Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you with me. To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
~ Revelation 3:20-22 (NRSVUE)
Knock, knock. Who’s there? Tank. Tank who? You’re welcome.
Knock, knock. Who’s there? Knock, knock. Who’s there? Knock, knock. Who’s
there? Orange. Orange who? Orange you going to let me in?
Friends, I often wonder, when we go back out into the world after worship is over, do we remember the message we heard? Are we still inspired by the time we spent singing and praying and praising God together? And do we remember the people around us, the ones we worshipped with?
Knock, knock. Who’s there? Oh no, you forgot me already!
Okay, enough of the knock-knock jokes! Folks, today’s scripture reading comes from near the beginning of the Book of Revelation when John is writing letters from God to seven different churches. Now these letters are written to real people. As he was writing, I’m sure he was thinking of individual people he had met and ministered to, like Jim, or Pat, or Genny, or Josh, or Vivianne, or Cyndy, or Michelle, or Janice.
Now, one of the churches, the church of Laodicea, was doing a great job taking care of themselves. They had plenty of money and lots of volunteers. The church was fully self-sufficient. They were doing wonderful things for their community. And they were proud of themselves and the work they were doing. Sometimes, they could even be heard around town saying, “We’ve been doing a great job, and we’ve really got our stuff together.”
But one day, John told them a story–a story about Jesus standing outside of a door knocking. Now, because they had it all together, they were sure that the door Jesus was knocking on was the door of an unchurched unbeliever, someone who didn’t know Jesus and wasn’t following in his footsteps like they were.
Now, many people, when they see the picture on our bulletin cover today, a picture of Jesus knocking at a door, assume that, like the Jehovah’s Witness or other evangelical Christians, Jesus is trying to encourage and convert the unbelievers to follow him. But in the book of Revelation, Jesus is NOT knocking on the door of a stranger. No, Jesus is knocking on the door of a church, saying, “Friends, folks, followers, church, Christians, don’t forget about me!”
You see, the church had worked hard to become self-sufficient. They worked hard to run like a well-oiled machine, as they say. They were proud of themselves, and they weren’t in jeopardy of closing like all those other churches. That is not a bad thing, but in working hard to sustain and strengthen themselves, they had turned all their focus and their energy toward the business of the church, the accomplishments of their leaders, and the success of their community events, and in so doing, they forgot about Jesus.
Folks, all that Jesus wanted was a relationship with the church and with all the individuals in it, like Ellen, and Janice, and Carolyn, and Ed, and Tom, and Sue, and Sandy. But Jesus knew that they were busy. He knew that they were working hard on other things. And he knew that though relationships need to be fostered, they can never be forced. Sure, he could break down the door and march his way in. Or gently open the door and sneak in. But Jesus knew the importance of inviting someone in. He knew that it was a holy and sacred act. The people had to invite Jesus in. Though it was his church, it would never make strides forward if he used his authority and pushed his way in.
To be honest, sometimes the same is true for us as a church and as individuals here in Oldtown because we like to do things our own way. We like to be in control of what happens, and we like to be comfortable. Folks, you may or may not be aware of this, but Jesus is knocking at our door, and we need to let him in. But–and there is always a “but,” isn’t there?–we have to realize that when we invite Jesus into our church and into our lives, everything changes! The control we wield and the self-sufficiency that we are so proud of sometimes go out the window. Because rather than believing in ourselves and our ability to take care of everything, we need to start putting our faith and trust in Jesus. Folks, as human beings, we don’t always like change or giving up our control. That’s why, sometimes, it feels easier and safer to just not open the door.
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, as we go out into our busy week ahead, what’s our next step? Will we invite Jesus in, even if things might change? Or will we keep the focus on ourselves and simply hope that we can keep our doors open and keep making ends meet?
Friends, in just a moment, Jesus is going to invite us to the Table. And that invitation comes without strings or judgment or expectation. It simply comes out of a sense of unconditional love. So I think today, as we gather at the table and share the bread and cup, it’s time for us to truly think about and remember why we’re here.
Knock, Knock. Who’s there? Jesus. Jesus who? Jesus, the one who loves you no matter what, more than you will ever know. So, let’s open the door and let him in!
My friends, may it be so. Thanks be to God, Amen!
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