The Psalms present us with different ways to express worship, to thank, to rejoice, to lament, etc. Looking at some of the Psalms, we see that they are communal songs of praise glorifying God on festival days; others are songs asking God to intervene; some are called 'royal psalms' which focus on the king but might be prayer before battle or celebrations; still other psalms are songs that contain the history of the Hebrews escaping from captivity. Some psalms are more personal- some lamenting, some thanking, some praising!
Somehow, all this diversity came together in the book of Psalms. Most books on the Psalms try to make sense of how the Psalms were used, what they meant to the people then, but the more important question for us is "What are the Psalms to us, now?" What is our response today in our context? What does it mean for us to pray the Psalms now in very different times?
I am going to talk about how they invite us to intimacy and I guess I will need to explain how they have put me in direct contact with God at different times in my life. I can affirm their call to intimacy with God!
My room remains at 85 most of the time now that we are having a heat wave, but looking at snow cools me off. This is unusual for California to have so many hot days. Fortunately, Oakwood and Rosewood have air-conditioning and so does the Gathering Room so we are managing with fans in Westwood but can cool off elsewhere if we get too hot. I look at this picture and cool off!
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