Hempfield UMC

The Reading “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.” I will declare the Lord’s decree. He said to me, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father. (Psalm 2:6-7) Reflection God has decided to reign over his people through His chosen king. God relates to this king as father relates to his son. The writer of this psalm, who is king David, enjoyed this relationship with God, but this psalm is also a foretelling of…

The Reading The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and his Anointed One: “Let’s tear off their chains and throw their ropes off of us.” The one enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them. Then he speaks to them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath. (Psalm 2:2-5) Reflection Here is one of the rare places in Scripture where we see God laughing. The idea that the leaders…

The Reading Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and his Anointed One. (Psalm2:1-2) Reflection Psalm 2 is a royal psalm, a category that celebrates the rule of God’s anointed king. The term “anointed” in the original language of the Bible is “Messiah.” The word “Christ” is a Greek translation of the word “Messiah,” so when we refer to Jesus…

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way. (Psalm 139:23-24) Reflection Yesterday we saw how the writer of this psalm expressed his hatred toward those who practice evil. Today we see that his attention now turns toward himself with the desire to see all evil removed from his own heart. He recognizes that he cannot do this work alone, but…