Open the doors!

"In the first year of Hezekiah's reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the LORD and repaired them."

(2 Chronicles 29:3)

If God had a Facebook account, the books of I/II Kings and I/II Chronicles would be the records of his "likes" and dislikes. And they'd largely be connected to the kings of Israel and Judah. Actually, there would be way more dislikes than likes. The vast majority of kings were not favored by God because they didn't seek to follow the LORD.

But there were a few exceptions. Hezekiah was one of them. In the books of I/II Chronicles, only David & Solomon get more "press" than Hezekiah. Who was he? He was 25 years old when he became king (and reigned for 29 years). His mom was Abijah. And the Chronicler tells us, 'He did what was right in the sight of the LORD, just as his ancestor David had done.' (v.2)

The first action we're told that Hezekiah took as king was to "open the doors of the house of the LORD" and to repair them. Now, I'm an Annual Passholder at Disneyland, and I know that buildings, rides & attractions occasionally need to be closed for routine maintenance and upkeep... but this isn't that. Later on (verses 7 ff.) we're told that previous generations had closed the doors to the temple and neglected worship. Wow.

Worship is the heart of faith - especially in Christianity. It's one thing to choose to stop going to worship... but it's another thing altogether to make that choice for someone else. And by closing the doors, they weren't just moving some wood from one position to another. They were keeping people out of God's house and away from connecting with the LORD, the only way that was available back in the day. So Hezekiah intentionally opened AND repaired the doors. That's awesome.

I wonder, however, if we're also guilty of "closing the doors" of our churches (or faith!) to others? Do we, by our words or actions, keep others away from the House of God? Do our narrow-minded rules and regulations for who's "in" and who's "out" break God's heart? How can we repair the damage done for decades to all who are made in God's image? Gay or straight... male or female... local or outsider... able-bodied or otherwise... young or old... rich or poor...? The church has a less-than-stellar track record on inclusivity.

May it not continue. Open the doors!!!