Psalm 100:1-5 (NIV)
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Christmas morning can be a magical experience, for both children and their parents. I remember the anticipation leading up to the Big Day, wondering what was going to be under the tree when my siblings and I made the grand entrance into the family room. Most of our gifts were wrapped, but a select few were not and seeing them for the first time was almost always a hugely satisfying experience. We were stoked because we knew the entire morning was going to be wonderful. Years later, having four children of our own, my wife and I share that same excitement, but from the other side of the experience, and with full knowledge and appreciation of what Christmas Day represents. Psalm 100 paints a similar picture as we experience the fruit of knowing that “the Lord is God” and that “we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”
Shout. Worship. Come. Know. Enter. Give Thanks. Praise. Sounds a lot like an awesome Christmas morning, doesn’t it? It’s all that and more! Psalm 100 is simply titled; A Psalm of Thanksgiving and it is the only Psalm in the collection to bear this title. It speaks of an invitation to the whole earth to know and to worship God. “It is jubilant with confidence for the whole earth, as it contemplates the glory of that earth, when all its people are submitted to the reign of Jehovah.” (G. Campbell Morgan) It is helpful to read this psalm and ask the obvious questions as you do: Why shout for joy to the Lord? Why should we worship him with gladness? Why should we come before him with joyful songs? The psalmist has an answer: Because we—you and I—are his people! We are the sheep of his pasture!
There are over seven billion people on this planet, but most of them cannot make the same statement. They know about God (Romans 1), but most do not really Know God. Through Christ, you and I do! We are not merely made in His image; we are adopted into His family! Put yourself back into that Christmas morning scenario, again. You know it’s going to be good because it’s your parents (and “Santa”) that are behind the celebration, as well as your previous experiences on December 25th. You may not get everything on your “list,” but you know you are going to get some of it, and that’s awesome, right? Perhaps this is why Jesus scolded his disciples when the children wanted to come sit on his lap. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Mt. 19:14). The kids were excited to see Jesus and be in his presence. Do you ever get that excited about seeing him? Do I?
Back to our Psalm 100 questioning. Why should we enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise? Why should we give thanks to him and praise his name? Good questions. First of all, because you CAN enter his gates and courts! Only His children are given access to His presence! Moses had to hide in the rocks but in Heaven we certainly won’t! Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Now that does not mean God will all of a sudden take on a physical form that we can “see,” but His glory will be fully revealed, as well as the fact that we will come face-to-face with our risen Lord and Savior. Secondly, we should react in accordance with Psalm 100 because our Lord is good! His love for us endures forever! He is faithful to every one of His followers for all time! Amen and Amen!
And you think Christmas morning is awesome? Just you wait and see…
