A Praise Parade
Read Psalms 129 - 134
Ps 134 1 A song of ascents. Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. 2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD. 3 May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
IMAGINE something really crazy. The picture is this: You get up early on Sunday morning. You dress for church. The kids are up and everyone is ready to leave about 2 hours before church starts. And you leave for church because you need all that time to get there. Why?
You are going to walk to church. As you and your family walk each step to church, people come from their homes along the way. Block by block the throng of people increases, and songs spontaneously arise from the crowd.
You all sing because you are excited and joyful! You praise God with your music. The songs’ words remind you and tell bystanders along the way of God’s care and love for you and your church. The songs tell of his amazing love that rescues people and makes them new. Your songs celebrate a victorious past and anticipate a joyful future.
These psalms in today’s readings are called Psalms of Ascents or the Pilgrim Psalms. They are songs the Hebrews sang as they journeyed together on annual pilgrimages to the great Feasts of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.
They are also songs the Hebrews sang as they returned from the 70-year exile in Babylon. They are songs of victory, peace and joy, songs to celebrate God’s great mercy and love over them. Imagine the comfort and joy you would experience each Sunday if your church would join in such an attitude of celebration, praise and trust for God.
Pause and Consider: what joy this would bring to God.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment