The Doorway of Hope

28. November 2007 by BruceSmith.

October 31, 1517—The Door at Wittenberg: 95 Theses

The setting in which this historic moment of protest occurred was one in which the organized church had become a domineering and self-serving institution directed by men in “official office”. Luther had been one of those officers and had, over time, become more and more unsettled by the trappings of the office and the guilt-laden practices of the church.

Luther was a reluctant protester, but ultimately decided he must choose a relationship with the Christ of the cross over traditions handed down by men. He recognized that for men and women to be compelled to walk through the doors of the church those doors must offer life, freedom, hope– not penalty, penance and guilt. The door to God as Luther viewed it was not one of religious hoops that church goers must jump through. Rather, the door to life in Luther’s view was a compelling one, one that people run to for hope and freedom, light, beauty, and truth.

The big questions that come from the door at Wittenberg are many. Some follow.

Is our ability to know God, to be known by Him, and our ability to stand right before Him dependent upon the institution of the Church? Or rather, is our ability to know Him dependent upon God’s grace to us extended to us once and for all by Him on the cross in the person of Christ?

Is the final word about how we relate to God found in scripture where everyone can read and understand? Or is the final word about how we relate to God handed down from a man standing behind a pulpit or propped up in some official seat in the church?

Is the life of the church confined to the religious ceremony we participate in once a week or on special church holidays? Or, rather, is the life of the church contained in individual hearts of the people who make up the church and live the lessons of God’s word in everyday life?

Is the activity of the church to be stayed and cold and anchored in practices that are hundreds or even thousands of years old or should church worship be compelling to us in our time and meet us in our place, in our day, in ways that we find engaging, meaningful, vibrant, creative, artistic, and even exciting?

Each of these questions can be viewed as doors of choice. These doors, once walked through, determine the rooms in which we live. Choose the right door and the views are life giving, full of grace, love, compassion, joy, excitement, journey. Choose the wrong door and you find ritual, boredom, irrelevance, and little that is compelling.

There is one door through which we must all walk, Jesus said. The door of knowing Him in a personal way, on a daily basis.

John 10, tells us “I am the good shepherd . . .and I lay down my life for the sheep.” “I am the gate for the sheep,” declares Jesus. “Whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.”

In an essay by C.S. Lewis about the Chronicles of Narnia and The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe, Lewis writes, “At present we are on the outside of the world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of the morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendours we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumor that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in.”

Luther’s door at Wittenberg, and indeed, the Christmas season stand as majestic doorways . Christmas, the season of Light, is the doorway which calls us to consider the significance of an amazing life lived some 2,000 years ago. That life, unlike all others, is the doorway to life to the full. In that manager we sing about, underneath that starry sky, in that stable, this life opens eternity to all that enter in.

As you travel, shop, dine, and party this season, take note of the doors you walk through. Remember, as you cross the thresholds, that Christmas is the season that leads you into a room with the grandest of views. And as you go about your celebrations live in such a way that others are able to view your life as a call to enter in to the life God has called them to. And as you walk through the doorways of the Church to worship the Christ Child remember that the lights, candles, wreaths, architecture, ceremonies, and festivals are a glimpse of the staggering glory fully revealed in the nature of that “sweet little baby Jesus born” long ago. He lives still, and He is the doorway through which we must walk if we are to know the kind of life we were meant to live.

Wherever you have found yourself this year, no matter the rooms you have entered, no matter the doors you have walked through, you can still walk toward Him. Some have walked away from the Light of God and found themselves in dark rooms filled with tragedy and pain. Some have placed themselves in rooms where they never should have ventured. Others have closed doors which they should have left open. Still others have shut, locked, and boarded the doors of their hearts. Christmas is the call to embrace a new day, a new door, a new start. He is the God of another chance. He is the doorway to healing, forgiveness, cleansing, release, and restoration. He is the doorway to the holiday of the Soul.
Behold, He stands at the door of your heart and knocks. Let Him in.

Bruce Smith

optimuslife.com

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