A memory of Christmass came to mind the other day. It was evening, the Christmass services were all completed and around the dinner table were Jeanine, Jeanine’s mum Sonia, Michael and his lovely Steph, Jacky and her amazing David. There was wine and great food, there was laughter and jumping plastic frogs and there was ham and wine and candles and bon bons and giggles and wine and turkey and a Glenthompson Christmass pud and quirky paper hats.This memory sprang to mind because Psalm 128 came up on the rota for Morning prayer and by a happy coincidence it is the psalm we are using this morning. Within that Psalm 128 there is this verse “Your children will be like olive shoots around your table”. Sadly the psalms are often ignored in preaching and in the general currency of our christian reflection. This is a pity because they are a great resource for us, so I wanted to say a few things about the psalms today.
First thing. The Psalms are not really a book. It is a collection of 150 songs, prayers, poems and hymns gathered over a very long period of time. There are different types of psalms. Some tell stories. Some are songs of praise. Some are prayers of repentance. Each psalm has its own unique character but they are all deeply emotional and profoundly spiritual. They encompass the whole range of human emotions from sorrow, lament and depression to joy, praise and celebration. Collectively the psalms are known as the Psalter.We get part of a psalm each Sunday. I rather like the way that we all get to join in with alternate verses of the psalm. It focuses our attention and we have to concentrate a bit.
Second thing.The first half of each verse is expounded or unpacked a bit in the 2nd half of the verse. For example Psalm 119 verse 76 The first part goes “May your unfailing love be my comfort”,…The next bit elaborates on this theme “according to your promise to your servant”. “Let your compassion come to me that I may live,…. for your law is my delight”.
Third thing about the psalms. They are authentic. They speak to every imaginable emotion that we have ever experienced and even some that we probably haven’t. There are psalms when we are very grumpy and we want God to do something, particularly with those we are not fond of. “Arise, Lord! Deliver me, my God! Strike all my enemies on the jaw; break the teeth of the wicked”.There are psalms when we are feeling guilty.“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin”. There are psalms of celebration for when you have won tatts.“I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.”There is the 23rd psalm when we are walking in a dark place and we need some reassurance.“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me”. There are even psalms for when we are in the doctors waiting room.“Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint; heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in deep anguish. How long, Lord, how long?”
There is not one human emotion that is left out of the psalms. But this brings with it a quandary. It can be a bit odd when we are feeling exuberant and the psalm set down for the day is a wowser. What I try to do is offer the psalm for those who are feeling terrible. Even though I personally might be in a good space, the psalm reminds me that while I am going about my joyful day there are those who are having a perfectly wretched time and they need prayer and support.
Last thing about the psalms. A wise mature parishioner from another parish said. “The good thing about the psalms is that you know someone else has been there before you”. So when the author of the 23rd psalm writes about that dark valley; the psalm may well resound deep within you; because you too are walking in that foreboding place; If this is you, then you know that someone else has walked that way before you. The author of the 23rd psalm has been there and I guess in a sense is still there with you. You are not alone. Your experience is not unique, you are not isolated. Someone else is treading this path with you.I commend the psalms for your use. They are not just supposed to be read, they are to be prayed. Not all of them will be helpful for you all the time, but they are worth reflecting on and they make up an important part of our Sunday readings.