Proper 8 / Pentecost 6 / Ordinary Time 13
Preaching The Lectionary Psalms for Cycles A, B, C
(See Lent 5, Cycle A, for an alternative approach.)
Because the organizing principle of the lectionary is that the psalm is supposed to be a meditation on the First Lesson, we may be forgiven for puzzling about the pairing of Psalm 130 with 2 Samuel 1. The two readings match in neither subject nor tone. The 2 Samuel lection gives us David's lament over the death of Saul and Jonathan, while Psalm 130 is a penitential prayer and a plea for help (and no, we don't buy that mourning over the death of a loved one is akin to mourning over one's sins).