Psalm 24
Do you remember the financial crisis of 2008?
If we were to look back, in a few years time:
Which event will prove to have posed the greatest threat to life as we know it - the situation around our world today, or the so called, Credit Crunch, back then?
Do you remember a metaphor they used back in 2008?
They used a metaphor from human health, to illustrate financial health, and this is what they said:
When America sneezes, the whole world catches a cold.
And this is what they meant:
Events in the American economy affect economies all around the world.
And they were right:
In 2008, the knock-on effect was seen here in the UK and all around the world.
But if we were to come up with a similar phrase for today, it would not be metaphorical this time - it would be literal:
When someone in Wuhan coughs - the whole world goes into lock-down.
We live in an interconnected world.
What happens in one place, can affect people living thousands of miles apart.
And perhaps we should not be surprised.
Although technology has made us all feel so much closer, in the last 300 years, this beautiful Psalm starts by reminding us that the world has always been one unit.
Our God created the continents and placed them on the water.
Every continent belongs to him.
Here is the whole Psalm:
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.
They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God their Saviour.
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.
Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
the Lord mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is he, this King of glory?
The Lord Almighty –
he is the King of glory.
Psalm 24 (NIV)
The middle of the Psalm asks a question and goes on to answer it:
Who can enter into God’s presence?
Only those who are clean:
Those who have been cleansed by the Saviour.
And the Psalm ends by addressing the gates and doors of Jerusalem:
Perhaps the gates to the city - and the doors to the temple.
Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
These are words which make us think of Palm Sunday - when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey.
But let’s also make them relevant for us today.
As we get older, we may feel increasingly like an old gate or door, with rusty hinges that squeak.
When we look at our children and grandchildren, we may feel pretty ancient ourselves.
It is time for all of us to lift up our heads and welcome the King of Glory!
There is plenty of bad news and worrying news - on the news channels today:
News that can cause your head to drop down in sorrow or despair.
But there is also some other news... and they won’t tell you this in the mainstream media:
The King of Glory wants to come in.
He wants to come into our hearts and minds.
He wants to live in us and with us:
In that special place that we call:
The real me - inside of the visible me.
Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.