Psalm 122 looks at the question of why we need gathered worship and how our times together ‘in the house of the Lord’ affect our scattered living (when we are no longer together); it has been described ‘the song of a person who decides to go to church and worship God.’ (Eugene Peterson, ‘The Journey’, P 35) Many people like the idea of God but don’t see the need for worshipping with others; sometimes this is because they feel that faith is personal and private; sometimes this is because they have been hurt by Christians and no longer want to risk vulnerability and further pain. Church is, however, God’s idea (it is commanded by God as Ps 122:4 and Heb 10:24-25 make clear) and our obedience to God’s commands is proof of our love (see John 14:15).
There is no doubt that church can be difficult, for people are all different and the process of being ‘being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ’ (1 Peter 2:5) takes a lifetime. Nonetheless, there is joy and gladness when we gather together, for we know that God is in our midst (Matt 18:20) and is working His purposes out through us. Jerusalem is described as a city ‘that is closely compacted together’ (Ps 122:3), ‘at unity with itself.’ (Coverdale) Church may well seem like building flatpack furniture unsuccessfully at times, but God is rubbing the corners off each one of us to fit us together perfectly (see Prov 27:17).
Obedience to God means we will be ‘named people meeting in appointed places‘, seeking God in all we do together. Worship, prayer, understanding the Word and fellowship are key elements to our spiritual growth. As we remember all God is and all He has done (see Ps 105:5), our eyes are moved from ourselves to God and He then motivates us to reach out to others. Ps 122:6-9 looks at how our time together spills over into everyday prayer, concerned for the peace, security and blessing of all around us, concerned to be peacemakers and ambassadors for God (see Matt 5:9, 2 Cor 5:19-21). We know that God is the One who is building His church and nothing will prevail against it (see Matt 16:18). Our job is to allow Christ to live in and through us: Christ in us, the hope of glory, shining forth, lighting the darkness, loving through us, using our gifts, talents, personalities and life experiences to point others to Him. May we overflow into our communities and allow God to use us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Christ everywhere. (2 Cor 2:14)
