Major anniversaries give us an important opportunity to remember where we have come from. To give thanks for the past. To celebrate our story. It is also important to consider where we are going. The nature of that on-going story. In one sense we do not know what the future will hold yet we travel as a people who have faith and confidence because we can see where and how God has both led us and travelled with us in the past

The need among preachers and their dependants is still with us. There will always be a need for a place that is "home" and LPMAA needs to be congratulated as it has sought to keep, not only up with but often, ahead of the field in the provision of residential care. There are also many "hidden" needs and, through the partnership with the Local Preachers' Office, the association is to be commended for the flexibility and sensitivity with which it has and continues to respond to the varied needs of preachers and dependants.

As we look back let us give thanks. As we move forward let us do so with open arms ready to embrace the one we shall meet.

Every blessing for the future,

Peter Barber
Connexional Local Preachers' Secretary

While it is possible to listen to these "voices" in any order, and there is a real sense in which we may well hear them speaking at the same time, I would offer the suggestion that we try to focus our listening in the following order:

1. Listening to the voices of our contemporary world. Asking such questions as: Who in our world/society will have the kind of feelings voiced in this psalm? Why do they have those feelings? How are they expressing those feelings? The reason for starting here is that it is sometimes easier to talk about other people's experiences and feelings than our own. (News Papers - reports, pictures and headlines - could provide a useful source to assemble voices from our world.)
2. Listening to the voices of our own minds and hearts. This is slightly more threatening because we are talking out of our own experiences and we can often feel vulnerable about doing this. The kind of questions we need to be asking here are: When have I had emotions or feelings similar to those expressed in the psalm? What caused me to have such feelings? What was/is the effect of these times on me and my relationship/understanding of God?
3. Listening to the voices of the Psalmists. Here we are seeking to understand something of the circumstances and experience of the psalmists and their communities which gave rise to the particular psalms we are studying. Questions about the background and context of the psalm are relevant here. (You will need access to commentaries to help you with this part of the listening exercise.)

Having explored these three areas we then need to find areas of common ground and divergence between them. Out of this we will then:

A. formulate a number of statements and questions we want to ask God!

B. consider what God may be saying to us in response to our statements and questions;

C. explore how the worship life of the Christian community might be affected by what we have discovered.

You will need to appoint a "time-keeper" to help the group(s) to keep moving and not get too sidetracked! Each study will take about two hours.

The four studies are set out below:

If you have access to "Worship & Preaching" you will find a helpful background article by David Wood entitled "Liturgy and Lament" in the January to March 1999 edition.

Psalms: 13, 22, 88, and 137

If you are a large group split into smaller groups of three people and take one of the above Psalms each. If you are a small group of about six people divide into two groups taking one or two Psalms each (Group one taking 13 and 88 and group two 22 and 137).

Read the psalm and identify the main emotions/ feelings expressed. You might find it easiest to note the dominant emotion in the margin by each verse. [five minutes]

Examine the psalm by spending about 10 minutes on each of the listening areas outlined in 1, 2 and 3 above. In groups of three people this will allow each person to have about three minutes, say, of each of the three listening areas. [total time 30 minutes]

List the common areas from the three "voices" and the areas of divergence. [10 minutes]

Write two or three statements you would like to make to God in the light of your discoveries so far. [10 minutes] This could be done in a group of three by getting each person to prepare one statement.

Write two or three questions you would like to ask God. [10 minutes] In a group of three people each person could produce one question.

From your knowledge and experience of God what might God say in response to your statements and questions? Try to provide supporting evidence for God's reply (eg. From Scripture, doctrine, hymns etc.) [20 minutes]

How might you construct worship which takes seriously, without glossing over, the emotions of the psalm? You might like to prepare a section of worship or a litany in the light of your exploration of the psalm. [20 minutes]

As a whole group share some of the resulting litanies as a devotional exercise. [15 minutes]

Study Two

The same process as for Study One using the following
Psalms: 8, 19, 24 and 29

Study Three

The same process as for Study One using the following
Psalms: 48, 96, 103 and 104

Study Four

The same process as for Study One using the following
Psalms: 23, 27, 30 and 46