Ever have a thankful entrance? Was it your first entrance into Lambeau Field or Daytona Speedway? As you entered you were so thankful for what may be a once-in-a-lifetime event. Maybe it was the first time you entered your new home. You never thought you would see the day, but so thankful that it finally happened. Maybe it was something simpler like entering that spa for an afternoon, or going into a restaurant to meet with close family and friends you hadn’t seen in ages. The final verses of Psalm 100 remind us of another thankful entrance which is part of the Christian’s life. It’s the entrance into the Lord’s courts. It’s walking through the doors into his house, the place we call church. As we enter God’s house week after week, we notice how his goodness and “love endures forever.” We hear and see evidence how “his faithfulness continues through all generations.” As you walk into church, notice the baptismal font. Was it there that you, your parents and grandparents, your own children and grandchildren, were first brought to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Notice the altar and perhaps a crucifix, reminders of Christ’s sacrifice for you. See the empty cross, a reminder of his resurrection, a foreshadowing of your own resurrection to eternal glory. Do you hear people speaking the Apostles’ Creed or Nicene Creed? That connects you with believers from generations past and those yet to come who would not compromise the Christian faith but boldly, and even at the cost of their own lives, remain faithful to God’s Word. Listen to fellow saints singing hymns of praise. Can you hear the echoes of past saints singing their hallelujahs? Did you catch the foretaste of the glorious songs you and I will sing in heaven? Did you hear God himself speaking to you through the Scripture lessons and his called pastors? Yes, he reminded you not only of the failures, rebellion and sin of God’s Old Testament family and his chosen disciples. He also reminded you of your mistakes, selfishness and sin. He reminded you of the hell, the eternal condemnation that you and I both deserve. But most importantly, did you feel God wrapping his gracious arms around you as he announced to you the forgiveness of every sin, no matter how awful or abhorrent. He hugged you to himself as you heard the good news of the failure-free, love-laden, selfless life Christ lived on your behalf. He drew you even closer as you heard how Jesus paid the curse for all your selfish misdeeds and acts of lovelessness by shedding his own blood for you on a wretched cross. Did you see his smile as he welcomed you into his family as one of his dear children? Did you see him hold out in his hand and invite you to walk with him through the struggles of this life, and through death itself? He even gives you a glimpse of that glorious heaven he has prepared for you. That’s why we “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.” That’s why we “give thanks to him and praise his name.” Every Sunday we’re reminded that “the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” Prayer: Lord, thank you for my church where every Sunday I can thank you for your constant love and faithfulness for me and all people. I’ll see you there real soon. Amen.
Posted on: Fri, 07 Jun 2013 10:35:34 +0000
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