Rector's Musings

Occasional musings of the Rector. 

Discovering the Psalms

For our Lenten class this year, we will discover the Psalms, those prayers and songs of the Bible that people have been using for centuries to offer their praise and their lamentations to God. 

The class will deal with the Psalms in several ways: to learn what biblical scholars say about them (for example, what the different types of psalms are and how they were used when they were written); as religious literature; and as passages for devotion, to learn how they might enrich our own lives and faith. 

The class uses a workbook, which includes a 49-day guided reading of selected psalms for participants to use during the weeks of the class. The workbook is available in print, and is being made into an ePub book for us; either one is €20. The course comes from Kerygma, a company that produces excellent Bible studies. 

The class will meet on Wednesdays, beginning on Ash Wednesday, 1st March. (This is a week later than originally advertised.) The first session will be at 8.00pm, at the Rectory, following a 7.00 Ash Wednesday service at St. Nicholas, Adare. We will then together choose a meeting time for later sessions. 

If you would like to participate, please let Rev. Liz know. 

The seven sessions will cover the following topics: 

  • The Book of Psalms: An Overview
  • Prayers and Poetry
  • Prayer Book for God's People
  • Psalms of Sacred History
  • Psalms of Trust
  • Psalms of Lament
  • Psalms of Praise