Enriching worship with Psalms
Enriching Worship with Psalms
(a workshop for the Canterbury Lay Preachers Association)
by Silvia Purdie, August 2018
Ways to use Psalms in worship
1. Go ‘Old School’: call & response
The traditional way to read Psalms in both Jewish and Christian traditions was congregational chanting. Get everyone to read it out loud, either all together or in a ‘call and response’ style. This is also an excellent way to train up young or unconfident people to lead the congregation. If you have pew Bibles, use those. Or put words on powerpoint or in the bulletin.
Personally I prefer the call and response style. You can have the leader read odd number and congregation read even number verses (you have to do this if using pew Bibles). However I find it flows better for the congregation if the leader reads the first half of each verse; this also reveals the basic structure of Psalms which are mostly written in paired lines. Here is a classic example: Psalm 97 verses 1-6 (NRSV)
1 The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him,
and consumes his adversaries on every side.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
and all the peoples behold his glory.
The first half of each verse declares God’s action, the second half describes the world’s response.
One simple and effective way to engage the congregation in reading a Psalm is to choose a short line for the congregation to say, and insert this every few verses; e.g. for Psalm 97 the congregation could repeat verse 1a (The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice!) every 3 verses & the reader could read the entire Psalm.
2. Choose (and adapt) translations
A formal translation such as the NRSV or NIV aims to translate with high accuracy and preserve something of the form of the original text. However a long word like ‘adversaries’ is not that helpful for congregation reading. I’m all for swapping words, doing a little of your own translation, to help your own people engage with these ancient poems.
What might you do with the word ‘adversaries’ in Psalm 97:3?
How about ‘righteousness’?
Some translations keep the Hebrew names for God: Tree of Life Version, or the Names of God Bible (on Bible Gateway). It is worth experimenting with these as this can bring a richness to the Psalms, and it avoids the word ‘Lord’ which in many translations is a blanket cover-all for the names of God. Many people these days find the word ‘Lord’ unhelpful.
For more child-friendly language, try translations such as CEV (Contemporary English Version) or NLT (New Living Translation). Personally I avoid the Good News, but it’s our pew Bible at Cashmere so I’m stuck with it!
There is also an important place for using the old familiar KJ translation, especially with elderly people who grew up memorising these Psalms. Who could forget “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills” (Psalm 121, King James Version) or, of course, Psalm 23.
Then there is the Message. This is a category all of its own, as Eugene Peterson brings such a dramatic freshness to the Psalms that is far more than a translation. Here is Psalm 97 in The Message:
1 God rules: there’s something to shout over!
On the double, mainlands and islands—celebrate!
2 Bright clouds and storm clouds circle ’round him;
Right and justice anchor his rule.
3 Fire blazes out before him,
Flaming high up the craggy mountains.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
Earth, wide-eyed, trembles in fear.
5 The mountains take one look at God
And melt, melt like wax before earth’s Lord.
6 The heavens announce that he’ll set everything right,
And everyone will see it happen—glorious!
3. Season Psalms
Get to know the ‘Top 10’ Psalms that are traditionally used for worship at:
Psalm 96: Christmas & World Communion
Psalm 97: Christmas
Psalm 98: Christmas
Psalm 149: Christmas
Psalm 126: Harvest Festival
Psalm 51: Ash Wednesday
Psalm 31: Palm Sunday
Psalm 22: Good Friday
Psalm 118: Easter
Psalm 104: Pentecost
The Lectionary has a core of Psalms that come up every year. This is good for familiarity, and they are great Psalms.
4. Step outside the Lectionary: grapple with the hard stuff
The main issue with the Lectionary is that it picks the ‘nice’ Psalms and leaves out the rough bits. With a few exceptions (incl. Holy Week) the Lectionary Psalms are positive, up-beat, good for praise and affirmation of faith. But these are only half the Psalms. What about pain and suffering, anger and attack? The Lectionary comes from a time when the church was confident of its role in society, and rarely under attack. This is no longer the case, and we must recover the response to persecution that is a profound gift of the Psalms.
The Lectionary cuts out despair and anger with surgical precision. No mention of violence is permitted. Take Psalm 17 for example: the Lectionary includes the elements of confident confession (verses 1-7), but leaves out the plea for protection from attack (my deadly enemies lying in wait like lions) and in the process leaves out the best bit (guard me as the apple of an eye).
If you only ever read the Lectionary Psalms, and the verses prescribed, you rob the church of the cry of the soul in suffering. But how do we deal with the uncomfortable bits of Psalms, the unanswered questions (How long, O Lord?! 94), and the lust for revenge? I have two suggestions
First, honour the emotion. We come as whole people to God, not just our Sunday Best. We need the pain and anger of the Psalms. We need to get real with God. It’s OK to feel angry and hurt. The Psalms teach us that, and they teach us to bring our anger and hurt to God, where it can be transformed, so that hope and peace are not a veneer but bone-deep.
Second, let Jesus critique the Psalms. Listen to the words and Spirit of Jesus, who chose a donkey instead of a sword, who spoke of blessing our enemies instead of cursing them.
5. Explore points of connection between New Testament readings and Psalms
The New Testament is riddled with quotes and references to the Psalms. When the Jesus talked with the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus, and explained to them how the scriptures spoke about him, I’m sure he quoted a lot from Psalms. We tend to put Psalms into a separate category as poetry, but the early church read them as prophecy (e.g. Acts 2:29-36). Not all Bibles help with this: get yourself a proper reference Bible that identifies all the quotes.
I have a Christ-centred view of the Psalms. For instance, Psalm 18:16-24, a statement of righteousness and rescue; this is true of Jesus and only Jesus. The early church came to understand the death and resurrection of Jesus through a radical re-reading of the Psalms.
A Christ-centred view of Psalms forces a critique, even a rejection, of aspects of Psalms. For instance, keep reading Psalm 18 and you find victory and salvation defined by “annihilation of those who hate me” (v40), enemies “pulversied like dust” (v42), submissive before the King. Jesus deliberately overturned assumptions of what the Kingdom of God would be like, based on love for enemies and freedom for everyone to accept or reject God.
(a workshop for the Canterbury Lay Preachers Association)
by Silvia Purdie, August 2018
Ways to use Psalms in worship
1. Go ‘Old School’: call & response
The traditional way to read Psalms in both Jewish and Christian traditions was congregational chanting. Get everyone to read it out loud, either all together or in a ‘call and response’ style. This is also an excellent way to train up young or unconfident people to lead the congregation. If you have pew Bibles, use those. Or put words on powerpoint or in the bulletin.
Personally I prefer the call and response style. You can have the leader read odd number and congregation read even number verses (you have to do this if using pew Bibles). However I find it flows better for the congregation if the leader reads the first half of each verse; this also reveals the basic structure of Psalms which are mostly written in paired lines. Here is a classic example: Psalm 97 verses 1-6 (NRSV)
1 The Lord is king! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him,
and consumes his adversaries on every side.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,
before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness;
and all the peoples behold his glory.
The first half of each verse declares God’s action, the second half describes the world’s response.
One simple and effective way to engage the congregation in reading a Psalm is to choose a short line for the congregation to say, and insert this every few verses; e.g. for Psalm 97 the congregation could repeat verse 1a (The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice!) every 3 verses & the reader could read the entire Psalm.
2. Choose (and adapt) translations
A formal translation such as the NRSV or NIV aims to translate with high accuracy and preserve something of the form of the original text. However a long word like ‘adversaries’ is not that helpful for congregation reading. I’m all for swapping words, doing a little of your own translation, to help your own people engage with these ancient poems.
What might you do with the word ‘adversaries’ in Psalm 97:3?
How about ‘righteousness’?
Some translations keep the Hebrew names for God: Tree of Life Version, or the Names of God Bible (on Bible Gateway). It is worth experimenting with these as this can bring a richness to the Psalms, and it avoids the word ‘Lord’ which in many translations is a blanket cover-all for the names of God. Many people these days find the word ‘Lord’ unhelpful.
For more child-friendly language, try translations such as CEV (Contemporary English Version) or NLT (New Living Translation). Personally I avoid the Good News, but it’s our pew Bible at Cashmere so I’m stuck with it!
There is also an important place for using the old familiar KJ translation, especially with elderly people who grew up memorising these Psalms. Who could forget “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills” (Psalm 121, King James Version) or, of course, Psalm 23.
Then there is the Message. This is a category all of its own, as Eugene Peterson brings such a dramatic freshness to the Psalms that is far more than a translation. Here is Psalm 97 in The Message:
1 God rules: there’s something to shout over!
On the double, mainlands and islands—celebrate!
2 Bright clouds and storm clouds circle ’round him;
Right and justice anchor his rule.
3 Fire blazes out before him,
Flaming high up the craggy mountains.
4 His lightnings light up the world;
Earth, wide-eyed, trembles in fear.
5 The mountains take one look at God
And melt, melt like wax before earth’s Lord.
6 The heavens announce that he’ll set everything right,
And everyone will see it happen—glorious!
3. Season Psalms
Get to know the ‘Top 10’ Psalms that are traditionally used for worship at:
Psalm 96: Christmas & World Communion
Psalm 97: Christmas
Psalm 98: Christmas
Psalm 149: Christmas
Psalm 126: Harvest Festival
Psalm 51: Ash Wednesday
Psalm 31: Palm Sunday
Psalm 22: Good Friday
Psalm 118: Easter
Psalm 104: Pentecost
The Lectionary has a core of Psalms that come up every year. This is good for familiarity, and they are great Psalms.
4. Step outside the Lectionary: grapple with the hard stuff
The main issue with the Lectionary is that it picks the ‘nice’ Psalms and leaves out the rough bits. With a few exceptions (incl. Holy Week) the Lectionary Psalms are positive, up-beat, good for praise and affirmation of faith. But these are only half the Psalms. What about pain and suffering, anger and attack? The Lectionary comes from a time when the church was confident of its role in society, and rarely under attack. This is no longer the case, and we must recover the response to persecution that is a profound gift of the Psalms.
The Lectionary cuts out despair and anger with surgical precision. No mention of violence is permitted. Take Psalm 17 for example: the Lectionary includes the elements of confident confession (verses 1-7), but leaves out the plea for protection from attack (my deadly enemies lying in wait like lions) and in the process leaves out the best bit (guard me as the apple of an eye).
If you only ever read the Lectionary Psalms, and the verses prescribed, you rob the church of the cry of the soul in suffering. But how do we deal with the uncomfortable bits of Psalms, the unanswered questions (How long, O Lord?! 94), and the lust for revenge? I have two suggestions
First, honour the emotion. We come as whole people to God, not just our Sunday Best. We need the pain and anger of the Psalms. We need to get real with God. It’s OK to feel angry and hurt. The Psalms teach us that, and they teach us to bring our anger and hurt to God, where it can be transformed, so that hope and peace are not a veneer but bone-deep.
Second, let Jesus critique the Psalms. Listen to the words and Spirit of Jesus, who chose a donkey instead of a sword, who spoke of blessing our enemies instead of cursing them.
5. Explore points of connection between New Testament readings and Psalms
The New Testament is riddled with quotes and references to the Psalms. When the Jesus talked with the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus, and explained to them how the scriptures spoke about him, I’m sure he quoted a lot from Psalms. We tend to put Psalms into a separate category as poetry, but the early church read them as prophecy (e.g. Acts 2:29-36). Not all Bibles help with this: get yourself a proper reference Bible that identifies all the quotes.
I have a Christ-centred view of the Psalms. For instance, Psalm 18:16-24, a statement of righteousness and rescue; this is true of Jesus and only Jesus. The early church came to understand the death and resurrection of Jesus through a radical re-reading of the Psalms.
A Christ-centred view of Psalms forces a critique, even a rejection, of aspects of Psalms. For instance, keep reading Psalm 18 and you find victory and salvation defined by “annihilation of those who hate me” (v40), enemies “pulversied like dust” (v42), submissive before the King. Jesus deliberately overturned assumptions of what the Kingdom of God would be like, based on love for enemies and freedom for everyone to accept or reject God.