We come now to psalm 100, a real milestone in our journey through the psalter and one of the great psalms, cherished by generations of hymn singers as ‘Old Hundredth’, the name of the tune to which it has been traditionally sung, though there are many beautiful versions of this psalm titled Jubilate Deo in the prayer book.
In my response to the psalm I have reflected on that great hymn singing tradition and the sense of connection and kinship it gives us with our forbears and the long tradition of our faith, something celebrated in the psalm itself in its final line:
For the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting: and his truth endureth from generation to generation.
But I also reflect on the essential and timeless truths, truths which our age has mostly forgotten, which are embedded in this psalm:
Be ye sure that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
As always you can hear me read the poems by clicking on the play button or the title and you can find the other poems in this evolving series by putting the word ‘psalm’ into the search box on the right.
The full set of these poems has now been published as a book David’s Crown which you can buy from UK Amazon Here, or, in North America, it is available from Amazon Here.
Love bids us welcome with them to the feast
Let us be joyful therefore, let us sing
Old Hundredth with our forbears. One high priest
Calls us together in a great thanksgiving
To come before his presence with a song,
Enter his courts with praise, be glad and bring
Our very best to him. For we belong
To him since he has made us, and our hearts
Will find their peace in him alone. We long
Therefore to come at last beyond the gates
Of time and space, and with the saints to taste
That joy for which the whole creation waits.
But whilst we wait there is no time to waste
In keeping faith with each new generation,
And showing them his mercy and his grace.
If you would like to encourage and support this blog, you might like, on occasion, (not every time of course!) to pop in and buy me a cup of coffee. Clicking on this banner will take you to a page where you can do so, if you wish. But please do not feel any obligation!

Are ye sure that Old Hundredth’s truths, our age has mostly forgotten?
Dear Malcom.I have booked for the ‘Bring my Roots Rain’ event today but have not received the link.I wondered if you might be able to send it to me please ? ( I don’t think I will get a reply from the Church Times team in a Saturday).
Thank you.
Berenice Kirwan
Received from Church Times 5 mins ago!Thanks anyway.
Berenice