A NOTE: This is the last devotional until September 2024

Psalm 134

A Song of Ascents.

1 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord,
    who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
2 Lift up your hands to the holy place,
    and bless the Lord.

3 May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth,
    bless you from Zion.

This is the final Song of Ascent. While we do not know if the psalms were sung in order, or where along the journey each one was sung, this particular psalm makes a good conclusion to the collection, a good psalm to imagine as the last one sung.

The long journey of walking from home to Jerusalem has been completed. And having arrived in Jerusalem at the end of a long day’s travel, which was itself at the end of a number of long days of travel, the psalm writer imagines coming into Jerusalem in the evening and finding that the temple is still open, for the worship in that place never ends. Day and night the praise of God continues. 

No matter when we arrive – the Triune God of grace is waiting. No matter when we join the joyful praising crowd – it is there to be joined.

In the words of the beautiful hymn “The day Thou gavest Lord is ended”:

The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended,
The darkness falls at Thy behest;
To Thee our morning hymns ascended,
Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.

We thank Thee that Thy church, unsleeping,
While earth rolls onward into light,
Through all the world her watch is keeping,
And rests not now by day or night.

As o’er each continent and island
The dawn leads on another day,
The voice of prayer is never silent,
Nor dies the strain of praise away.

The sun that bids us rest is waking
Our brethren ’neath the western sky,
And hour by hour fresh lips are making
Thy wondrous doings heard on high.

So be it, Lord; Thy throne shall never,
Like earth’s proud empires, pass away:
Thy kingdom stands, and grows forever,
Till all Thy creatures own Thy sway.

The praise of God never ends as the church around the world picks up the praise and continues it.

PRAYER:

O Lord, we join our voices with those around the world in praise of you, so that never for one moment in all of the day your name is being praised and glorified. For together the church brings you such praise and glory and honour and adoration. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Psalm 133

A Song of Ascents.

1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing,
    life for evermore.

Remember this is a psalm sung by pilgrims who have been journeying together for a number of days, being in close proximity to each other for extended periods of time. That is not easy, nerves get frayed, tempers flare, in that context “how very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity” is much more than just words on a page, they are about actually living into the commitment to be in unity.

A quick comment on unity – this is not lock-step agreement on everything, rather this is a commitment to care for each other, to be kind to one another, to know that they have your back and you have their back. This is far more about actions than it is about all agreeing on a collection of divisive issues. In fact, it is the question can we care for people – show compassion – to people with whom we disagree. Can we live in the unity of care, even if we disagree?

In fact, being able to show care and compassion across difference is more powerful than showing care and compassion to people like ourselves with whom we agree on just about everything. When opponents care for each other, when those who see the world differently show genuine care for the other, it is as life-giving as the dew that waters the gardens in a dry land. When people reach past the things that divide and find ways to care in practical real ways for the other – it is as sacred as the anointing oil used to mark God’s presence and blessing.

Life begins in such a place of care that reaches across such division.

PRAYER:

O Lord, we live a world divided and angry. We connect only with people who think like us, agree with us. Teach us the slow, painful, risky work of reaching across division to show care and compassion to people with whom we have differences. Teach us to care across frayed relationships. Show us the rich blessing that comes from caring in such a way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.