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This expression of Psalm 22 was submitted by Ed Willmington, with lyrics by Brianna Wyatt and music by Edwin M. Willmington. The psalm begins in subdued sadness but ends in glorious worship.
Psalm 22
How does this psalm piece interpret the psalm?
The psalm begins with the familiar words Jesus spoke from the cross: … “My God, why have you forsaken me?" In the middle of the psalm, it turns a corner toward worship in all the world. The lyrics take that same turn in the middle of verse 2, and the music follows that shift as well. This timeless psalm expresses a prayerful result of lament: joy and praise. The piece was commissioned to honor the work of John Witvliet and the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. As a result, the tune is named WITVLIET.
Psalm 22 may serve well as the psalm in a traditional liturgy. These lyrics would also serve well in connection with the Lord’s Table.
Text and Music: Psalm 22; Ed Willmington, © 2018 Jubal House Publications
Used by permission.
Contact: Fred Bock Music Group, Steve Bock, sbock@fredbock.com
Why and how did psalm singing become such a hallmark of Reformed worship? Join Dr. Karin Maag for a fascinating journey through time, from Reformation Geneva to Scotland and from the Netherlands to New England, exploring the roots and impact of metrical psalm singing. Along the way, we will hear the voices of early modern Christians as they learned how to sing the psalms, both in unison and in harmony.
Sister Kathleen Harmon of the community of the Ohio province of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in Dayton, invites us to be transformed by the psalms and experience them as the whole story God is revealing to us. As we keep praying and singing them, the psalms interpret us, and that’s when the transformation comes.
Vinroy D. Brown Jr.—conductor, musicologist, educator, and minister of creative worship and music at the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City—explores the vibrant intersection of Black sacred music and the psalms. He talks about Black composers and how they have reimagined the psalms through choral music, spirituals, and the gospel tradition for the benefit of everyone.
Why and how did psalm singing become such a hallmark of Reformed worship? Join Dr. Karin Maag for a fascinating journey through time, from Reformation Geneva to Scotland and from the Netherlands to New England, exploring the roots and impact of metrical psalm singing. Along the way, we will hear the voices of early modern Christians as they learned how to sing the psalms, both in unison and in harmony.
Sister Kathleen Harmon of the community of the Ohio province of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in Dayton, invites us to be transformed by the psalms and experience them as the whole story God is revealing to us. As we keep praying and singing them, the psalms interpret us, and that’s when the transformation comes.
Vinroy D. Brown Jr.—conductor, musicologist, educator, and minister of creative worship and music at the historic Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City—explores the vibrant intersection of Black sacred music and the psalms. He talks about Black composers and how they have reimagined the psalms through choral music, spirituals, and the gospel tradition for the benefit of everyone.
John Goldingay, an Anglican priest and the senior professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, posits the psalms are the densest material in the entire Old Testament. They expound the nature of God as the compassionate, faithful, and committed one, but also as the one who makes demands upon us. The psalms help us talk to God, even about difficult things—and when we do, we are talking to someone who is in a position to do something about it.
