The Psalms hold a special place in the life of the church, not only as songs of adoration but songs that shape our practices. The psalmist kneels; therefore, we kneel. The Psalmist lifts up his heart, therefore we lift up our hearts to the Lord. But another set of psalms describe the ascending aspect of worship. We walk together symbolically to God’s presence. One way the people of Israel walked up to the temple was by singing God’s praises. So, they didn’t simply walk in silence when they were called by God to worship, but they walked together and singing. In the liturgy, we call this the processional. We see it at a wedding when the bride comes with her father triumphantly as the people stand in awe. In a sense, the people are processing together with the bride and father. This theme of triumph was also present in Paul’s writing. Listen to this description of the Apostle Paul in II Corinthians:
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere…”
We process with Christ Jesus who already processed for us in victory! We come into God’s presence not as innovators, but as followers of the One who already processed for us; therefore, we follow in his train.
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