Written by the Rev. Brenda Barnes ’07, pastor of Aspinwall Presbyterian Church, and brought to you by the World Mission Initiative at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Scripture

Psalm 126

1   When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
           we were like those who dream.
2   Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
           and our tongue with shouts of joy;
      then it was said among the nations,
           “The LORD has done great things for them.”
3   The LORD has done great things for us,
           and we rejoiced.
4   Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
           like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5   May those who sow in tears
           reap with shouts of joy.
6   Those who go out weeping,
           bearing the seed for sowing,
      shall come home with shouts of joy,
           carrying their sheaves.

Revelation 21:22

I did not see a temple in the city because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

Devotional

For the pilgrims who traveled to the Temple mount of Zion, the songs of ascent were a comfort. As they traveled, dreaming first of going to that place where the Lord dwells, through the Mount of Olives, down into the Kidron Valley, and then up through the walls of the city to the very gate of the Temple, the pilgrims of the day knew they were called to go “home.”

So it is with us. We can always come home to Christ. Even as we journey, first realizing our need for the Savior, and then through the experiences of mountain top and valley, we know we are moving to a better place. This movement through tears, weeping, and carrying seed to sow, to that place called joy and laughter, always starts with the Lord. The Lamb has indeed done great things for us and we are home in “Joy.”

Prayer

Lord God, we cannot comprehend how much you must love us. You release us from the firm grasp of sin, and you bring us back to you. Thank you for your great love; bring us even closer to you in this season of Lent. For the Lamb’s sake. Amen
 

Written by the Rev. Brenda Barnes ’07, pastor of Aspinwall Presbyterian Church, and brought to you by the World Mission Initiative at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

Scripture

Psalm 126

1   When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
           we were like those who dream.
2   Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
           and our tongue with shouts of joy;
      then it was said among the nations,
           “The LORD has done great things for them.”
3   The LORD has done great things for us,
           and we rejoiced.
4   Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
           like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5   May those who sow in tears
           reap with shouts of joy.
6   Those who go out weeping,
           bearing the seed for sowing,
      shall come home with shouts of joy,
           carrying their sheaves.

Revelation 21:22

I did not see a temple in the city because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.

Devotional

For the pilgrims who traveled to the Temple mount of Zion, the songs of ascent were a comfort. As they traveled, dreaming first of going to that place where the Lord dwells, through the Mount of Olives, down into the Kidron Valley, and then up through the walls of the city to the very gate of the Temple, the pilgrims of the day knew they were called to go “home.”

So it is with us. We can always come home to Christ. Even as we journey, first realizing our need for the Savior, and then through the experiences of mountain top and valley, we know we are moving to a better place. This movement through tears, weeping, and carrying seed to sow, to that place called joy and laughter, always starts with the Lord. The Lamb has indeed done great things for us and we are home in “Joy.”

Prayer

Lord God, we cannot comprehend how much you must love us. You release us from the firm grasp of sin, and you bring us back to you. Thank you for your great love; bring us even closer to you in this season of Lent. For the Lamb’s sake. Amen