It’s no secret that many teenagers (and adults) don’t spring out of bed every Sunday morning, excited to go to church. For some teenagers, Sunday worship can feel like one more thing to do in a busy week. Many of their friends get to sleep in on Sundays or do other fun things, and they may feel like they’re missing out. Oftentimes church can feel awkward, obligatory, and irrelevant.
Given this reality, many parents and youth leaders may feel disheartened and wonder what needs to change in order to get kids excited for church. That’s not a bad question to ask—church leaders especially need to ensure that worship services are accessible and meaningful to teenagers. But before we either try to make church “fun” or stop forcing them to go altogether, Psalm 122 offers a compelling vision for worship that students need to hear.
This is a psalm for travelers—for pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. But it’s also for students who may be unaware that, when they come to church, they’re taking part in a much larger journey.
A Holy Pilgrimage
Psalm 122 is one of the Songs of Ascent, a collection of psalms sung by worshippers as they made their way to Jerusalem for the great festivals in Israel’s calendar. For these pilgrims, the journey itself was an act of worship. They sang, prayed, and eagerly anticipated their arrival in the holy city. David, the writer of the psalm, opens with these words:
I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!” (Ps. 122:1)
This is the kind of eager attitude we hope to see in our students. But David isn’t saying he always feels excited about worship. Instead, he’s describing how he responded to an invitation. His finds his joy stirred by the presence of others who share his love for God and his destination. It’s important for students to understand that worship doesn’t always begin with emotion. Sometimes, joy follows obedience. Sometimes, it shows up simply when we do.
Psalm 122 also highlights the power of an invitation. David’s joy didn’t begin with a spiritual breakthrough, but with someone else bringing him along. In the same way, students today need others to invite them and to make the invitation compelling. One reason students may be apathetic about church is because their parents or even youth leaders are. But when the adults in their lives take church seriously and joyfully, so will they. As youth ministers, we can encourage families to make choices that reflect the priority of worship by limiting activities on Saturday night, getting to bed earlier, and reading the sermon text together to help set the tone for Sunday. Worship isn’t a solo hike—it’s a shared pilgrimage, shaped by the voices and presence of others who are walking with God.
A New Family
For David, Jerusalem was not just a destination, but a symbol of identity, unity, and belonging. It was the central location where the tribes of Israel gathered as one people united by covenant under God (Ps. 122:4–5). David prayed for the peace of the city because he cared about the well-being of his spiritual family (Ps. 122:6).
In the same way, church is not merely a place we attend. Through Christ, God adopts believers from every tribe, tongue, and nation have been into his household (Eph. 1:5; Gal. 4:4–7). Our identity is no longer primarily shaped by our biological families, schools, or friend groups, but by our union with Christ and our membership in his body (1 Cor. 12:12–13).
Teenagers in particular are searching for a place to belong—to be seen, known, and loved. It is in the church that they find a spiritual home far deeper than surface-level social acceptance. As sinners saved by grace, every Christian is a valuable member of God’s family body who is accepted, not for what they do but for who they are. And in the body of Christ, every believer has a meaningful role to play (Rom. 12:4–5). Just as there are no useless body parts, teens are not second-class citizens in the kingdom of God, waiting for their eighteenth birthday to contribute. Rather, the Holy Spirit has uniquely gifted them by the Holy Spirit to serve the church today (1 Cor. 12:4–7). Parents and youth leaders can help students discern their spiritual gifts by providing them with opportunities to serve.
As students begin to see that church is not about consuming a product but contributing to a family, their perspective shifts. Worship becomes less about, “what do I get out of this?” and more about, “how can I love and serve others?” When teenagers know they are not merely tolerated by the church, but needed, they can step into their identity as sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters to one another. From that identity flows a desire to worship, love, and serve.
A Taste of Heaven
Teenagers might ask, “What’s the big deal about church?” For David, the excitement was clear: Jerusalem was the location of the tabernacle, the dwelling place of God with his people. Later, the temple would take its place as the earthly center of worship.
But in Christ, believers have something even better. Through the work of Christ at the cross, believers have been brought into a new relationship with God. No longer separated by sin, we now live and worship in the presence of God himself. As Ephesians 2:21–22 tell us, believers are being built up into a holy temple, where God dwells by his Spirit. The author of Hebrews puts it this way:
“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all” (Heb. 12:22–23).
This is the unseen action of Sunday morning. When the church gathers, it is not just a group of individuals in a building. Instead, we enter by the Holy Spirit into a spiritual reality that transcends time and space. Believers join with saints across the ages and with angels in joyful worship, all in the presence of the living God (Rev. 7:9–10).
Jesus promised that wherever two or more are gathered, he is in their midst (Matt. 18:20). Every Sunday, we get a taste of heaven as we sing, pray, hear the Word, and partake of the sacraments. In these seemingly ordinary things, believers experience something extraordinary.
That’s why gathering is so important. Church is not just any routine, but an encounter with God. That’s something worth getting out of bed for!
A Future Hope
Ultimately, Psalm 122 is not just about going to church—it’s about where the church is going. One day, believers will be united with God in the new heavens and new earth (Rev. 21:1–7). There, we will experience perfect joy and peace in fellowship with God as we see him face to face (1 Cor. 13:12). Psalm 122 anticipates this glorious day when all God’s people will join in worship around his throne.
So the next time your students complain about getting up on Sunday morning, don’t belittle their complaints or get discouraged. Instead, invite them. Let them see your joy. Give them a vision of what the church is and what God wants to do. Say, “Let us go up to the house of the Lord, because one day we’re going to live there forever.”
Looking for a biblical, gospel-centered curriculum for your students? Check out Rooted’s library of youth ministry curriculum, including our Survey of Psalms.
