The last half-dozen songs in the psalter are songs of praise and joy. Each one begins with a Hallelujah or call of praise to God. This one is longer than most. We start at verse 12, although to my mind the selection is best read in the context of the whole psalm. It rings as a little … Continue reading Psalm 147, 3 Jan 16
Month: December 2015
Psalm 148, 27 Dec 2015
Those denizens of the deep (Ps.148:7) pop up again after, it seems, so little time. It's exactly a year since our last post on this effusive psalm of praise. At that time, I chose those monsters from the deep for the illustration. Now, with a certain blockbuster movie just released worldwide, maybe I should look upward and choose … Continue reading Psalm 148, 27 Dec 2015
Psalms 96 to 98, Christmas 2015
A joyful package suitable to a joyful occasion, these three songs for Christmas Eve and Day sing out in praise of the creator, the source of goodness, and a responsive jubilant creation. Psalm 96 begins with the much-sung 'Sing to God a new song'. Sure enough, there are dozens of settings ancient and modern of this psalm -- … Continue reading Psalms 96 to 98, Christmas 2015
Psalm 80, 20 Dec 15
With the Song of Mary as the canticle of the week and Christmas carols in the air, Psalm 80 is not likely to be much heard. Still, it's worth a look for several reasons. The modern reader might be mystified by the historical references that come up early in the song; you might dig Israel and Joseph but why … Continue reading Psalm 80, 20 Dec 15
First song of Isaiah, 13 Dec 15
As we noted two weeks ago, we are into canticles or individual songs of praise (from the Latin canticulum meaning little song) in the place of the psalm during Advent. Which ones? Which texts are accepted as canticles is another question. Different church traditions tend to use different lists. One web-site lists dozens of them which, it … Continue reading First song of Isaiah, 13 Dec 15
Cloud-capp’d towers
You won't find that little phrase in the psalms: but poetic imagery is there in spades. Part of the fascination of the psalter is the special place in our lives of poetry set to music. As noted previously, the synergy of music and word is somehow magical -- a classic case of the sum being greater than the … Continue reading Cloud-capp’d towers
Benedictus (Zechariah), 6 Dec 2015
The lectionary in some seasons substitutes a canticle or other reading for the psalm. We can hardly feel short-changed: we sing most of the psalms over the three-year (weekly) cycle, compared with less than 10% of the rest of the Bible. Anne Richardson, of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, writes: All three of the non-Psalm options in … Continue reading Benedictus (Zechariah), 6 Dec 2015
Psalms in the South 