Overview

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The Psalms offer a path to express a range of human emotion and to encounter God in a new way. In times of great joy or deep grief, how might the Psalms help shape who we are – and who we are to one another? This course invites you to learn from experts in biblical interpretation and the arts to deepen your personal and communal engagement with the Psalms and the arts. In this course, you will meditate on psalms and artworks, engage with the Psalms theologically, explore artful interpretations of the Psalms, and examine the role of the Psalms in the life of the church. At the heart of the course and each session is a series of conversations with artists and scholars who give attention to the Psalms in their professional work and in their worship and prayer practice. This course is valuable for church leaders and members—individually or in community—who want to read and interpret scripture in conversation with the arts. You do not need to have a formal theological education to enroll in this course.

Syllabus

Psalms of Praise

What does it mean for individuals to praise God? We will examine this crucial question by tracing individuals’ journeys from encountering God to glorifying God. To do so, you will first reflect on times in your personal life when you have encountered and praised God. Then you will meditate on Psalm 19, a psalm of praise, using the lectio divina spiritual practice. After this meditation, you will engage with artful interpretations of Psalm 19 in two ways: 1) watching a video of poet and theologian Malcolm Guite reading and commenting on his poem about Psalm 19; and 2) viewing an illuminated manuscript painting of Psalm 19 by visual artist Debra Band and listening to her commentary on it. Finally, you will reflect on how this session has affected your interpretation of psalms of praise.

Psalms of Lament

What does it mean for individuals to lament before God? You will examine this crucial question by tracing individuals’ journeys from encountering hardship to crying out to God in faith. To do so, you will explore the psalms of lament. First, you will meditate on Psalm 22, a psalm of lament, using the lectio divina spiritual practice. Then you will explore two artistic interpretations of Psalm 22, one performed by dancer Paiter van Yperen and another performed by priest and theologian Ellen Davis. Finally, you will reflect on how your engagement with Psalm 22 has affected your interpretation of psalms of lament.

An Unresolved Psalm

What do you do when your pain or suffering remains unresolved? You will examine this crucial question by diving deeper into the psalms of lament, tracing the ways that individuals with unresolved or ongoing suffering bring their pain to their communities. To do so, you will meditate on Psalm 88, a lament psalm that resists easy resolution. Then, you will explore two artistic interpretations of Psalm 88, performed by musician Charles Pettee and watercolor artist Julia Hendrickson, respectively. Finally, you will listen to commentary on the psalm from Rabbi Dorothy Richman and reflect on the role of psalms of lament within worshiping communities.

Communities of Lament

What does it mean for communities to lament before God? We now turn to examining how worshiping communities themselves encounter pain and sing their cries to God in love. Put another way, we will ask: What is the theological witness to communal lament? First, you will meditate on Psalm 137, a communal psalm of lament written during Israel’s exile in Babylon. Then you will explore a musical interpretation of the psalm performed by Joey Weisenberg and the Hadar Ensemble, followed by commentary by Rabbi Richman. Finally, you will reflect on the role and purpose of the psalms of lament in your own worshiping community.

Communities of Praise

What does it mean for communities to praise God? In our final session in this course, we examine this crucial question by tracing how worshiping communities encountering joy and pain can sing praise to God in hope. To do so, you will first explore a painting based on Psalm 46 by artist and theologian Makoto Fujimura. Then you will engage with Psalm 46 in two ways: 1) meditating on the psalm using the lectio divina spiritual practice, and 2) viewing commentary on the psalm by Makoto Fujimura. Finally, you will reflect on the role and purpose of psalms of praise for worshiping communities, and reflect on what you have learned in this course.