Introduction
Young John was leaving a department store when he saw that someone was about to enter, and he waited holding the door for them to enter. In his mind, he expected to hear the words "thank you" and possibly see a smile. Instead, he received an overbearing, "I'm better than you" look.
Has what happened to John ever happened to you? Who hasn't, right? In today's passage we find something important about thankfulness, let's go to Psalm 100:4-5 and see what it says.
Scripture
4 Enter his gates with thanks;
enter his courtyards with praise!
Thank him! Bless his name!
5 Because the Lord is good,
his loyal love lasts forever;
his faithfulness lasts generation after generation.
Biblical Foundation
Psalm 100 is credited to David and is one of the few with a title of thanksgiving. It is believed that this psalm was sung on the way to the temple. Note verse 4: "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!". This is a processional psalm, that is, the Jews marched in procession and sang this psalm.
Although the temple in ancient times had a significant meaning, we find that the psalmist invites the people to enter through the doors of the temple with thanksgiving. That is, the first thing a person should do when entering the temple of God was to give thanks. But this was something that the procession had already been preparing. Can you imagine the procession on their way to the temple remembering the things for which they were thankful? Step they took, step they remembered that God took care of them, step they went further and remembered that that year God provided in need, or maybe they remembered the birth of the new family member, so that as they entered the gates there was gratitude. What an exciting way for God's people to arrive at the temple with thanksgiving!
This Thanksgiving season, we encourage you and your congregation to reflect on gratitude using this four-part devotional series during your upcoming Bible studies. Each part of this series includes biblical references, theological and practical reflections and dialogue questions provided by Rev. Dr. David Rangel.
- Intro to Cultivating Gratitude: A devotional series
- Part 2: Grateful in Every Situation
- Part 3: To Praise is to Give Thanks
- Part 4: To Give is to be Thankful
Practical Reflection
But what about us? Sunday arrives and we get ready to go to church. The week was so busy that in fact we didn't get everything done. The kids got up in a hurry, the dog came into the house out of control after going out to the yard, and it seems that our procession to the temple is like a logistics nightmare. Instead of being that wonderful procession like the one in Psalm 100, we try to get everyone ready to get to the service on time.
I remember a woman from church who once said, "Pastor, I've been getting everyone's clothes ready since Saturday night. In fact, I already know what I'm going to make for breakfast so that Sunday morning when we get ready to go to church, we won't have any inconveniences."
Today's passage leaves us with an excellent teaching about our procession to the temple. During all the things we have to do, whether it is bathing the children, making breakfast, finishing a paper, or doing the last review of the Sunday school class, let us take time to remember the things that God has done in our lives. So that in our "processional" to the temple there is gratitude in us. That's right, whether we go by car, walking or by bus, today we can have our own family or individual processional when we go to church. As we head to the temple, let's make a time in which we think about the things for which we are grateful to God, so that when we arrive at the church there is already gratitude in us.
So, let us enter the temple of God not with distractions, but with an attitude of gratitude. Let us not enter the church finishing the argument that started at breakfast, but with an attitude of gratitude, not thinking about the pending work with a worried face, but with a smile that says to God "I am grateful".
Now, there are times when for major causes we cannot physically go to the temple to thank God, but that does not mean that we cannot "enter" God's presence with thanksgiving. John Wesley, in his Bible commentary on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 wrote the following: "Thanksgiving is inseparable from true prayer; it is almost essentially connected with it". There are people who for certain reasons do not have the possibility of attending church, however, it is in prayer that we can enter through its doors with thanksgiving.
Questions
- If you went to church today or went to God in prayer, what would you be thankful for?
- What will be your processional from now on?
Conclusion
So, every Sunday make your processional. Don't let the things of life take away the blessing of coming to church with thanksgiving. Every time you go to worship and enter the doors of the church, arrive with gratitude. Make this thanksgiving processional a habit. At the beginning it may be hard to make it part of your Sunday routine, but with persistence and God's help you will be able to do it.
Rev. Dr. David Rangel is originally from Monterrey, Mexico and is currently a pastor in the North Texas Conference of The United Methodist Church. He earned his Master of Divinity and Doctorate of Ministry from the Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. In addition to pastoring, he leads his own Momentum coaching group which trains pastors and churches in preaching, discipleship, leadership, and ministry strategies. He also joined the faculty at Perkins School of Theology's Regional Course of Study where he teaches Preaching 324, Advanced Preaching, and Discipleship Training. Rangel is the author of several books. He has been married to his wife Liliana since 2011, and together they have two daughters, Emma Olivia and Camila Michelle. His two favorite passages are Jeremiah 29:11 and Colossians 3:23.