Written by professors, graduates, and others in
the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary community, these reflections, prayers, and spiritual practices will take you along the journey with Jesus through the cross toward resurrection.
Sunday, March 1, 2015
• Psalm 134
• Luke 9:28–36
Psalm 134 has only 3 verses. This “Song of Ascents” or “Pilgrim Song” escapes most commentaries and lectionaries. As the concluding song to this section of the Psalter, I like to think of it as a “closing hymn” in worship. The hymn that sends us out from worship and back to work as the church “scattered” is always important. Psalm 134 sends us out into the 2nd week of Lent by way of invitation.
Growing up Baptist, I heard “invitation hymns” every Sunday. Psalm 134 invites us to worship: “Come, bless the Lord…Lift up your hands … May the Lord bless you.” These words recall worship and sacrament and the faith community. They invite us to remember acts of worship: we gather, greet, listen, sing, pray, read; we hear and reflect on the Word of God; we accept the grace of the sacraments. And the constant refrain is invitation: To come, join, participate, be welcomed, be included. That’s how I got to the PC (USA ), through worship, by invitation. Worship gathers us in and then sends us out; it is a service of worship after all.
Luke’s version of the Transfiguration invites us to see Jesus at worship. As Peter, James, and John went up the mountain with Jesus, I wonder if they sang Psalm 134. When Jesus prays, “the appearance of his face changed” and Moses and Elijah appear on the mountain to speak with Jesus about his “departure.” The Greek verb for that is “exodus.” I’m with Peter when he asks to put up some tents and stay a while longer. But that invitation is rejected. None of those present at the Transfiguration can stay on the mountain. The Transfiguration is an ending too, like Psalm 134. It leads all of us to the next part of this exodus, this journey of faith.
The Transfiguration happens while Jesus is praying, a basic element of worship. In Luke, Jesus also prays in the Garden before he is arrested and on the cross while he is dying. Jesus’ identity is revealed in these times of prayer. We are turned towards God every time we participate in these scenes from the life of Christ. I hope worship does that for all of us, every Sunday.
Christ our Redeemer, Light of God, you are made for our salvation. This Lenten season, make us a living worship service, that the world may know your Good News. We pray in your strong name, Amen.
– The Reverend Andy Blair (MDiv’89)
Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Canyon, Texas & Member of The Austin Seminary Association Board
For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.
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