This week we engage in Walking with Psalms, specifically with Psalms of Ascent. (quick note: walking doesn't have to be physical, you can walk with your imagination, some people even "walk" a finger labyrinth with their fingers. A walking prayer is an embodied prayer, and even a breath prayer engages the body)
Fifteen psalms (120-135) are identified in their ascription as "A Song of Ascents." This collection within the Book of Psalms consists of songs that pilgrims sang together on their way to the Holy City ascending the hills one by one until they reached Zion itself, the home of God's Temple. A pilgrim is a person who take a physical journey with a spiritual purpose. This is a week for walking, breathing, imagining, noticing ...
Scripture: Psalm 121
Focus: The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in ... ~Psalm 121:8
Commentary: On their way to the great Jewish feasts in Jerusalem, the pilgrims that flow from the towns and villages of Judea and Samaria would sing together on the roads, the hills echoing with their songs. As a “Song of Ascent,” Psalm 121 was originally a liturgy of blessing for those about to leave on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The psalmist praises God who provides safety through constant companionship and protective attention to the faithful pilgrims.
Invitation to Embodied Prayer: I invite you to read Psalm 121, find a focus word or phrase, and then engage in a "body" prayer when you are able. If you can't physically take a walk, or you don't have time, or it's raining or ... whatever, find a quiet place in your home (if you can) and take a visual pilgrimage in your imagination to a beautiful mountainous location. OR ... you could dance and shout and have fun! If you have companions, invite them along on your journey and find a creative way to make this an embodied prayer for everyone. Allow God to be your companion. Focus your attention on how God blesses "your going out and your coming in" ... with creation, with protection, with presence. If it deepens your experience of walking with God, create a breath prayer (or use the one provided below) and let it be your continued body prayer for the day.
Reflection: How do you experience God as a protector? Have you ever taken a pilgrimage, a physical journey with a spiritual purpose? How did you grow closer to God through your journey?
Breath Prayer for the Day:
Breathing in … O Lord, my Keeper
Breathing out … Keep me safe
If music is a spiritual pathway for you, listen to Guide My Feet sung by the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn Choir at NYU. This beautiful African American Spiritual is a song of pleading and lament and a call for God’s guidance by a people who understand well what it means to wander in the wilderness and to rely on God not only when all else fails, but for all times. Guide My Feet inspires us to find the strength to continue on our path no matter how difficult it gets.
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