My early days as a teenager in a religious community called the Jesuits, were filled with happy remembrances of Psalm 136. There was an arrangement of it that we sang that had this refrain: “Great is God’s love, love without end!” The refrain has a delightful swing to it.
How about this: pray the refrain in the original Hebrew language! There are only two words you need to learn: one is chesed, God’s “loving kindness.” The sound comes from way back in your throat. The other word is olam, which means “forever.” It has a sweet, humming sound to it. When you breath olam, hold onto it, as though it just wants to go on forever and ever.
Beautiful sounds: chesed olam, chesed olam...Pray this refrain often. You will be using the very words that Jewish people today and our common ancestors have done for thousands of years! Feel this wonderful connection with our sacred history!
Wednesdays are devoted to the reading of the Psalms,
one a week across the three-year cycle.
These Firestarters are from a new edition of The Bible Through the Seasons being developed for families with children. For the Firestarters in the original edition, I recommend the ebook. You will have the entire program of well over a thousand of these introductions with you on your phone or table! Check the menu options at the site for more information.