Text: Psalm 122

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go up to the House of the Lord.” [vs 1]

Have you ever wondered what our world will be like without its cathedrals, churches, temples, shrines and other places of worship? What many consider a significant strand of human experience would be missing.

The world would be poorer. Places of worship are far more than the materials we use to construct them. They represent for us the symbol of God’s presence.

They evoke in us a range of emotions – joy, humility, contrition, peace and a deep sense of God’s love and protection.

We understand why the psalmist would be glad to go to the house of the Lord. For him it was an exceptional experience.

It encompasses the years of hope that his people had linked to Jerusalem and its temple.

It was a reminder that God was available to them at the best of times and the worst of times.

This psalm was probably sung on the occasion of a pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem.

It captures a sense of moving closer to God. All life is a pilgrimage. The Christian life is a special pilgrimage as we follow the way of our Lord day by day, making our journey through this world to the heavenly Jerusalem.

PRAYER

Lord, give us your grace to live each day as pilgrims on our way to your Kingdom.

AMEN