Start:Stop-How Lovely Are Thy Dwellings

The Dome of St Stephen Walbrook

Thank you for joining us for Start:Stop. This reflection will last around ten minutes and you are welcome to come and go as your schedule dictates. We begin with a bible reading which can be found on page 572 in the Old Testament. We have been thinking a lot about journeys recently – you will see that the Wise Men made it to the manger when we celebrated the Epiphany on Thursday – today our reading has a similar theme:

Bible Reading - Psalm 84

How lovely is your dwelling place,

   O Lord of hosts!

My soul longs, indeed it faints

   for the courts of the Lord;

my heart and my flesh sing for joy

   to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home,

   and the swallow a nest for herself,

   where she may lay her young,

at your altars, O Lord of hosts,

   my King and my God.

Happy are those who live in your house,

   ever singing your praise.

Happy are those whose strength is in you,

   in whose heart are the highways to Zion.

As they go through the valley of Baca

   they make it a place of springs;

   the early rain also covers it with pools.

They go from strength to strength;

   the God of gods will be seen in Zion.

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;

   give ear, O God of Jacob!

        

Behold our shield, O God;

   look on the face of your anointed.

For a day in your courts is better

   than a thousand elsewhere.

I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God

   than live in the tents of wickedness.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

   he bestows favour and honour.

No good thing does the Lord withhold

   from those who walk uprightly.

O Lord of hosts,

   happy is everyone who trusts in you.

Reflection

In the preface to his introduction to the Psalms written in 1577, John Calvin wrote : “I have been accustomed to call this book, I think not inappropriately, An Anatomy of the Soul; for there is not an emotion of which anyone can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror.”

The dominant emotion reflected in Psalm 84 is joy – the joy of knowing God and being in relationship with Him. The Psalmist begins by describing the joy of knowing God’s presence in the temple and their longing to stand in the temple courts again.

Something of this joy can be seen on the faces of visitors who come into this church – looking up to the dome in awe and wonder. Happily, many choose to return – and most say that they leave here feeling better than they did when they came in (thanks be to God!) For the psalmist, the desire to return to the temple is so strong that it unites heart and flesh in song – every element of their being in divinely-inspired harmony.

Perhaps St Augustine of Hippo was echoing the sentiments of the psalmist in his prayer which speaks of our fundamental desire to return to our creator: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you." ?

Part of this psalm was used by Brahms in his German Requiem – described as a requiem for life. Maybe there is something telling in his placement of Psalm 84 and its expression longing to be with God - as the central movement, or heart, of the piece, “How lovely are thy dwellings.”

Like the psalmist, we know that these dwellings are all around us - the Living God is with us everywhere and at all times - as close to us as our breath – yet we are still drawn to find God in places like the temple or the church. This tension is framed by the words of this psalm. The desire for being with God in the temple courts is because the psalmist – like most of us – could not be there all of the time, like the sparrows who nested in its courts or the Priests and Levites who lived there. This longing makes way makes way for an acknowledgement that the delight of being in relationship with God is not confined to a particular place – the psalm ends by recognising that this joy can be found by all those who trust in Him.

The psalmist is thought to be on a pilgrimage – or recalling one – probably to the temple in Jerusalem for Sukkot – the Harvest Festival, one of the three great Pilgrimage Festivals which it was mandatory to attend.

Some scholars have attempted to locate the pilgrimage route geographically – trying to find out where the valley of Baca might have been – even analysing rainfall statistics to prove that their chosen location was dry at the time of the festival. Others have suggested that the psalmist is speaking about a spiritual rather than a physical pilgrimage – the rough desert paths through the dry valley symbolising our rocky road through life. 

Whether physical or spiritual, pilgrimages can refresh and sustain us – like the psalmist, for whom standing in the temple doorway was better than anywhere outside. We know that for most of the time we will on the journey – anticipating rather than celebrating our arrival. The psalmist tells us that whatever the difficulties we may find en-route can be overcome through prayer and action – by trusting in God and by walking in his ways. God’s loving kindness nourishes us and meets our every need – giving us water in times of drought, protecting us like a shield, shining a light in the darkness like the sun – helping us on our journey to fulfil our ultimate desire – to be reunited with Him.

Wherever we are on our great journey, let us take a few moments to rest in the words of the psalmist, drawing strength from the knowledge of God’s unfailing love for us and the joy of making our pilgrimage through life alongside each other.

Meditation

Prayers

Please join with me in prayer. The response to O God of our pilgrimage is : Happy are those whose strength is in you.

O God of our pilgrimage

Happy are those whose strength is in you

Lord of all, whose eternal life and love surround us,

We thank you for enlivening every fibre of our being with

    the brilliant light of your spirit.

As we journey towards the place you have

    prepared for us,

excite the pilgrims at the foot of your altars,

energise the explorers who yearn to know you,

encourage those watching from the margins to return,

embrace those who are lost.

O God of our pilgrimage

Happy are those whose strength is in you

Lord of infinite mercy,

whose son Jesus Christ suffered and died on the cross for our sins,

Inspire our hearts as we struggle, blinkered, through the darkest of hours.

In agony, under pressure, over stretched and subdued by sorrow;

    be near us.

Help us uncover the well of our baptism even in the depths of despair.

Transform us as we draw up those cleansing waters to nourish the seed of new life;

O God of our pilgrimage

Happy are those whose strength is in you

Lord of all, our Great Redeemer,

     whose knowledge precedes our petitions,

Help us to hear you.

Your glory amazes us.

Every drop of water, every crumb of bread is life-giving.

For the burning fire of unconditional love, 

     the pure embrace of acceptance,

     the perfect sense of purpose,

We bow before you;

     a King who became a servant to sinners.

Let us praise you by transforming this world through loving service to others,

by sharing your gifts of generosity and humility.

O God of our pilgrimage

Happy are those whose strength is in you

  

Blessing

May God the Father who created you, guide your footsteps,

May God the Son who redeemed you, share your journey,

May God the Holy Spirit who sanctifies you, lead you on life’s pilgrimage,

and the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit

be with you wherever you may go.
Amen.

Thank you for joining us for Start Stop today. Please take away the service sheet which has dates of forthcoming special services and events. Join us tomorrow at 6pm for Choral Evensong. Next Wednesday at 6pm our Choral Scholars take us through a celebration of the Psalms in words and music.  All are welcome.

Wherever God is calling you this week, I hope it is filled with joy.