What's Going On? AND Worship Notes - Summer Series on Psalms & Summer Psalm Playlist
Worship Notes – Psalm Playlist Summer 2025
I’m really excited about the summer worship series on the “Psalms” and especially about putting together a playlist for worship. There are a couple of groups/worship leaders who’ve put together whole albums on the Psalms – Shane & Shane; Ellie Holcomb; and Wendell Kimbrough’s being some of my favourites. Feel free to find these full albums on your own – I’ve included just a few from each. Then there’s the older, classic worship songs: “How Long O Lord” (Psalm 13) and “I lift my eyes up” (Psalm 121) by Brian Doerksen; and songs like “Whom Shall I fear” by Chris Tomlin which are based on a verse or two of a Psalm.
The Psalms are considered the earliest worshiping songs of the Biblical community, and because of their variety in emotion and context, we can almost always resonate with one or two or more of them. I encourage you to take a look at some of your favourite worship songs or hymns – you may find phrases/verses there that originate from a Psalm, even if not directly quoted.
I hope to include a Psalm setting from the newer book “Psalms for the Seasons” each week. This book includes at least 6 different types of song settings for each Psalm: refrains, responsive readings, chants, classic Genevan tunes, and new contemporary arrangements. It’s a treasure trove and I’m loving diving into it.
Summer is not the best time for new songs in the life of a congregation (or for the vacationing members of the worship team) – so we probably won’t be doing a lot from this playlist in our services. But I encourage you to listen and hear the words of these poem-songs as a way to prepare for worship and to spend time with God in reflection, prayer, and praise.
Peace, Ruth Ann
Spotify Summer Playlist here:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0lqoRfb9AHFkbW2tJ31x1Q?si=1ca6308e9eb34462
YouTube Summer Playlist here:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_F0AgAAYnOGUGNQqr8LmFs_konZ4y6ad
What’s Going On? Summer Series on Psalms
Last fall we formed a “Scripture Group” which was people interested in memorizing and internalizing Bible passages. We worked on 1 Corinthians 13 and presented it a service. At the beginning of this year we opened the door for this group again and I asked what they wanted to work on. We settled on the Psalms. As a result, we will have a series of sermons this summer based on the psalms chosen by the seven people in the group. Pastor Jolene is preaching a couple times while I am away and she will reflect on how we read and understand Psalms.
Memorizing psalms, we found, was rather difficult. They are repetitive and similar words are used in different order which can be a little confusing to recite accurately. We also found that a psalm can switch gears rather quickly. The topic moves from praise to lament in an instant, and then back again. It was the experience of most of us that we chose psalms for a particular line or verse, but the psalm as a package stretched us to think more broadly.
Each of the Sundays that I am preaching on a psalm, the person who chose and memorized that one will present it in the service. I will also consult with them on their experience of the content as they have developed an intimacy with that passage. Check in with them and find out how they reflect on the journey of memorizing psalms.
And, if you are interested in joining the next iteration of Scripture Group, please let me know. We will be looking at the Sermon on the Mount as that will guide the preaching content for the fall. This is a meaningful way to engage God’s word in a personal way and with support and accountability from others.
Pastor Erick Schuringa
