Knocking at your door

Listen! I am standing at the door, knocking; if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to you and eat with you, and you with me. –Revelation 3:20

When I was a kid, for some reason, a fright frequently came over me when someone called or knocked on the door. I was always busy doing something else: reading a book, or browsing the internet, or playing a game. And then, suddenly, the phone rang from the kitchen (oh, the days of landlines), or the doorbell sounded throughout the house. Whatever it was I was doing stopped, even if just for a moment. Something more urgent beckoned.

Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding!

A voice cries out in the wilderness!

For us, Advent is often like that unexpected sound, jolting us out of our reverie. Just when we’re in the midst of our lives, doing something else—taking care of our work or families, our chores or play—the prophets interrupt us to remind us to listen closely. They shake us from our slumber and remind us that “salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers” (Rom. 13:11).

We’re in the last stretch of this season of Advent, getting ready to celebrate the first coming of our Lord at Christmas. But above and beyond the church year, the Scriptures call us to prepare for eternity—to repent, to pray, to listen, to look to the One who was, and who is, and who is to come.

For now, the prophets and apostles call out to us, seeking to prepare the way of the Lord. But soon, the One to whom they bear witness, he himself will come, as a child in a manger and as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, knocking on the door of our hearts.

When Jesus comes knocking, will we have ears to hear him calling? When Jesus comes knocking, will we open the door?

Post by Armando Ghinaglia

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