Psalms And Practice

The essays in this book explore how the notion of practice helps contemporary readers understand Psalms in a new way. "Psalms and Practice" looks at three aspects of formation: prayer, how the psalms shape faith through the process of liturgy, and how the psalms shape as preached word.

Chanting the psalms, or psalmody, is an ancient practice of vital importance in the Christian spiritual tradition. Today many think of it as a discipline that belongs only in monasteries—but psalmody is a spiritual treasure that is available to anyone who prays. You don’t need to be musical or a monk to do it, and it can be enjoyed in church liturgical worship, in groups, or even individually as part of a personal rule of prayer. Cynthia Bourgeault brings the practice into the twenty-first century, providing a history of Christian psalmody as well as an appreciation of its place in contemplative practice today. And she teaches you how to do it as you chant along with her on the accompanying CD in which she demonstrates the basic techniques and easy melodies that anyone can learn. “Even if you can’t read music,” Cynthia says, “or if somewhere along the way you’ve absorbed the message that your voice is no good or you can’t sing on pitch, I’ll still hope to show you that chanting the psalms is accessible to nearly everyone.”

This volume is a compelling invitation to meditate on the deeper meaning of the fourteen verses of Psalm 27. During the month of Elul and the High Holy Day and Festival season, we reflect on our relationships, choices, beliefs, and practices, considering where to make repairs, adjustments, and atonement. Opening Your Heart with Psalm 27 provides gentle guidance through this journey of reflection, offering heartfelt insight, profound translation, and an invaluable framework for meaningfully participating in this annual spiritual practice.

During the Reformation, the Book of Psalms became one of the most well-known books of the Bible. This was particularly true in Britain, where people of all ages, social classes and educational abilities memorized and sang poetic versifications of the psalms. Those written by Thomas Sternhold and John Hopkins became the most popular, and the simple tunes developed and used by English and Scottish churches to accompany these texts were carried by soldiers, sailors and colonists throughout the English-speaking world. Among these tunes were a number that are still used today, including ‘Old Hundredth’, ‘Martyrs’, and ‘French’. This book is the first to consider both English and Scottish metrical psalmody, comparing the two traditions in print and practice. It combines theological literary and musical analysis to reveal new and ground-breaking connections between the psalm texts and their tunes, which it traces in the English and Scottish psalters printed through 1640. Using this new analysis in combination with a more thorough evaluation of extant church records, Duguid contends that Britain developed and maintained two distinct psalm cultures, one in England and the other in Scotland.

Renowned pastor and New York Times bestselling author of The Prodigal Prophet Timothy Keller explores the power of prayer. Christians are taught in their churches and schools that prayer is the most powerful way to experience God. But few receive instruction or guidance in how to make prayer genuinely meaningful. In Prayer, renowned pastor Timothy Keller delves into the many facets of this everyday act. With his trademark insights and energy, Keller offers biblical guidance as well as specific prayers for certain situations, such as dealing with grief, loss, love, and forgiveness. He discusses ways to make prayers more personal and powerful, and how to establish a practice of prayer that works for each reader. Dr. Keller’s previous books have sold more than one million copies. His Redeemer Presbyterian Church is not only a major presence in his home base of New York, it has also helped to launch more than two hundred fifty other churches in forty-eight cities around the world. His teachings have already helped millions, the majority of whom pray regularly. And with Prayer, he’ll show them how to find a deeper connection with God.

Walter Brueggemann's unique gift of joining historical-exegetical insights to penetrating observations about the traumas and joys of contemporary life?both personal and social?is here forcefully displayed. Everyone who is familiar with his work knows the power of his speech about "doxological, polemical, political, subversive, evangelical faith: and about the ways such faith is enacted in the praise of ancient Israel and in the church.Readers of this book will find fresh insight into:the Psalms as prayer and praisethe categories of the Psalmsthe social context in which psalms were prayed and sungthe theology of the Psalmsthe dialogical character of the Psalmsjustice and injustice in the Psalmsthe study and "use" of the Psalms by the churchpraise as an act of basic trust and abandonmentthe impossible wonders of God's activity that overturn conventional ways of

Every day of the year, Jewish liturgy includes the Shir Shel Yom, a psalm recited to mark the day of the week. New Each Day by Rabbi Debra J. Robbins breathes new life into this ancient practice, inviting us to engage with psalms in a fresh, inspiring way. Daily "Reflections for Focus" offer unique insights on each psalm, with a structure for meditation and writing that encourages the reader to develop their own personal routine. Reflections for each month, based on the psalm for Rosh Chodesh, provide a full year of spiritual practice. Just as Rabbi Robbins did for the High Holy Day season in Opening Your Heart with Psalm 27, New Each Day guides us along the journey of the year with intention and meaning. With New Each Day, Rabbi Debra Robbins reenergizes and reframes the ancient practice of reciting a daily psalm for our modern context. Through thoughtful teachings, reflections, and interpretations, she helps us connect across time and space to generations of our ancestors who engaged in this very same practice, linking us to the infinite chain of our tradition while giving a fresh perspective for our time. --Elana Arian, composer, prayer leader, and recording artist I'm so grateful to Rabbi Debra Robbins for creating this rich, accessible, and eminently useful book of reflections and practices on one of the Jewish people's oldest prayer practices---the liturgical recitation of psalms. With intelligence, care, boldness, and creativity, Rabbi Robbins invites and guides us on a journey of spiritual discovery. Whether you have long experience with these prayers or you're just beginning, you will find depth and illumination in these pages. --Rabbi Josh Feigelson, PhD, President and CEO, Institute for Jewish Spirituality A perennial struggle of spiritual seekers is how to creatively engage with daily practice, week in and week out. New Each Day breathes life into the Jewish tradition of saying a psalm every day, by exploring the form, language, story, ethic and feeling of the seven psalms of the week and the psalm for the new moon. Those who yearn for a meaningful daily practice can find inspiration here in the form of poetic translations, reflections, and writing exercises, all engaging with this ancient ritual. Rabbi Robbins's personal and vulnerable voice of everyday devotion is a refreshing antidote to our cynical age. --Rabbi Jill Hammer, PhD, author of The Jewish Book of Days: A Companion for All Seasons The psalms are a cherished treasure that have transformed souls for millennia. Rabbi Debra Robbins has offered us a sweet gift by renewing the spiritual power of these ancient texts through relevant, nuanced, and wise interpretations, to support our contemporary moment of seeking God, meaning, sanctity, and purpose. --Rabbi Dr. Shmuly Yanklowitz, author of The Book of Proverbs: A Social Justice Commentary An astute and welcoming introduction to the daily practice of reading psalms. -- Kirkus Reviews

"A new, poetic translation of the Book of Psalms faces the Masoretic Hebrew text. A running textual commentary takes us inside the translation process. A second, spiritual commentary connects each psalm to the events, struggles, and triumphs in our spiritual lives"--

This book discusses the theory that the Psalter was compiled with the specific intention that it should be used as a book for private spiritual reading. It is argued that if this were so, the work of the final editors would not have been confined to arranging the psalms in a particular order but would have included additions and interpolations intended to give the whole book a new orientation. An investigation of selected psalms shows that although the Psalter may have become a book for private devotion not long after its compilation, there is little evidence that it was compiled for that purpose.

Using a model of orientation - disorientation - new orientation, Brueggemann explores how the genres of the Psalms can'be viewed in terms of their function. This results in fresh readings of these ancient songs that illumine their spiritual depth. The voices of the Psalms come through in all their bold realism.