Lift Your Heads and Open Your Doors

This morning's psalm call us to follow Mary's lead. To open our hearts to the magnificent possibilities that await our relationship with the Living God. To ascend the mountain and stand on holy ground….even when the climb is steep…..even when the ground feels shaky…..even when we are not sure where we are going. Even when the call seems unreasonable. As writer Madelyn L'Engle wrote of  this season called Advent:

Behold the irrational season
When love burns bright and wild.
Had Mary been filled with reason,
There'd have been no room for the child.


The message in this morning's psalm and in Madelyn L'Engle's poem is clear: 
let go of our senses and let God in!

Psalm 24

א  לְדָוִד, מִזְמוֹר: לַיהוָה, הָאָרֶץ וּמְלוֹאָהּ;    תֵּבֵל, וְיֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ.	1 A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.
ב  כִּי-הוּא, עַל-יַמִּים יְסָדָהּ;    וְעַל-נְהָרוֹת, יְכוֹנְנֶהָ.	2 For Hashem has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
ג  מִי-יַעֲלֶה בְהַר-יְהוָה;    וּמִי-יָקוּם, בִּמְקוֹם קָדְשׁוֹ.	3 Who shall ascend into the mountain of the LORD? and who shall stand in His holy place?
ד  נְקִי כַפַּיִם,    וּבַר-לֵבָב: אֲשֶׁר לֹא-נָשָׂא לַשָּׁוְא נַפְשִׁי;    וְלֹא נִשְׁבַּע לְמִרְמָה.	4 You who have clean hands, and a pure heart; who have not taken My name in vain, and have not sworn deceitfully.
ה  יִשָּׂא בְרָכָה, מֵאֵת יְהוָה;    וּצְדָקָה, מֵאֱלֹהֵי יִשְׁעוֹ.	5 You shall receive a blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of your salvation.
ו  זֶה, דּוֹר דֹּרְשָׁו;    מְבַקְשֵׁי פָנֶיךָ יַעֲקֹב סֶלָה.	6 Such is the generation of them that seek after God, that seek Your face, even Jacob. Selah
ז  שְׂאוּ שְׁעָרִים, רָאשֵׁיכֶם,    וְהִנָּשְׂאוּ, פִּתְחֵי עוֹלָם; וְיָבוֹא,    מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד.	7 Lift up your heads, O you gates, and be you lifted up, you everlasting doors; that the King of glory may come in.
ח  מִי זֶה,    מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד: יְהוָה, עִזּוּז וְגִבּוֹר;    יְהוָה, גִּבּוֹר מִלְחָמָה.	8 'Who is the King of glory?' 'The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.'
ט  שְׂאוּ שְׁעָרִים, רָאשֵׁיכֶם,    וּשְׂאוּ, פִּתְחֵי עוֹלָם; וְיָבֹא,    מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד.	9 Lift up your heads, O you gates, yes, lift them up, you everlasting doors; that the King of glory may come in.
י  מִי הוּא זֶה,    מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד: יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת--    הוּא מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד סֶלָה.	10 'Who then is the King of glory?' 'The LORD of hosts; God is the King of glory.' Selah