Tickets Please

Having never served as an usher at such a major event, I felt a little trepidation as the doors swung open and I got my first glimpse of the surging mass of people about to push their way through. I was responsible for checking the tickets of these people as they pushed into the Gaither Family Fest - a 3 day concert of gospel music in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. There were expected to be somewhere between 6,000 and 8,000 in attendance, and as I surveyed the swarming crowd, it seemed they were all going to try and come through the door I was assigned to.

"Tickets, please," I said sweetly to the first to push through. And then I said it about 8,000 more times. "Tickets please." "Thank you." "Tickets please." "Thank you." "Tickets please." "Thank you."

Those in charge of the concert had made it clear, "Nobody may enter the concert hall without a ticket. You must check each time they enter, not just the first night. No ticket - no entry - no exceptions."

The first night, nobody had any problem with showing their tickets. Even when the little old ladies arrived with their tickets buried deep in bulging purses, and they had to struggle to find them while the crowd breathed impatiently behind them. Even when the man arrived trying to balance two tall decaf Cappucinos from Starbucks in one hand while delicately retrieving the tickets from his billfold with the other hand. Most people understood that in order to get in, they had to show their tickets.

The second night, the smiles were a little more fixed. "I showed it to you last night. Why do I have to show it again?" "No ticket, no entry - that's the policy. Please have your tickets available every time you want to enter the concert hall." One nice Christian lady put it succinctly when she angrily brushed past me and said, "I'm not going to dig it out again," and in a nice demonstration of unChristlike defiance, pushed past and into the room.

The last night, most had the routine down, and were smiling and waving their tickets as they walked past. Some still bucked the trend, though, and had to be stopped yet again and asked for their tickets.

But at least these had tickets - and even though there was that momentary delay as they fished around to produce them, they eventually made it in. And once in, they enjoyed the concert of a lifetime. Some, sadly, arrived at the door without a ticket, and there was no entry for them.

There is coming a day, you know, when you will die and stand at the doors of heaven. When asked for your ticket, will you have it? There is only one ticket that will get you in, and that's the ticket bought and paid for by Jesus Christ. Jesus described this scene when He said, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:21-23 KJV)

People trust all kinds of things to get them to heaven. There will be preachers who will miss out on heaven ("have we not prophesied in they name?"). There will be people who have worked hard in church work all their lives who will miss out on heaven ("and in thy name done many wonderful works?") Only those who are trusting in Jesus Christ, and His finished work will make it in.

"Tickets please." When you are called home, will you have your tickets?