no Psalm 8 without Hebrews

Jesus Christ is the one who makes most sense of that Psalm and indeed of everything.

And while we're on the subject of nostalgia, Hebrews and Psalm 8 were right there at the start of this blog (eke and mild and Hebrews 13). Glad to know I haven't moved on from what is important, but, rather, I ought to have moved further into it. Like the fractals, I hope to be going round and round, not in circles of emptiness, but in spirals of ever-increasing richness. That's what growing up is about, and thus what growing up into Christ all the more so. And, of course, it can't be done without Christian brothers and sisters, so praise the Lord for the church, too.

Psalm studies

Here are some ideas for small group (or personal) study on the Psalms.

God's rule

33 (over everything)

2 (through the Messiah)

Why does evil flourish?

49 (or 10; simply reading one out loud, well, and looking in depth at the other works well. Sometimes we just need to listen to the Word.)

73 (a particularly good response to this problem)

Forgiveness

32/130

26 (note the 'problem' of the Psalmist saying he's totally righteous - how does that work?)

When God is far or near

42 & 43 (they're probably one psalm)

84

Persecution and enemies

56 (there's a nice ABCBA' pattern in this psalm; 1-2, 3-4, 5-9a, 9b-11, 12-13)

59/69

Praise

145 (carefully explore the reasons in the text, and remember similar in your own life)

Psalms

We have been studying the Psalms in homegroup for the last 6 weeks or so, and it's been wonderfully refreshing, as well as intellectually stimulating. For all their greatness, I had never really taken a sustained look at the Psalms in a small group context before. So, while I was familiar with many Psalm sentiments and a few of the earlier Psalms through general reading and devotional times, I had not really got my teeth into them in the context of a group.

Group learning is soooo helpful - and I say that as someone who loves reading by myself and does so avidly. Other people's insights and the dynamic of conversation around God's word is good for all of us, and it certainly was as we looked at the Psalms together.

Nex on the menu... eschatology!

I believe in Jesus

We sang this jolly song of Marc Nelson's yesterday morning.

I believe in Jesus
I believe He is the Son of God
I believe He died and rose again
I believe He paid for us all

And I believe He's here now
I believe that He's here
Standing in our midst

Here with the power to heal now
With the power to heal
And the grace to forgive
I believe in You Lord

© 1987 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing

I felt like it needed an extra verse,

I believe in the New Creation
I believe it's coming soon...
...

but something tells me I'm not the one to write it!

eke and mild

What a strange November this is. Are there any other cyclists out there who are getting as sticky now as you were in August!?

And what a sky there was to the east of Cambridge last night. Kate, who tends to notice her surroundings a little more than I do (lost as I often am in frowning and looking at puddles), drew my gaze upwards. The heavens well and truly declared the glory of God. And the more we looked into the deep blue, the more the stars rushed to the surface.

And what is man, that you are mindful of him, the son of man, that you care for him? (Psalm 8) That we can appreciate such beauty as there is in nature (let alone in culture), drink it in, revel in it, and feel the need to communicate the joy and the experience to the person next to us, is one of the strongest arguments in favour of beneficent theism. We are so utterly dependent on what is outside us, so fragile, and yet so able to enjoy it all, to shape it and value it... How can we not recognise that man is not the measure of all things, that instead God has put eternity in our hearts, so that we might seek after Him, the source of all these good gifts.