Words to God, Word from God: The Psalms in the Prayer and Preaching of the Church

by Wallace,Howard Neil

• ISBN13: 9780754636922
• ISBN10: 0754636925
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2005-05-28
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

The psalms challenge and sustain us in a number of ways, and in times of new challenges to the very fabric of the church, to its faith, and its values, we need to re-examine these ancient prayers and songs.This book explores the place and function of the psalms in Christian prayer, preaching, and worship. Examining the dual nature of the psalms as both words to God and word from God, the author brings together the historical experience of the church, biblical studies and theological reflection to focus on the application of the psalms in contemporary Christian life. A number of individual psalms are explored in terms of what they have to say about prayer or what theological issues they raise for contemporary life. This book encourages a reclamation of the psalms in the private and public prayers of the church and in the preaching of the word.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Abbreviations	xi
PART I: INTRODUCTION
The Dual Role of the Psalms in the Church	3	(16)
Introduction	3	(1)
The Psalms in Israel	4	(1)
The Psalms in the New Testament	5	(1)
The Psalms in the History of the Church	6	(6)
Not just a Christian Issue	12	(2)
Psalms as Words to God and Word from God	14	(5)
PART II: THE PSALMS AS WORDS TO GOD
The Psalms as Prayers	19	(2)
The World of Prayer in the Psalms	21	(58)
A World of Conversations	21	(15)
A World Embracing Every Experience	36	(13)
A World with its Own Language	49	(10)
A World in which we are Not Alone	59	(7)
An Evolving Conversation	66	(4)
Being Moulded in Character	70	(2)
Words of Prayer with Authority	72	(2)
Praying in Christ	74	(5)
What Individual Psalms Say about Prayer	79	(24)
Psalms 13 and 90 -- Praying Laments	79	(4)
Psalms 113 and 65 -- Praising God	83	(5)
Psalm 107 -- Giving Thanks	88	(2)
Psalms 121 and 27 -- Trusting God	90	(6)
Psalm 51 -- Confessing Sin	96	(7)
Invited to Pray	103	(32)
The Way we Might Pray Using the Psalms	103	(3)
The Order of the Psalms in Prayer	106	(4)
The Psalms in Prayer With and For Others	110	(13)
Speaking to God through the Psalms in the Liturgy	123	(12)
PART III: THE PSALMS AS WORD FROM GOD
The Psalms in Preaching and Liturgy	135	(22)
Listening to the Psalms in the Church	135	(2)
The Psalms in the Lectionaries	137	(5)
Issues in Preaching the Psalms	142	(6)
The Practice of Preaching the Psalms	148	(5)
Hearing God through the Psalms in the Liturgy	153	(4)
Preaching from Individual Psalms	157	(30)
Psalm 8 -- Creator, Creation and Humankind	157	(7)
Psalm 73 -- God and Injustice in the World	164	(7)
Psalm 89 -- Waiting for God's Faithfulness	171	(5)
Psalm 126 -- Coming Home in Joy	176	(4)
Psalm 139 -- God Knowing Us	180	(7)
Appendix	187	(2)
Select Bibliography	189	(2)
General Index	191	(2)
Index of Authors	193	(2)
Index of Scriptures	195