The readings this week start with Noah and that rainbow covenant in Genesis, running through to John baptising Jesus and being arrested for his trouble. Quite a span. In the heart of this series nestles the psalm, one of the acrostic psalms in which each verse starts with one of the 22 letters of the … Continue reading Psalm 25, 22 Feb 15
Category: Psalms
Psalm 50, 15 Feb 15
Psalm 50 is quite long but we hear only the first half-dozen verses. This week's selection boils down to a vibrant description of divine eminence, power and identification with the people. The link to the week's theme of the Transfiguration, while quite direct in 2 Kings, is more oblique in the psalm. The poem certainly reinforces the … Continue reading Psalm 50, 15 Feb 15
Psalm 147, 8 Feb 15
This psalm of praise calls us to be happy in the creation and this evidence of divine caring. Sure enough, we are to pull out our lyres again in order to sing those praises (v.7). Bring yours on Sunday. Recalling the Hospitals Chaplain's words last week, almost in continuity the Psalm reminds us: God heals the brokenhearted, and binds up … Continue reading Psalm 147, 8 Feb 15
Psalm 111, 1 Feb 15
Wisdom is a coveted but slippery commodity, something to which we aspire but seldom feel we have achieved. Is the getting of wisdom genetic, The Force, or Destiny? Do you need to be christened Solo? Or does it seep in from wide reading, learning, and debate, as suggested in this alcove in the Humanist Library in Sélestat, established … Continue reading Psalm 111, 1 Feb 15
Psalm 62, 25 Jan 15 (2)
An earlier preliminary post on this psalm, since refined, featured the Wode Partbooks (pronounced 'wood') in the British Library. Tempting, but this Sunday being close to Australia Day we shall not sing from its ancient treasures. The Psalm Turning initially to the text, the first verse we read or hear (this reading being verses 5-12) is one that caught our … Continue reading Psalm 62, 25 Jan 15 (2)
Psalm 139, 18 Jan 2015
Complexity of situations, relationships or internal feelings can sometimes create such a tangled web that we are ensnared and immobilised. It would be easier if someone would just sweep in and ditch the unimportant things, whatever they are, and say: "Well, clearly, this is what you should be doing!" In such times, Psalm 139 has … Continue reading Psalm 139, 18 Jan 2015
Psalm 29, 11 Jan 2015
Voices are distinctive. When you hear a familiar voice from someone out of sight, you automatically recognise and identify. You don't need to analyse the pattern of frequencies, the combination of harmonics, or the different degrees of resonance. The subconscious sifts. The psalms, poetic and mystical though they may be, are full of voices. The … Continue reading Psalm 29, 11 Jan 2015
Crystal Ball, January 2015
The last time we looked into the mists of the ball was for the month that has just gone under the bridge and downstream. Happy New Year has already been wished to all readers in the last entry. The harbingers are indeed propitious for an excellent year in music, with Canberra's many groups and festivals presenting a … Continue reading Crystal Ball, January 2015
Psalm 72, 4 Jan 2015
Here we are in 2015! The beginning of the calendar year and, in the already-established church year, the end of Christmas and nearly Epiphany. The lectionary leads us to Psalm 147 on the second Sunday after Christmas, and Psalm 72 for Epiphany (6 January). We concentrate on the latter this week, though it must be said that … Continue reading Psalm 72, 4 Jan 2015
Psalm 62, 25 Jan 15 (1)
This must be in the nature of a little holiday reading, as this psalm and the third Sunday after Epiphany, 25 January 2015, are still some way off. So using Psalm 62 as an excuse, here is a preliminary note on a manuscript having historical interest -- although we shall not be singing it when it finally … Continue reading Psalm 62, 25 Jan 15 (1)
Psalms in the South 