The Doors Were Locked for Fear

I wonder who invented The Door. Doors are universal to every culture I know of, and seem to be a basic piece of architectural design. The whole purpose of a Door is twofold: to keep the Good Stuff in, and to keep the Bad Stuff out. The value to those who hear these readings this weekend is to examine the Doors they’ve created internally for protection or exclusion or solitude. Is God deterred by human barriers? Are there monsters we’ve locked in the closet? What’s behind the Green Door?

During Eastertide, the Old Testament readings are pushed aside for those of the Acts of the Apostles. In the Fourth Chapter (vv.32-35) we read how the Apostles pooled their resources and held everything in common. (socialism!!) Now if they gave away all their treasures, then there was no reason to lock their doors, right? Sorta like the fella from PORGY AND BESS who sang “I got plenty o’ nuthin, and nuthin’s plenty for me…” There’s a raft of sermon material in this passage…

The Epistle is I John 1:1-2:2 which speaks of going Beyond the Doors to a living fellowship with God. Written later in the formative Christian years, the letter address the evident separation within the community of believers over whether Christ was indeed a human manifestation of God. Some had physically closed their doors to others; some had closed their mental doors to any possibility that God was bigger than their human comprehension. The text turns into a confusing (to me) diatribe against sin, which is seen as walking in darkness without the Light of the World. The writer affirms the humanity of Christ by allowing for the cleansing power of his blood.

And the Gospel is the ultimate story of John, 20:19-31, that of “Doubting” Thomas. In the confusion of Easter, the Disciples huddled together and the doors were locked for fear of the Temple authorities. But Jesus appeared in their midst, totally disregarding the locked door! There he empowered them to move beyond the door, each carrying the breath of the Holy Spirit. The Peace which Jesus brings must not languish behind closed doors–although the Church often clusters on the other side of the door from the market-place or the arena of justice.

Twenty centuries after this encounter, the Church is still particular about locking the door. Has “the neighborhood” changed from the earliest days? What are we protecting? or avoiding? Year by year congregations close for lack of interest, even though they sit in the middle of a hungry population. Seems to me that God’s Love cannot be locked behind a door–nor can we who claim his name.

In the process of unfolding, Horace Brown King

My wrestle with the scripture assigned to the upcoming weekend can be enjoined every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com