“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.” (Psalm 133:1-3, NIV)
As summer approaches, I have clear memories of drinking my grandmother’s iced tea on hot afternoons. It really wasn’t all that special; it was Nestea instant iced tea, but it was just the way she made it that was truly refreshing. I could drink a whole pitcher at one sitting after mowing the lawn or just playing in the yard. If you remember the Nestea commercials, I could relate to the “Nestea Plunge,” when people would fall backwards into a pool of water after drinking just a sip of tea.
That’s the image I get from this Psalm of David. That’s the image I get when I think of the unity of the church. As we plunge into June and the sermon series and service projects of One Prayer, I have the feeling of being refreshed as the church comes together to learn more about God and his love and as we serve together showing God’s love to our neighbors.
We might miss the imagery of David’s picture of oil being poured over Aaron. This is the special anointing of the priesthood, setting Aaron apart to serve God and to serve God’s people. First Peter 2:9 tells us that we are the “royal priesthood.” So we should feel the same kind of refreshment that David describes as the anointing of God not only touches our heads but runs down our faces and onto our clothes, covering all of us. It is meant to set us apart for God’s work, and it is meant to refresh us.
Connecting people to God and to other people and helping them to grow in their faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ can be hard work. As we work together, let us be refreshed by God.