Open-ended, Life-centred,
Gospel-Focused Explorations of Australian Prayer Book Psalms.
Psalm 16...Easter 2... Year A .... (For the
Gospel, please scroll)
INTRODUCTION: 'Psalm' means 'song'. Psalms
are for singing; intensely
personal. Congregations that say
them may not get the best out of them. The
PSs depend not on rhyme, but on parallelism: repeating an idea in
a different way, extending it, developing, contrasting, etc..A colon
often shows where that change takes place The PSs were
composed by different people from pre-1000 BC (David) to the mid 400s
BC. Being of their own times,
it's not surprising we find views expressed in some PSs abhorrent
now. Some argue 'bits like that' should be left out of Christian
worship. PS 16 may bethe song of someone coming to
faith in YHWH the God of Israel.
WARMING UP: Do we ever burst into song spontaneously, or feel
like doing so?
TREASURES OLD & NEW:
Identify God at work in anything this week?
ENTERING INTO THE STORY:
1 Do we ever
feel so intensely about our state of well-being that we pray as
the PSt (Psalmist) does here? Do we ever go so far as to 'take refuge
in' God? Or do we live 'inside God' as a matter of course?
2.
Although we often refer to God as 'Lord', a male term from patriarchal
days, do we ever stop to count the cost of what that term
means, what we're really saying? That we're totally at our Lord's
disposal?
3/4 What
kind of pantheon of gods are we building up all round us today? (As the
PSt may see them on the hill places round him?) Is 'holy' taking on new
shades of meaning? Meanings that're 'outside the rules' so far as
Christians are concerned? What does 'holy' actually mean? What
kinds of offerings do today's idols demand of those of us who succumb
to them? What would 'taking their name on my lips' mean in today
language?
5.
How might we express 'appointed portion', & 'my cup' in today
imagery? Whatever they mean, is God 'IT'?
How seriously do we believe our lot is 'in God's hands'?
6.
What kind of 'share' has fallen to us in life? Are we as positive as
the PSt about ours being 'in pleasant places', & that 'a fair land
is ours'?
7.
How aware are we of God 'giving us counsel'? How does God do that? Does
God 'instruct our heart' more at some time of day or night than another?
8.
Are we confident we have set God 'always before us'? How real to us is
God's presence 'at our right hand', & that we 'shall not fall'?
9.
Are we essentially a 'glad hearted' & 'rejoicing' person? Or is
that for other brands of Christian? Do we believe 'our flesh' (our
human-ness?) is secure?
10/11 Given this amazing
declaration of faith long before Christ was soon associated with Jesus'
resurrection, do we have this same amazing confidence in God, & our
own resurrection?
