Grace Notes 2025-10-01

The use of the Psalms is often missing in congregations departing from good liturgical worship. And the consequent lack of familiarity with them robs us of having a richer prayer life.

Did you know that the Book of Psalms is quoted in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament Book? Likewise, in the Gospel Accounts Jesus quoted from this Book more than any other!

Perhaps the best-known instance of a Psalm on Jesus’ lips was spoken by Him as He hung and suffered on the Cross. Our Lord cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This is one of the seven last things recorded in Scripture that Christ spoke from the Cross. It is the first verse of Psalm 22. No doubt He had the entirety of the Psalm on His mind, if not on His lips!

The Psalms served both as a Song Book and a Prayer Book for Israel. But it did not stay confined to the Jewish Faith. Christians adopted the same use as reflected both in the New Testament and in the development of Christian Worship.

Noteworthy, many of the Psalms speak prophetically, along with other Old Testament passages. They speak pointedly to and of Christ. Take a look at all of Psalm 22 and you will see an extraordinary example of this prophetic use.

As a collection of prayers, the Book of Psalms is an invaluable aid to our own praying. They feature a broad range of the human experience before God. They express to God a full range of our emotions. This includes sorrow, anguish, lament, doubt, fear, anger, joy, jubilation, praise, and thanksgiving. The Psalmist speaks with great candor, often expressing more impious first thoughts than merely trying to sound devout and speak in platitudes.

We are spiritually much poorer if we lack familiarity with the Psalms. And their continuous use in historic liturgies not only aids in joining our voices together, but also makes them memorable.

Since You Asked

What is the significance of sharing the peace? 

“The peace which enables people to live in unity and in the spirit of mutual forgiveness comes only from Christ whose word has been proclaimed. … The peace is a sign that those who participate in it open themselves to the healing and reconciling power of God’s love and offer themselves to be agents of that love in the world. … The personal exchange of the peace should be as unpatterned as possible, but its meaning and significance should be kept clear. It is not the occasion merely for conviviality. The choice of gesture, whether a handshake, holding hands, or an embrace, should be left to the persons themselves.”  (from “Manual on the Liturgy” companion to the LBW, from Augsburg Pub.)