1 Samuel 1-3

Luke 8:26-56

“I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD’.… Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. That is where the tribes go up—the tribes of the LORD—to praise the name of the LORD…”       —Psalm 122:1, 3-4 

Of the 150 psalms that we have in the Bible, Psalms 120-134 are 15 psalms categorized as “Psalms of Ascents.” The reason they are given this label is because three times a year, all able-bodied Israelites were required to make the trek to Jerusalem. Since the Temple was on Mount Zion, the final part of the journey was always uphill. They sang these psalms to encourage them to keep moving because going to worship God was important.

The opening verse is an example of a Psalm of Ascent. We can glean three main points from the psalm. Firstly, the Israelites were encouraging one another: “Let’s go to the House of the LORD together!” Notice the attitude of rejoicing from the one being invited to come along. Maybe one of them was thinking, “Oh, I wasn’t planning to go, but I am so glad you said to me, ‘I’m going, will you join me on the pilgrimage?’” Secondly, as the Israelites ascended, they were not only coming together for mutual encouragement but also to connect with others who share the same identity. This reinforced the fact that their fundamental identity was shaped by a corporate identity and not individual identity. There was an attitude that “corporate worship is not about me but our entire community.”

Lastly, when the Israelites gathered, they were to say words of peace to bless each other. The conclusion of Psalm 122 goes, “For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’ For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity” (Psalm 122:8-9). The various tribes of Israelites were able to wish peace upon each other because they had worshipped together. Did we notice that they genuinely cared for one another and sought to bless each other through their actions and words?

In our present day, when we gather for corporate worship on Sunday, do we ask, “Whom can I bless?” There may be nobody, but there may be somebody for whom we could. We should not go to church just to get what we can out of it, even though, to a degree, this is true as God gives and God is glorified as a Giver. But we gather for the sake of our brothers and sisters. In fact, there is somebody whose entire week may be changed because we took some time to bless them.

As we gather for corporate worship, not only are we affirming our identity in Christ, we also give and receive blessings. Whom can we invite to join us on Sunday?

Precious Jesus, may You give me the boldness and courage to invite someone to worship You this Sunday. Help me to be a blessing in their life. Thank You, Lord.