Psalm 133 is only three verses long, but it contains an incredibly important message for the church.
David begins with these words:
"How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity."
That sounds simple.
But unity isn't always easy.
The church is made up of people who don't think alike, act alike, look alike, or have the same preferences. We come from different backgrounds and different journeys.
And yet we're called to live together in unity.
Not because we're all the same.
Because we're all centered on the same Savior.
Unity Is More Than Agreement
One of the easiest mistakes we can make is confusing unity with agreement.
They're not the same thing.
A unified church isn't necessarily a church where everyone agrees about the color of the walls, the volume of the music, the style of worship, the way a ministry should operate, or every other preference.
If unity depended on everyone agreeing about everything, the church would never make it.
Unity is something deeper.
It's choosing to remain connected around what matters most.
And for the church, what matters most is Jesus.
Unity Is Sacred
David compares unity to the anointing oil used for Aaron.
This wasn't ordinary oil.
It was sacred.
David is making a deliberate connection between the sacred oil and the unity of God's people.
Unity matters to God.
It isn't something we should treat casually.
It's something we should protect.
Every church has opportunities for division.
Sometimes the issues are significant.
But often division begins with something much smaller—preferences, personalities, misunderstandings, assumptions, gossip, or the belief that our way is the only acceptable way.
That's why unity has to be intentional.
We have to fight for it.
We have to protect it.
And we have to remember that our preferences aren't the center of the church.
Jesus is.
Unity Is Refreshing
David then gives us another picture:
The dew of Hermon.
Dew is refreshing.
It's something that comes from above and provides moisture and life.
That's what healthy unity can feel like.
There's something refreshing about being part of a church where people aren't constantly fighting against one another.
There's something refreshing about serving alongside people who may be completely different from you but are moving in the same direction.
There's something refreshing about knowing that you don't have to carry everything alone.
The church was never intended to be a collection of isolated individuals.
We are the body of Christ.
Unity Is Our Witness
This may be the most important part of the message.
In John 17, Jesus prayed for His followers.
And His prayer was that they would be one.
Why?
So that the world would believe.
Jesus connected the unity of His church with the credibility of its witness.
That's sobering.
A divided church doesn't give the world a compelling picture of Jesus.
But a diverse group of people choosing to love one another because of Jesus is powerful.
People who shouldn't naturally belong together become family.
Different generations.
Different backgrounds.
Different personalities.
Different stories.
One Savior.
One church.
One family.
The Church Should Look Like a Family
The church isn't merely a place we attend.
It's a people we belong to.
That's why Psalm 133 says God's people should live together in unity.
That doesn't mean everyone needs to move into the same house!
It means we don't simply gather together for an hour and then disappear into our individual lives.
We belong to one another.
We celebrate together.
We hurt together.
We serve together.
We pray together.
When one part of the body hurts, the rest of the body should care.
When one part celebrates, the rest of the body should celebrate.
That's what family does.
Where Is "There"?
Psalm 133 ends by saying:
"For there the Lord bestows his blessing."
The people of Israel were traveling toward Jerusalem.
They were headed toward a physical place where they would worship God.
But the deeper picture is about God's people living together in unity.
The blessing isn't ultimately about a building.
It's about what God does among His people.
And that's still true today.
The church isn't ultimately a building at 908 Sycamore Street.
The church is the people who gather there.
And when those people choose to center their lives around Jesus and walk together in unity, something powerful happens.
God works not just in us, but with us and through us.
We Don't Have to Be Clones
The goal isn't uniformity.
The goal is unity.
We don't need everyone to have the same personality.
We don't need everyone to have the same preferences.
We don't need everyone to think exactly alike.
We need everyone to know who we're centered on.
Jesus.
That's what Psalm 133 reminds us.
Unity is sacred.
Unity is refreshing.
Unity is our witness.
And perhaps one of the best things we can do with our lives is become a faithful part of a local church, plant ourselves there, and watch what God does—not just in us, but with us and through us.
We're better together.