We may be accustomed to psalms having titles: A Prayer for Help, A Prayer for Safety, for example (Good News Bible). Purdie follows this practice but her titles are creatively evocative.

Psalm 11 is entitled The Xbox Psalm. The Psalmist speaks of those who are righteous finding refuge in the Lord from the arrows of the wicked, whereas Purdie imagines a shoot-out on an X-box game. Manipulating an X-box is no help when we feel under attack in real life. Rather, through trusting God and caring for one another ‘we see the face of God and know the power of love.’

The Washing Psalm (51) is a psalm of penitence and a prayer for cleansing which Purdie words thus: ‘Get out your scrubbing brush and wash me clean. Clear out my lies and soak me in truth.’

Psalm 104 is a psalm in praise of God the Creator. Drawing on Maori mythology and using Maori phrases, Purdie presents A Psalm for Aotearoa.

The book includes a helpful paragraph about using the psalms with children in worship. Purdie states that, while we might not read vindictive words to children, it nevertheless helps children to know that even when we are in a violent rage we are still known and loved by God. Psalm 109 leaps off the page: SO ANGRY!! It is certainly likely that children may sometimes feel like this. Some of the psalms are formatted for several voices. This works well in services of worship involving children.

In her introduction Purdie states that she interprets the Psalms through a ‘Jesus lens’: assuming that Psalms include prophecies about Christ, that Jesus reinterpreted Psalms and challenged earlier understandings of God, and that through the Holy Spirit all of scripture breathes the living Word of Christ.

The book includes a thematic index and a list of New Testament references. It is attractively presented and illustrated with black and white drawings and photographs. A list of pictorial sources is included.

Let’s Say a Psalm is indeed a fresh voice and readily accessible to any reader. The author states on the cover: ‘Some of these poems are prayers for home, perhaps for bedtime. Some are for church, for all-age worship.’ She expresses the hope that readers will explore other translations and enjoy saying the Psalms together in lots of different ways. The book is an asset particularly for parents and worship leaders. An e-book edition is also available. All material in the book may be reproduced for local church use with acknowledgement.

Published in Word & Worship Autumn 2021