The Door
There are times when things just don't seem fair, when the good we do seems to bring punishment upon us, while others who do bad go unpunished.
I reprove and discipline those whom I love. Be earnest, therefore, and repent. 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. To the one who conquers I will give a place with me on my throne, just as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. - Revelation 3:19-21
In today's reading from Revelation, we hear the message that Jesus is waiting for us to open the door for him to enter.
It is a reminder that he is always ready to answer our invitation, always present, always listening.
We have an Amazon Echo Dot in our home, a device that listens to us 24/7 and is always ready to answer when we ask questions or make requests. It responds to the name Alexa, but we can change that to any name we choose.
I wonder. If I change the name to Jesus, would I ask the same things I ask today?
Would I speak to Jesus more often, inquiring about the weather, playing a favorite tune, or asking it to tell me a joke?
Could the technology that gets us to speak aloud to a device help us to pray?
If we find ourselves getting comfortable speaking out when no one is there, why not talk to God?
Jesus is at the door waiting for us to let him in, to invite him to our table, as he invites us to his in church.
So, this is what I am going to do. Every time I think of talking to Alexa, I will take a moment to talk to Jesus.
It will seem odd at first. After all, what will I ask or say?
Perhaps that is the problem. We are so accustomed to asking God for intercessions in our lives when things go wrong, that we don't think of having a simple chat, asking for something less important, like the weather or a song.
If I wish to live with Jesus in my life, I should learn how to speak to him with the love of a family member.
So, Jesus, what's your favorite song? Shall we listen together?
More to come...