Moses does the hard work of leading God’s people away from captivity. He settles them into a new land traversing through all kinds of wilderness. He even establishes a law for them to follow. The Exodus story and the emergence of the 10 Commandments show us that we are meant to establish an ordered way to live in community (too bad we struggle with this so much).

Rev. J. Barrett Owen

God orders the world in seven days and sets a universal pattern for us image-bearers: Work six days and rest one. Work is essential to life. We work alongside God and fulfill our duties as the image-bearers of God, and then we rest. The relationship between work and sabbath is paramount to understanding the natural order and rhythms of life.

Rev. J. Barrett Owen

Finally, there are enthronement psalms that celebrate the Lord as the rightful king. These psalms are what the trajectory of the whole Psalter points us to — a future with God as King. Take Psalm 99: “The Lord is King, let the people tremble! He sits enthroned on the cherubim, the earth quakes! He is exalted over all people. Let them praise your great and awesome name. Holy is He!” This sermon will cast a vision for how the Psalms point us to God’s future reign.

-Rev. J. Barrett Owen

Communal lament is cathartic and necessary. It speaks hyperbolic words that may not actually come to pass but words that need to be expressed regardless. In Psalm 14 you hear, “Fools say in their hearts there is no God . . . The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God. They have all gone astray, they are all perverse. No one does good. No, not one.” This level of hyperbole says something about the Israelites.

-Rev. J. Barrett Owen

Wisdom Psalms provide instruction in right living and right faith. Take Psalm 1: “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers, but their delight is in the law of the LORD.” Or Psalm 133, “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity.” Both psalms remind us of the need for right living and right faith. This sermon will remind us of the power of claiming the truths of these ancient wisdoms.

-Rev. Jayne Davis

“The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures . . . he restores my soul." Psalm 23 is an individual hymn of thanksgiving. It is from the lips of David thanking God for God’s provisions. We can learn a lot about this posture of praise and offering ourselves to God in this kind of prayer. This sermon explores how.

Rev. J. Barrett Owen

Psalm 24 has some of the most revered one-liners: “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it. Who shall stand in his holy place . . . those with clean hands and pure hearts . . . Who is this king of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of Glory.” This hymn of communal thanksgiving reminds us of our need for corporate worship and collective praise. This sermon will focus on the power of communal thanksgiving.

-Rev. J. Barrett Owen

Royal psalms speak of the Lord’s provisions for the Israelite kings (David and Solomon) who reigned in Jerusalem during their monarchy. This psalm blesses the kingship of David and gives God the praise for his courage and leadership. These psalms remind us of Israel’s need to bless those in authority and to see how God is using the kings to further the ongoing creation of the wold. It also gives us a glimpse into how God’s people saw God working in this world. Some things are not that different today.

-Rev. J. Barrett Owen

Creation psalms celebrate God’s sovereignty over the created world and the special place of human beings in it. These psalms remind us that nature is our first Bible and that God’s fingerprints are all over the created order. Like in Psalm 8 when it says, “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” This sermon lifts up the human need for finding God in nature and praising God for it.

-Rev. J. Barrett Owen

This sermon will introducethe Psalms and how it is broken up into five books that each end in a doxology that tells the shape and history of the Israelite people while introducing 8 types of psalms: Community Thanksgiving, Individual Thanksgiving, Community Lament, Individual Lament, Royal, Creation, Wisdom, and Enthronement.

-Rev. J. Barrett Owen