Upcoming Book of Psalms Sermon Series Reflections

Beginning this Sunday, (June 19) I will be preaching a three-part sermon series on the Book of Psalms.  The title of the series is "Expressions of the Heart" to help emphasize that the Psalms provide a wide range of emotions and experiences along our faith journey.

Here are some preliminary thoughts about this incredible book of the Bible:

• The 150 psalms can be categorized. There are a variety of thoughts on how they should be grouped but here are some examples: psalms of lament, psalms of thanksgiving, psalms of ascent, and psalms of enthronement.
• The variety of categories is what makes the psalms so appealing to help us express ourselves as we live out our faith. For this sermon series, we'll focus on three of the categories: 1) psalms of lament - when we are disoriented in our faith 2) psalms of ascent - to help us worship and praise God, and 3) psalms of enthronement - to help us celebrate God's kingship and just/righteous rule over all creation.
• I've entitled the sermon series, "Expressions of the Heart" to emphasize how the psalms can help us express our deepest longings.  The psalms give experession to our feelings and emotions depending on what we are experiencing in our faith journey such as joy, happiness, confusion, grief, thanksgiving, etc.  From an emotional health perspective, the psalms give us permission to give voice to our feelings.  Even the darkest of psalms typically end on a positive note since the prayer itself has helped the psalmist to "unload on God."
• When I visit patients at the hospital, I often use a book entitled, "Psalms for Healing" which provides appropriate psalms depending on the situation.  There are psalms for pre-surgery, post-surgery, while waiting for test results, when wanting to thank God for healing, etc.  After each brief psalm reading, there is a personalized prayer corresponding with the theme/image of the psalm that was read.  This is one of my favorite pastoral resources that I use on a frequent basis.  I even had a church member request to borrow this book when he was in the hospital since the psalm and the prayer I offered to him really connected to where he was spiritually in that moment.  
• In liturgical worship, a psalm is read each Sunday and it always follows the Old Testament reading to serve as a response to that scripture's theme.
• In the Anglican/Episcopal daily office readings, you read every Psalm each month.  Also, on every Wednesday, you read a portion of Psalm 119 since this psalm is focused on the importance of meditating on God's Word.

Here are some psalms to read before each Sunday's sermon on the psalms.  May these psalms help us to express our heart to God.

Week before June 19 - Psalms of Lament: 55, 130, & 77
Week before June 26 - Psalms of Ascent: 122 & 121
Week before July 3 - Psalms of Enthronement: 72 & 96
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