[The author] traces the way the Psalms exemplify and create a grammar for living a life of faith. He explores both the genre and shape of the Psalter and focuses upon the themes of lament and of praise. He concludes that the Psalter directs readers to use the psalms of lament and praise as models for life, depending on God's justice in times of anger, singing God's praise in times of thanksgiving, and always acknowledging God as Lord over hardships and blessings. Only in this way, he argues, can humans live the faith of the Psalms -- a faith defined by complete dependence on God. -- Paraphrased from jacket.

[The author] traces the way the Psalms exemplify and create a grammar for living a life of faith. He explores both the genre and shape of the Psalter and focuses upon the themes of lament and of praise. He concludes that the Psalter directs readers to use the psalms of lament and praise as models for life, depending on God's justice in times of anger, singing God's praise in times of thanksgiving, and always acknowledging God as Lord over hardships and blessings. Only in this way, he argues, can humans live the faith of the Psalms -- a faith defined by complete dependence on God. -- paraphrased from jacket.

Walter Brueggemann's unique gift of joining historical-exegetical insights to penetrating observations about the traumas and joys of contemporary life?both personal and social?is here forcefully displayed. Everyone who is familiar with his work knows the power of his speech about "doxological, polemical, political, subversive, evangelical faith: and about the ways such faith is enacted in the praise of ancient Israel and in the church.Readers of this book will find fresh insight into:the Psalms as prayer and praisethe categories of the Psalmsthe social context in which psalms were prayed and sungthe theology of the Psalmsthe dialogical character of the Psalmsjustice and injustice in the Psalmsthe study and "use" of the Psalms by the churchpraise as an act of basic trust and abandonmentthe impossible wonders of God's activity that overturn conventional ways of

We lift up the psalms to God as our prayers. We borrow the language of these ancient texts, and they become our works. We are not secondhand recipients of Gods word but communicants actively in conversation with God. What seems to set the Psalms apart from the rest of Scripture is their sacramental nature, their unique ability to mold and transform the believer. The Psalter for Christian Worshipreclaims the Psalms for congregational worship with new texts set to familiar hymnal tunes. This collection, for worship leaders, musicians, and congregations, will inspire both corporate and private devotions.Features include: The Old Testament flavor of the Psalter is retained with new sensitivity to imagery and inclusive language; all 150 psalms have been converted into hymns of reasonable length to be sung in church; an index of suggested hymn tunes is included; and an index for liturgical use is also provided.

Taking his point of departure from the newest frontier of research, McCann reads the psalms in the context of their final shape and canonical form. He interprets the psalms as scripture as well as in their character as songs, prayers, and poetry from Israel's history. McCann's intent is to contribute to the church's recovery of the psalms as torah--as instruction, as a guide to prayer, praise of God, and pious living. The explicit connections which McCann draws from the psalms to the New Testament and to Christian faith and life are extensive, making his work suitable for serious study of the psalms in academic and in church settings. An appendix examines the tradition of singing the psalms and offers suggestions for the use of the psalms in worship.

Renowned and beloved Psalms scholar James Luther Mays shares in this book some of his most influential ideas about the Psalms and shows the reader how this rich Old Testament poetry can be taught and preached in the church. The book's editors, Patrick Miller and Gene Tucker, have carefully brought together Mays's best insights into the meaning of the Psalms and shown us in his sermons how a master with a love for the church handles these beautiful texts.

A fresh, in-depth study of the poetry of Psalms, highlighting the character and actions of God in every psalm. Enticing reading and quality resource material.