Friday, February 19, 2010

Supper and Psalms

Em and I have found a few sections of the Psalms to be especially good portions for regular, repetitious reading as we sit down for meals.  They're short, tied together thematically, and they provide an aroma and atmosphere of gratitude and praise, trust and hope, wonder and awe at the table.  Pss. 145-150 are great for lifting up our hearts in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.  Pss. 120-134, the Songs of Ascents, are hope-filled as we eat in the midst of our enemies and move toward our Jerusalem above.  Pss. 93-100 are royal psalms setting forth YHWH's holy majesty and absolute dominion, and it is before this God we eat and drink, rise up and sit down, live out all our ways. 

These are sections of Scripture that can easily get worked into regular meal times and that can provide a healthy and holy atmosphere (in part through the repetiton) for children who grow up as "olives shoots" around our tables.

While we often read psalms at dinner, right now we're actually working through bits of the Westminster Confession.  It too is marvelous dinner time stuff, helping me to lift up our hearts to God in gratitude over our food while recalling the day's mercies and provisions, assisting oftentimes our conversation by flavoring our discussions with God talk.

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