"WHEN YOU GO TO CHURCH ON THE JOURNEY"
Psalm 122
June 8, 2008
SERIES: "SONGS FOR THE JOURNEY"
Today we look at another "Psalm of Ascent"; and the first of three which are attributed to David. We know from the record that in 2 Samuel Chapter 6, David brought the ark into Jerusalem, dancing and shouting as he did so (to the dismay of his wife). The Psalm may have originated from that event. It was shortly thereafter (recorded in 2 Samuel Chapter 7) that the Lord told David that his dynasty and line would not only continue, but would eventually produce the true King of Israel, the Messiah. Now today, so much of the discussion about worship is in the area of style. To be sure, Michal, David's wife, did not approve of his "style"; But God says it is a matter of the heart, and he DID approve. So what kind of heart do we need when we come to church? That's what this Psalm is about. Ronald Allen co-wrote a good book some years ago entitled "Worship: the Missing Jewel of the Evangelical Church," which borrowed the phrase for its title from words by the late A. W. Tozer. In that book, he writes this:
"What, then, is the essence of worship? It is the celebration of God! When we worship God, we celebrate him, we extol him, we sound his praises, we boast in him.
Worship is not the casual chatter that drowns out the time of entering; we celebrate God when we allow time to attune our hearts to the glory of God.
Worship is not the mumbling of prayers or mouthing of hymns with little thought and less heart; we celebrate God when we join together earnestly in prayer and intensely in song.
Worship is not self-promoting words or boring cliches when one is asked to lead or to give testimony; we celebrate God when all of the parts of the service fit together and work to a common goal.
Worship is not grudging gifts or compulsory service; we celebrate God when we give to him hilariously and serve him with integrity.
Worship is not haphazard music done poorly, nor great music done merely as performance; we celebrate God when we enjoy and participate in music to his glory.
Worship is not a distracted endurance of the sermon; we celebrate God when we hear his Word gladly and seek to be conformed by it more and more to the image of our Savior."
So this Psalm says that when we come to church, we need to come with a heart for three essential things.
WE NEED TO COME WITH A HEART FOR GOD. (v.1-2)
Certainly, this is first and foremost. This first verse is quite familiar, and I have been in many homes of church families over the years with plaques on the walls containing these words. "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.'" Actually, the verse says literally, "I was glad when they said to me, 'We WILL go to the house of the Lord.'" There is anticipation here, an excitement at the prospect of meeting God. We need to ask ourselves, Do WE rejoice when we get to go to church? Compare the attitudes in these two texts.
How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty. I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the Lord. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God ... A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than to live the good life in the homes of the wicked. (Psalm 84:1-2, 10, New Living Translation)
You say to yourselves, "When will the New Moon Festival be over so that we can sell more grain? When will the day of worship be over so that we can sell more wheat?" (Amos 8:5, God's Word Translation)
In all honesty, which verse reflects your attitude more? Is it, "I love to go to worship, I can't wait to get there, I'd rather be there than anywhere else!" or is it "When is this thing going to be over so I can get back to the real word of earning money and having fun?" And remember, this is a song sung by pilgrims making a long journey by foot to worship. We can travel a lot more easily. But when we really love God with our whole being, the burdens get lighter, and the distances seem shorter. In fact, listen to this data: Church attendance nourishes and strengthens the spiritual life, but recent research has also shown other benefits. People who regularly attend church live longer! In studying the relationship between religion and health, researchers came upon a strong and persuasive finding: Those who did not attend church lived an average of 75 years; less than weekly attendance, lived 80 years; once a week, 82 years; and those who attended church more than once a week lived an average of 83 years! Research indicates a person attending church weekly is less likely to become depressed, and more likely to exercise, quit smoking and stop drinking. So church attendance is good for your health!
Let's face it, this society today is so impersonal. To most companies and organizations, we each are just a number. And there is a great hunger for community, which is why so many hang out at bars, and nightclubs, and parties - anywhere they can go to forget their loneliness. What an opportunity we have today as Brethren who see true community as a core value. And yet, what are we doing so often? We are focusing on becoming high-tech (not a problem in and of itself), but we are losing sight of "high-touch." Church is good for our physical health, but it is also good for providing us with encouraging and enriching relationships with others. But let's not forget that the main reason we come is to see God, to hear from him, and to tell him how much we love him. Let's come with a heart for God. And then, second:
WE NEED TO COME WITH A HEART FOR WORSHIP. (v.3-5)
This sense of worship involves UNITY. See verses 3-4? The writer talks about the compactness of Jerusalem, which was true. People DID live close together. Then he mentions how all the tribes together go up to worship. We don't have to think the same about everything, but as far as the character of God, his worth, and the great things he has done, we ought to be of one mind and heart.
Which means this worship also involves being CHRIST-CENTERED. Where do I get that? Because Jerusalem was where the temple of the Lord was, and where the throne of David and the thrones of judgment were. This reminds us that Christ is both our High Priest and our King. As our High Priest, he cares about our weaknesses and our sorrows. As our King, he has authority and power to do something about them. Remember what Hebrews 4:15-16 says?
For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Today's NIV).
Notice that we do not come to an "altar" of grace or to a "pulpit" of grace, but to a THRONE. Our High Priest rules and cares.
Finally, our worship should be JOYFUL. We come to celebrate God's goodness and God's greatness. How soon we forget if we do not regularly focus on these things. Charles Spurgeon, the great British preacher of the 19th Century, said, "Christians are prone to write their complaints in marble and their blessings in sand." Are we truly thankful and joyful when we come? Do we really believe that "God is good all the time?"
I have said nothing about style. Congregations can worship in unity, Christ-centeredness, and joy in liturgical churches, and casual churches, and house churches, and contemporary churches, and Pentecostal churches. The Psalmist goes on to add two key components to a meaningful and worshipful service.
First, there must be PRAISE. The end of verse 4 says that the tribes went to Jerusalem to praise the name of the Lord according to the statute given to Israel. The statute was referring to the call to come to the three primary annual feats which followed the harvest cycle. Those would be Passover and Pentecost (in the Spring, at the beginning of the season), and Tabernacles (in the Fall, at the end). Our call is to come weekly to give praise to God. It is our most important task as Christians - and our highest privilege.
But there is also the element of JUDGMENT. This is in verse 5. We are not talking about final judgment here or about a spirit of judgmentalism. But worship should be a time for us to, as Paul says, "judge ourselves" as we sit under the preaching of his Word. We are to let God judge our hearts. When Jesus came to Jerusalem for the last time, he exercised judgment over the apostasy of the nation of Israel and its leaders, first by cleansing the temple (Matthew 21) and then by castigating the Pharisees publicly for their hypocrisy (Matthew 23). Worship is not all fun and laughter and "warm fuzzies." We worship when we allow God's searchlight to be shined in our hearts. Many liturgical churches include a weekly time of confession, which may not be a bad idea, though we may do it in a different way. But this is serious business, and God is holy, and we dare not forget it. When we lift our voices in praise, and when we place ourselves under the Word and respond to the Holy Spirit's conviction, we worship God in spirit and in truth. So we need to come to church with a heart for God and with a heart for worship and, finally:
WE NEED TO COME WITH A HEART FOR PRAYER. (v.6-9)
The Psalmist calls us to pray for the peace (shalom - well-being) and the prosperity (shalvah - tranquility) of Jerusalem. The very name, "Yeru-shalaim," means, literally, "foundation of grace." Yet we cannot argue that Jerusalem has pretty much been the center of conflict throughout its history to this very day. But since there will be no final peace until the Prince of Peace rules, and there is true peace in Jerusalem, then to pray for the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem is to essentially pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven," and "Even so, Lord Jesus, come." Jesus came to the city on the first day of the last week of his earthly, and Luke writes, He came closer to the city, and when he saw it, he wept over it, saying, "If you only knew today what is needed for peace. But you cannot see it! - because you did not recognize the time when God came to save you!" (Luke 19:41-42, 44b, Good News Translation). This is the real peace we are praying for, the peace that a person gets when he or she knows their sins are forgiven and that they have hope for heaven. This is the peace that is beyond our comprehension - peace WITH God, and the peace OF God.
And note, David is not praying for his own peace and prosperity, but on behalf of others. This is unselfish, intercessory prayer.
We ought to pray for LITERAL JERUSALEM. No nation has suffered as Israel has. And we owe a great spiritual debt to them. Listen to Paul's words in Romans:
They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple services, and the promises. The forefathers are theirs and from them, by physical descent, came the Messiah, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 9:4-5, Holman Christian Standard Version)
Truly, as Jesus said, "Salvation is of the Jews." Let's never forget that. Let's pray for the peace of Jerusalem - and help them when we can.
Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord's people there. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the Lord's people in Jerusalem. They were pleased to do it, and indeed, they owe it to therm. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them in their material blessings. (Romans 15:25-27, Today's NIV)
But spiritually speaking, Jerusalem and the temple represents the House of God today, THE CHURCH. So we should be praying for peace there, too - peace within churches and peace between churches. Now it must not be false peace which has no regard for truth, or peace at any price. But in the end, our best witness to the watching world is for them to see his children loving each other and sticking together. I didn't say that. Jesus did.
And if true peace is relationship with God through the reconciliation he provides in the cross, then we must also be praying for those who will become part of the House of God. So let us be praying for THE LOST.
And finally, let us be praying for OUR CITY, in our case, for Miami. We know this city needs much prayer. When I was at Moody Bible Institute last month, I took a track of workshops about urban ministry. The leader, John Fuder, gave a brief talk on the last verses of this Psalm and said we should be regularly praying for:
(1) Spiritual Vitality. ("pray for the peace of Jerusalem")
(2) Economic Health. ("may those who love you be secure") We need to seek God to bring economic life back to this place.
(3) Physical Safety. ("may there be peace within your walls") We can be praying for those in leadership to say, "Enough already - an end to the violence!"
(4) Political Justice. ("and security within your citadels"); We can also pray for leadership to see the need to end corruption.
(5) Social Relationships. ("for the sake of my friends and of all the people, I will say, 'Peace be within you.'") Remember, this is all other-centered, intercessory prayer. We need to learn that art once again.
I want to apply this in several ways as we close. First, I want to remind us all of our 2007 Annual Conference Moderator, Sister Belita Mitchell's call for us to be "House of Prayer" churches - where intercessory prayer is part of the fabric of our life together, not a program, or an adjunct to other things. We need to keep working at that.
Second, how well do we prepare for worship? I still know a few people who actually do some preparation on Saturday night, but they are a rare breed today. But we can all do better at preparing our hearts before and as we come on Sunday morning. We can read some Scripture, spend some moments in prayer asking God to make us open to hear, listen to some worship music at home or in the car as we make out way here. Somehow, we've got to give ourselves extra time, so that we don't rush in here out of breath, with 1,001 things on our minds and then expect to suddenly be in a frame of mind to worship God when I call us to order. We won't worship nearly as well without heart preparation.
Finally, I remind us all of our three goals. Are we praying for increased hunger for God and his Word among us all? Are we praying for more people to be added to us as we are faithful in both our worship and our witness? Are we praying for God's will about a place to meet where we can have a more substantial home base for ministry?
A heart for God will be a heart filled with praise and prayer. I close again with Isaac Watt's hymn version of this Psalm.
How did my heart rejoice to hear my friend devoutly say,
"In Zion let us all appear and keep the solemn day!"
I love her gates, I love the road, the place adorned with grace
Stands like a palace built for God to show his milder face.
He hears our praises and complaints, and while his awesome voice
Divides the sinners from the saints, we tremble and rejoice.
Peace be within this sacred place, and joy a constant guest!
With holy gifts and heavenly grace be her attendants blest.
My soul shall pray for Zion still, while life or breath remains;
There my best friends, my kindred dwell, there God my Savior reigns.
Let's pray.