This Sunday, churches that use the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) will once again get an abbreviated version of the selection from the Psalms. Psalm 146 verses 4-9 will be recited if not sung.
As usual, imprecatory verses get the ax, but not in ACNA churches where the entire Psalm 146 will be read or sung.
So, I have printed the entire thing, and I have highlighted in red the verses that are cut out by the RCL.
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord, O my soul! *
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
2 Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *
for there is no help in them.
3 When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *
and in that day their thoughts perish.
4 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *
whose hope is in the Lord their God;
5 Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *
who keeps his promise for ever;
6 Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *
and food to those who hunger.
7 The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; *
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
8 The Lord loves the righteous;
the Lord cares for the stranger; *
he sustains the orphan and widow,
but frustrates the way of the wicked.
9 The Lord shall reign for ever, *
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Hallelujah!
10 The LORD cares for the strangers in the land; he defends the fatherless
and widow; *
but the way of the ungodly he makes crooked.
11 The LORD shall be King for evermore, *
even your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Praise the LORD.
As usual, imprecatory verses get the ax, but not in ACNA churches where the entire Psalm 146 will be read or sung.
So, I have printed the entire thing, and I have highlighted in red the verses that are cut out by the RCL.
1 Hallelujah!
Praise the Lord, O my soul! *
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
2 Put not your trust in rulers, nor in any child of earth, *
for there is no help in them.
3 When they breathe their last, they return to earth, *
and in that day their thoughts perish.
4 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help! *
whose hope is in the Lord their God;
5 Who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; *
who keeps his promise for ever;
6 Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, *
and food to those who hunger.
7 The Lord sets the prisoners free;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind; *
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
8 The Lord loves the righteous;
the Lord cares for the stranger; *
he sustains the orphan and widow,
but frustrates the way of the wicked.
9 The Lord shall reign for ever, *
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Hallelujah!
10 The LORD cares for the strangers in the land; he defends the fatherless
and widow; *
but the way of the ungodly he makes crooked.
11 The LORD shall be King for evermore, *
even your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Praise the LORD.
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Why do they delete part of the psalm?
ReplyDeleteAnon1, This is a common fault in the Revised Common Lectionary as has been noted many times on this blog. Usually, imprecatory verses are deleted. The reasons are something we can speculate about. I believe the deletions are so that the psalm will fit more easily into the NT lessons thus making the preacher's job less difficult. In addition there may be a hidden agenda that aims to feed the Sunday pewsitters baby food instead of real food. This agenda is based on a false belief that the strong language found in the imprecatory verses will scare away some folks.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reply. My Church is very different now days. A lot of the stuff makes no sense. I don’t understand the direction it is going.
`Anon,
ReplyDeleteThe Gospel should be easy to understand. When things don't make sense, the direction a church is headed is clear. It is moving away from the Gospel.