Preaching from Preach magazine Issue 34, Psalms of War

THEME: Psalms of War
The book of Psalms is the Church's church's songbook. All human life is there, we like to say. But how do we read them when we're experiencing life as violent, brutal and terrifying? How do we read Psalms in a strife-torn, warlike world?

CONTEXT: The word of God
Mark Woods reflects on the use of Psalm 31 by Ukrainian Christians. 'Reading it in wartime is both an act of resistance and a commitment to building a better future on the ruins of   the present,' he says. Charmaine Yip writes about the 'devilish prayers of the imprecatory psalms', which 'remind us that God is a God of justice and judgement, and that sin must be punished'. Handle them with care, says Liz Shercliff; they've been used to justify colonialism, they're masculine and militaristic. Ian Paul says that 'they remind us that God does not need our situations to be neat, tidy and ethically resolved before he will engage and act'.

APPLICATION
In a sermon on Psalm 23, Carol Tomlin reminds that 'We do not have to fear evil in human or literal form when it rears its ugly head! We do not have to fear because his rod and staff bring us comfort.' Simon Stocks looks at how Psalm 144 celebrates warfare, and the apparent mismatch between this and Jesus' commands to love enemies. But warfare against 'sin, the world and the devil' is a fact of life; perhaps we should pray the psalm as, 'Praise be to the LORD, my rock, who equips me to resist evil.' Helen Paynter writes about Psalm 55, a cry of protest against betrayal that resonates with our knowledge of abuse and coercive control.

SUB-THEMES
Writers wrestle with the violent language in some of the Psalms. Can we really ask God to bless those who dash babies' heads against walls (Psalm 137:8–9)? How does God speak through this psalm? Justice is another theme; for the psalmists, God is above all holy, with an uncompromising righteousness that they echo in their songs. These songs are often protests against the way the world is, and a cry for God to act. They're from the heart, not just – and sometimes just not – from the head.

CASE STUDIES
Andy Hutchinson writes about 'The No.1 Key for Church Growth' – and it's probably not what you think. Cameron Hume from All We Can draws lessons from the Psalms about collaboration, partnership and honesty. Dave Bookless writes about the terrible effects warfare has on the natural world, for instance in Ukraine and Congo. 'We cannot protect people without protecting God's creation,' he says.

PREACHING POINTS
If we're three-point preachers, here's a suggestion based on a trilogy of psalms.
1. Evil is real. The Psalms face this unflinchingly, and call out to God to defeat it (Psalm 51).
2. None of us is innocent. The Psalms show the dark side of humanity, with their calls for vengeance and their denunciation of enemies (Psalm 137).
3. God is righteous and gracious, and will bring justice and peace (Psalm 31).

READING
Our Hearts Wait: Worshiping Through Praise and Lament in the Psalms
Walter Brueggemann (Westminster John Knox Press, October 2022)
236pp, paperback, RRP £18.00.

Reflections on the Psalms
Ian Adams et al
(Church House Publishing, May 2015)
192pp, paperback, RRP £16.99.

Songs for Suffering: Praying the Psalms in Times of Trouble
Simon Stocks
(Hendrickson Publishers, March 2017)
141pp, paperback, RRP £13.25.

Praying through the Psalms
Yohanna Katanacho
(Langham Publishing)
160pp, paperback, RRP £11.99.

Journalling the Psalms: A Guide for Reflection and Prayer
Paula Gooder
(Hodder & Stoughton, February 2022)
224pp, hardback, RRP £14.99.

© Preach magazine, Issue 35, Psalms of War crib sheet produced by Mark Woods for LWPT.

Please email editor@lwpt.org.uk if you would like a pdf version of the sermon tips.