Psalms: Going Beyond the Music (New Playlist is now available)

For those of you who noticed I missed the last two weeks, I apologize. For those of you who were busy traveling to see family during Christmas and spent almost two weeks on the road living out of a suitcase, I hope things are back to normal now. I had intended on blogging while I was out, but my good intentions were not enough. So today we officially kick off the 2008 version of the LifeMatters Blog. I’m very excited about the Psalms study this month. There’s something about the connection we have with music, and the influence it has on us that amazes me. There is also the thought that we can use the same words to worship God that David did thousands of years ago. That messes with my mind a little bit.

Somehow, music is able to convey feeling and emotion as well as truth and theology. When was the last time a sermon or lecture moved you to tears? I don’t mean the conviction of the Holy Spirit during a sermon or the tears of boredom during a lecture. A song has the power to stop you in your tracks, take you back 20 years, or help you look 20 years into the future. Why is that? How can we listen to a 45-minute sermon with little impact, but be driven to our knees by a three-minute song? Of course, this is not always the case, but it’s often very close. So, this month, allow music to have a prominent role during your teaching time. One teacher had his class sing acapella last week, while another had the class listen to “Psalm 145” by Shane and Shane. Be creative! Check out our playlist: LifeMatters Playlist

As for this week’s study on Psalm 32, the main idea is joy. Christians should be the most joyful of all people, but last time I surveyed my church on a Sunday morning, I can’t say I saw a bunch of joyful faces. This lesson shows how joy comes through forgiveness, how forgiveness comes through confession, and how confession follows submission. The plan is laid out fairly plainly in Psalm 32, so my question would be this: “If you are not experiencing joy in your life, which piece are you missing or struggling with?” As followers of Christ, joy should be constant because of what we have received. When unconfessed sin or a unrepentant heart get in the way, our joy can become clouded. In verse 3 the psalmist proclaims he was in physical anguish because of the sin present in his life. Doesn’t sound too joyful to me! Praise God He has a way to restore us when we fall. Take the “Joy Test” this week as a leader and encourage your class to do the same thing. If joy is present in your life, that’s great; if it’s not then pray that God would show you why it isn’t!

Share your thoughts about the lesson you plan on teaching this Sunday. The numbers show many leaders are reading this blog each week, but only two people are sharing their thoughts. I hear blogging is the cool thing to do, so you might as well join the cool crowd!