the psalms in holy week

in 1549 thomas cramner, archbishop of canterbury, published "A Table for the Ordre of the Psalmes, To Be Sayed at Matins and Evensong." since then most churches have used the psalms more selectively, with psalms specifically appointed for holy week and easter. i am rather old-fashioned, so i thought that this year i would see how cramner's table of psalms fell out for these days. looking at the psalms with the understanding that they are the prayers of the messiah, prayed by the church, his body on earth, i find the ones that come this week quite wonderful and amazing.

these are the psalms for each day, maundy thursday through easter sunday:

maundy thursday morning, 102, 103; evening 104;
good friday morning, 105; evening, 106;
holy saturday morning, 107; evening, 108, 109;
easter sunday morning, 110, 111, 112, 113; evening 114, 115.

on maundy thursday morning we pray:

"rise, take pity on zion!--
the hour has come to have mercy on her,
the hour has come . . . "(102:13)

"bless the lord, my soul,
bless his holy name, all that is in me! . . .
no less than the height of heaven over earth
is the greatness of his love for those who fear him;
he takes our sins farther away
than the east is from the west." (103:1, 11-12)

and in the evening, as we prepare to commemorate the beginning of the new creation, we sing that great hymn of all creation in psalm 104, praying these words on the night jesus gave us the eucharist:

"all creation depends on you
to feed them throughout the year:
you provide the food they eat,
with generous hand you satisfy their hunger." (vv.27-28)

good friday gives us psalm 105 in the morning and 106 in the evening, great hymns that recount the holy one's acts in delivering israel from egypt and leading them, despite their continuing sins, through the desert into the promised land. their sins continue and they were led again into captivity.

"time and again he rescued them,
but they went on defying him deliberately
and plunged deeper into wickedness;
even so, he took pity on their distress,
each time he heard them calling." (106:47-48)

holy saturday morning continues "salvation history," ending with these wonderful words on the day we remember that our lord "was buried and descended into hell:"

"but now, he lifts the needy out of their misery,
and gives them a flock of new families;
at the sight of which, upright hearts rejoice
and wickedness must hold its tongue.

"if you are wise, study these things
and realize how the holy one shows his love." (107:41-43)

holy saturday evening gives us two songs, with great contrast. psalm 108 is all hopefulness and trust as we look to easter morning:
"my heart is ready, god!
--i mean to sing and play.
awake, my muse,
awake lyre and harp,
i mean to wake the dawn." (vv.1-2)

but psalm 109 reminds us of the price of our hope, telling the curses taken on by christ as he "became sin" for us:

"may no one be left to show him kindness." (v. 12)

then come the joyous psalms for easter morning, as we sing to the lord,

"royal dignity was yours from the day you were born." (110:3)
"alleluia . . . alleluia . . . alleluia." (111:1, 112:1, 113:1)

and our alleluia continues in the evening with psalms 114 and 115. all of creation, sea and mountain, earth and river, praising the holy one (psalm 114) as do we when with christ we are raised to new life:

"the dead cannot praise the holy one,
they have gone down to silence;
but we, the living, bless the beloved
henceforth and ever more." (115:17-18)

alleluia indeed!