I
Rejoice, you righteous, in the Lord;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the Lord on the harp;
on the ten-stringed lyre offer praise.
Sing to him a new song;
skillfully play with joyful chant.
For the Lord’s word is upright;
all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right.
The earth is full of the mercy of the Lord.
II
By the Lord’s word the heavens were made;
by the breath of his mouth all their host.
He gathered the waters of the sea as a mound;
he sets the deep into storage vaults.
III
Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all who dwell in the world show him reverence.
For he spoke, and it came to be,
commanded, and it stood in place.
The Lord foils the plan of nations,
frustrates the designs of peoples.
But the plan of the Lord stands forever,
the designs of his heart through all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people chosen as his inheritance.
IV
From heaven the Lord looks down
and observes the children of Adam,
From his dwelling place he surveys
all who dwell on earth.
The One who fashioned together their hearts
is the One who knows all their works.
V
A king is not saved by a great army,
nor a warrior delivered by great strength.
Useless is the horse for safety;
despite its great strength, it cannot be saved.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon those who fear him,
upon those who count on his mercy,
To deliver their soul from death,
and to keep them alive through famine.
VI
Our soul waits for the Lord,
he is our help and shield.
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
May your mercy, Lord, be upon us;
as we put our hope in you.
Psalms 33:1-22
I am enjoying all of the musical references in our psalm, today. What better way to praise God than with music. After all, when you sing you pray twice, right? And it’s especially good to include “joyful chant.”
I remember being unimpressed with chant as a kid. I have always loved to sing, and for some reason, the tradition of Gregorian chant just didn’t appeal to me. But lately, I have come to appreciate its beauty, especially when two or more voices bring harmony into it. There is something quite prayerful and serene about it.
A related tradition that I am just learning about is called Taizé Prayer. The musical director at my parish brought it to us several years ago, and it is one of my favorite things. We usually have a Taizé Prayer service once in Advent and once in Lent each year. Here is a link to an article at my church’s website that describes this unique form of prayer in greater detail.
Taizé comes from a small town in France by the same name, where the community is truly ecumenical, meaning it includes people from a variety of Christian denominations. Basically, it is a contemplative form of prayer in song, primarily in the style of chant. It is characterized by short refrains that are sung in repetition, allowing for an almost meditative atmosphere. Often instrumental or solo parts will be added over the repetitive refrains. It is quite beautiful.
At our parish, they keep the church somewhat dimly lit with a sea of candles on the steps in front of the altar, along with various pictures. Our choir leads the singing along with a cantor, and the members of the congregation in attendance can either sing along or not, as they choose. I’m not sure how many of those details are unique to our version of Taizé Prayer and how much is prescriptive in the style.
At any rate, if you ever see an opportunity to participate in a Taizé service, I would highly recommend it, whether you sing along or not. Sometimes it can be very nourishing for the soul to just spend time in a quiet church praying and listening for God, but this is another amazing way to feed your spiritual needs.
Certainly, as “our soul waits for the Lord, …our hearts rejoice.” What better way to rejoice than “with a joyful chant?”