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Surprised by the Psalms

Anneke Kaai studied fine art and painting in the Netherlands at secular schools in the 1960s and ’70s. That experience compelled her to express her Christian faith through her art. She has painted many works based on scripture, including three series of paintings on the psalms, which she sees as a bountiful resource of imagery for the full range of human feelings in relation to God.

May 5, 2026 | 90 min video
Karen Campbell on Considering Lament: Psalms of Protest, Pain and Hope

Technically, the Troubles in Northern Ireland ended in 1998. But just as trauma didn’t end after the passage of the US Civil Rights Act or the work of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, pain still lingers in Northern Ireland. Karen and David Campbell composed a new set of lament songs to help Christians voice protest, pain, and hope during worship.

May 4, 2026 | 8 min read
Psalmody in Black: The Psalter as Human Expression

This workshop explores the deep connection between the psalms and the breadth of human emotion through musical settings by Black composers. Interwoven with reflections on the history and function of the Psalter, this program reveals how these timeless texts continue to speak to the spiritual, emotional, and cultural experiences of our shared humanity. 

May 1, 2026 | 90 min video

Local Psalm Festivals

As part of the Dwelling in the Psalms year, the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship has provided resources to support Psalm festivals around Canada and the United States. These events are open to the public and many will be livestreamed. 

April 28, 2026 | 3 min read
Experiencing God’s Presence Within Our Work

Mission Chattanooga, an Anglican church in Tennessee, did a grant project that helped workers narrate their experiences in prayers and liturgy. Gathering with people from their vocational fields helped them tune their hearts to experience God in the workplace. You can use and adapt their curriculum to your context.

April 23, 2026 | 7 min read
Customizable Template for a Vocational Commissioning Service

Most of us spend more time at work than in corporate worship services. Imagine how meaningful it might be to attend a worship service that blesses your vocational field! It would commission you to renew before God and one another your commitment to serve and love neighbors through your work. 

April 23, 2026 | 1 min read

Andrew Wilkes on Doing the Work of Liberation and Justice with the Psalms as Our Guide

Pastor-scholar Andrew Wilkes shares how his worshiping community, Double Love Experience Church, prayed and sang the psalms during the troubling times of 2020. The psalms gave them language and support for praise and lament, and Wilkes asserts that lament is the evidence of faith because we are bringing our troubles to God.

April 10, 2026 | 14 min listen
W. David O. Taylor on the Psalms and Praying the Unedited Life

Author and pastor-scholar David Taylor shares how he came to appreciate the psalms and how he encourages people to bring their full, unedited selves to God in prayer and experience a richer and more honest life of faith.

April 10, 2026 | 26 min listen
Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford on the Shape and Shaping of the Psalter

Old Testament scholar Nancy deClaissé-Walford has spent her career studying the ordering of the Psalter. Most of the psalms, she says, are not tied to a particular situation, allowing us to sing and pray them honestly in our own contexts.

April 10, 2026 | 17 min listen

Kathryn Roelofs on Leading Worship for Workers

God cares about workers. But even though work takes up so much of our lives, most church services rarely talk about it. Leading Worship for Workers gives practical ideas to help churches connect Sunday worship to the everyday work lives of their people.

April 9, 2026 | 7 min read
The Geography of Worship

An annotated research guide from the field of geography, exploring the relevance of place, space, and human/environment interactions for the study of worship practices.

April 9, 2026 | 1 min read
Temporada de Resurrección: El bien triunfa sobre el mal

Este mes presentamos una serie de reflexiones sobre los Salmos en el calendario litúrgico cristiano para mayo de 2026, destacando el tema de la temporada de Resurrección bajo el lema: "El bien triunfa sobre el mal". La vida es más poderosa que la muerte. Cada uno de los salmos para este mes, manifiesta que la presencia de Dios en nuestra vida es la clave de la victoria ante los poderes del mal y de la muerte.

April 6, 2026 | 34 min read