This week’s message reminded us that as Advent begins with hope, the surest way to keep hope alive is through thanksgiving. We looked at Psalm 100 and how, in the Old Testament, worshipers entered God’s presence through literal Temple gates with thanksgiving, crossing a threshold from the chaos of life into His peace. Under the New Covenant, Jesus Himself is the Gate and yet our hearts function as daily ‘gates’—places where we either welcome His already-present nearness or grow numb to it. Thanksgiving is the posture that opens the heart. We traced God’s glory, His goodness made visible, from Moses on Sinai, to Solomon’s Temple filled with glory when the people gave thanks, to Jesus who is the fullness of glory Himself. Gratitude makes room for this glory, softening our numbness and awakening us to His nearness. In contrast, Romans 1 shows ingratitude darkens the heart and closes the gate. So we ended with Paul’s call in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 18: to rejoice, pray, and give thanks in all circumstances, not as pretend positivity, but as an act of surrender that enthrones Jesus as King over the “gate” of our lives. Gratitude opens the gate; ingratitude closes it. Thanksgiving is how we make room for glory.