Psalm 133 (NRSV)
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Verse 1How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
Verse 2It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.
Verse 3It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.
Devotion
The Psalmist has something to say about the community that dwells in unity. Firstly, that it is good; and secondly, that it is pleasant. But hidden a little farther along (in the second half of verse 3) we find a statement even more profound: It is there, in the community where unity thrives, that the Lord chooses to bestow the blessing of eternal life.
Of course unity is not “standard operating procedure” in human communities. We are prone to discord and enmity, to factions and argument. It is only in Jesus’ love, expressed through the triumph of the cross, that we find peaceful coexistence. We are all sinners, and we are all redeemed; once lost, now found. Our pleasant fellowship and our goodly life together—both now and forevermore—have their source and destination in the risen Lord.
Prayer
Risen Jesus, bind us together in your love, with cords that cannot be broken. Amen.