Doors and Gateways

Mdina City Gate, Malta by Paul Collings

Psalm 84:10

For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.

Where is your favourite place, the place where you feel complete and fully what God intended for you. Here the psalmist seems to be content to stand at the entrance to the house of the Lord. Threshold, it’s an interesting word, linked to the notion the threshing place at the entrance of the home. Elsewhere, other translations speak of door-keeping. 

Among the jobs of the Levites in Old Testament times, being keepers of the thresholds of the tent was one of the lowliest because you were not inside but outside of the holy temple. The closer you were to the Holy of Holies, the more important your job seemed to be.

In this psalm the contrast was between being outside at the edge of God's house and being inside the house of the wicked. King David the psalmist seemed to be talking about the lowly job of guarding at the entrance of God's house than enjoying the comfort of inside the house of the wicked.

We are back with the Christian Characteristic of Humility.

Here are three helpful quotes for today.

St Augustine - “If you plan to build a tall house of virtues, you must first lay deep foundations of humility.”

Francis de Sales - “Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.”

Dwight L. Mood - “A man can counterfeit love, he can counterfeit faith, he can counterfeit hope and all the other graces, but it is very difficult to counterfeit humility.”

Prayer

Thank you Father that You want me to be Your doorkeeper. Thank you for giving me access to Your Holy Presence 24/7. Give me Your grace and courage to carry Your presence to the world around me. Put people on my path daily that need to know more of Your presence and give me Your words and discernment as I minister Your presence to them. Amen.

Doors and Gateways

Open Doorway at Wells Cathedral Bishop’s Palace by Paul Collings

Revelation 3:8

‘I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

Jesus provides favourable conditions for serving him. In the face of adversaries, He gives opportunities to serve Him. The words “have set” literally mean given. Open doors are something that Jesus gives out of His grace. We do not earn or deserve the right to serve Him. Our opportunities for service are unadulterated gifts of grace from the Lord Jesus.

The word “open” is a verb and means a door that Jesus opened in the past with the result that the door still stands open.

A story is told of a mother whose daughter ran away and lived a wayward life. For a long time, no one knew where she was, but she finally came back, turned to Christ in repentance, and believed in Him. Someone asked the mother what she had done to bring her daughter back and she replied, “I prayed for her day and night.”

But that was not all.

She went on to say how she always left the front door unlocked, even at night. She didn’t want her daughter to come home in the middle of the night and find the door locked. And it just so happened that one night the girl came home, tried the door, found it open, and went in, never to go out  again.

That open door is a beautiful picture of God’s heart toward us. It’s open for us to come to Him!

Open our eyes Lord

I want to see Jesus

To reach out and touch Him

And say that i love Him

Open my ears Lord

And Help me to listen

Open my eyes Lord

I want to see Jesus

Amen

Doors and Gateways

The Old South Gate, Exeter by Paul Collings

Psalm 24:7

Lift up your heads, O gates,

And be lifted up, O ancient doors,

That the King of glory may come in!

On first reading this verse seems quite strange doesn’t - gates lifting the heads and doors that lifted up. We need to remember this is a poet’s interpretation found within a Temple hymn. In the period of this psalm, the Ark of the Covenant was deemed to focus and embody the presence of God among the people. On this occasion, the Ark of the Covenant is being returned to the temple.

When the Queen Elizabeth wishes to enter the city of London, through the Temple Bar, the gate is closed against her, and then the herald demands entrance. ‘Open the gate.’ From within a voice is heard, ‘Who is there?’ The herald answers, ‘The Queen of England!’ The gate is at once opened, and the king passes, amidst the joyful acclamations of his people.

This is what is happening in our psalm and the hymn continues 

Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
The LORD mighty in battle.

The question for us is how open are we to welcome the King of Glory?

Almighty God,
who sent your Holy Spirit
to be the life and light of your Church:
open our hearts to the riches of your grace,
that we may bring forth the fruit of the Spirit
in love and joy and peace;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Doors and Gateways

A Closed Door on Cathedral Yard, Exeter by Paul Collings

Matthew 25:1 And while the foolish bridesmaids were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut.

There are passages found within the gospel that are sometimes difficult to fully take on board due to their stark message. We might find ourselves shocked that in this parable the door was closed, and the foolish bridesmaids told, ‘I do not know you.’ Jesus is also the just judge who supports the weak but expects us to do our best.

Readiness, being alert, a sense of expectancy and hope, these are all things that Jesus tries to communicate through some of his parables. This gospel helps us to focus on the here and now. It helps us to learn to live totally in the present, to seek and find God there. If we can do that, then all the rest will take care of itself. Whether the Groom arrives early or late, it will not matter as he has been constantly part of my everyday life.

A Prayer

Let us try to renew our commitment to God and to building and growing our relationship with God through regular prayer and reflection. Most of our days are filled with routine duties required for life to continue with any sort of sanity. But if we take the time look closely, we might discover that God is using these normal activities to prepare us for future tasks, each duty pointing to His blessing in our lives.

Doors and Gateways

Malta Arched Entrance By Paul Collings

Matthew 24:33

Jesus said, "so, you too, when you see all these things, recognise that He is near, right at the door."

You've settled into your most comfortable chair for the evening, when the door bell rings and in exasperation you say, "who on earth can that be?" Today it is possible to see who is at your front door from your armchair by means of an electronic eye door bell.  In fact by the aid of the internet it is possible to see who is at your front door from the other end of the earth.

In this verse from Matthews Gospel, I wonder what are the things that we need to see? Jesus is talking about difficult times that will face his followers. Yet he is quite clear that in spite of whatever we may face he is near, in fact right at our door. Jesus is not asking us to stay awake all night, but to live in the present, so that we can recognise the Lord when he appears in our lives. He shows himself in the unrehearsed moments, the interruptions and accidents that can throw me off balance.

The words of Jesus are an encouragement not to be deterred in the face of challenge or opposition. The loving attentive care of God the Father extends even to the sparrows, and we are of more value than many sparrows.

Father God, you have created me in your image and likeness, every hair on my head you have counted. You know all my concerns and accompany me on all life’s journeys. Help me to recognise your supporting presence and not to be afraid for you are with me always.

Doors and Gateways

 Village Gateway, Malta by Paul Collings

John 10:7

So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the gate of the sheep.

When Jesus says he is the 'gate' of the sheepfold, his listeners will be aware that God is presented as a shepherd in the Old Testament- most famously, in Psalm 23. The ideal of a good, caring shepherd is even more vivid, when we are told that the custom was for the shepherd himself to sleep crouched at the entrance of the sheepfold- in other words, the watchful shepherd was, literally, the 'gate'. We should also note that is is Jesus the Good Shepherd who calls us in and sends us our of his fold. We are also told that the sheep of his flock know and hear is voice, the voice of divine humility.

John Wesley once said, “Humility and patience are the surest proofs of the increase of love.”

Someone said that there is a church in Palestine where the door is so low that one must stoop to enter. This was to prevent medieval raiders from riding their horses into the church to disrupt the service. The door is called, "The Humility Gate." The way into God’s presence is often through the Humility Gate.

Lord, let me hear your voice, so that I may open the gate of my heart for you. Draw me to the pathways of life. May others then see me as a safe gateway leading to abundant life. Amen

Doors and Gateways

 

Chapel of St John the Evangelist, ZURRIEQ Malta by Paul Collings

Acts 5:19

But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the gates of the prison, and taking them out he said,  20 “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all about this new life.”

We are all familiar with the saying, "when one door closes and another opens" it is also said to  mean that if one thing you do fails, you will soon have an opportunity to try to succeed at something else. This expression is often used to encourage someone to keep trying after they have had a disappointment or failure.

No doubt, Peter felt a little like this as he found himself in prison. It was from this episode in Acts that Charles Wesley penned the verse.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,

Fast bound in sin and nature's night

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light

My chains fell off, my heart was free

I rose, went forth, and followed Thee

The Christian life is one of renewal. God is all about moving forwards, upwards, and making things better. After all, that’s why He sent Jesus – so that we could have a renewed life. No matter what has happened in your life – a tragedy in your childhood, or just a clumsy mistake yesterday – God says that you can begin again.

Prayer

Loving Lord of new beginnings, I give you all my cares and concerns to you.

I know you are my Heavenly Father who can provide me with everything I need. You know my needs before I even ask you for them.

Thank you, Lord, for opening the door to new beginnings and for your unwavering provision. I trust that your peace will watch over me as I step into a new beginning.

May I rely on the riches of your love and grace to provide for my physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.