Why Psalm 122? (Part 2)

Jerusalem - built as a city that is bound firmly together. To it the tribes go up, the tribes of the LORD, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the LORD. For there the thrones for judgment were set up, the thrones of the house of David. (Psalm 122:3-5)

This is so not the time to leave Atlanta for two weeks. First of all, I am missing the last Sunday of the school year; the Sunday we traditionally recognize graduating students. Secondly, I am missing the final meeting of a Covenant Group I co-facilitate for commissioned deacons and elders in the North Georgia Conference ... and we really stress how important it is to not miss a meeting! And finally, I have never been away from my family and my daily routine for such a long time. I am a creature of habit. I spent most of Georgia Tech's spring break in my office on campus! But Psalm 122 reminds me that this is not a vacation I'm going on, nor is it a continuing education program or even a retreat. It is a pilgrimage. All of God's people are called to make pilgrimage, to intentionally break from our daily routines for the purpose of remembering what it means to be a child of God, and to give thanks for all that entails. Pilgrimage is hard - that is why God issues a decree rather than an invitation!