Prov 17:22

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine... - Proverbs 17:22

Thursday, March 24, 2016

What's on your key ring?



Next week will mark seven years since I began my job at City Hall. Along with a list of administrative assistant’s responsibilities, I was given something I wasn’t expecting: a key to the mayor’s office. Little did they know what kind of twisted mind they were entrusting with that key.

Having a key to the mayor’s office on my key ring could land me in a boatload of trouble. I could do all sorts of things, from leaving a whoopee cushion on his chair to papering his walls with my newspaper column. I could stick a label on his coffee maker saying “Voice Activated” and then try to suppress my guffaws while he yells at it to start. I might even be able to plant his computer keyboard with damp cotton balls and grass seeds, then position it in the sunlight and watch the response as alfalfa begins sprouting between the keys.

So far, I’ve refrained. Though I suspect someone will be watching me more closely now.

You’re wondering what all of that has to do with Easter. 

In the days before Jesus Christ came, access to the Hebrew God was strictly limited. (Okay, so the Mayor is not God and his office is not holy. Work with me.) Only the temple priests could enter the Holy place, and only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and then only once a year. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest could enter to make atonement for the sins of the people. A heavy veil hung in the opening to this holy of holies. According to one Messianic Jewish Fellowship article, the veil was made using many layers of cloth. The curtains overlapped, creating a three-foot thick maze. So great was the division between God and the people.

Enter Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

At the exact moment that Jesus died on the cross that first Good Friday, the veil to the Most Holy Place split from top to bottom, seemingly of its own accord. Those present must have felt terrified! This split signified that the barrier between man and God was destroyed forever. From that moment on, anyone who places their faith in Jesus can come into God’s presence at any time. He held the key and he opened the door. It means we can go directly to him for whatever we need. Forgiveness. Comfort. Strength. Courage. Wisdom. Healing. Eternal Life.

I was entrusted with a key to the mayor’s office because of good references and a reliable history of work experience. You could say I earned it, but I could also lose it with one irresponsible decision.

But I did absolutely nothing to earn access to God, nor can it can be taken away. It’s a gift, and a very expensive one, bought for me by the Son of God himself. Bought for you, too.

And that, friends, is what Easter is all about. Celebrate it with all the gladness and gratitude it deserves!

 

1 comment:

  1. Thank you so much, Helen! This post is actually from two years ago, and I had forgotten all about it. Thanks for the reminder!

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