Psalm 122 verse 1(NIV)
I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord. “
When we were unable to meet together for worship during the worst of the Covid pandemic, on-line gatherings were good, but not the same. I missed sharing time with like-minded folks. And even when we could meet but not sing, I missed that too. So when the time finally came when we could properly meet together for worship there was great rejoicing.
But that got me thinking about our attitude every week as we gather. Are we always ready to go to God’s house with that same attitude of gladness. How we turn up to a service for worship affects not only us, but the others who are there too. When we are wholehearted in worship and, in that well-known church terminology, we “enter-in”, the atmosphere of true worship can be felt by everyone. When its half-hearted we can tell, and so does God. And we want any visitors to be uplifted and keen to come back. I recall that when I went to my first youth Friday Night meeting, many moons ago, one of the first choruses sung was “I will enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart.” Maybe that was a lesson I needed to learn early in my Christian life. It’s no less important now nearly forty-five years later.
I have just finished preparing the teaching for our youth group tomorrow. That got me thinking about them. Most really young people attend church in the beginning because their parents are in church. So therefore, the attitude of their family, and other worshippers affects them too. If they see people happy to be in church and really rejoicing then hopefully, they will want to continue coming when they are old enough to decide for themselves. If they see adults treating it as a chore then that’s how they will treat it too. And even when we are teaching them, we want our joy at being in God’s house to rub off on them. So, let’s make sure we put everything else that’s going on in our lives to be put aside and let’s make a point of going to God’s house with a glad and thankful heart. It will make a difference!
Dear Lord,
Help me never to forget the blessing of having the freedom to gather together in Your Name with other like-minded people. Help me to come into your house with thanksgiving in my heart, and to enter Your courts with praise. I ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.