PSALMS lesson 4

Can you remember an activity or ability that helped you feel like you belonged when you were in high school? Maybe it was playing in the band or writing for the school newspaper or acting out with the tough kids. Whatever it was, you clung to it as a life preserver in the sea of adolescent upheaval. But in truth, those things didn’t impart worth to you. They merely reminded you that what you did–rather than who you are–was valued. And that could change at any moment. As we study the wisdom psalms we will see that a life lived according to God’s wisdom and understanding will see value in relationships rather than in things like status or wealth. And while we may intellectually affirm that truth, it’s the day-to-day practices of our life that will reveal what we really value.

To listen to lecture 4 “Psalms of Wisdom”, click below:   (*note: the lecture is cut off in the last 3 minutes. See below for a summary of this eliminated part of the lecture)

For outline notes:

PSALMS – Lesson 4

 

 

*There was a challenge presented to the class to do an “ordinary liturgy,” that is, to give out the grace and compassion that has been given to you. Each student chose a metaphor from the following list: candle, keys, book, pen, candle snuffer, hammer, flashlight, tea cup, vase, food tongs, pot scrubber. Then they were asked to use that metaphor throughout the week as a means of giving out to someone else. For example, if someone took the book, they could write and or say encouraging words to each person they encountered in the week. Someone with the hammer would look for ways to build up another or tear down walls that had been built in a relationship.

The point is to be aware of the ways God has shown you grace and compassion, allowing you to feel named and tended–ways of assuring you that you belong. And then, in joy of participating in God’s life, turn and do the same.  These are meant to be practical ways in which we apply the lessons of the wisdom psalms–affirming God’s good order and embodying that good order so that our representative rule reflects the Father’s desire for all to come to Him, where they belong.