After last week's furrowed brows about 'fear', this psalm rings with those warm, positive poetic images that stick in the memory: 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! 2 My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living … Continue reading Psalm 84, 23 August 2015
Category: Psalms
Psalm 111, 16 August 2015
Psalm 111 this week is quite short but dense. It's full of big statements such as: Great are the deeds of God, studied by all who delight in them. Full of honour and majesty is the work of God, whose goodness endures forever (verses 2 and 3) A previous post on Psalm 111 focused on themes of wisdom and … Continue reading Psalm 111, 16 August 2015
Psalm 51; a tale
The recent recurrence on 2 August of Psalm 51, of which much has been written in this blog, reminds us of another popular story. In Latin, the psalm begins 'Miserere' meaning 'Have mercy' (for more, see for example the post for 15 March 2015>). A quite stunning and famous setting by Gregorio Allegri was written for two choirs in about … Continue reading Psalm 51; a tale
Psalms 130 and 23, 9 August 2015
Psalm 130 pops up again this Sunday, just 6 weeks after we listened to Sinead's Out of the depths. We are going to repeat that same song -- its beautiful simplicity sustains the message perfectly. The visit by The Gospel Folk brings not only their inspiring songs but also the excuse to focus the gathering on music. … Continue reading Psalms 130 and 23, 9 August 2015
Psalm 51, 2 August 2015
Psalm 51 is one of the so-called 'Penitential Psalms', the fourth in fact. It begins: Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. It goes on in this tone until a glimmer of … Continue reading Psalm 51, 2 August 2015
Psalm 14 or 145, 26 July 2015
Some psalms are decidedly dark. Here's Psalm 14, which tells us about widespread foolishness, corruption and evil (as if we don't know -- and that hot on the heels of the companion Samuel reading bringing us the Great Psalmist's wicked trick on Uriah, to say nothing of the daily news). It's easy to duck these ones and look for a … Continue reading Psalm 14 or 145, 26 July 2015
Psalms 89 or 23 … or maybe 139, 19Jul15
The Vanderbilt Divinity Library tells us: During the Season after Pentecost, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two sets of parallel readings: The first set of "semicontinuous" OT readings follows major stories/themes, beginning in Year A with Genesis and ending in Year C with the later prophets. "Complementary" OT readings follow the historical tradition of thematically pairing … Continue reading Psalms 89 or 23 … or maybe 139, 19Jul15
Psalm 24, 12 July 2015
Lift up your heads O ye gates, and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors and the King of Glory shall come in ... Thus opens this chorus half way through the second half of G F Handel's oratorio The Messiah. Following the structure of the poem, Handel chose to use this text from Psalm … Continue reading Psalm 24, 12 July 2015
Psalm 123, 5 July 2015
Psalm 123 (text here>) is a song of ascent, sometimes called degrees or graduals. These short and hopeful songs are grouped as Psalms 120 to 134. This one, with only four verses, is short and bitter-sweet. Two themes are mingled: the psalmist declares (1) trust in divine love and protection, while (2) hoping for mercy … Continue reading Psalm 123, 5 July 2015
The Theodore Psalter – Medieval manuscripts blog
From time to time -- perhaps too often for everyone's tastes -- these pages feature old manuscripts. These documents are tucked away in libraries and monasteries around the world; previously mentioned examples range from the National Library of Australia to St Gallen in Switzerland and the Humanist Library in Selestat; there are many more. Words, … Continue reading The Theodore Psalter – Medieval manuscripts blog
Psalms in the South 