Psalms of Ascent
A long obedience in the same direction / songs of transition
The Psalms of Ascent (Psalms 120-134) were sung by the people of Israel as they made the pilgrimage up to Jerusalem for the great annual festivals. They were songs for travellers-songs of longing, trust, worship, waiting, perseverance, humility, and hope.
These psalms reminded them, and us, that the journey was about more than reaching a destination. God was using the journey itself to shape them into His people. Following Jesus is not simply about arriving at a destination but about being transformed along the way. Scripture describes followers of Jesus as sojourners, exiles, and pilgrims whose true home is found in His kingdom. As His followers, we are learning day by day what it means to trust Christ, love one another, and live faithfully in the world while longing for the New Heavens and New Earth.
The Psalms of Ascent show that the way up is often the way down-it is a path of humility, dependence, repentance, worship, and community. As we journey through these Psalms, we will see how God uses seasons of joy and sorrow, work and rest, waiting and worship, to conform us more fully to the image of Christ.
Each week marks another stage in the pilgrimage-from the first awakening of holy longing to the final invitation to live lives of continual worship and blessing. The goal of the Christian life is not simply to know more about God, but to become people whose lives increasingly reflect the character of Jesus.
Matt Romano—We begin a new series exploring the Psalms of Ascent, fifteen songs ancient Israel sang while walking toward Jerusalem and what they teach us about following Jesus. We trace the idea of pilgrimage through Scripture, from Abraham to Exodus to the early church
We will dive into what it means to live in the middle: the space between where God has brought you from and where He's taking you, where most of life happens, even when nothing seems to be moving. Along the way what it means to be formed by the road itself, not just arrive at the destination, and why none of us are meant to walk it alone.
We will discover what following Jesus is. Not a moment we experiece but a road we but a walk, through the waiting, the silence, the middle, with Someone who never once stops walking beside you.