“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel,” (which means ‘God with us’). (Matthew 1:23)
Doors are sometimes fascinating to explore and were certainly made popular on the game show “Let’s Make a Deal” where contestants frequently got to choose from three blind-panel doors, at least one of them containing a nice prize. Behind the other doors there were often surprises encompassing less desirable items. This past Christmas season, I have enjoyed watching the reaction of people who were shopping as I would courteously hold the store entrance door open for them. It’s always interesting to see who expresses appreciation. While it is not unusual for an older person to pause to say ‘thank you,’ sometimes a person younger than myself smiles and nods as if to say, “I should be holding the door for you.” On one occasion as I was leaving a store, I held the door open for a lady who appeared to have her hands full. She passed through and so did at least four children, none of them offering to give me as much as the time of day while I delayed in their behalf. Oh well, my purpose was to express a caring attitude toward others, and I must admit – it has also become a bit of a social experiment as well.
I have personally used the analogy of a door in many situations. An frequent example I can recall is when someone asks me if they should go for a job interview. I often say: “Why not walk through the door? If the interview doesn’t go well, then you will probably forfeit the opportunity, and the door will close. However, if you are offered the position – then you have the choice to close the door by refusing the job, or you can pass through it again to accept.” In other words, what does one really have to lose in a situation like that? If it was a different set of circumstances like a marriage which required a binding commitment, I’m sure my advice would not be quite so relaxed.
Jesus said, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9). He is making it clear that the path to eternal life is His alone. He is the way, the only door to salvation, enabling us to live without fear and remorse. He uses the familiar imagery of a shepherd guarding the entrance to a pen in the countryside or at a public sheepfold in a town where the flock would be herded at night for protection. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of stranger” (John 10:1-11).
As we leave yet another Christmas and begin the New Year, our world does not offer much optimism and harmony. We have every right to sometimes be afraid. Then somewhere along our path – we remember a stable in Bethlehem where God sent His son Jesus, who the prophet Isaiah referred to as Immanuel, meaning “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14). That, my friends, is the purpose of Christmas. Jesus came to offer hope and peace to a world which might otherwise serve to destroy us. He gave us the gift of protection, so that we might come to know Him for all of eternity. “I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name” (Revelation 3:8). As Christ fulfilled the will of God, so do we who journey with Him through faith. Like the sheep guarded by the shepherd, we can be certain that we are secure in all His purposes and plans as we turn the calendar for another New Year. He stands at the door and knocks (Revelation 3:20). Will you answer?
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