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A Family Living Together in the House of the Lord
(Psalm 133, 134)
Andy Nagahara
Today I would like to introduce two short psalms. These are the last two verses in a series entitled Songs of ascents among the Psalms. Both are quite short, but they teach us the core of what the church is supposed to be.
Psalm 133 teaches us about the nature of the church and its work, and from 134 we can learn what we need to do in order for that work to be done according to God’s will.
So let’s start reading from Psalm 133.
A. The Church as God’s Family (133)
0 A song of ascents. Of David.
1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.
1. God’s grace poured out on the church (1,2)
A song of ascents. Of David. How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
The word “church” does not appear in this psalm, nor in the Old Testament at all. It is a community that began with Jesus’ command to his disciples. However, even in this verse, which was written before Jesus came, God teaches us the importance of us being “together.” And that is the essence of the church.
The expression “together” appears about 900 times in the Japanese Bible. This is quite a large number. By the way, how many times do you think the kanji for “love” appears? Surprisingly few, around 50 times. ”God” about 5,000 times. “Jesus” appears 1,700 times, “Christ” about 500 times.
In the original language, the word “brothers” is used not only to mean actual brothers, but also to mean people of the same nationality or ethnicity. Also, the word translated as “dwell” means “to sit.”
By this we believe that this ideal human relationship will be realized in the church that was started in the name of Jesus. It is an unrealized hope, but we want to continue on our path toward a beautiful community that brings happiness to people, as described here.
Yourchurch is a gathering of people from various backgrounds and is God’s family with Jesus as Lord. The only condition for being a member of this family is the willingness to “believe in Jesus as your Lord and walk in that faith.”
There are many people in this society who do not have parents, children, brothers, or sisters who can help each other. There are many people who are marginalized and discriminated against for various reasons. We tend to judge others based on our own standards, but let us receive wisdom, love, and patience from God and serve one another as members of the family.
In verses 2 and 3, the happiness and beauty of this family are sung in two ways. Verse 2 says this:
It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.
In today’s culture, many people do not find the expression “oil being poured onto a man’s head and dripping down his long beard down to his collar” beautiful, but in the time when the Bible was written and in the culture of that region, fragrant oil being poured onto the head was a symbol of “the blessings and authority given by God.” Aaron was Moses’ older brother, and God commanded Moses to anoint Aaron’s head and appoint him chief priest over the people.
Also, when David was made king, the prophet Samuel anointed his head. In the New Testament, the word “Messiah” appears to refer to Jesus, meaning “the anointed one,” the one who saves and leads people as a priest and king.
The church is not only a beautiful community blessed by God, but it is also placed in the world to bless and beautify the world. Last week we learned from the Gospel of John that the grace we have received overflows from us and spreads all around us, and this verse confirms this as well.
Now let’s read about another example, verse 3.
2. God’s Grace Overflows from the Church (3)
It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.
Another example of the wonderfulness of our living together as God’s family is that we bring abundant blessings and eternal life to this world, like the dew from Mount Hermon, located at the northern tip of Israel, on the border between Lebanon and Syria. Mount Hermon is a mountain that has snow on its summit almost all year round, and the dew that falls from it is a blessing that moistens the desert areas of Israel. The melting snow becomes groundwater and springs at the foot of the mountain, which eventually become the Jordan River. It is truly “water of life” for the people of Israel.
Many around us are unaware of the abundant life that Jesus offers us. However, if you joyfully share the blessings you have received with others, they will surely be transmitted. It may take some time. They may not realize it in this short time on earth, but that’s okay. What we are called to do is to continue to love, not to persuade people to become Christians. Even if you can no longer meet that person, Jesus will take care of the rest.
So let’s look at the next verse, 134, to see what God’s family needs to do to stay healthy.
B. To be a Healthy Family (134)
0 A song of ascents.
1 Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD.
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.
3 May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
1. Are we a church worthy of being “the house of the Lord”?(1, 2)
A song of ascents. Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD. Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.
The church is an oasis for the soul. But the church is also a gathering of people. As a group of people, it has both good and bad points. Some people become tired of the human relationships that exist in church, give up on them, and think that it would be better if they just connected with God as individuals.
As one of those who has walked the path of leadership in a visible church, I can only say that I am sorry for falling short. Unfortunately, we are the kind of people who unintentionally do things that put people off, even when we don’t mean to. I certainly don’t want to do that, but if I make it difficult for you to be at yourchurch, please don’t give up on “being a church”. That is why God has placed various churches in the world. If not, God has a church that is better suited for you. Just as there is one Jesus, there is only one Church in this world. Yourchurch is one part of it. And the pastor is not the owner of the church.
We are far from being “perfect” and we sometimes make mistakes, but we are allowed to “strive for perfection.” Still, we can make efforts to ensure that no one feels uncomfortable. What efforts can bring to our church the greatness and beauty that is expressed here?
This family eats meals together, goes to BBQs and picnics, chats, has family meetings, and even does cleaning up together. Each of these is fun and important, but the church can remain healthy even if we cannot do them.
However, there is some thing that is so important that if everyone here does not value it above all else, this community would no longer be God’s family and would lose its life. Let’s read verses 1 and 2 again.
2. Become a channel of God’s grace (3)
May the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, bless you from Zion.
God blesses us and the church as “bearers of blessings.” As we heard last week, the only way to enjoy God’s grace fresh each day is to release it, not hoard it.
Upstream of the Sagami River, where we usually hold baptisms and BBQs, is a lake called Lake Tsukui, which was created by damming the water. This dam was not built to hold back water and create an artificial lake. It was built to provide a steady supply of water, to control floods, and to generate electricity.
Just as a dam is not meant to hold back water but to allow it to flow efficiently and appropriately to benefit those living downstream, the church is placed in this world to bring God’s blessings to society in various ways. As I mentioned earlier, there is only one church in the world with Jesus as Lord, but the church as a visible community placed in each town is a unique channel of God’s grace, each as a part of it, in its own time, country and region.
Yourchurch is here so that God’s blessings can reach through us to those around us.
(Prayer) God, we thank you that your grace is abundantly poured out on each and every one of us.
Today we learned that you bless us, who are weak and small, and that through yourchurch, you blessings reach the people around us and the communities in which we live.
Please fill us with your Spirit and use us as your anointed ones.
Let us grow in loving.
Give us the will and wisdom to carry out your work.
I look to you and pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Summary
The church is a gathering of people. As a group of people, it has both good and bad aspects. But more than that, the church is a big family with God as its Lord, and is called the body of Christ. Some people focus on the negative aspects, such as the difficulties in human relationships and the possibility of turning into a cult, and think that it would be best to give up on the church and simply connect with God as an individual, but God always blesses the church, and blesses the world through the church. So, as members of that church, let us continue to work toward ensuring that the church grows healthily, as God desires.
For Discussion
- What is the church?
- How can we, as a church, contribute to society?