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A Journey In Psalms
towards Easter

This Lenten study is a personal one, designed for people to sit with, do some reading, reflecting, praying. It is explicitly Christological, exploring the connections between Psalms and the Gospel of Christ. 
Feel free to print off the whole study, or access each week's topic here.
(the pdf is written in large print, designed to be photocopied shrunk down to an A5 booklet)
​
Click here for: PRINTABLE STUDY

​Lent 1: Sunday 5 March ... INTIMACY
Focus Psalm: 131
 
Psalm 131 is short and profoundly simple. It is a description of becoming still and quiet in the presence of God. Verses 1 & 2 are about my heart, my eyes, my soul, turning away from big issues and ideas and just resting in God. Verse 3 is a call to others to hope and trust in God, now and forever.
 
Word picture: The image is of a young child with his or her mother; "weaned", so not hungry for a breast-feed, not needy but full and content. Can you picture a young child, curled up in her mother's arms, perhaps half asleep, perhaps singing? Nothing exists for that child but the safety of being close to Mum.
 
Make space:
Can you imagine yourself so at peace, so relaxed, not bothered by anything at all?
Set aside some time, get comfortable, and read Psalm 131 slowly, and again, and again. Let any thoughts and worries drift away and keep coming back to the invitation of the Psalm.
 
Look up Silvia's version on the conversations.net.nz website.
 
How tired are you??
Read Psalm 38; "My strength fails me". Can you relate to this? Write down how you experience tiredness and pain.
 
Where do you feel safe? Read Psalm 91; "you will find refuge". Draw your prayer for greater trust and peace in your life and in the world.
 

 

Introducing Psalms
 
I love the Psalms. They are such a mixed bag: poems that complain, songs that lift the roof with joy, formal prayers and some that make hardly any sense to us. The Psalms are full of word pictures, all sorts of images and metaphors, often piling in on top of each other. Even more, they are packed full of emotion: praise, anger, misery, joy, longing, gratitude, bitterness, fear, injustice, peace, confidence - you name it, it's there.
 
So what are they and who wrote them?
1. They are songs. Written to be sung, chanted, put to music.
2. Many are attributed to King David, 3,000 years ago. He was creative and musical, so I believe he did write several of them.
3. Some have a specific historical moment, e.g. Psalm 137 which is a cry of anguish after Jerusalem was destroyed in 586BC and the Israelites were taken hostage to Babylon.
4. Most are very personal, written in the 'first person' (i.e. "I", "me"), describing deeply personal experiences and emotions.
5. There are also several that are more public, obviously written for worship, telling history, collective hymns.
 
Reading Jesus in the Psalms
Jesus loved the Psalms. He knew them all off by heart (as did everyone else in his day) and often quoted them. When the early church tried to understand his death and resurrection, they turned to Psalms. Christians ever since have found Psalms a rich resource for prayer, and they have found Jesus in the Psalms. In my work with Psalms in my 'conversations.net.nz' website I have asked how Jesus might react to the Psalm, and made links between the Gospels and the Psalms. This is controversial, as many theologians feel we should respect the Psalms as purely Jewish; I encourage you to read other books and perspectives than mine.
 
I offer you this 'Journey in Psalms' and invite you to explore with me. May God bless you on the way.          - Silvia Purdie

Practical Suggestions
 
This 'Journey in Psalms to Easter' is a series of 8 studies, each with a 'focus Psalm', which will also be the focus for our worship service that week. You are invited to set aside time during the week to read the Psalm and reflect on it in prayer and journaling. You might also like to read my companion poem online, and the other Psalms mentioned in the studies.
Lent is a marvelous opportunity to make more space for God than we usually do; listen, learn, and you will grow in faith.
Here are six practical things to do:
 
1) Get a book
- as in, a blank book, a notebook, a journal. The studies ask questions, aimed at helping you make connections between your own life and the images and emotions in the Psalms. The process of responding in writing, with words or drawings, pushes us deeper into naming what is true for us, and hearing God's truth in a personal way.
 
2) Find time.
Every teacher on spiritual disciplines says 'set aside time'. Personally I don't have a strict routine, but many people find this helpful. I do think that solitude is essential, but you can be quiet with God in a cafe or at the beach, in bed or at the dining table. You do have time in your life - but you might have to turn off the TV, internet or radio!
 
3) Read different translations
Ancient Hebrew is very difficult to translate. Everyone who has a go brings their own style, and each translation of a Psalm brings out different aspects. My own opinion is that the Good News is the not the most useful translation for Psalms; if this is all you have at home treat yourself to a new Bible. Download the Bible onto your phone. Use the Bible Gateway website to explore various versions.
 
4) Memorise bits
When we know scripture off by heart it continues to work in our hearts and minds even when we're not reading the Bible. Choose verses in the Psalm that resonate with you the most strongly; write them out, repeat them, test yourself until you know if off by heart.
 
5) Ask questions
We normally just skim over bits that don't make sense. For this series, stop and puzzle instead. Argue back at the Psalm. Notice when a Psalm jumps into a different voice or mood. Be stroppy, be curious.
 
6) Shhh!
Stop thinking, stop trying, stop even trying to pray, and just relax. Notice how you're feeling. Notice how your body is. Breathe slower and deeper. Let God's still small voice speak - it's obvious, it's what is true for you here and now.
 
Online resources:
Each Psalm used in this study has a companion reflection by Silvia on the conversations.net.nz website. There are also printed out copies of these available from the church office.
We will put various other resources for spiritual growth on our church website: www.cashmerechurch.org.nz
'Refresh' is a magazine published by Spiritual Growth Ministries, NZ. It has lots of lovely poems and prayers, on various themes.
www.sgm.org.nz/refresh-journal.html
Lynne Baab is writing on praying with Psalms: www.lynnebaab.com
'Pray as you go' gives you a lovely few minutes of scripture, music and prayer (also a phone ap): www.pray-as-you-go.org
'Renovare' has many deeply insightful articles and talks on growing in faith: www.renovare.org/articles
Tear Fund daily devotions: https://www.tearfund.org.nz/Get-Involved/Living-Lent-2017.aspx
​
www.conversations.net.nz
Written by Silvia Purdie 

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