Look at how good and pleasing it is when families live together as one! It is like expensive oil poured over the head, running down onto the beard—Aaron’s beard!—which extended over the collar of his robes. It is like the dew on Mount Hermon streaming down onto the mountains of Zion, because it is there that the Lord has commanded the blessing: everlasting life. – Psalm 133
As divisions in the Church rightfully provoke our lament, any time we build bridges and join in relationship with other congregations it is an occasion for celebration. Psalm 133 is not a typical prayer to God, but the psalmist is imaginatively giving thanks for the blessing (that the psalmist is personally experiencing) the Lord bestows on those who come together in unity and establish familial-like bonds, which is nothing less than “everlasting life.” What a claim! How can this be?
At Parkwood UMC, where I serve in south Durham, we intentionally aim to live into the directive, “open minds, open hearts, open doors,” by allowing our building to be a “home base” for Avivamiento Latino Iglesia and their church to offer Spanish-speaking worship services and gatherings, for a non-profit called the Parktown Food Hub, so they can distribute food to our neighbors in need, and for Holy Infant Catholic Church’s Knights of Columbus, so they can offer their fish fries from our building. Yet, while we offer our facilities to these outside groups because of our values of hospitality and service, this has not allowed us to experience the blessing that the psalmist is talking about. It has only been when we have been intentional about doing things together—joint bilingual services, joint meals, and serving together—and being in a relationship with the people of these groups that we have experienced a blessing and a “taste” of everlasting life.
While hospitality and service are core values of our faith, being with one another is the very heart of it. Perhaps, the reason why God “has commanded the blessing” to all those who come and dwell together in unity across traditional divides is because we are rehearsing what we’ll be doing together in eternity, which is enjoying God and enjoying one another at one great banquet Table, together—forever.
God who gathers us and God of the great banquet table, bring your children together where we have grown apart and across traditional divides. Lead us, Your children, into restored and new relationships across traditional divides, and may we discover anew your blessing of everlasting life that you offer to all those who seek to dwell in unity. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.
Rev. Adam Benson serves as the pastor of Parkwood UMC in Durham, NC.
Our theme for this year’s Lenten reflections is Graceful Hospitality. 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the Ten Dollar Club, now known as the New Room Society. We give thanks for our Conference’s ongoing commitment to co-creating new places for new people to gather in communion with Jesus Christ and extending graceful hospitality to all of God’s children.