The other day someone randomly asked me if I could recite the 50 states in alphabetical order. “Of course I can. And in under 15 seconds,” I quipped, smugly. I proceeded to do so, to that familiar sing-songy tune from elementary school, here 25+ years later. As a musician, I’ve always used music to help me remember things and putting things to music elevates them to a new status for me. Singing something makes it seem worth remembering. Lately I’ve been thinking more deeply about why.
The book of Psalms, a book of prayers that was originally sung, is the source for the sermon series this summer at Grace Church. Each day we are reading one Psalm upon waking and one before sleeping. Each Sunday, Pastor Edwin will preach on one Psalm, and special musical settings from a variety of genres will be shared at worship, too, as we immerse ourselves in this central book of the Bible.
I’m really excited about this series because of the inherent musicality of it all. I find music to be a highly spiritual practice, and I find it so intriguing that these scriptures were what scholars say Jesus quoted the most. When he did quote from the Psalms, did Jesus sing? Were these familiar tunes that were so connected to these texts their words were unforgettable? Do these scriptures still have application to our lives today?
Join us each day as we pray through the entire book and meditate on these scriptures each Sunday starting this week. Here on the blog, I’ll be sharing my experience with this practice throughout the summer.
Here is the schedule: (And don’t worry, there’s some catch-up time at the end if you get behind!)
June 11, Monday, Psalm 1 and 2
June 12, Tuesday, Psalm 3 and 4
June 13, Wednesday, Psalm 5 and 6
June 14, Thursday, Psalm 7 and 8
June 15, Friday, Psalm 9 and 10
June 16, Saturday, Psalm 11 and 12
June 17: Sunday, Psalm 1, “Happiness”
June 18, Monday, Psalm 13 and 14
June 19, Tuesday, Psalm 15 and 16
June 20, Wednesday, Psalm 17 and 18
June 21, Thursday, Psalm 19 and 20
June 22, Friday, Psalm 21 and 22
June 23, Saturday, Psalm 23 and 24
June 24: Sunday, Psalm 12, “The End of the Civilization”
June 25, Monday, Psalm 25 and 26
June 26, Tuesday, Psalm 27 and 28
June 27, Wednesday, Psalm 29 and 30
June 28, Thursday, Psalm 31 and 32
June 29, Friday, Psalm 33 and 34
June 30, Saturday, Psalm 35 and 36
July 1: Sunday, Psalm 23, “The Good Shepherd”
July 2, Monday, Psalm 38 and 39
July 3, Tuesday, Psalm 40 and 41
July 4, Wednesday, Psalm 42 and 43
July 5, Thursday, Psalm 44 and 45
July 6, Friday, Psalm 46 and 47
July 7, Saturday, Psalm 48 and 49
July 8: Sunday, Psalm 37, “Commit to the Lord: Refrain from Anger”
July 9, Monday, Psalm 50 and 51
July 10, Tuesday, Psalm 52 and 53
July 11, Wednesday, Psalm 54 and 55
July 12, Thursday, Psalm 56 and 57
July 13, Friday, Psalm 58 and 59
July 14, Saturday, Psalm 60 and 61
July 15: Sunday, Psalm 42, “Longing for God”
July 16, Monday, Psalm 62 and 63
July 17, Tuesday, Psalm 64 and 65
July 18, Wednesday, Psalm 66 and 67
July 19, Thursday, Psalm 68 and 69
July 20, Friday, Psalm 70 and 71
July 21, Saturday, Psalm 72 and 73
July 22: Sunday, Psalm 51, “Confession”
July 23, Monday, Psalm 74 and 75
July 24, Tuesday, Psalm 76 and 77
July 25, Wednesday, Psalm 78 and 79
July 26, Thursday, Psalm 80 and 81
July 27, Friday, Psalm 82 and 83
July 28, Saturday, Psalm 84 and 85
July 29: Sunday, Psalm 67, “Evangelism: Joy and Judgement”
July 30, Monday, Psalm 86 and 87
July 31, Tuesday, Psalm 88 and 89
August 1, Wednesday, Psalm 90 and 91
August 2, Thursday, Psalm 92 and 93
August 3, Friday, Psalm 94 and 95
August 4, Saturday, Psalm 96 and 97
August 5: Sunday, Psalm 73, “Why Do Good Things Happen to Bad People?”
August 6, Monday, Psalm 98 and 99
August 7, Tuesday, Psalm 100 and 101
August 8, Wednesday, Psalm 102 and 103
August 9, Thursday, Psalm 104 and 105
August 10, Friday, Psalm 106 and 107
August 11, Saturday, Psalm 108 and 109
August 12: Sunday, Psalm 91, "Abiding in the Shadow of the Almighty"
August 13, Monday, Psalm 110 and 111
August 14, Tuesday, Psalm 112 and 113
August 15, Wednesday, Psalm 114 and 115
August 16, Thursday, Psalm 116 and 117
August 17, Friday, Psalm 118 and 119
August 18, Saturday, Psalm 120 and 121
August 19: Sunday, Psalm 100, "Make a Joyful Noise"
August 20, Monday, Psalm 122 and 123
August 21, Tuesday, Psalm 124 and 125
August 22, Wednesday, Psalm 126 and 127
August 23, Thursday, Psalm 128 and 129
August 24, Friday, Psalm 130 and 131
August 25, Saturday, Psalm 132 and 133
August 26: Sunday, Psalm 121, “Looking to the Hills for Help”
August 27, Monday, Psalm 134 and 135
August 28, Tuesday, Psalm 136 and 137
August 29, Wednesday, Psalm 138 and 139
August 30, Thursday, Psalm 140 and 141
August 31, Friday, Psalm 142 and 143
September 1, Saturday, Psalm 144 and 145
September 2: Sunday, Psalm 139: “Born to Praise”
September 3, Monday, Psalm 146 and 147
September 4, Tuesday, Psalm 148 and 149
September 5, Wednesday, Psalm 150
September 6-8: Catch up, if needed
September 9: Sunday, Psalm 139/150 “Born to Praise: Part 2”