Does Your Church Still Sing Psalms?
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Hello there, I was wondering if your church still sing psalms at all? If so, how often and how many of them do you sing? Are they old-style Psalter psalms or more modern musical renditions?
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We do when it fits well with the sermon text. I also mix it up as far as musical genre. We love some of the older metrical and 1912 Psalter settings, but also have grown to love the new settings also. Check out Psalms For All Seasons.
Thanks for replying. I just looked up Psalms For All Seasons. Does every psalm contain a modern, contemporary-style musical setting as well as an older metrical setting? Also, are there any other psalters that contain contemporary musical settings?
I'm not sure that every Psalm has a setting of each genre. I do know that there are plenty. Psalms For All Seasons has a "Genre" index, so if you are looking for contemporary settings, metrical settings, folk settings, other countries, etc. they are listed in the indices.
We are blessed to have a worship leader (shout out to Aaron Antoon) who writes contemporary songs based on the Psalms. We usually sing at least one of them every week - it's a great way for us to stay engaged with the songbook of God's people.
If you're interested in hearing some of the songs he's written, he's posted a number of them to his website.
Yes! As Paul regulated the worship in the churches his injunction to Ephesus (Eph. 5:19) was that their melody making to the Lord consist of Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Jesus authored the Psalms, sang them with a human tongue, as a boy in synagogue, as a pilgrim ascending the Jerusalem plateau, after the institution of the sacrament He sang from the Hallel, and He sings with the great congregation (Heb. 2:12) this very day.
We in Sumas, Washington include at least one, usually more psalter settings each Lord's Day. From Bourgeois in 1551, to 2014 and RC Sproul's rendition of Psalm 91 called "The Secret Place".
My mother, a gifted, lifelong church vocalists has long said; "The only thing we take to heaven with us is the psalter!"
I urge you pastors and worship leaders to put the heavenly hymn and prayer book on the lips of your people.
Glory be to God.
A great psalmody reference is a Youtube site maintained by some of our United Reformed brothers, it is a terrific resource for personal devotion, and, worship planning.
https://www.youtube.com/user/urcpsalmody/playlists
Options for Contemporary settings--check out Wendell Kimbrough at http://www.wendellk.com/songbook/ He makes a free digital copy of the songbook available. He writes specifically for congregational singing, but in a very easy to use format. I also have used contemporary arrangements by Sandra McCracken http://www.sandramccracken.com/psalms/. We use a variety of Psalms in our worship when they fit the theme. Currently we are in a series on David, so we are singing/reading many Psalms of David every week. Hope these resources help!
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