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WE PRAY

O Lord Jesus Christ, who at your first coming sent your messenger to prepare your way before you: Grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready your way by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in your sight; for you are alive and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

WE READ

Today’s text from Revelation and Matthew inspired one of America ’s most iconic paintings, Christ at Heart ’s Door by Warner Sallman. You may recognize it: Jesus stands gently at a wooden door, hand raised to knock. The door has no handle on the outside, suggesting it must be opened from within. I think Sallman ’s painting hangs (or did at one point) in most evangelical churches in America. The image is a fitting illustration for today ’s texts, which, for the most part, deal with the promise of God’s coming in glory to judge and to restore.
As you read today ’s texts, focus on the King ’s coming and his desire to remain with us. The story of God dwelling among us is as old as creation itself. From the beginning, God intended us to live in an unbroken relationship with our Creator.

In many ways, the entire arc of Scripture bends toward the Triune God making a home among us. Today ’s readings draw us into that hope: the promise not only that Christ will return in glory, but that he seeks communion with us even now.

What Warner Sallman ’s painting captures is the way God comes to us through Jesus. Jesus isn’t kicking the door in, nor is he smashing through a window. He’s patiently and expectantly knocking, hoping that we ’ll answer the door, invite him in, so we can share a meal together. What Jesus expects to find behind the door is not just the individual heart, but the heart of the entirety of Christ’s church. So, we’re called to wait expectantly, listening for Jesus to knock on the door so that we might dine with him now and in the age to come.

Psalm 45

1 A marvelous word has stirred my heart
as I mention my works to the king.
My tongue is the pen
of a skillful scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of men;
grace has been poured out on your lips.
No wonder God has blessed
you forever!
3 Strap on your sword, great warrior,
with your glory and grandeur.
4 Go and succeed in your grandeur!
Ride out on behalf of truth,
humility, and righteousness!
Let your strong hand perform
awesome deeds.
5 Let the peoples fall beneath you.
May your sharp arrows pierce the
hearts of the king’s enemies.
6 Your divine throne
is eternal and everlasting.
Your royal scepter
is a scepter of justice.
7 You love righteousness
and hate wickedness.
No wonder God, your God,
has anointed you
with the oil of joy
more than all your companions!
8 All your clothes have the pleasing scent
of myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
The music of stringed instruments
coming from ivory palaces
entertains you.
9 The royal princess is standing
in your precious jewels;
the queen stands at your right,
dressed in the gold of Ophir.
10 Listen, daughter; pay attention,
and listen closely!
Forget your people
and your father ’s house.
11 Let the king desire your beauty.
Because he is your master,
bow down to him now.
12 The city of Tyre, the wealthiest of all,
will seek your favor with gifts,
13 with riches of every sort
for the royal princess, dressed in pearls,
her robe embroidered with gold.
14 In robes of many colors,
she is led to the king.
Her attendants,
the young women servants
following her,
are presented to you as well.
15 As they enter the king ’s palace,
they are led in with celebration and joy.
16 Your sons, great king,
will succeed your fathers;
you will appoint them as princes
throughout the land.
17 I will perpetuate your name
from one generation to the next
so the peoples will praise you
forever and always.

Zechariah 2:1–13

Then I looked up and saw a man.
In his hand was a measuring line.
2 I said, “Where are you going?”
He said to me,
“To measure Jerusalem to see how
wide and long it will be.”
3 As I watched, the messenger speaking
with me went ahead and another
messenger came to meet him.
4 He said to him,
“Run! Say to this young man:
Jerusalem will be inhabited
like open fields
because of the throngs
of people and cattle inside it.
5 But I will be a wall of fire around it,
says the Lord,
and I will be glorious inside it.
6 Look out; look out!
Flee from the land of the north,
says the Lord,
for I will scatter you like the four
winds of heaven, says the Lord.
7 Look out, Zion.
Flee, you who dwell
with Daughter Babylon!
8 The Lord of heavenly forces proclaims
(after his glory sent me)
concerning the nations plundering you:
Those who strike you
strike the pupil of my eye.
9 But look, I am about to raise my hand against them;
they will become prey
to their own slaves,
so you will know that the Lord of heavenly forces sent me.
10 Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Zion,
because I am about to come
and dwell among you, says the Lord.
11 Many nations will be joined
to the Lord on that day.
They will become my people,
and I will dwell among you
so you will know that
the Lord of heavenly forces
sent me to you.”
12 The Lord will possess Judah as his
inheritance upon the holy land;
he will again choose Jerusalem.
13 Be silent, everyone, in the Lord ’s
presence, because he has moved
from his holy habitation!

Revelation 3:14–22

14 “Write this to the angel of the church in Laodicea:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God ’s creation. 15 I know your works. You are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were either cold or hot. 16 So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I ’m about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 After all, you say, ‘I ’m rich, and I’ve grown wealthy, and I don’t need a thing. ’You don’t realize that you are miserable, pathetic, poor, blind, and naked. 18 My advice is that you buy gold from me that has been purified by fire so that you may be rich, and white clothing to wear so that your nakedness won’t be shamefully exposed, and ointment to put on your eyes so that you may see. 19 I correct and discipline those whom I love. So be earnest and change your hearts and lives. 20 Look! I’m standing at the door and knocking. If any hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to be with them, and will have dinner with them, and they will have dinner with me. 21 As for those who emerge victorious, I will allow them to sit with me on my throne, just as I emerged victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 If you can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”

Matthew 24:32–44

32 “Learn this parable from the fig tree. After its branch becomes tender and it sprouts new leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you know that the Human One is near, at the door. 34 I assure you that this generation won’t pass away until all these things happen. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will certainly not pass away.
36 “But nobody knows when that day or hour will come, not the heavenly angels and not the Son. Only the Father knows. 37 As it was in the time of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Human One. 38 In those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. 39 They didn’t know what was happening until the flood came and swept them all away. The coming of the Human One will be like that. 40 At that time there will be two men in the field. One will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and the other left. 42 Therefore, stay alert! You don’t know what day the Lord is coming. 43 But you understand that if the head of the house knew at what time the thief would come, he would keep alert and wouldn’t allow the thief to break into his house. 44 Therefore, you also should be prepared, because the Human One will come at a time you don’t know.

WE THINK

  • What stands out to you from today’s reading?
  • Are you confused or stumped by what you’ve read?
  • Is there anything you encountered that makes you think, “I don’t know about that…”?
  • What resonated with you as particularly meaningful?
  • Reread Psalm 45. What message do you think the psalmist is trying to convey? (Note: Psalm 45 is a royal wedding song, traditionally interpreted as a celebration of the Messiah ’s just and glorious reign. Christian readers have long understood the “king” here as pointing to Christ, the bridegroom of the Church.)
  • Why do you think the timing of Christ ’s return is undisclosed? How might the unexpected nature of Jesus ’return shape how we live in the world?

WE FEEL

In general, what emotions seem to be dominant at this moment?

How have those emotions affected the relationships you have with those around you?

What are you doing, or have you done, to submit those emotions to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?

Where have you seen God at work this week?

Contemplate a time when you desperately wanted to be in someone ’s presence, but they were not available. What were your feelings as you waited? What was it like when that person was finally able to be with you?
In the passage from Revelation, Jesus doesn’t mince words about the character of the Christians in Laodicea, calling them “miserable, pathetic, poor, blind, and naked” (v. 17). What ’s worse, these Christians don’t know they’re a miserable lot. How do you feel when someone exposes an unknown negative character trait, challenging you to do and be better? How did you use that information to become more Christlike?

WE BELIEVE

One of the core beliefs of the Wesleyan tradition is that God will not force us into a relationship. We are free to accept or reject the grace Christ offers. But God ’s prevenient grace is always calling—always knocking. And Christ ’s concern is not only for individual salvation, but for the church as a whole. His presence among us is essential if we are to carry out God ’s work in the world. Without him, we risk becoming like Laodicea: blind to our poverty. May we listen carefully for Christ ’s knock on our hearts, and on the heart of the Church.

WE PRACTICE

Today, choose one of the following to complete:

Create Space for Christ: A Practice of Hospitality

What to do: Set a physical space in your home—a chair, a candle-lit corner, or a cleared table—as a reminder that you are making space for Christ to dwell with you.

Spiritual connection: Echoes Revelation 3:20: I stand at the door and knock.” Hospitality becomes a sacrament—welcoming Christ into the ordinary.

Practice Silence in God's Presence

What to do: Set aside 5–15 minutes to sit in silence. Let this be your response to Zechariah 2:13: “Be silent, everyone, in the Lord ’s presence, because he has moved from his holy habitation!”

Spiritual connection: Cultivates reverence and attentiveness—God is coming near; are we paying attention?

Share a Meal with Intentional Awareness

What to do: Eat a meal slowly and prayerfully, perhaps with family or a friend, and imagine Christ dining with you (Rev. 3:20). Invite him in, even if only symbolically.

Spiritual connection: This is a daily reminder that Christ desires intimacy, not just worship—companionship, not just reverence.

PRAYER

O God, help us to hear you knocking at the door of our hearts. Give us courage to open the door, welcome your presence, and feast with you in joy and love. Amen.