In Psalm 122, we see the need to be joyful in gathering with God’s people, because this is God’s calling to us in community. We shouldn’t look to the church to see what it can offer us, but rather we should rejoice in simply drawing near to the house of the Lord. We must resist individualism and cynicism; instead, our concern should be to worship the Lord in the place we belong.
SERMON OUTLINE
Joyful Arrival in Jerusalem (vss 1-2)
- Joyful invitation
- Joyful to finally have arrived at the House of God
Beauty of Jerusalem (vss 3-4)
- Beautiful city
- Closely compacted together
Pray for Jerusalem (vss 6-9)
- Shalom: Peace
- Shalvah: Security
Worship in Our Community
- Worship gives us a structure for our life
- Worship tends to our need to be in a relationship with God
- Worship centers our attention on what God is doing
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- What are some ways in which you have experienced community in the gathering on Sundays?
- Where does our source of joy come from as it talks about in verse 1?
- How does this psalm differ from the previous psalms we have studied?
- When Jesus starts His ministry in the New Testament, how does He exemplify Shalom and Shalvah?
- Spend some time in silence. What do you feel like God is teaching you about community in this passage?