ROUGH DRAFT--NOT FOR CITATION
Originally published in Illustrated Bible Life

Favorite Psalms …in the New Testament!

            What’s your favorite Psalm?  The Shepherd’s Psalm in Psalms 23?  David’s Psalm of Repentance in Psalms 51? One of the devotional psalms like Psalm 1 or 63?  My favorite psalms are found in the first two chapters of Luke’s gospel (1:46-55, 67-79; 2:14, 29-34).   Most people don’t think of looking in the New Testament for their favorite psalms, but these verses contain brief poetry very much like the poetry in the Old Testament book of Psalms—and I love these New Testament psalms.

            In Jesus’ time, the most prominent part of any person’s education was learning to imitate the style of great works of literature.  In Jesus’ time, most gentiles were trained to imitate the early Greek poets like Homer.  But Jewish people, like Mary, Simeon, and Zechariah were trained to imitate the Greek translation of the Old Testament, including the poetry of the psalms.  So when God first revealed the good news of the Messiah to these devout Jews in Luke’s Gospel, they responded in the language and style of the psalms.

            The psalms played such an important role in the lives of the people around Jesus that they immediately responded to the message of his birth with praise for God in the language of the psalms.  For example, Mary’s psalm, the Magnificat (1:46-55), contains at least ten allusions to the Psalms (34:2-3; 18:46; 138:6; 71:19; 103:17; 98:1; 111:9; 103:17; 107:9 and 98:3).  In addition such explicit quotes and obvious allusions, these writers also sought to imitate the psalms by imitating the rhythm and tone of the psalms in the Old Testament—and they were quite successful!  If you took many of these verses from their current home in Luke’s Gospel and placed them in the book of Psalms, they would perfectly match the verses around them in the psalms.  For example, who would think that the opening line of Mary’s song, “My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (1:46), looked out of place among the psalms?

            Although these psalms each have their own unique emphases, they all share the common theme of the fulfillment of God’s saving purpose in Christ.  The certainty of this fulfillment is affirmed through diverse language and images.   For example, Mary proclaimed that God “has remembered His servant Israel” (1:54), while Simeon rejoiced, saying “my eyes have seen your salvation” (2:30).  These psalms, each in their unique way, have inspired and informed the Church’s praise, worship and devotion.  Each psalm has long history of use within the Church to commend its ongoing value for us.

 

Mary’s Song (1:46-55)

            If we were to hold a contest to see which passage of scripture has been most often used to inspire the  Church in worship and music, Mary’s song would rank very near the top. Not bad for a young girl from Nazareth! Mary’s song has been used regularly in the Church’s worship since at least the 4th century.  Some of the Church’s earliest liturgy was formed around Mary’s psalm. Even today, many Christian traditions sing Mary’s song as a part of their evening prayers (Vespers).  Mary’s song, often referred to by its Latin title, Magnificat, has inspired generations of Christians with its message that God has forever transformed the world by sending His Son.  Surely, Mary was right when she said that “the Mighty One has done great things” and “He has performed mighty deeds” (1:49, 51).  It is a small wonder that these words have been set to music by some of the world’s truly great composers like Vivaldi, Palestrina, Mozart and Bach. And judging by its presence in contemporary contantas, this great psalm of the New Testament is no less popular today than it was in the 4th century!

 

Zechariah’s Song (1:67-79)

            Whereas Mary’s Magnificat was addressed to God and was about God, Zechariah’s psalm, the Benedictus in Latin, was addressed to the people of God and was about the people of God. The psalm celebrates “salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us” (1:71). The stirring imagery of a morning sunrise in verse 78 has encouraged many Christian traditions to include this psalm in their morning prayers (the Matins or Lauds) as an early morning celebration of God’s salvation.

 

The Angel’s Song (2:14)

            The angel’s brief song, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people on whom His favor rests,” provides the basis for the much-loved Latin refrain, Gloria in excelsis deo, in the Christmas carrol, “Angels We Have Heard On High.” The message of this brief psalm is simple and yet powerful—The coming of Christ brings glory to God and peace and favor to humanity.  The beauty of this brief declaration assured it a such privileged place within Christian worship that this verse was recited nearly every Sunday when the sacrament was served throughout the 1,000 years of the middle ages.

 

Simeon’s Song (2:29-32)

            “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised....” sets the tone for this short, yet powerful canticle. Simeon’s song, the Nunc Dimittus in Latin, sings of the joy and contentment that comes from waiting for the Lord to fullfill the promises He makes. Because of its imagery of “dismissing” the servant, this psalm has been widely used in evening prayers since the fourth century.  Although it was not used as often as the other New Testament psalms, the Nunc Dimittus, was a popular choice for Christians who sought an appropriate prayer to recite before retiring for the evening.  Many Christians have recited or sung Simeon’s song in their late evening prayers (the Compline).  Such use of this psalm was inspired by the song’s imagery of “dismissing.” Simeon’s song, like all of these other New Testament Psalms, continues to be used in such worship and devotional settings today.

            As we have seen, the canticles found in the first two chapters of Luke have not become less popular as time has gone by. They continue to be used, put to music, chanted, and recited in most, if not all, traditions of the Christian faith. We should not allow these psalms to slip quietly out of our worship. We are privileged to continue the rich tradition these psalms have created. They can continue to enrich both our corporate worship and personal devotions today. God’s promises have been and are being fulfilled! He promised us salvation, and it has arrived! These canticles help us to praise the act of salvation performed by God through Jesus Christ. Every time we speak these verses we are proclaiming, with 20 centuries of Christians, that our God through Christ has made a way of salvation and peace for all people.