All you dear friends who have sung with our Psalm Singers in the South or with The Gospel Folk in Canberra will recall the energy and joy of uniting in The rivers of Babylon, a song made famous by The Melodions and Bob Marley. This is a driving reggae version which includes the refrain: Let … Continue reading Psalm 19, 4 Oct ’20
Tag: law
Psalm 19
'The statutes of God are just and rejoice the heart' (6) Psalm 19 declares the glory of the divine as seen in the creation. It smoothly progresses to how this declares the presence and influence of the creator, specifically the theme of the similarly-numbered Psalm 119, the importance of divine guidance to humankind — the … Continue reading Psalm 19
Psalm 68, 28 May 17
In the ‘bookends’ at beginning and end of this long psalm, the psalmist calls for the great kingdoms of the earth, their flags proudly flying in the national capitals of the world, to recognise the divine supremacy of ‘the rider in the heavens, the ancient heavens’ and invites us to lift songs of thanks and praise. Between … Continue reading Psalm 68, 28 May 17
Psalm 119A, 12 Feb 17
Aleph א In words reminiscent of Psalm 1, the first section begins by inviting us to walk in God’s ways. Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in God’s way. (v.1) The preceding post discussed, perhaps inconclusively, what the divine way and the word of God might mean. It also listed some antiphons written for … Continue reading Psalm 119A, 12 Feb 17
Psalm 119
Note: This post re-introduces the longest psalm, sections of which arise in the next two weeks. Subsequent posts will look more closely at sections as they appear in the Lectionary, starting with Aleph then He on the following Sunday. Psalm 119 has at its heart the 'law', or the premises principles, and promises of God. At 176 … Continue reading Psalm 119
Psalm 19, 5 October 2014
Psalm 19 declares the glory of the divine as seen in the creation, then moves to the importance of divine revelation ('the law'). However, there are so many familiar yet dense phrases in this broad-ranging and interesting psalm that it's not quite fair to pick just a couple of central themes. Read the text here >> … Continue reading Psalm 19, 5 October 2014
