By Beth Ferguson, Lay Leader and Member to the Annual Conference.
Psalm 134 is a traveling Psalm, one of 15 beginning with Psalm 120 and ending with Psalm 134. This series of Psalms were sung by pilgrims traveling to Jerusalem for the Passover. Picture the travelers, whole communities walking together to get to the holy city of Jerusalem, to the holy temple- set apart for the worship of God. As they traveled, they sang these Psalms. Picture the child Jesus, traveling with Mary and Joseph for Passover at age 12, in a group with his friends. As they traveled, they sang of the mountains, and of God’s glory and as they neared the city, they sang this Psalm.
Come bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord!
Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the Lord!
May the Lord, maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
They expected a blessing from worship. It was a joy to be there in the Lord’s house. Imagine what it will be like for us as we return to worship in person in our own church. What a joy it will be when we can all be together in God’s house.
But while we wait, create a holy worship space in your own home, as we come together to celebrate God’s love for us through this time of the pandemic. I have my cross and my candle near me when we worship. We sing or say praises to God with the Doxology and the Psalm for the evening. We may not be making a pilgrimage to the holy land, or even driving down the street to our local church, but the time we set aside to worship God together is a holy time, set apart for God.