A four-part series through the Songs of Ascent, Psalms 120 to 134: the desire to go up, the snare is broken, a quieted soul, and unity that releases blessing.
Press play to watch here, then keep going with the rest of the series below.
In this first blog of Incense & Oil, Pastor Hazen opens Psalm 122 and the Songs of Ascent, the pilgrim songs Israel sang on the climb to Jerusalem. From a knock on the door before dawn to the gates of the city, he traces the whole journey in nine verses: a joyful invitation, unified praise, prayer with authority, and shalom that flows from our hearts to our homes to Atlanta, all for the sake of the house of the Lord.
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A reflection on Psalm 121 for the Incense & Oil series. A pilgrim stands at the foot of the hills after a perilous road and asks where his help comes from. Pastor Hazen walks slowly through the psalm: the Maker of heaven and earth who never sleeps, the watchman on the wall, the shade at your right hand, and the God who keeps your life the way a priest keeps holy ground, now and forever.
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Part 2 of Incense & Oil. Pastor Hazen walks through Psalm 124 in four movements: the honesty of need, the waters that should have taken us, the dove over the flood and the snare that is broken, and the help that holds everything. It is praise that remembers, the same song Israel first sang on the far shore of the Red Sea.
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A meditation on Psalm 131 for the Incense & Oil series. Pastor Hannah walks through the three verses of a soul at rest in God, from a posture of humility, to a practice of stillness, to a promise of hope, and offers a simple practice for this week: release, rest, receive.
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The final reflection in the Incense & Oil series, on Psalms 133 and 134. At the top of the climb, two ways we create space for God's blessing: dwelling together in unity, where the Lord commands the blessing, and beholding and blessing the Lord by day and by night.
Read →Take Your Walk with Jesus Assessment, about 10 minutes, for a personal snapshot and growth steps. Or join Your Walk with Jesus Webinar, a free live hour on Zoom with Pastors Hazen and Hannah Stevens.