Rejoice With Me
Psalm 122
A song of ascents. Of David.
I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
Our feet are standing
in your gates, Jerusalem.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
according to the statute given to Israel.
There stand the thrones for judgment,
the thrones of the house of David.Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels.”
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.
Are online relationships as strong as physical relationships? Anecdotally speaking, I think many would say, “No,” although some would say, “Yes.” Maybe it’s a generational thing. Maybe it’s a personality thing.
Studies of online relationships are still few and in their beginning stages. However, many suggest that intimate friendships can be created even online. They may not be the same as physical, in-person friendships. They certainly won’t look the same. But they can satisfy the need for social interaction some people need.
Does that work for maintaining friendships at church? We do have an online aspect of our church, ever since the pandemic began. Worship and Bible study are online. Some of our small groups have met online. But most of our online offerings are a one way street. You see us. We don’t see you. We don’t really interact with each other.
Can a long-distance church relationship last? Katelyn and I were in a long-distance relationship during most of our courtship, pretty much up until we got married. But we saw each other at least every other week during that time. Studies show that as far as long-distance romantic relationships go, they’re only 58% successful. You basically have a 1 in 2 chance of staying together. As the long-distance relationship extends, communication can begin to break down, and the relationship fails.
The longer we stay apart from each other, the harder it is to stay connected. We become unplugged. Communication begins to break down. This is why the writer to the Hebrews encourages us, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). We meet together to encourage one another. And our encouragement doesn’t come from just liking each other’s company. We are bound together by faith in Christ. “For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12:13). “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf” (1 Corinthians 11:16,17). “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity” (John 17:23). When we come together around God's Word and his sacraments, our personal faith in Christ is not the only thing that’s strengthened. It’s not just me and Jesus. Our unity with each other is also made stronger. Our relationships become closer. Our love for each other grows deeper. The Holy Spirit puts bone to bone and builds up the body of Christ.
We see this in the reading for this week, too. David says, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” Surely, David could go to the tabernacle of God alone. Indeed, he could likely read God's Word on his own or have it read to him as an audience of one. But he rejoices to go with others. To share in the faith with his fellow believers. To encourage and to be encouraged. To be mutually strengthened by the Holy Spirit through the Word.
May our attitude about going to church, about gathering with our fellow believers in Christ, be similar to David’s as we grow in faith and grow together in community. “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Rejoice with me, my brothers and sisters.