A song to sing on the way to church

The Psalms of Ascent are songs originally sung by Old Testament pilgrims on their way to religious festivals in Jerusalem. It is possible that Jesus, his siblings, Mary and Joseph sang these Psalms with others on their way to the city to observe Passover (Luke 2). The songs are affirmations of faith, declarations of intent, lyrics rallying Israel to action.



The 132nd Psalm expresses David’s desire to build a house for the Ark of God, a place for the Presence. Imagine the poem sung a capella by the gathering crowds, possibly hundreds of thousands, traveling toward the City of God, especially verses 3-5, sung in mass corporate worship.
“I will not enter my house or go to my bed—
I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids,
till I find a place for the LORD,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
Clearly, the song is a summons to prepare a physical place for worship and prayer, a dwelling for the Presence of God. The people declared with building volume and energy, “We must make room for our God.”

I think a creative musician would serve the church well if a singable melody could be written to David’s lyrics. I envision several applications.

• Families loaded into their minivans could sing along with the music on their way to suburban churches. Wouldn’t it be cool if the music could be synced up and families would roll down their vehicle windows and fill the neighborhood with a call to worship and prayer?
• Those who walk to urban churches could do similarly, on foot, or on a bus, or subway car!
• Before entering the meeting place, wouldn’t you love to sing with the gathered congregation – on the front steps or under the car port?

I think it would be worth a try! The benefits would include –
• Participants would be reminded why they are attending church.
• Neighbors and on-lookers would receive witness to the importance assigned to the event by those attending.
• The time spent on the journey would be spent in preparation and ordering of priorities.

Since my suggestions will probably not be taken seriously, I propose that before attending corporate worship, we ask,
• “Why am I attending church today? Is my attendance mere rote activity or do I have mature, clearly understood intentions and expectations?”
• “What am I prepared to contribute, beyond the offering in my pocket? Is God preparing me for His use in a spiritual gift? Will I obey the Spirit who urges me to sit in a different place because He wants me to engage someone I would otherwise overlook?”
• “Is my heart, my spirit, prepared for receiving the Spirit’s Word through the preacher?”
• “Have I prayed about the manner in which I am about participate?”
• “Am I expecting to meet face-to-face, heart-to-heart, mind-to-mind, and spirit-to-Spirit with the Eternal God?”
My experience has taught me that when I meet with God there will be an inevitable collision between His will and mine. When I meet with God’s people, I am always better for the experience.

I may have stretched the text too much, but, my spirit resonates with David’s desire to “find a place for the Lord.” The Apostle Paul adds weight to the “place for the Lord,” stating, “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

I’ll be musing on this today.