Because of Jesus, we belong

I was sweeping up the kitchen this morning, absent-mindedly listening to worship music, when a line caught my ear: "Your presence is where I belong."

Which struck me as funny. Because I read Leviticus 16 earlier today, and that, I'm pretty sure, is not a line that would have made it into any worship song back then.

Because back then, one person in the whole world got to go into God's presence one time each year. This one person had to take a special bath and wear special clothes and offer a special sacrifice. He had a special task to perform in that place and a special way to do that task. And it wasn't necessarily an ordeal he survived.

In fact, from the passage, it is pretty clear that no one really belonged in God's Presence. It's more just something He made allowance for so that this task -- of national religious significance -- could be completed.

I don't belong in God's Presence. Some days I feel that more than others. Some days I'm particularly ugly or needy or grumpy. But even on the good days, I don't really belong there. My feeble attempt at God-like-ness is pretty well inadequate all the time. And if the Very Best, Most Important Priest couldn't go into God's Presence whenever he wanted, there is pretty much no chance Very Ordinary Me can.

Except that Jesus came.

And when Jesus came, he came to die, and when he died, something happened: Mark 15 says, "The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom." When Jesus died, God extended to each person an invitation into His Presence. We no longer have to be a special person, who does special things, so he can go visit God on a special day. Jesus' death, somehow, so completely forgave us, so completely covered up our sin, our unholiness, that we were transformed into holy people that have free access to God's presence.

Hebrews 10 says it this way, "Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water."

In other words, since we can, let's. Since we now can be with God, let's enjoy it! Let's do it with reverence, but with assurance and confidence right alongside.