Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; (Psalm 84:10)

I sang that song for years. It was one of my favorites. “Better is one day in your courts…than a thousand elsewhere…”

I didn’t know it was a hymn of praise for the Sons of Korah (priests) as they served the Lord in the Temple. I didn’t know it was as song written 3,000 years ago. And I didn’t t know it was a song from the Third Book of Psalms. All I knew was that contemporary worship song connected me to a greater truth—that all I wanted to do was sing that song in God’s presence all of my days. When I gathered with hundreds of others to sing that song during worship, I knew what heaven would be like for me as I gathered with the faithful to sing, praise and honor God. It would be extraordinary.

As I was preparing for the message for Mark 5, I realized something I hadn’t known before. Something that had not even entered my mind. I didn’t know that what I read from Mark 4:1-5:43 happened all in one day. One day? One day Jesus began to teach by the lakeshore, he taught in parables as a way of revelation which revealed the Kingdom of God. After teaching, Jesus invited the disciples to go to the other side. On the way, Jesus and disciples faced a challenging storm. Jesus rebuked the storm. Interesting. I thought Jesus rebuked demons. Oh…on the way to an extraordinary display of Jesus’ power in the Gentile region, they had to go through the storm designed to waylay them from fulfilling their true calling—which would be the revelation of Jesus to both Gentile and Jew. All of it happened during one day.

I think we sometimes get the idea that Jesus’ experiences were parceled out as one per day—like a vitamin or medication or your favorite cheese cake. Timelines are strange and often hard to follow with regards to Jesus and his ministry. This extravagant display of holy power happened all in one day. It was an extraordinary day. Well, then I started to think about all the other days. Were there ordinary days…ordinary days with Jesus? What would that have been like? Did only the extraordinary days get included in Mark’s gospel? Two whole chapters were dedicated to one day. And then the song began to play over and over in my mind: “Better is one day…than a thousand elsewhere.”

Jesus’ ministry lasted three years. Scholars disagree as to whether or not Jesus’ ministry lasted one year or three. But, for today, since neither of us are biblical scholars, let’s agree Jesus’ ministry lasted three years or about a thousand days. I would spend one extraordinary day with Jesus than spend a thousand anywhere else. And yet, there were ordinary days with Jesus while he was discipling and teaching and raising people from the dead. There were ordinary days for Jesus just like there are ordinary days for you and for me. Not every day is extraordinary. There are waaaaaay more ordinary days when the grind of faith is being developed within us and preparing us for one of those extraordinary ones of which only God knows their timing.

We tend to look for, expect or remember the extraordinary events or experiences in our lives because they are so contradictory to the hum drum of our ordinary lives. There is always the fifty-five year old guy who tells the story of scoring the winning touchdown his senior year of high school. There is always the gal who remembers what she looked like in that outfit or gown or dress when she was at her best. It’s all right to remember the extraordinary. It is even biblical to do so! Praise God for the ‘one day in the courts of the Lord!’ But, consider a practice that will build your confidence and raise your assurance that Jesus is Lord over the extraordinary and the ordinary. Praise God for the smallest most insignificant occurrence and see how your faith develops. Recognize the intimacy of God in the wind, rain drops or child’s giggle. Don’t forget that the same Jesus who rebuked the wind and waves, drove a legion of demons into the pigs, healed a woman of her struggle with disease and then raised a twelve year old girl from the dead is the same Jesus who is closer to you now… than the air you breathe. He’s with you in your ordinary life even now as you read this blog.

The same Jesus who did so much in one day….not only in the Galilee but at Calvary…did so to redeem all our days…ordinary and extraordinary so that we might spend them all with him in paradise. I don’t know about you…but that sounds extraordinary to me.

See you Sunday.

Jen

“Don’t be afraid, just believe.” (Mark 5:36b)