Sermon (July 19) “A Psummer of Psalms - Psalm 17” by Rev. Robert McDowell

July 19, 2026

Beulah UMC

     If you have ever felt that you have been treated unfairly and you need to vent, wow, do I have the psalm for you!

     Our Psalm for today is Psalm 17. Of the five categories of psalms, this psalm fits into the “psalms of lament” category because the psalmist is lamenting at being treated unjustly.

     Now, this topic of being treated unjustly can be a little tricky because it’s prone to subjectivity. We can easily get bent out of shape over what we consider to be someone’s unjust treatment toward us when in reality, it might just be that we have misunderstood the situation or that we are too quick to judge someone.

     For example, and I can’t believe I tell you these stories of things that I have done of which I am embarrassed, but here it goes.

     This round-about chart helps us to see how these things are supposed to work with a little humor thrown in. 

     Let’s start with car “A” at the top of the round-about. This car is yielding properly. If it enters now, it will cause an accident. Car “A” is doing this correctly.

     Next is car “B” located at the bottom of the round-about. This car is entering properly. There is no car coming, so no reason to yield.

     Next is car “C,” the red car located on the left of the round-about. This car is yielding to nobody for no reason because it thinks it has to yield if ANY car is in the circle ANYWHERE. Don’t be car “C.”

     And finally, there is car “D” which is also on the left of the round-about. And this car hates car “C.”

 

     I know that roundabouts are not everyone’s favorite way of dealing with intersections. I actually don’t mind them because I think that it keeps traffic flowing. If you have questions about how to use a roundabout, I think Penny has the best answer.

    All you need to remember is once you’re in the circle, you’re in. When you’re in, you’re in. You have the right-a-way. And you can drive around that circle as long as you like. When you’re in, you’re in.

     But once in a while, and I’m sure this has happened to you, you are in the roundabout driving behind a car who doesn’t understand how this works, and they end up slowing down at each entry point to let people into the roundabout.

     This is not how roundabouts work. Once you’re in, you’re in. Usually when someone ahead of me stops to let people in, I don’t beep at them, but one day I did.

     I got in a roundabout one day, and the car ahead of me in the circle all of the sudden completely stopped to let a car enter into the circle. I thought to myself, “Buddy! Really?”

     And I don’t know why this annoyed me, but I decided to lay on my horn. I also mouthed the words, “Keep it moving!” Don’t worry, I didn’t say any bad words. I’m not that guy!

     But in that moment, I was upset. This guy in front of me was slowing me down. I had places to go. People to see! And c’mon, learn how to drive through a roundabout. These out-of-towners! I’m tell’n ya! Probably from up north.

     I was venting and employing some of this Psalm 17 language. “Rise up, O Lord, and confront them!”

     As I was getting worked up about this and feeling that I had been treated unjustly, that’s when I realized that the car in front of me had stopped in that roundabout for a very good reason. It was because he was letting a funeral procession enter into the circle.

     When I saw that, I realized that I was being a “you know what” for laying on my horn. I felt absolutely terrible! I waved my hand at the person in front of me to indicate that I was sorry.

     Now as a pastor, I have been the passenger of that funeral procession lead car many times and I have often complained how cars can be disrespectful when it comes to funeral processions, and here I was being “that guy.”

     In that situation, Psalm 17 did not fit the situation. I was not being treated unfairly. I was just plain wrong.

     So, let’s be clear as we look at using Psalm 17 in our own prayer lives. This psalm is assuming that we aren’t being “that guy.” It’s assuming that we have taken the time to reflect on if we have truly been treated unfairly or if we have maybe misunderstood the situation.

     This is why the Psalmist begins by saying, “let your eyes see the right” and “try my heart” to see if there are any transgressions in me because I may be wrong about this.

     So, there is humility in the way this psalmist begins the prayer. “I’m really upset with what this person has done to me, but Lord, let me know if there is something not right within my own heart.” That’s my wording, but this sounds like the intent of how the psalmist begins Psalm 17.

    Now, that’s a sign of spiritual maturity when you can start complaining about how you are being treated unfairly, and at the same time admit that maybe you are not seeing the big picture.

    Maybe I’m part of the problem. So, it is with this spirit of humility that the Psalmist continues to vent to God about what has been done against him.

     Psalm 17, along with the many other psalms of lament that we find in the Book of Psalms, gives you and me the permission to vent our frustrations to God. Long before modern day psychology, these psalms help us to process our frustrations, our anger, our rage, and our disappointments and let God know how we really feel.

     We all can probably name several unhealthy ways for us to vent these feelings. We can take it out on those closest to us. We can use passive-aggressive behavior. We can let these feelings bottle up but that only lasts so long. They will come out in some way.

     This psalmist is giving us permission to let God know how we have been treated unjustly. Sharing our feelings with God in prayer is a very healthy way for us to process those feelings.

     This is the only time during the three-year lectionary cycle of Sunday scripture readings that Psalm 17 appears. It’s not a long Psalm, but the lectionary only offers us a portion of this Psalm to read in worship. Notice that it leaves out verses 13 and 14.

     These are verses in which the Psalmist tells the Lord to rise up and put these slanderers in their place. It tells the Lord to punish their accuser’s children, and their children as well. This is not the Psalm that any of us probably learned when we were children in Sunday School.

     But think of it this way. Is it better to vent your feelings of vengeance in a prayer, or to take matters in our own hands? The answer is to vent your feelings through prayer.

     Unfortunately, many of us, myself included have been taught to keep our feelings inside, especially our feelings of anger and disappointment. But that’s just not healthy and it’s unrealistic.

     I had a theology professor in seminary tell our class that God is big enough to take on any question or frustration that we might be dealing with in our lives. God wants us to be our authentic selves and how we are feeling in any given moment.

     That was such a freeing thing for me to hear my seminary professor make this point. God is big enough to take on any question or frustration that we might be dealing with in our lives.

     The Psalmist of Psalm 17 reminds us that it’s OK. It’s not like he was holding back. But again, as long as we vent to God in a spirit of humility and knowing that our hearts need to be examined as well, this Psalm can help us to become even stronger in our faith and in our trust in God.

     This Psalm is paired with our Old Testament reading from the Book of Genesis. It’s the story of Jacob who wrestles all night with a messenger sent from God. Jacob has been on the run from his brother, Esau who has been his adversary since childhood.

     This night of wrestling serves as a turning point in Jacob’s life. Jacob ends up winning the wrestling match and, in the morning, the Lord blesses Jacob with a new name. No longer will he be known as Jacob.

     His new name will be Israel. In a similar way, like Jacob, this psalmist in Psalm 17 invites God to test his heart that night, with the hope that when morning comes, he will be satisfied and behold God’s likeness.

     If you have ever had a restless night where you are struggling with unresolved issues, a complicated relationship, and the emotions of fear and uncertainty feel overwhelming, this Psalm invites us to let all of that go and know that God is our refuge.

    So many times, we forget that it’s OK to complain to God. It’s OK to wrestle with God. It’s OK to let God know how we truly feel about a situation we may be facing.

     There is something very freeing about offering our laments to God. The Psalmist knows that God will answer him and he will receive God’s steadfast love.

     But I want you to know that like the Psalmist in our Psalm for today prayed, we too, can have the same confidence that God will guide us through those times when we just need to vent our feelings. The psalmist knew that God would see him through that time of anguish and anger that he was feeling.

     He knew that it was ok for him to pray honestly and openly which is why he was able to say, “I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me, hear my words.”    

     We need these psalms of lament like Psalm 17 that are raw, honest, unbridled, and unfiltered. We need to be able tell God when we feel that we have been unfairly judged. It’s not healthy to keep our anger and our frustrations all bottled up inside us.

     And as we offer these raw and honest prayers to God, like the Psalmist, and like Jacob who wrestled with God all night long, the good news is that by releasing all of that anger and frustration and giving it over to God, we just may find joy in the morning.

Sunday (July 19) Pastoral Prayer

July 19, 2026

Beulah UMC

O God, we long for our soul to be still especially during those times when we are experiencing the raw emotions of frustration, disappointment, anger, and grief. Remind us as our prayer hymn so beautifully says to “bear patiently the cross of grief or pain, and to leave to you to order and provide, in every change you faithful will remain.”

 

Thank you for these psalms of lament that invite us to be ourselves with you because we know that you love us unconditionally. And like today’s psalmist who offered his lament to you, grant us a spirit of humility that would lead us to see if our hearts are in alignment with who you are calling us to be.

 

During these next few moments of silence, O God, quiet our souls as we humble our hearts and listen for your voice.

 

[MOMENTS OF SILENCE]

 

We also pray for those who are on our hearts and minds this day, those on our church’s prayer list, as well as family and friends who are in need of healing, comfort, guidance, and a sense of your peace. We lift all of these needs up to you this day.

 

Thank you for hearing our prayers of thanksgivings, blessings, joys, and gratitude, but also thank you for hearing our prayers of lament, heartache, and pain. And thank you that you hear our prayers during the day as well as in the middle of the night when we just can’t get to sleep.

 

Still our souls, O God. Be still our souls, even now as we join together in praying this prayer that Jesus taught us to say together…

 

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Sermon (July 12) Sermon “A Psummer of Pslams - Psalm 128” by Rev. Robert McDowell

July 12, 2026

Beulah UMC

     When our children were preschool age, we took them to Disney World in Florida. We were living in northwest, Ohio at the time so it was a two-day trip for us by car.

     Now, I had previously driven from the west coast to the east coast that took me several days, but the trip from Ohio to Florida with two preschool children felt like it was twice as long as that cross-country trip.

     When we drove that year to Florida, the Disney movie, “Beauty and the Beast” had just premiered in the movie theatre. Before we left, Penny bought the cassette tape of the soundtrack for this movie which we listened to for all of those hours during that incredibly long car ride. To this day, whenever I hear music from that movie, I have these terrible flashbacks.

     So this might not be the best example of introducing our psalm of the week as part of our summer of psalms sermon series.

     Psalm 128 is known as a traveling Psalm. It’s a psalm that you sing during a long journey not just to pass the time, but to also anticipate the destination to which you are going. And in the case of Psalm 128 as well as the other thirteen psalms of ascent, that destination was the city of Jerusalem, also known as Zion.

     And the reason they would travel to Jerusalem was because that was where the Temple was located, the Temple where animal sacrifices were made, where their sins were atoned, and where the people worshipped. Thousands and thousands of Jewish people from near and far would travel from their homes to Jerusalem to celebrate their three major religious festivals that were held during the spring, summer, and fall seasons.

 

     Like any college town when students come for the fall semester during move-in week, the population in Jerusalem increased significantly by these long distance travelers. Lodging was not easy to find because of all the people in this one city during these festivals.

     When we think of Psalm 128 and these fourteen traveling psalms of ascent that we find in the Book of Psalms, the image of walking several days might help us to appreciate the commitment it took to make this journey three times a year. Think of all the effort and planning that would require! And no McDonalds along the way, either!

     When thinking about these holy pilgrimages, I also think about the 20 or so Buddhist Monks who walked from Texas to Washington DC last year. Some of you saw them as they walked through Columbia and Blythewood.

     It was a walking journey that was 2,300 miles long and took them over a hundred days to accomplish. It began in October and ended in February, a span of 4 months! Their only reason for this long pilgrimage was to promote unity, compassion, and healing for our country. And while they did this mostly in silence and with very little talking since that is part of their religious custom, it does help us appreciate how long these spiritual pilgrimages can be.

     So we can see why, these traveling psalms that we have included in our Bible would be needed. They reminded those religious pilgrims during their long journeys of not only where they were heading, Zion, the beautiful city of God, but of who they were as God’s people.

     So let’s take a look at the lyrics of Psalm 128 and what the people would have sung along their long journey to Jerusalem.

     Verse one begins with a blessing on all those who seek to follow God. “Happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways.” These opening lyrics continue in verses 2 and 3 for followers of the Lord to enjoy the blessings of productivity in work and in their families. And appropriately it concludes with the blessings of prosperity and a long life.

     The last words of this traveling psalm are the words, “Peace be upon Israel.”

     So in this short traveling psalm of six verses, those traveling pilgrims to Jerusalem would have reminded each other of the Lord’s blessings, and of the blessings they would receive upon their arrival in Zion, the city of God. That is so much better than listening to songs from “Beauty and the Beast” over and over again.

     Psalm 128 is a psalm of blessings and peace. Blessings and peace. Blessings and peace.

     Psalms of ascent are songs that remind us of God’s goodness and love. They are the portable expressions of our faith.

     Our United Methodist heritage has a rich history of helping people who are far away from a church building to know and celebrate the good news of our faith in Jesus Christ. People knew us as those “singing Methodists.”

     And we have Charles Wesley, John’s brother to thank for that. Charles was the man. An Anglican Priest like his brother, Charles excelled as a musician and as a hymn writer. Of all the hymns in our hymnal, Charles Wesley wins the prize for having the most hymns, fifty-one hymns in total.

     In his lifetime, Charles wrote six thousand hymns. And just to think that we only have fifty-one of them in our hymnal. That would be a pretty large hymnal if we had all six thousand of his hymns.

     John Wesley was known as the preacher and Charles was known as the musician. That combination of preaching and singing was a powerful force that swept through not only England but here in America in the early days of our nation.

     Before Charles Wesley’s hymns were sung in churches, they were sung in taverns and in the open fields. When those early Methodist circuit rider preachers rode on their horses to travel to the next little town out in the frontier, they were known to always have three things with them along their journey. The Bible, the Book of Discipline, and a hymnal.

     Singing was so important for those early Methodists that John Wesley offered seven directions for singing.

     #1 – Learn these tunes before you learn any others; afterwards learn as many as you please. Why was this at the top of Wesley’s list? Because those Methodists wanted every song to communicate the unconditional love and grace of Jesus Christ that was available for every single person. They didn’t want to sing just any old hymn. Those hymns needed to emphasize God’s grace for all people.

     #2 - Sing them exactly as they are printed here, without altering or mending them at all; and if you have learned to sing them otherwise, unlearn it as soon as you can.

     #3 - Sing All. See that you join with the congregation as frequently as you can. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. If it is a cross to you, take it up and you will find a blessing.

     #4 - Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.

     #5 - Sing modestly. Do not bawl, so as to be heard above or distinct from the rest of the congregation, that you may not destroy the harmony; but strive to unite your voices together, so as to make one clear melodious sound.

 

     #6 - Sing in Time: whatever time is sung, be sure to keep with it. Do not run before nor stay behind it; but attend closely to the leading voices, and move therewith as exactly as you can. And take care you sing not too slow. This drawling way naturally steals on all who are lazy; and it is high time to drive it out from among us, and sing all our tunes just as quick as we did at first.

     #7 - Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself, or any other creature. In order to this attend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your Heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually; so shall your singing be such as the Lord will approve of here, and reward when he cometh in the clouds of heaven.

     Singing was so important to those early Methodists that they even had these rules on how to sing. Ours is a singing faith.

     Sometimes, a hymn that was sung during worship returns at unexpired moments for us throughout the week. Sometimes, a little phrase from a hymn will leap out at me as I’m singing it even though I had sung it many times.

     We have a singing faith, even if that means singing silently from our hearts and paying attention to the lyrics. These hymns are here to remind us that God will see us through any challenge or adversity.

     One of my favorite stories of survival during the early months of COVID was out of Italy when accomplished soloists and instrumentalists offered their incredible gift of music from their balcony for others to enjoy.

     Music has a way of lifting our spirits and pointing us toward our common humanity. We too have a singing faith and the music reminds us of a God who is more than able to lift our spirits when we are feeling isolated, afraid, and anxious about what the future holds.

     We refer sometimes to “God moments,” those times in our lives when we experience the presence God in a very real way and often just when we need it the most. I had one of those God moments during those first weeks of the pandemic.

     Like many pastors, it was a very stressful time because we knew that church was going to look very different for a while without being able to worship in-person. I remember one day in particular during that first week or two that I was feeling a lot of stress and anxiety in how we could still be the church during that time.

     When I got home from the church that day, I noticed a package had come for me in the mail. I wondered what it was because I didn’t remember ordering anything. I opened that package and my eyes lit up like a Christmas tree when I pulled out my new “United Methodist Music & Worship Planner.” I had ordered this about a month earlier, but it finally came in the mail on that day.

     This is probably my most important resource when I plan out sermons, worship bulletins, and what hymns we will sing for the coming year. It was like God was reminding me to not just focus on the present reality which was causing me so much anxiety, but to also know that God was preparing our church for a new future.

     And friends, that was the little spark I needed in that moment to feel some hope that that day would come when we would finally be able to sing together again. Like the Israelites who traveled those long miles to Jerusalem, we too are marching to Zion. And along the way, God has given us these songs of ascent, these traveling hymns that offer us hope and assurance that together or apart, we are still the church. We are God’s people.

     And so, by all means. Sing your heart out whether you’re in church, in your car, in your home, wherever you may be. Remember, we are traveling pilgrims and we always have a song to sing.