At OCC we believe that we need to immersed in the scriptures, we need to be reading the scriptures.
Starting June 10 we are reading through the Psalms…
you can get a printed copy at the OCC Welcome Centre
or you click on the link to download a pdf copy of the reading plan: Reading the Psalms
As usual, our reading plan is for 5 days a week, giving you a couple of days a week to catch up.
The Psalms express a wide range of emotion: thanksgiving; praise; lament; celebration; judgment; and wisdom.
In the Psalms, we find honest, sometimes brutal, expressions of the heart.
They are not a string of sentimental platitudes or religious propaganda.
No, the Psalms express the highest joy and the deepest sorrow; they plead with God, shout at God, and beg God for forgiveness. They lift up virtues and righteousness, and strongly condemn the ugly abuses people sometimes carry out. The Psalms tell of some of the attributes of God; the history of God; humanity’s great potential; and the darkness of human depravity.
As you read and reflect on the Psalms, let the words resonate in you. I find that reading the Psalms aloud helps me to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the psalmist’s longings for God. And because the Psalms are so expressive, I find the Message an excellent version to use for reading the Psalms.
If you want to listen to the Psalms sung, there is a group out of Australia called the Sons of Korah (you can check them out on YouTube). They are known for putting the Psalms to music, the lyrics for their songs are taken almost verbatim from the Psalms. Several psalms are introduced as being by the Sons of Korah: Psalms 42, 44–49, 84, 85, 87, and 88.