"I can see it!" I remember yelling as we rounded the corner of the bend. We could see the sign and we knew, we just knew that we were finally there - finally at camp! I was young, yes, but even now when we finally reach that destination, make those final steps or miles to that vacation spot or family reunion it's exciting.

Our pilgrim in Psalm 122 has heard the call, the voices of his fellow pilgrims to go up to the temple to worship and here it is! An even greater excitement than a visit at camp or vacation, he has made it! He is standing at the gates of Jerusalem, the Holy city, the home of the Ark of the Covenant. 

The completion of his pilgrimage is so very close and the excitement is palpable. His fervency and this journey has brought him here and this, this city does not disappoint.

The pilgrims sing and share the psalmist's words:

I rejoice with those who said to me,
Let us go to the house of the Lord.
Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.
That is where the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord,
to praise the name of the Lord
according to the statute give to Israel.
There the thrones for judgement stand,
the thrones of the house of David.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem;
may those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels.
For the sake of my brothers and friends,
I will say, "Peace be within you."
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your prosperity.

The pilgrims journey is not complete in the first stanza of the song. We see him expand on the results of his presence and his awe of what happens around him. The pilgrims song transitions from what he sees, to what he now knows and finally to a commitment, an engagement in the work of Jerusalem.

He sees where he is going, he can see the city! He sees those around him as he walks up to the Jerusalem gates. He sees the other pilgrims move through the gate into the crowded streets of the city and he sees the temple. The temple, the pinnacle and centre of the city. The place and space of worship to God, the true God that brought his people out of Egypt, who parted the Red Sea and held back the flood waters of the Jordan. The true and living God who led his people through the desert with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob. He sees and witnesses the glory of God as his feet rest before the gates of Jerusalem. 

The pilgrim experiences Jerusalem. Whether he has been here before, the awe of what is before him resonates in his mind. He knows where he is, the home of the Ark, the Temple, the throne of the King. He knows and through his understanding can reflect on what it means to be in the city streets among the people of God. They are a united people in this holy place, each tribe distinct but belonging to the others. All twelve with a place at the table of the Father in heaven. A city, a place to worship that all Israelites can feel safe and secure, knowing that justice is present, the law of God is upheld. The pilgrims feet feel the dirt of the ground beneath the gates of the city and he feels belonging, he knows he is part of this grand story of redemption.

Pilgrimage doesn't end with simply seeing and knowing. Pilgrimage, like any journey that you and I take on requires commitment. Not just a commitment to begin or strive to continue, but also a commitment to change. A commitment to see ourselves altered by the journey. That change happens when our commitment is to something, to someone beyond ourselves, to the worship of God the father. 

It is here that we find ourselves at pilgrims end and yet in many ways, at the beginning of what it means to be human - to be worshippers. The pilgrim emerges from his journey to find himself committing himself to prayer - to connecting to God. He is seeking peace in the unity of the people of God and looking to him who has created all things to bring about his glory in their place of worship, in Jerusalem. The pilgrim commits to prayer, he is also committing himself and all that he has when he says, "I will seek your prosperity". 

The pilgrims worship of God, his commitment goes beyond words, even actions, but to the inner-most places of his soul. Our worship, like that of the pilgrim is not piece-meal but everything that we are. It isn't just this or that, but all we are. Our lives, not just our Sunday mornings are the worship of our being before God. And Sunday, or whatever time we join together in commitment with other Christian brothers and sisters is done in a commitment before God to bring glory to him. 

When asked why Sunday morning, the answer is simple, to bring glory and praise to God from the coming together of his people. It isn't optional it's necessary, and the psalmist shows us. It becomes part of who we are because of the commitment we make before God. Have you made a commitment to be a worshipper of the true God? 

With all my foibles and faults, I have committed, I have made that step. I pray that you will too. Become a worshipper of God and find, just as the pilgrim was in awe of the temple and the city of God, the awe and joy that comes from the sight of the Father's work as we come ever closer to the Easter weekend and the empty tomb.