A door no one can shut

Rev. 3:7-13

7 ‘And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write:

These are the words of the holy one, the true one,
    who has the key of David,
    who opens and no one will shut,
        who shuts and no one opens:

8 ‘I know your works. Look, 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. 9 I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but are lying—I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. 11 I am coming soon; hold fast to what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 If you conquer, I will make you a pillar in the temple of my God; you will never go out of it. I will write on you the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem that comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

Philadelphia (in Turkey, not Pennsylvania) was in an earthquake zone, buildings got knocked down, doors wouldn’t open because of the rubble on the other side, other doors would not close because the door frames had shifted, and the doors no longer fit. But Jesus opens closed doors so that they can never be closed again, and Jesus closes doors so that they remain shut and the dangers on the other side of the door remain shut out.

Jesus had opened a door for the church in Philadelphia – a door that will never be shut.

This is the door to relationship with God, Jesus opened the door so that the Christian community in Philadelphia could know with certainty that God is with them. Though they “have but little power” (vs. 8), and vs. 9 seems to imply they have faced some persecution, even though things are difficult for the Christian community in Philadelphia, Jesus has opened the door to a whole relationship with God.   

We may often feel like we are weak, having little strength. At times it feels like the church in Canada is unimportant and ignored – and worse. But Jesus has opened a door for us to be in relationship with God. Even if everything feels like it is lost, and we have little or no place – the promise is that God sees and God knows and that Jesus holds the door open for us to be in relationship with God the Father – regardless of what “earthquakes” are taking place around us. Testing may come, but the door to God is always open. 

PRAYER:

We rejoice, O Lord, that you have opened a door that can never be shut, a door of connection with you. We thank you for the blessing and strength we receive from you through the door that Jesus Christ has opened. In his name, we pray. Amen.