​Jesus came to restore the human race to its original purpose, so when He died and overcame the Evil One, it was as a man, when He rose again and conquered death, it was as a man, and when He ascended into Heaven and sat down at the Father’s right hand, it was also as a man.

Jesus came to open the eyes of the blind, both physically and spiritually. He means us to see and experience the glory, and encounter the God who inhabits it.

However, like using any other sense it takes practice. An experienced sommelier, for example, can pick up the nuances of a fine wine from his sense of smell and taste. He wasn’t born knowing,  he was born with the sensory potential, which he then developed through training and experience. In contrast, his neighbour has exactly the same potential, but being untutored  responds to  special wines with indifference.

So it is with us, so often we can miss encounters with the Lord because we have not learned to recognise the signs of His presence…….

The Hebrew word for ‘glory’, kabod comes from a root word which means ‘to be heavy, or make weighty’.

Have you ever been in a Christian meeting, or admiring a beautiful view, when the atmosphere suddenly felt ‘heavy’, (I don’t mean in a negative way)?

I suggest that what you were sensing was the glory of God. And there is one response to glory – take off your shoes!

​Turn your heart towards the Lord, & worship Him, He wants you as a participator not spectator.

If the earth is filled with His glory,  let’s pray for seeing eyes this week!
 

What did David mean by ‘the house of the Lord’? The tabernacle of Moses had long gone and the temple was yet to be built. David had erected a tent for worship; although there’s no record of its design, and it was not known for its beauty; this ordinary space housed the most important item in the world. The Ark of the Covenant, on which the Presence of God rested, sat for the first time in open view; anyone could approach it, there being no dividing curtain.

In doing this, David violated many of the instructions given to Moses; and couldn’t even claim Levitical authority as he came from the tribe of Judah, which significantly means ‘praise’. David knew that the success of his calling was totally dependent on having the Lord’s presence with Him, and this was a physical expression of that understanding. David’s tent was not known for its sacrifices (which continued at Shiloh), but for its 24-hour praise.

This whole episode was a prophetic act looking forward to the time when no further sacrifice would be necessary, when everyone would have access to the Presence, and the response to that invitation would be whole-hearted worship. And it’s that ‘tent’ that James believed was being restored, as the Spirit was poured out across the Jewish and Gentile world [Acts 15:16].

And David had tasted of that superior reality – and made it accessible to others. (I know he wanted to build a temple later on in his life – but that’s another story…..) However, I don’t think it was the tent of worship David was referring to in this verse, as amazing as it was, because it wasn’t practically possible to spend all his time in the tent, he had to go about his business. So either David was speaking figuratively, or was meaning something else. David had discovered something very important during his years as a shepherd – the presence of God was not confined to a place. His ancestor, Jacob, had had a revelation of this many years before. The first mention of ‘house of God’ in the Bible does not refer to a building but an experience on a hillside [Genesis 28:17]. And the word for ‘house’ does not necessarily indicate a structure, but means ‘habitation’ or ‘dwelling place’.

David had learned that the dwelling place of God was to be found all around him, at every moment of the day:

The habitation of God was one he could enter whenever he wished. Interestingly, the word for ‘dwell’ means essentially to ‘sit down’ & was specifically used of thrones and judgement seats used for the exercise of authority. As king, David had learned that the safest place from which to rule was the presence of God.

David looked prophetically to a day when these things would find their fulfilment. We are privileged to live in that day. We have Jesus’ promise that He will never leave us or forsake us. Not only do we live and move and have our being in Him, but He also has taken up residence in us – Emmanuel really has come to us. And ‘forever’ means just that. When Jesus came to earth He brought His world with Him; eternal life starts as soon as we believe.

The invitation is there – to dwell in His Presence forever.

Let's declare the words of Psalm 139 over ourselves.....

I love traditions; the sense of continuity with the past, of being rooted in something more than your own personal space, of being connected with those who have gone before. But the truth is tradition can kill you; people have actually given their lives for the sake of tradition rather than truth. For most of us it is not that dramatic, but we have to wary of the snare; we may not be in physical danger, but our spiritual health and inner peace may be in jeopardy.

This year, four members of the family, and our tiny grandson, will be absent from our Christmas dinner; we will see some in the days before, and all of them afterwards, but I was taken aback at the strong reaction I had to the change in circumstance: Christmas dinner had always been a family affair, with Mum presiding!

A momentary bit of foolishness, that’s all – soon released to the Lord, and rest restored. But how many people live with discontent and distress because the breaking of a tradition has thrown them into crisis? How many live with disproportional stress  because family members have different priorities,  work patterns interfere with long held practices, or they can’t get hold of that vital ingredient……?
 How many are unable to celebrate, unable to enjoy what they have, because of what is missing?

Jesus warned about putting traditions first:

and Paul cautioned about judging both ourselves and others regarding the keeping of festivals

Holding traditions lightly, is key to a rest-filled Christmas, because the truth is, none of it really matters, in the light of eternity. The command of God is not Thou shall keep Christmas according to all the precepts of the commercial (and religious) market; but that we should first of all love Him with all our hearts, souls, and minds.

Emmanuel is the reason for the season; God with us. His presence is what changes things, and is worth laying down any tradition for. Better bread and soup in His presence, than a feast with all the trimmings in an atmosphere of discontent. So yes I love traditions – I've just written a book about a favorite one – but I want to hold them – and my list of things to do before Christmas - lightly; and seek the one thing we really can't do without, the presence of Jesus.

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