Songs for the road, a note.

For those wondering what's going on with the seeming arbitrary set of questions that have arisen from the psalter reading earlier, this is an afterthought that might help put some context to it.

A handful of pilgrims have recently embarked on a journey uphill. The songs we have taken with us for the road belong to a collection called the Songs of Ascents, numbered 120 through to 134 in the book of Psalms.

"These fifteen songs were likely sung, possibly in sequence, by Hebrew pilgrims as they went up to Jerusalem to the great worship festivals. Jerusalem was the highest city geographically in Palestine, so all who travelled there spent much of their time ascending. But the ascent was not only literal, it was also a metaphor: the trip to Jerusalem acted out a life lived upward toward God, an existence that advanced from one level to another in developing maturity. What Paul described as 'the upward call of God in Christ Jesus' (Phil 3:14)."

As Eugene Peterson puts it, "there are no better 'songs for the road' for those who travel the way of faith in Christ... they provide a way to remember who we are and where we are going... If we learn to sing them well, they become a vade mecum [a book for ready reference] for a Christian's daily walk."

We have used Peterson's help to guide us through these meditations, which use these tunes for stimulus, encouragement and guidance. Published by InterVarsity Press, it's a short six-study series titled Perseverance: A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. I'm also reading the compendium Life at its Best: A Guidebook for the Pilgrim Life.

For those who are familiar with Peterson, the man who has also been responsible for The Message bible translation which many so love, you'll find the companion book A Long Obedience in the Same Direction/Life at its Best an easy read, albeit insightful and meditative. I've included the questions we've used for the meditations for those who'd like to join us on this journey.