Monday, June 8, 2026
Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His Name! For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:4-5)
If faithful church-goers respond to a survey about their reasons for attending worship, there may be as many different answers as there are respondents. Why do they worship every Sunday? Some enjoy music and like to sing the hymns that celebrate our salvation. Others want to hear the Scripture readings and the sermon, teachings that will help them grow in faith. Many look forward to receiving God’s gifts of Word and Sacrament. There will be those who especially long for the peace and comfort they find in the words of the absolution. Others enjoy fellowship with their brothers and sisters in Christ, and many may attend simply in joyful obedience to the Lord’s command to keep the Sabbath day holy.
These are all reasonable answers, but the psalmist might have a different response for a worship survey. He worships with joy, entering the Lord’s temple with thanksgiving and praise. He blesses the holy Name of the Lord. But why is he there in God’s house? The psalmist is not there because he enjoys music, although it is very likely that he does because he composes songs! The temple is a place to learn the Word of God and to grow in faith and fellowship with all who trust in the God of Israel. But the psalmist has another reason for his attendance. He goes to the temple because the Lord is good. The psalmist worships in God’s presence because the steadfast love of the Lord endures forever, and His faithfulness lasts through all generations.
“The Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever.” Whatever our personal likes or opinions might be as we go to church, our reasons are the same as those of the psalmist. We come together to worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ because of the enduring, steadfast love of our Lord. That steadfast love led our Savior to take up His cross and die for us. The Lord’s steadfast love and faithfulness are revealed in the gift of His holy Supper as we receive His body and blood, given and shed for the forgiveness of our sins. It is the steadfast love of the Lord that comforts and encourages us through the reading, teaching, and hearing of His Word. Week after week, we “enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise” to receive God’s gracious gifts of Word and Sacrament. We might respond to a survey with a variety of answers about our reasons for worship, but each time we gather to worship in the presence of the Lord, we are there because of His steadfast love!
WE PRAY: Now and forever, Lord, accept my grateful praise for Your steadfast, enduring love. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler.
Reflection Questions: