and give a Thanksgiving message from a psalm of my choice. I chose Psalm 146, and gave my message the title, "What Does It Mean to 'Praise the Lord'?"


Here is the text of Psalm 146, from the NRSV.

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
²I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long.
Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.
⁴When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish.
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
⁶who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever;
⁷ who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
⁸ the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
⁹The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
The Lord will reign for ever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

You can read the manuscript of this sermon in PDF format HERE.