Psalm 122 "Firmly Bound Together"

Psalm for Today = 122:3-4
³ “Jerusalem—built as a city
    that is bound firmly together,
⁴ to which the tribes go up,
    the tribes of the Lord,
as was decreed for Israel,
    to give thanks to the name of the Lord.”

Comments:

In this psalm of ascents, the pilgrim expresses joy in reaching Jerusalem, the place where God met with his covenant people, for the three great annual feasts! There in that city “that is bound firmly together” there was unity in diversity as all the tribes came together as one people, not according to one tribes custom but as God had directed in his law.

Today, as we see Jerusalem as representative of the whole of God’s people, the Church universal, we recognize that no one tribe or race has been given ownership. It is only together that we are the Israel of God and our purpose in gathering is to show gratitude to the name of the Lord. Just as the Lord had decreed that all the tribes of Israel should worship together Jesus commanded his followers to love one another. How can we show true gratitude is we are not bound firmly together in our love for each other?

I confess that my love is not as adhesive as it should be. Our western culture tends to value independence and self-focus, and mobility to make it happen, more highly than building loving community with deep roots of relationship and history/tradition. So in a world that is rapidly changing, how will they know that we are His people/ followers/ disciples? Jesus gave us the answer:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)

 

Question:

If people will be able to tell that we are Jesus' disciples by our love for one another...how are we loving one another today? What does such love look like?