Pathways to Discipleship
During Lent, the Book of Psalms will guide our study, prayer, and worship. Some of the most beloved Old Testament scripture, the psalms express all the human emotions of humanity. They lack specific details so that they can be used by different people. How will these ancient words guide you through your Lenten journey?
MARCH 6 - Intro to the Psalms
Read
A Form-Critical Classification of the Psalms according to Hermann Gunkel
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What are the Psalms? study guide - Yale Bible Study
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Watch
Intro to the Psalms - Recording of Sunday Class - Robert Galloway
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What are the Psalms? - Yale Bible Study (17:33)
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Overview of Psalms - The Bible Project (8:58)
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The Book of Psalms - The Bible Project (5:25)
Listen
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Do
Commit a favorite psalm to memory.
As you read the Psalms consider: ​
​The psalms are understood to be particularly human, not of divine origin. How does this affect our understanding or use of them in our lives?
MARCH 13 - Psalms of Praise
Read
Watch
Listen
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah - song(3:20)
Do
As you read Psalms of praise consider:
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In what situations, ancient or contemporary, might we want a hymn to God’s power?
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In modern times, many of us are more removed from nature than the ancient Israelites would have been. Reliable climate control and modern transportation mean that storms, for example, are not as dramatic. Are the images of God controlling nature less powerful than they used to be?
MARCH 20 - Wisdom Psalms
Read
The Wisdom Psalms study guide - Yale Bible Study
Watch
The Wisdom Psalms - recording of class - Mary Margaret Porter
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The Wisdom Psalms - Yale Bible Study (15:23)
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Do
As you read the Wisdom Psalms consider:
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What does the psalmist in the wisdom psalms teach us to do in the face of adversity? Can we find similar lessons in the other wisdom literature (Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes)?
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The wisdom psalms seem to show that study itself is a form of worship or prayer. Is study part of your prayer practice? What other forms of prayer do you practice that might not “look like” prayer at first glance?
MARCH 27 - Psalms of Lament
Read
Psalms of Lament study guide - Yale Bible Study
Watch
Psalms of Lament - Recording of Class - Anna Rainey
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Psalms of Complaint - Yale Bible Study ( 4:02)
Listen
Out of the Deep - John Rutter song (6;14)
Do
As you read the Psalms of lament, consider:
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What does it say about human life that so many of the psalms are comprised of complaint and lament?
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Theologians discuss “providence,” which explains how God acts in the world (or doesn’t). If we only read the psalms of lament, what understanding of providence would we have?
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Some say that the psalms of lament give us permission to voice our anger at God. Do you agree? Why or why not?
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Do we have contemporary equivalents to individual psalms of lament? What about communal psalms of lament? If not, should we?
APRIL 3 - The Royal Psalms
Read
Royal Psalms study guide - Yale Bible Study
Watch
Listen
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Do
As you read the royal Psalms consider:
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What is the role of the king in the so-called Royal Psalms, and why is it important?
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The royal psalms reveal a belief that the king was divine. Do you see any relationship between worldly powers and divinity today? Why or why not?
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What role is there for these royal psalms, if any, in a modern world where most monarchies no longer exist?
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What metaphor, besides kingship, could illustrate God in the context of modern democracy (e.g. the president, the voting process, the people)?