Dear Psalms Friends,
I’m looking forward to being with each of you this Sunday morning at 9 am. Our lectionary psalms this week have taken us out of Book 1 and into Book 2, Psalms 36-55. Tim and Kathy Keller explore these psalms on pp. 70-118 in The Songs of Jesus. Please be ready to share about specific reflections or prayers from the Kellers’ book that are currently impacting you.
Our focus Psalm will be Psalm 40, a psalm that begins with a song of thanksgiving (40:1-10) and concludes with a lament (40:11-17). We focused on it a year ago as a “dual genre” psalm that shows the “ups and downs” of life as we move from times of orientation, to times of disorientation, to times of reorientation. See pages 82-84 in The Songs of Jesus.
Two of the spiritual skills we need to navigate these life transitions are highlighted in Psalm 40: waiting for the LORD and giving public thanks to the LORD. Be pondering your own “waiting” and “public thanking” experiences and those of others you have observed.
Notice that Psalm 40:13-17 is repeated in Psalm 70, and locate Psalm 40:13 and 70:1 in the Morning Prayer liturgy on p. 13 of The Book of Common Prayer. What other verse from a famous psalm do you find in that section?
Look for your Psalm 40 lesson and Zoom details tomorrow.
In the love and grace of Christ,
Toni