As we journey toward Easter morning, there’s a growing sense of anticipation. We move from the shadow of the cross into the brilliant light of the empty tomb. This Easter begins a worship series that will take us all the way to Pentecost, focusing on the Psalms. These ancient songs have shaped the worship of God’s people for thousands of years. In fact, the Psalms have served as both prayer book and hymnal for countless generations before us.
Did you know the Psalms were the very songs Jesus himself sang in worship and the prayers he turned to in his darkest hours? There’s something significant about that connection. The Psalms appear in the New Testament more than any other Old Testament book. When the apostles tried to make sense of Christ’s death and resurrection, they kept returning to the Psalms to express what these world-changing events meant.
On Resurrection Sunday, we’ll explore Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, which declares: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Early Christians heard in these words a perfect description of Jesus’s resurrection. This thanksgiving psalm becomes an Easter proclamation, celebrating God’s victory over death. As we continue through the Easter season, we’ll experience the full range of human emotion in the Psalms–from lament to praise. In these ancient words, we discover our own emotions, our questions, sorrows, hopes, and celebrations.
I encourage you to read the designated passages before each Sunday. Let these words settle into your heart during the week as you prepare to gather on Sunday morning. Our path to Resurrection Sunday leads us through Mary’s costly devotion and Jesus’s surrendered will in Gethsemane before experiencing the glory of Resurrection. From there, we learn to live as people whose every breath becomes praise. May this journey through the Psalms draw us closer to the God who still speaks through these ancient words.
Worship Schedule
- April 06 - The Cost of Devotion: Lessons from Mary’s Perfume (John 12:1-8) Additional Readings: Psalm 126, Isaiah 43:16-21
- April 13 - Not My Will: Jesus in Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-46) Additional Readings: Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16, Job 14:1-14
- April 20 - The Stone the Builders Rejected (Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24) Additional Readings: Luke 24:1-12, 1 Corinthians 15:19-26
- April 27 - Everything That Has Breath: Living as People of Praise (Psalm 150) Additional Readings: John 20:19-31, Revelation 1:4-8
