“I rejoiced when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 122:1 NIV)
Yesterday, we went to a college football game. Our son, plays in the University of Incarnate Word band. He’s working on his music education degree and we are excited to encourage him in his academic endeavors. Each fall, we make the trek to San Antonio for an afternoon game because we obviously have a Sunday gig.
Unfortunately, this year, we were running a smidge behind for the 2 o’clock kickoff. We weren’t late, we just weren’t early. We parked the car at 1:51pm and hurried our way across campus.
We’ve been to UIW quite a few times before. Usually the place is bustling with students and faculty and maintenance staff. Yesterday, the beautiful grounds were virtually empty, save a few parking attendants and campus security. The closer we got to the stadium, though, the more we could hear the drums beckoning.
We flashed our passes and made through the gate. Thousands of fans had already piled in the stands, cheering on the players, the band, the cheerleaders, all of it. The air was electric! Kickoff hadn’t happened yet, but everyone was all in, decked out in full UIW attire, faces painted, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Such pomp and circumstance had already taken place! Rob and I were just about the last to arrive. We weren’t late, but we definitely missed some of the action. In the throng of those stands, with thousands of people cheering on their home team, I thought about church.
The pregame is important!
The heart work we do before we pull into the church parking lot is essential. The fellowship that happens in the foyer and coffee room is actually crucial to our souls. Arriving with the right attitude is mission critical. What might church look like if we showed up early with the same sort of enthusiasm we do for a football game?
Today I wanted to go to church with pom-poms and facepaint. I wanted to rally the crowd and cheer about the goodness of our God! He has done a lot more for us than any old football team. He deserves our on-time arrival, team spirit and enthusiastic participation.
Let me ask, team, are you glad to go into the house of the Lord today?
"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise: give thanks to Him and praise His name." (Psalm 100:4 NIV)
Lord, we come into Your house today, expectant, enthusiastic and ready to watch You win. We are Your biggest fans. May we rightly value this opportunity to meet with You and rightly ascribe glory and honor to Your name. Amen.