When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.  Luke 4:16-17

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.

Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
Psalm 100:1-4

All of us have a clean slate for living as we move into a new year. All of us have an opportunity to fill the days ahead with what we choose. Maybe we will make this a new year of worshipping God.

As we follow the life of Jesus, we find that gathering in God’s house for worship was “his custom.” Jesus joined with others “in worshipping the Lord with gladness and entering God’s courts with praise.” In 2017, our church will continue to offer three opportunities for worship each Sunday. The times and styles are different, but the act of letting folks gather to worship and praise God is the same.

I hope your life and mine in 2017 will be defined with our custom of entering God’s gates often with thanksgiving.

Prayer

Thank you, God, for flinging wide the doors to your house so that I will always have a place to worship you. Amen.