Letting the Shekinah Glory enter

Inicles 7:2 it says, "The priests could not enter into the house of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled the Lord’s house." This happened after Solomon had dedicated the tem

The other week, I was installing a huge window in the front of the new auditorium extension that was being added to a church on Bristol Road. The opening had previously been cover by a thick translucent sheet of plastic. When we finally got the window completed, the workers pulled down the plastic sheet and the light streamed in. Jim, the general contractor, exclaimed to his workers, "Men this is the day we have been waiting for-- the chance to see what this big window is going to look like!"

I said, "This is not a window! It is the entrance for the Shekinah Glory!"

The workmen looked puzzled, but Jim quickly informed them that the Shekinah Glory is the glory of the Lord as He entered Solomon's Temple. I was quite impressed that this fine man would know that so readily. I was not aware of what kind of religious background he might have had. So I went out to the truck and got out a CrossPuzzle and gave it to him.

"Here is a prize for you," I said presenting him with the puzzle. "You won it for knowing what the Shekinah Glory is!"

I explained to him that it is a puzzle that you can't get apart by your own efforts; a statement that always has the hearer raising their eyebrows as if to accept the challenge. But I went on to explain that there is a seal in the instruction sheet that you can break once you become frustrated with trying to get it apart. The instructions inside will provide the keys to opening it.

"Oh yeah," Jim replied doubtfully. "And does it also include the plan of salvation?"

"As a matter of fact, it does!" I answered. "That is how you get the puzzle apart; by following the plan of salvation!"

I considered the conversation to be another opportunity to plant a few spiritual seeds in the midst of the barren, yet fertile landscape of the construction industry. It is interesting that God has put me into the glazing industry whose primary purpose it is to turn holes-in-the-wall into entrances of light! Just as such a large percentage of the Gospel story is not told in the synagogue, but on the street between Sabbaths, I am glad I have the opportunity to make those happy moments between church services, times that I can share the good news and allow the entrance of the Shekinah Glory into my daily life. Or, as a book that I'm rather familiar with refers to these moments -- experiencing Explosions of Joy!