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Good afternoon, Belin Memorial UMC. I’m grateful that you are taking the time to stay up to date on the happenings here at Belin Memorial. Today, I will share with you a little bit about what you can expect in our upcoming worship services.
A few months ago, our Traditional Worship Director, Jim Sellers, informed us that he was preparing a few anthems based on the book of Psalms for the weeks between Christmas and Lent. Excited by this news, the pastors decided it would be neat to design a sermon series to go along with the psalm-inspired music. Beginning this week and for the next five weeks, we will be studying Psalms during Sunday worship.
So, what exactly are the Psalms? We know that the book of Psalms is a book of the Bible, but what is it all about? The book of Psalms is actually a compilation of many Psalms that were written by various people over a number of years and compiled into the single book that we find in the Bible. Some of the psalms in the Bible are believed to have been written by David. Some are believed to have been written by other famous biblical characters, including both Moses and Solomon. There are also many psalms whose authors remain anonymous. Nevertheless, the current book of Psalms that is found in a standard Bible today was compiled and organized sometime around the 5th century BC.
This gives us a glimpse into what exactly we are looking at when we open our Bibles to the book of Psalms, but it still doesn’t answer the root question: what exactly is a psalm? Maybe you have heard that psalms are poems, hymns, or prayers. All of these answers are correct in some respects. Historically, many of the psalms were sung in their original Hebrew form as hymns by ancient people. Even today, as Jim Sellers will prove, the Psalms inspire much of our worship music. You wouldn’t have trouble finding allusions to or quotes from the Psalms if you searched through a modern United Methodist Hymnal. They are also poems. Reading through the book of Psalms, any observant reader would quickly categorize these ancient writings into the genre of poetry. They are written in meter form, and they are bursting the seams with figurative language and compelling imagery. But what about prayers? How do we define Christian prayer anyway?
It’s a loaded question and one to which there is no simple answer. Do you remember being taught to pray? If so, what were you taught? Maybe you memorized some words to say before a meal or before going to bed at night. Maybe at some point along the way, someone encouraged you to make up your own prayer, to tell God about your thoughts and feelings. Both are good ways to pray and hopefully, you still pray using both of these methods from time to time. The book of Psalms is also an excellent place to turn to seek inspiration in our prayer life or to find words and stanzas that can be memorized and recited prayerfully throughout our lives. Maybe you have prayed through the 23rd Psalm at a funeral before and have experienced firsthand the comfort that these ancient words can still bring to Christians even today.
Interestingly, the book of Psalms is compiled in such a way that it moves from lamentation to praise. Early in the book, you will find that the majority of psalms are written from a place of distress, anxiety, confusion, and discomfort. These psalms present some of life's challenges, which the authors offer to God, expressing hope for healing and restoration. But toward the end of the book of Psalms, you will find that the majority of the psalms are centered around themes of praise. These latter psalms praise God for gifts of healing, deliverance, wisdom, and grace. Maybe this interesting structure in the book of Psalms serves as a lesson in and of itself. Prayer is a practice that opens the channels in our relationship with God, allowing us to be transformed according to God’s goodwill and God’s faithfulness. Though our lives are filled with confusion, doubt, anger, and lament, prayer is the means by which we allow God to transform our broken world and broken lives into something better. Prayer is one of the primary foundations of our faith. As is the study of scripture. The book of Psalms gives us the opportunity to bring these two powerful practices together.
Those of you who attended the opening worship service for our Sunday afternoon denominational education presentations may have heard Pastor Will call us into a season of prayer as we consider the most faithful steps for Belin Memorial to take going forward. Maybe it would be helpful if we all found ways to incorporate personal studies of the Psalms into this season of prayer. It’s a blessing to know that in the holy pages of our Bibles, we have inherited some of the ancient prayers, poems, and hymns written by our ancestors who faced many of the same challenges and participated in many of the same celebrations that we do today. The book of Psalms reminds us that God has been with us through stories of sickness, exile, confusion, anger, suffering, and temptation. It also reminds us that through faithful prayer, God always seems to lead us back into seasons of thanksgiving and praise. Thanks be to God for always offering a listening and empathetic ear to those who prayed many years ago and also to those who pray today.
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