Thursday, September 17, 2009

gladness

a response to psalm 122

i was glad,
i was glad
when they said
to me
"let us go to God's house."

i looked around
and marveled.
the congregation of the Lord,
as one body,
works in unity.
each member
seeks the glory of God
and lovingly serves the others.

this is where God's people meet,
delighting to assemble,
to raise their hearts in thanks to God,
thinking of ways to encourage love and service.
their fervency and faithfulness increase
as they anticipate the coming of the King.

Lord, grant peace
to the assembly of your own.
please prosper those
who love your congregation.
bring peace and prosperity
within the walls of our meeting places
and within our homes.
for the love of my brothers and friends,
i ask for peace.
for the love of God's household,
i will pursue its good.

2 comments:

Christina said...

This Psalm always reminds me of that little song in Portuguese that we used to sing. Remember?

I was also struck as I read your reflections about how even though we have our own small congregations that we delight to go to, really it is so much bigger than we can see. We are part of a much huger community of brothers and sisters, and we can rejoice in seeking God's glory, serving one another, and meeting with each other even on a one-on-one basis.

Andrea said...

Our pastor was recently speaking about what type of attitude we should have when entering the Lord's house and reminding us of the importance of Christian service.

I pray that I'll do as you suggest and think of "ways to encourage love and service with
fervency and faithfulness" as I "anticipate the coming of the King."

Thanks for sharing your gift Tammie. I ALWAYS enjoy my stay here!