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PSALMS IN THE PARK
By LINDA M. LINONIS
CANFIELD
The Rev. Rebecca “Becky” Zielke, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, led off the first Psalms in the Park session in Greasal Park by noting that the Psalms differ from other Biblical text in that they are poetic. Other text usually tells a story or is a narrative.
She continued that the Psalms are prayers for help, hymns of praise, liturgies, instructional, songs of thanksgiving, festival, acrostic and historical.
The pastor of the church at 550 N. Broad St. focused on Psalm 34 for the first of the summer Bible study sessions. They will continue at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in August. From the parking lot, the gathering area is visible; it is near the park’s gazebo. Participants should bring a chair and Bible.
The pastor noted that King David was originally credited with writing the Psalms, but now Bible scholars believe different people authored them though David may have written some. The pastor also said that a Lutheran study Bible offers extra information on Scripture text and is helpful. Participants had versions of the Bible; the gist of Psalm 24 was the same, but the words differed.
“The Psalms aren’t tenets of faith but expressions of faith,” Pastor Zielke said. “It’s more about how people turn to God during tough times or praise God when good things happen.”
Psalm 34 reflects an individual Psalm of thanksgiving. It begins with the note that David, when he changed his behavior before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.
The first verse from the King James Bible is “I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” Pastor Zielke said this verse relates that people are connnected in faith. “We don’t praise God in a vacuum,” she said.
Verses seven and eight, she continued, relate to God’s goodness “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Pastor Zielke said the two senses are to “experience the benefits of a personal relationship.” The phrases is also the basis of a hymn, “Taste and See.”
Verses nine through 14 detail how man’s well-being is about following the ways of the Lord, the pastor said. Verse nine reads “O fear the Lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.” The idea of fear is often misunderstood, the pastor said.
Evangeline “Vanjie” McDorman, a church member, said for her, the phrase means that humans should be “aware of the power of God and have a sense of awe about it.”
Verses 13 and 14, “Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it” instructs believers on how to behave. “I think this is telling us to do the right thing,” said Tom Drotleff of Canfield, a church member.
Drotleff, a Sunday school teacher at Lord of Life, lives near the park and was accompanied by pet cat, Luke, who enjoyed the attention of Bible study participants. “The study helps clarify passages,” he said. “Hearing other perspectives is powerful.”
McDorman said she feels the group study helps “build us up” and “reminds and reinforces the idea that there are new ways to look at verses.”
Bernadette Beler, a church member, said she sees the study as a “help to make worship more meaningful.” “I like to hear how other people interpret and understand a verse,” she said.
Ruth Allen of Austintown, a church visitor, said she feels it is “helpful to hear others interpretations and discussion helps her to understand.”
Drotleff said the Bible study in the park is a “testimony” of faith because some passers-by may catch a bit of the discussion.