By Larry Stover
The Selma Times-Journal

Easter week is a time for Christians around the world to celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is a busy week in the life and ministry of our Lord. It begins with the Palm Sunday parade and continues with the cleansing of the Temple. Some of the greatest teachings of the Savior take place during this Holy week. We encounter the Last Supper as Jesus ushers in the “New Covenant.” A prayer meeting in Gethsemane precludes His arrest, crucifixion on the cross, and finally His resurrection on Easter Sunday.

One event of holy week that is often overshadowed by more important issues is the” cleansing of the Temple.” Jesus makes a whip and drives the money changers and those selling potential sacrificial animals from the Temple courts. His statement to them was, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers” (Matthew 21:13).

The Temple was a very sacred place. It was established and ordained by God to be His dwelling place. Not only was it a place for the people to worship, it was a place for them to enter into fellowship with the almighty on a daily but especially a weekly basis. On special days throughout the year, people gathered from across the region to celebrate the many feasts and activities that adorn the Jewish calendar. It was the role of the high priest to lead the people in worship.

The temple was not just another building. It was the “House of God.”  People were expected to be there. Very few reasons could be given not to attend worship on the Sabbath.

There was a spirit of anticipation as worshippers came to celebrate the blessings and faithfulness of an omnipotent God.

American Christians could learn a lot from our Judeo-Christian past.   What if we began to think about our own churches in a similar manner that our Jewish forefathers did of the original Temple?

I never see my church building as just another structure. When it was built in 2007, it was always seen as the “House of God.” Every hour of construction was dedicated to a time when we would gather to worship the Almighty.

Excuses to stay home from church are never entertained in my thinking. There is no place I would want to be on a Sunday morning that is any more important than being in the church to worship God. It is a time to celebrate blessings and faithfulness of an omnipotent God.

It is an awesome time for the family of God to join together in the celebration. It is a very special and scared time for all of God’s people to come together to honor God and celebrate the savior of the world.

No matter how hard we try, this celebration cannot be duplicated at the beach, in the mountains, at the park or campground, in the woods, or at the mall.

I want to encourage everyone who reads this column to think differently about the “House of God” you attend every week. During this holy week with its added activities, spending time with the people of God will make life “Simply Beautiful.”