The Book of Psalms was Israel’s prayer book and hymnal. The psalms were central to the early Church’s worship and have been throughout church history. I encourage every church to use at least one psalm every Sunday. Here are some ways to do that.
1. Read It Straight Through
You can always simply read straight through a psalm as the congregation listens. I most often do this (1) when I am preaching on a psalm and reading it before my sermon; (2) when I want to control the pace and include some intentional pauses to encourage careful listening; or (3) near the beginning of the service when I am using a psalm to call God’s people to worship. For example, by reading Psalm 95, the people focus on God’s own voice calling them to sing with joy and also warning them to listen with reverence. Psalm 100 is another good option.
2. Read It In Unison
A psalm can also be read in unison. This works best is (1) the psalm isn’t too long and (2) the reader is good at keeping a steady, even pace that people can easily follow.
3. Read It Responsively, Verse by Verse
One of the most common ways that the psalms are traditionally read is as a responsive reading, alternating verses between the minister and the congregation. For example:
Minister (v. 1): The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
Congregation (v. 2): He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
And so on.
This works best when the verses of the psalm are not too long. When the verses are longer, the congregation’s response can begin to fade out and get out of sync, especially if they aren’t accustomed to it.
4. Read It Responsively by Half Verse
This is also a common way to read the psalms and works best when the verses are longer, splitting them up so that the congregation’s response is shorter and it’s easier to stay together.
For example:
Minister (v. 1a): The Lord is my shepherd;
Congregation (v. 1b): I shall not want.
Minister (v. 2a): He makes me lie down in green pastures.
Congregation (v. 2b): He leads me beside still waters.
And so on.
5. Read With A Refrain
One of my favorite ways to read a psalm is with a refrain (technically called an “antiphon,” especially if it’s sung). This works well for any psalm, but especially shorter ones. The congregation says the same thing each time, so it makes the responses easier, and they often get stronger as the psalm goes on (so the intensity builds). More importantly, it encourages meditation on a key theme of the psalm. The antiphon can be a key verse or phrase of the psalm itself, or something related to it. For example, Psalm 133 is only three verses and could be read with the prayerful refrain “Unite us in your love, O Lord”:
Minister (v. 1): Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
Congregation (antiphon): Unite us in your love, O Lord.
Minister (v. 2):Â It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!
Congregation (antiphon): Unite us in your love, O Lord.
And so on.
6. Sing the Psalms In Metrical Form
The psalms were meant to be sung, and we’re repeatedly commanded in the New Testament to sing them in Christian worship (see my article “Singing the Psalms“). I prefer to sing them exactly as written in Scripture, but that’s difficult because it requires a form of chanting (singing with a reciting note). Much easier for most is to sing them in metrical form (slightly rewritten in meter and paired with a familiar tune). For this, I recommend the Seedbed Psalter. Some hymnals, such as Our Great Redeemer’s Praise, also included a brief Psalter. Not all love this (especially at first), but I know some who have found it transformational and begun doing it in their private devotions.
7. Sing Songs Based on the Psalms
There are many contemporary songs that are based on the psalms (e.g., see Shane and Shane’s Psalms albums). These are not a replacement for reading or singing the psalms, but a great supplement to them. I prefer ones that stick closely to the text or at least some portion of the text. Some are fitting for congregational singing. Others can be played in prelude, postlude, or during the distribution of communion.
End With the Gloria Patri
As a side note, it is traditional for everyone (minister and congregation) to say or sing the Gloria Patri after a psalm reading. The Gloria Patri is one of the most ancient Christian prayers of praise:
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end, Amen.
It takes 10 seconds (literally). The first few times that you say it, it might feel a bit stiff. But the same thing is true when you sing a new song for the first time. Only after you become very familiar with it or memorize it can you begin to relax and really worship with it. Our congregation memorized the Gloria Patri after just a few months, and now they come alive when we say it. When I hear a psalm and it doesn’t end with the Gloria Patri, it now feels incomplete.
