08/09/2026
“One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.” ~ Luke 23:39-46 ESV
There’s a song that I listen to frequently called “Sinner’s Prayer”. There is a line in the song that says “I am a sinner. Hold my prayers up to the sun. I am a sinner. Heaven’s closed for what I’ve done.” Now obviously this isn’t Christian worship music. But it serves as a stark reminder of what we as Christians have that many other religions do not have. Hope.
Let’s go back to where Luke describes Jesus’ death. There is a line about the curtain of the temple being torn in two. Matthew and Mark make the same statement. In Jesus time there was a temple in Jerusalem. The temple actually. Build by King David’s son, King Solomon, an ancestor of Jesus. In that temple there was a curtain and behind that curtain was the holy of holies. And if you went behind that curtain at the wrong time or weren’t clean and righteous, you would die. It was that simple. But when Jesus died and the curtain tore, it gave every one of us direct and personal access to God.
Now I’m going to continue listening to that song. I like the band and I like the singer’s voice. But more than that, every time I hear those lyrics, it reminds me that I still have work to do. There are people out there who believe that heaven is closed. But it’s not. It’s wide open. It was open for the criminal on the cross next to Jesus. It’s open for anyone who believes. Why would we allow anyone to think otherwise?
Drive thru is open 8:00-1:00. Have a blessed Sunday!
