Tuesday, April 15 Devotional Psalm 6, 12, 94; Lamentations 1:17-22; 2Corinthians 1:8-22; Mark 11:27-33 Psalms 6, 12 and 94 Okay, I admit it. Each Sunday during the service, I listen carefully to the Lessons, but when it comes to the reading from Psalms, I am primarily preoccupied with how the Reader has instructed us to proceed: are we supposed to alternate verses between men and women (and, if so, who starts); is the Reader going to alternate verses with the congregation and do we assume that he or she starts; do we recite in unison; do we alternate by half-verse and is alternation by Reader and congregation or men and women? I am often so wrapped up in the details, that I miss the message and an hour after the service I probably could not tell you what we recited, but I may be proud if we followed instructions. David is usually credited with authorship of over half of the Book of Psalms. Many of these were written while he was King and many of them were sung in his (reportedly) wonderful voice accompanied by a harp which he played. David was reportedly very handsome and very popular, but was an accomplished sinner and his feelings of guilt and contrition are evident in the psalms. Psalm 6 represents the prayer of David as an individual in anguish, begging God for mercy and healing and for being saved from his enemies who will be put to shame. Psalm 12 is a prayer of the community asking God for help in keeping the needy and the poor safe from plundering and danger. The Lord will arise and protect those who need help from those who try to harm them. Psalm 94 is part of the section known as the Royal Psalms (Psalms 93-99) which praise God as King of the people. Psalm 94 was put to music in 1857 as a sonata for organ solo by Julius Reubke, a student of Franz Lizst, and is a well-known and highly regarded composition for organ, even today. It is my resolve to do a better job this Lent (and succeeding worship days) to try to familiarize myself with the upcoming readings, especially the ones for Sundays, so that I can do a better job of focusing on the message rather than the recitation. Virginia Fowler
Posted on: Tue, 15 Apr 2014 04:55:33 +0000