Open that door
Like me, many of you have been curious about the red door that found a home next to the gazebo at Glasgow Square. I had no clue as to what it was about, but curiosity led to a plausible theory in my mind.
The reason for these doors that seem to be popping up everywhere, was revealed this week, just as the movement intended to pique interest, was launched. An invitation to care about the “Open Doors, Open Minds” antibullying initiative by the school board has been explained. Mystery solved.
My speculation though, was something a little different. When the door first appeared it seemed to me to be positioned so that the front door view would blow you away. I was reminded that we walk past ordinary beautiful things every day, taking them for granted. Opening our minds like we open the front door, seeking something, anticipating the view, or the person on the other side, we might more readily appreciate the things we already have. We think we know all about what our community holds, but there are many things still undiscovered, as close as our front door.
Seeing the beauty that surrounds us, as if for the first time, allows us to imagine fresh possibilities.
“Open doors” are a sign of hospitality and welcome. Can you remember a time when you arrived to visit a relative or friend and they stood in the open door, arms extended toward you, so that you would instantly know your arrival had been warmly awaited?
Like schools, churches are working hard to overcome the idea that they exist for one group of people; that you have to be a certain way to belong. Before we worried about vandalism, church doors were always open. Sanctuaries were meant to invite people into a spiritual space. Yet, some folks were still meant to feel unworthy. Though our buildings are now more secure, the idea of radical hospitality has never been as important. Opening that door is the first step to feeling that welcome.
As a church leader, I would invite you to not only imagine what happens behind the door, what undiscovered mystery awaits, but invite you to open the door. Possibly, the doors you drive past every day open to a world of beauty and opportunity, community and belonging. Possibly, what is on the other side of that door is not what you imagined. Not judgement or reprimand, but unconditional love, generosity and abundant hope. That is at the heart of the Christian message.
In a time when we are exposed daily to stories of violence and hate, fear and oppression, we might want to open a door to love. It could seriously be what saves us, individually and communally. If the message of Jesus means anything, it must mean that all are welcome. To be welcomed is to open the door to belonging, and that is a way into faith for today!