Confidence in Psalm 130
Psalm 130 expresses hope amidst desperation through what it says, but it also expresses confidence in God’s faithfulness through what it does poetically as well. The psalmist… Read More »Confidence in Psalm 130
Scott Aniol is the founder and Executive Director of Religious Affections Ministries. He is director of doctoral worship studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he teaches courses in ministry, worship, hymnology, aesthetics, culture, and philosophy. He is the author of Worship in Song: A Biblical Approach to Music and Worship, Sound Worship: A Guide to Making Musical Choices in a Noisy World, and By the Waters of Babylon: Worship in a Post-Christian Culture, and speaks around the country in churches and conferences. He is an elder in his church in Fort Worth, TX where he resides with his wife and four children. Views posted here are his own and not necessarily those of his employer.
Psalm 130 expresses hope amidst desperation through what it says, but it also expresses confidence in God’s faithfulness through what it does poetically as well. The psalmist… Read More »Confidence in Psalm 130
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In our study of Psalm 130, we have seen that the psalmist uses various poetic devices like metaphor and repetition to create a picture of… Read More »Hope in Psalm 130
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A lesser known Christmas hymn, “Christians, Awake!” retells the Luke 2 story in a powerful and vivid way. Medical doctor John Byrom wrote this text… Read More »Eleventh Hymn of Christmas: Christians, Awake!
Like Rosetti’s “In the Bleak Midwinter,” Edward Caswall metaphorically connects the cold of winter to the condition of the earth at Jesus’s birth. He wrote… Read More »Tenth Hymn of Christmas: See Amid the Winter’s Snow
Written by German pastor Johann Gerhardt in 1653 and translated into English in 1858 by Catherine Winkworth, “All My Heart This Night Rejoices” explores the… Read More »Ninth Hymn of Christmas: All My Heart This Night Rejoices
In “In the Bleak Midwinter,” Christina Rosetti poetically pictures the cold, dark, hard condition of the earth when Jesus came to save us. This recognition… Read More »Eighth Hymn of Christmas: In the Bleak Midwinter
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Known as the “Queen of the Chorales,” this Lutheran hymn by Philpp Nicolai was written in 1599. Unusual for this time period, Nicolai also composed… Read More »Fifth Hymn of Christmas: How Bright Appears the Morning Star
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Last year I created a 5 Day Bible Narratives Reading Plan that each member of our family used (except the one year old!) through 2017.… Read More »5 Day Bible Stories Reading Plan and Catechism
Christina Rosetti has written some of the most beautiful Christmas carols, and “Love Came Down at Christmas” is no exception. Penned in 1855, this hymn… Read More »Third Hymn of Christmas: Love Came Down at Christmas
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We have seen that in verse 1 and 2 of Psalm 130, the author is creating a poetic experience of desperation that he wants us… Read More »Repetition in Psalm 130