Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. PSALM 100:4

Everything requires a password. Now, we’re being asked to utilize a “pass-phrase.” Presumably, the pass phrase gives us all another layer of security. We’re supposed to frequently change our passwords. I do (allegedly). Experts tell us not to use the same one in different places. We’re told that every password (or pass-phrase) ought to be memorable, but not predictable. So we create lists (old fashioned-written-on-a-post-it and taped to the underside of a desk kind of lists) of pen and pencil to help us remember how we gain entry into the cyber-vault holding our most valuable stuff.

I forget my passwords all the time. My passwords are neither memorable, nor predictable. I spend a disproportionate amount of time trying to gain access to my things, rather than actually interacting with them. The greatest and most valuable things are always insulated by passwords. God is no different.

The password into God’s presence — beyond “his gates” and into “his courts” is memorable and not predictable. It has the power to turn the wanderer’s heart back home. It’s a phrase we use often. We say it to the barista, the anonymous door-holder, and to dear friends. We wave it to strangers who let us merge in traffic.  We try to mean it when we say it… mostly. We expect to hear it from other people. We tell people to “lighten up” with they don’t hear it from us. We demand it from our kids and apologize for them when they don’t deliver under the pressure of our watchful eyes. While there’s no room for magic in following Jesus, this phrase gets pretty close to having surprising soul-impacting and mystical properties.

Thank you.

Entering into God’s presence — that inexplicable nearness of God necessitates a password. Put another way, it is our ability to give thanks that not only grants us access, but ushers us into God’s presence.

We’ll gather this coming week and we’ll make a point of being grateful. Sure, Thanksgiving is in danger of being subsumed by the shopping melee that follows it. But, we’ll be glad we paused and said “thanks.” Somehow we know it. Thankfulness matters. Gratefulness to God repairs our broken-down soul.

This week, as we wrap up our OBSESSED series, we’ll spend some time orienting our hearts toward gratitude. For the beleaguered and tired, for the lonely and lost, for the bitter and exasperated, for the close to Jesus and the far from Him, and for the joyful and the generous, we could all use a refresher on thankfulness.

See you Sunday,
Jeff