Prayer: Merciful God, heal our Churches today so that we can be faithful witnesses to Your glory and love. Heal our ministers today so that they can be faithful witnesses of Your Most Holy Word. Heal our elders this day O Lord so that they may guide Your Church on the path to love. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Read Psalm 122
Let us go up to the house of the LORD. Psalm 122 is a Song of Ascents attributed to King David. This psalm would be sung by the people as they made their way to the Temple. There are fifteen psalms that are called “song of ascents”. Fifteen different songs to be sung as the people made their way to the Temple.
Read this psalm through again but insert the name of your city/town/village where the Psalmist has written “Jerusalem”. By reading the name of your city or town or village, does it make this Psalm come alive?
How are we to go up to the house of the LORD? Are we to go up with dragging feet and sorrowful attitudes? The Psalmist writes that the people rejoiced as they went to the House of the LORD. Do we sing as we go to Church every Sunday? This Sunday as you head to Church, repeat this Psalm either outloud or quietly in your mind.
And remember that it is with great joy and rejoicing that we worship our LORD and maker. Yet what happens when people are sick or discouraged and are not able to attend Church? Do our Churches remember those who can not physically get to Church each Sunday? When was the last time your Minister and Elder took communion to those who are not able to get to Church? All it takes is a phone call from the Elder or Minister to ask those who have not been out to Church, “How are you doing”. This is pastoral care. … something that has almost disappeared within the Presbyterian Church in Canada today. When we forget those who are not able to attend Church, we loose some of the great joy and rejoicing in our worship of God. And you are probably asking if someone can’t get out to Church, why don’t they phone and say, “Hey, I would really love a visit and communion.”. The response is… we do phone and ask… but the Elders and Minister are too busy. Yikes. Too busy to care for those who do not physically show up in Church each Sunday. For those of us who are sick, sometimes making the phone call to the Church to ask for Pastoral Care gets too much. It becomes a negative situation and when one is sick, one needs all the positive experiences rather than the negative experiences. For those of us who are sick, the Church readily accepts our mailed in tithes and offerings but that is where the work of the Church seems to stop. How sad. The rejoicing of people going up to worship gets smashed. Rats.
But there is a solution. Ministers and Elders, call or e-mail or text people who have not been out to Church for a couple of weeks. Ask them how they are doing. Offer communion (especially as World Wide Communion Sunday is coming up soon). Include within the Church, those who are not physically nor mentally able to attend worship. Together then, through visits and prayer we can all with great joy, rejoice as we all go up to the House of the LORD.
Prayer: We pray this day for peace within our world. Lord have mercy. May we help bring peace into our world. We pray this day for peace within our Churches and congregations. Lord have mercy. May we help bring peace into our Churches. May each Church remember those who can not physically nor mentally get out to Church. Help bring them Your love and rejoicing in worship. Lord have mercy. We pray this day for all Presbyteries that meet this month that they may discern Your will. May there be peace within all our homes and Churches this day O Lord. Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayers. Amen.
