“Lift up your heads, you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.” Psalm 24:7 & 9
It is THAT time of year! The time when, after reflection and Thankfulness, we turn our time, effort and attention to the Worship of the one to whom we give thanks. Which means planning, spending money, devoting time and LOTS of WORK! It was this last week, when we went to get all of our Christmas decorations from storage, that Katie said, “maybe this is the last year!” And I gasped!
If you have ever been to our house at Christmas time… you know. My bride is not only an artistic wonder, but she loves Jesus more than anyone I know! She displays that love throughout the Advent season by opening box after box of ornaments that have been packed, repacked and added to for 45 years! Now that the kids have grown, the results don’t get seen as much. Which begs the question!
It takes a lot of work to prepare for Christmas. We aren’t as young as we used to be either! So in light of the few who actually see the results, the question, “why do we do it?” is only natural. In reading this Psalm this morning, I was overjoyed to find the real and true answer to the WHY question. We do it because HE DESERVES it!
I have to admit that this last year has been a rough one. Pain, suffering and sorrow have not hidden themselves as in years past. With so much going on in the world, OUR world has been taxed and overrun. Things that never made sense make even less these days. Answers don’t come as easily either. But THE Answer showed up this morning in ALL of His Glory… and paid me a visit!
I’ve been to Jerusalem, so I can see the ancient gates and doors in my mind. They are both old and rather small. Trying to imagine Jesus Christ preparing to victoriously enter those gates leads to the same question we asked this week. ‘WHY? Why would He BOTHER?’ Maybe the answer lies in the reason He bothered to come in the first place! Shockingly, it’s because HE thinks I’M WORTH it!
The history of The Golden (or Eastern Gate) of Jerusalem is prophetic (see the link below). It is this gate where Jesus Christ will enter the city to reign as King of the Earth. It doesn’t look like much now, but it WILL! In reading Psalm 24 I noted that verses 7 and 9 are the same! And they are a call for ME to raise MY mind, soul and heart to receive the King of Glory who wants IN! Welcome Advent!
So when all is done, it really doesn’t matter if anyone comes to see the results of our decorating for Christmas, because HE is the one we do it for. And HE is the ONLY reason we need! And as the old cliche’s go, we’re ‘keeping Christ in Christmas’ because ‘Jesus is the reason for the season!’
Are YOU preparing to receive the King of Glory into YOUR heart and house this Christmas?
