Let it flow!
Look, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like the precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes. Psalm 133:1-2
Let it flow!
It was the perfect treat for a hot summer day. I had a scoop of Culver’s Flavor of the Day, the Andes Mint Avalanche. My wife had a scoop of their Lemon Ice with added raspberries. We highly recommend them. But because it was a hot summer day, as your family has undoubtedly learned, one needs to eat their frozen treats before they melt. Otherwise ice cream has a way of flowing down over the hand and dripping down onto whatever clothes (or newsletter article) one happens to be wearing or working on at the moment. It is a good problem to have.
In the same way, our psalm writer paints a messy sounding picture when describing the blessings found in Christian unity. He speaks about the anointing of the High Priest, Aaron, and of how that precious oil flows off his head and down his beard and onto his robes in abundance. And it’s a unity that the author, King David, did not always have the luxury of experiencing during his lifetime. From his interactions with King Saul to his rebellious son Absalom, David did not always experience unity within the kingdom or within his own family. Here in Psalm 133, he pauses to reflect on the pleasantness that comes from God and rejoices in the true peace he can bring to believers. These moments were made extra special as the people gathered together in fellowship for worship in God’s house.
Such unity must begin with our God. As Jesus is the head of the church, heavenly blessings originate through him and are thanks to him and to his saving work. The devil despises our closeness to God and does all he can to disrupt Christ-centered fellowship. And on our own, our sins would disqualify us from any unification with a holy and righteous God. But thanks to Jesus’ payment for the cross, we have forgiveness. Thanks to the Father’s plan we have a place with him now and eternally in his family of believers. And thanks to the Holy Spirit’s work he helps us grow in our faith and better understand our lives within God’s kingdom.
Such unity is ours thanks to a shared faith in Jesus. We may not as a church have the same shared political beliefs, degrees of gifts, or opportunities for service. But we do have the same faith based upon Christ. And with him as our collective head, we the members of his body receive great blessings from our God in heaven as his love, help, and encouragement freely flow down to us from heaven.
What does such unity in Christ look like with his church? As believers we find fellowship together in worship, we want to preserve God’s truth, and we look to apply his words in love so that more souls are saved. While the church will not be perfect on this side of heaven, it means that as we have opportunities we will embrace grace over grumbling, forgiveness over frustration, and Christ over conflict. It means that we celebrate the shared gifts and abilities in serving Jesus together. Think of it! You share in the work of the pastor who visits the precious persons in prison or who are hospital-bed-bound with God’s words of peace. You share in the long hours of love and care that go into the service of parents and teachers as we value the gift of Christian education. You share in the unique abilities and special opportunities of the many members who are active in serving Jesus. Our service situations might be different, but in Jesus our faith is united, our abilities shared, and our mission is the same!
So this summer, go ahead and enjoy that tasty treat or extra scoop of custard. Let it flow! And as you scramble to keep up with the melting goodness, think about the picture we are given in this psalm – and rejoice! Thanks be to God who has unified us in the love of Jesus, given us the fellowship of faith, and causes his blessings in Christ Jesus to flow freely upon us.
