Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me.
It comes as no surprise to anyone who’s accompanied me on this walk through Scripture. I struggle through Revelation. All this talk of seas of glass, and sheep with seven horns. I see these things as described which is entirely unhelpful. And because the narrative is nearly inaccessible to me, I dismiss the narrator.
I’m grateful for the accompanying reflections in this study, as they provide me with a new way to think about the readings. This morning’s reflection asks when have I heard Jesus standing at the door knocking. When have I heard Jesus’ voice and opened the door. When has Jesus entered and eaten? When have I?
Because I have dismissed the narrator of these stories, I was struck that the reflection suggested it was Jesus. Granted, it’s Jesus through John’s unique view of the world. I shouldn’t be surprised. But there you go.
Jesus saying, I’m standing at the door knocking. Open it up, and I’ll join you. Wow. I get flashes of this notion in the oddest times. Sometimes it’s when I’m serving at church, and something strikes me new. Sometimes it’s a particularly poignant song. Sometimes it’s when I’m praying and writing. Frequently it’s when I’m out in the world with the broken.
But like my reading of Revelation, it’s too easy to dismiss the narrator of the scene. If I find something that isn’t consistent with my world view or my understanding, I can dismiss the scene. What a loss! Just like my previous dismissal of Revelation, I’ve probably dismissed Jesus’ knocking because I didn’t understand or didn’t like the scene.
I can think of situations in my home and in my community where Jesus was probably knocking for a long time, and I didn’t hear – or refused to hear – because I didn’t understand or didn’t agree with scenario. Whether it’s my loved one, or particularly snarly church members, or a complex street scene, there are plenty of times when I’ve obstinately not listened to the knocking.
This morning, I’m thinking about how to remain open to the scenes and people around me, without disregarding some because I don’t understand or don’t appreciate. I’m thinking about how many times Jesus has been knocking and I ignored it. What a missed opportunity to share a meal with Jesus!
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