Saturday Psalm Series

For the entire history of the church until, quite recently, the Psalter was the songbook of the Christian church. It was something shared across denominational boundaries. The Apostolic church sang the psalms and the post-apostolic church continued, in different ways, in the following centuries. Sometimes it was monastic choirs singing the Psalms but they were sung in worship. In the Reformation, the Reformed churches in particular were known for their Psalm singing. When the French authorities went looking for Reformed folk to arrest and kill, they could find them by listening for the sound of Psalm singing. The Huguenot martyrs obliged by singing the Psalms on the way to their deaths, until the authorities cut out their tongues to stop them. The Reformed translated the Psalms into the language of the people, set them to meter, and made songbooks out of them for use in public worship by the church. Where the medieval church saw monks chanting the Psalms, the Reformation saw whole congregations singing the Psalms. In the Modern period, through the 18th and 19th centuries the place of the Psalms in worship was gradually lost to non-canonical hymns so that, in our day, there are not a few younger Christians who have never once sung a Psalm in public worship, not even Psalm 23 or Psalm 100. We live now in the most psalm-less age in the history of the Christian church. Now we do not even have monastic choirs to chant the Psalms for us but instead we praise bands and worship leaders (the new monastic choirs) to sing non-canonical songs in place of the people.

The goal of this series is to help re-acquaint the late-modern church with the only song book inspired by the Holy Spirit in the hope that God might use it to help restore his Word to the place it once had in public worship in the Presbyterian and Reformed world and beyond.

Home At Last: Psalms 132–134—Part 1: A Dwelling Place (Psalm 132)

by on October 18, 2025 | 2 Comments
church home

Arrival. It is a beautiful word, is it not? Making it to your vacation spot or returning home after a long journey—it is good to arrive when the destination is desirable. And there is no more desirable destination than God’s presence, and . . . Continue reading →

From Glory To Glory: The Story Of Christ In Psalms 15–24 (Part 6)—Psalm 17 And Christ’s Anticipation Of Resurrection

by on August 30, 2025 | Comment
sunshine mountains

Psalm 17 is about focusing on satisfaction in God even amid our greatest troubles. We find the psalmist here in great distress, calling to God to vindicate him against the wicked. Psalm 17 records his prayer declaring that he was in the . . . Continue reading →

From Glory To Glory: The Story Of Christ In Psalms 15–24 (Part 5)—Psalm 17 And Satisfaction With The Sight Of God

by on August 23, 2025 | Comment
sunshine mountains

“Keep your eye on the prize.” “Don’t take your eye off the ball.” We say these sorts of things for situations when we know that focus is extremely important. We miss hitting the ball when we are looking elsewhere than the pitch . . . Continue reading →

From Glory To Glory: The Story Of Christ In Psalms 15–24 (Part 4)—Psalm 16 And Christ’s Resurrection

by on August 16, 2025 | Comment
sunshine mountains

Building a fire requires balancing. Specifically, you have to balance the use of kindling with the use of longer burning fuel. Kindling gets hot and bright fast, but it also fizzles quickly and fades. Fire has to be fed by sustaining fuel. . . . Continue reading →

From Glory To Glory: The Story Of Christ In Psalms 15–24 (Part 3)—Psalm 15 And Christ As Our Pioneer Into God’s Presence

by on August 9, 2025 | Comment
sunshine mountains

Since purchasing a home, the world of do-it-yourself repairs and upgrades has hit me hard in the face. I often find myself with a vague sense of how to complete the task in front of me, yet I know I cannot do . . . Continue reading →

From Glory To Glory: The Story Of Christ In Psalms 15–24 (Part 2)—Psalm 15 And The Law’s Demand For Perfection

by on August 2, 2025 | Comment
sunshine mountains

We tread carefully when we enter an important space. Moses stopped cold and removed his shoes when he came near the burning bush. Israel’s high priests knew they stepped on hallowed ground as they entered the holy of holies. We too tend . . . Continue reading →