by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Expressing Joy in the Invitation

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“I jumped for joy when they said, ‘Let’s go to the Lord’s house!'”
Psalm 122:1

The phone rings and the voice on the other side says, “Let’s go…,” then the person tells you where they want you to travel with them. You’ll probably respond one of two ways to this request depending on where they want you to go.

“Let’s go shopping” will probably give rise to a different response then, “Let’s go to the dentist.” There are things that cause us to get going and other things that will cause us to run in the opposite direction.

What is your initial response to the invitation to go to worship? Do you leap out of your shoes, or better yet, into your shoes and gather with other believers or is your response to find something else to do? Maybe your response is somewhere in between those two reactions.

The psalmist rejoiced that he was invited to join others in worship. Psalm 122 is a psalm of ascent believed to have been sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem for worship. Seeing the temple rise before them, they would exclaim their joy about gathering with other people to worship at God’s house.

What would it take for you to share that same kind of joy? Wouldn’t it be experiencing life with God on a daily basis? Isn’t it true that the more you know that you are loved by God the more you will jump at an opportunity to worship?

Many of the Israelites were only able to join with other pilgrims three times a year as they worshiped in Jerusalem. It was the highlight of their year. We have the opportunity to go to God’s house every week if not more often. What a privilege we have to gather with others to celebrate Christ’s victory over sin, death, and the devil. What a privilege for us to call on God with other believers on a weekly basis.

May the Holy Spirit fill us with joy as we approach God’s house for worship, anticipating how God will meet us on this journey.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado