*Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.

Who is the King of glory?
The LORD, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in battle.

Lift up your heads, O gates!
and be lifted up, O ancient doors!
that the King of glory may come in.*

It is probably not the best thing to admit today, the day that I will be standing before the entire Presbytery for Oral Trials, that I don’t remember everything that happened in Seminary. I know, I graduated like 8 seconds ago, but my mind was a loose trap to begin with, and then Sarah and I had twins, so there’s really no hope of remembering anything.

Which is why remembering a particular lecture seems so impressive to me (if I’m allowed to toot my own horn). We were studying Psalm 24, and our professor encouraged us to see the lines I quoted above as a call and response. He encouraged us to imagine a huge castle, and a parade happening outside, approaching with celebration. The King is coming home! So the crowd cries out to the castle to open the gates. The guards at the castle ask the question they already know the answer to, who is this guy? It’s the King of course! He’s home! So let’s open up and let him in.

Frankly, I can’t imagine a more appropriate Advent study!

I feel like in this season, Jesus stands outside the gates of our hearts and knocks. He wants in. He wants to be a part of our lives, to dwell inside us, to reside in us. This season even gives us a parade-like atmosphere (which we all too often get trapped in, but that’s a post for another day). Jesus is coming! Put up the decorations!

The question that should hit each of us in the eyes with this revelation is to ask what position our gates are in. Are we opened to the King of glory coming in? Are we receptive to Jesus Christ dwelling inside us? Or are we at best distracted, at worse resistant? Are we so caught up in the world around us that we leave the gates decidedly down?

So today, however this might take shape in your life, open up the gates. Open yourself up to the knocking King, and let him in for a spell. Maybe this means sitting down with the Bible, opening yourself up to what Christ wants to say to us through his word. Maybe it means getting together with those who embody the Spirit of Christ in your life, and letting them shine the Light on you. Or maybe you need to get out and serve, to get outside yourself. Whatever the wheel is that pulls the drawbridge up for you, grab and handle and start turning.

The King of glory is coming. Open the gates!