Psalms, Poetry and Silent Prayer

Prepared by Rev Dr Jock Stein and members of St Columba’s; a weekly psalm, with accompanying poem and meditation, leading us to Easter.

About Jock & Introduction to Psalms for Lent

about jock

Rev Dr Jock Stein is a poet, piper and preacher from Haddington in Scotland. He has degrees from Cambridge, Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities, and brings experience of the Sheffield steel industry, people and places in East Africa, and the life of modern Scotland to his poetry, which began seriously after he reached the age of 70. He has been a parish minister, and also with his wife Margaret was warden of Carberry Tower, then a 90-bed conference centre. In his spare time, he manages the Handsel Press, a small publishing house started in 1975, and a large garden. He currently chairs Tyne and Esk Writers and is Interim Moderator at Aberlady and Gullane Parish Church.

Jock is the author of Commentary (poems on economics and politics), Swift (poems on travel and hills and gardens), and two books of poetry and conversation about the Bible – From Cosmos to Canaan (Genesis to Joshua) and From Ruth to Lamentations. His latest book is Temple and Tartan: Psalms, Poetry and Scotland (www.handselpress.co.uk)

Jock writes: “The lectionary includes a psalm for every Sunday, and over the season of Lent we are going to look at these. Recently I wrote poetry on all the Old Testament Psalms, and I will be using some of these poems, along with new ones written specially for this series. Psalm 2 is the one set for Sunday 19th, but I have included Psalm 1 on this occasion, since these two psalms introduce the rest of the Hebrew Psalter. Eugene Peterson called them ‘a binocular introduction to the life of prayer’, and I recommend his book on a selection of psalms, Where Your Treasure Is. Scriptures cited are from the NRSV.”

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The office is open from
9.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m,
Monday to Friday.

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St Columba’s is located on Pont Street in Knightsbridge in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The Church is within easy reach of three London Underground stations – Knightsbridge (Piccadilly Line), South Kensington (Piccadilly, Circle and District Lines) and Sloane Square (Circle and District Lines).

	St. Columba's Pont Street London SW1X 0BD
	+44 (0)20-7584-2321
	office@stcolumbas.org.uk

Getting here by tube

Knightsbridge Station

Take the Harrods exit if open (front car if coming from the East, rear car if coming from the West). Come up the stairs to street level, carry on keeping Harrods on your right. Turn right into Basil Street. Carry straight on into Walton Place with St Saviour’s Church on your left. At the traffic lights, St Columba’s is to your left across the street. If the Harrods exit is closed, take the Sloane Street exit, turn right into Basil Street. Carry straight on past Harrods with the shop on your right, into Walton Place as before.

South Kensington Station

Come up the stairs out of the station and turn left into the shopping arcade. Turn left again into Pelham Street. At the traffic lights at the end of Pelham Street cross Brompton Road, turn left then immediately right into the narrow street of Draycott Avenue. After just a few yards turn left into Walton Street. Carry on walking up Walton Street until the traffic lights at the corner of Pont Street. Turn right and after a few steps you will be at St Columba’s!

Sloane Square Station

Cross over the square into Sloane Street. Walk along Sloane Street until the traffic lights at the corner of Pont Street. Turn left into Pont Street. St Columba’s will then be in sight.