Listen, I stand at the door and knock

Beloved in the Lord,

Trinity Church is greatly blessed by the work of glass artist Rachel Barnyak, who designed our beautiful stained glass that hangs above the chancel. Her work was inspired by the famous painting called, The Light of the World, by William Holman Hunt. Painted in the 1850’s, this piece is the artist’s reflection on Revelation 3.20: Listen, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

This line is taken from Jesus’ message to the church in Laodicea. This message starts with a stern rebuke of the Christians in Laodicea. Unfortunately, they had become wedded to cultural attitudes, instead of Christian ones. They believed in their own self sufficiency, they reveled in their wealth and were prideful.

Jesus tells them: “¹⁷ For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”  True wealth only comes from Jesus, and looks nothing like the wealth of the world. Whether spiritual or material,  true wealth is marked by generosity, humility, and gratitude to God. Jesus warns the church to check its attitudes-are they worldly or godly?

After this stinging criticism, Jesus is quick to remind the church in Laodicea that he loves them: ¹⁹ Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent. ²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 

Jesus is not rejecting the church in Laodicea. He is calling out their sin because he loves them and wants what is best for them. Even when they have shut him out of their lives with their prideful self sufficiency, he is waiting at the door. He knocks, waiting for them to open the door so he can come in, and share a meal together. This is a picture of loving intimacy, of familial sharing, of joy and hospitality. This is not a scene of punishment or shame.

The rendering of this quote from Revelation, hanging above our Lord’s table at Trinity Church, is meant to remind each one of us that our Savior and Lord waits patiently at the door to our heart. When we slam the door, and separate ourselves with pride or sin, he knocks gently and waits for us to open the door. When we are ashamed of our filthy sin, and embarrassed to let him see it, he asks to be let in. He is not horrified by the mess, he wants to sit down and have a meal with us. When we feel alone he tells us: Listen! I am here! I am knocking! This image is meant to remind us of the promise Jesus gave us: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  But if we remember the wider context of the quote, it is also a call to us to be zealous for God, and repent of our sin.

All of this is good news. Jesus tells us to do this because he loves us. We also know that when we repent, our sins are surely forgiven because of the sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. So beloved in the Lord, humble your selves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. Open the door of your heart to the Lord, for he is gentle and lowly in heart, and will give rest to your soul. Alleluia!

Grace and peace,

Tracey+