knock, knock.......

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; those who seek find; and to those who knock, the door will be opened."

This passage has really been come alive for me these last couple of weeks.

I was thinking about the different levels of attempting to obtain something and how they relate to comfort levels. For instance, you can ask for something from any comfort you so choose. You don't even have to get up and out of your chair, that's why they invented the iPhone 3G :) . You can also ask for something in an impersonal, anonymous way. No one else has to know about what you are trying to obtain or how really important this is to you.

Seeking is a little more intentional. It implies a little more sense of urgency than simply just "asking" for something. Yet I think this could still be done comfortably and, if you really wanted to, without anyone knowing what you're seeking for or disclosing how urgent the matter really is or how you really feel about it.

Knocking on someone's door however? Now that's a personal, all-up-in-someone-else's-face kinda thing- it's full disclosure. That is unless you like to go knocking on folk's door wearing a ski mask while attempting to disguise your voice (I don't recommend this btw, especially at night). There's not much comfort here. You got to get up and go to be able to do this. It’s an act of letting your guard down and letting others see what you are really in of. It’s being willing to forgo comfort for the sake what you are wanting to obtain.

What does this say about our lives as worshippers? I had this thought that maybe it’s that we can be as comfortable as we choose to be. After all, worship does not depend on us. When we worship we are participating in Christ’s worship of the Father that’s already and ever will be “in progress.” So we can’t make worship “become” worship even more than it already is. Yet there is just something about this knocking business, something about not letting ourselves approach our participation as worshippers in a comfortable and casual sort of fashion that just seems richer. There is also something about letting our guard (pride, religiousness, tradition, etc) down, and allowing a full disclosure of ourselves before God and the people of God in worship that just seems like its what we were meant to do, it is certainly something Jesus does.

Another thing, Jesus says “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” I had this thought that this works the other way around too. In other words, when we choose to knock on the Father’s door and not simply approach Him in an impersonal or anonymous way when we gather to worship, He’s more than glad to open up the door for us his children and invite is in to feast with him. His Son has already provided the meal and the table has already been prepared (by the power of the Holy Spirit) =). It’s the perfect fellowship-the Father, the Son (with us!!), and the Holy Spirit. It’s certainly a great place to be. And all it takes its a knock. So, I say lets knock-and knock with confidence....