We come from near and far to gather this night/day for a special reason. We come to encounter the baby Jesus. People first came to encounter him 2000 years ago. First, shepherds, then wise men, then the apostles and many disciples ever since.
You came here tonight without having to knock on any doors. Yet if you were to go to someone else’s home, you would usually knock on that person’s door, wouldn’t you?
One day, a priest went to visit a parishioner. No one answered, but he could hear the radio playing and even some footsteps so he knew someone had to be home. He knocked louder. No one came. Finally, he pounded on the door, but still got no response. So he took out a business card, wrote a Bible verse on it and stuck it in the door.
Ten minutes after he left, a lady – who had been in the house all the time – opened the door. When she did, the card fell down. She saw the priest’s name and the Bible verse: Revelation 3:20. Curious, she got out her Bible and read the verse. It said: “Behold, I am standing at the door, knocking…if anyone opens the door, I will come in and we will have a meal together.”
On Sunday morning, the priest noticed his business card was in the collection basket. When he picked it up, he saw that his verse was crossed out and replaced by another Bible verse: Genesis 3:10. The priest went to his office and got out his Bible. The verse said, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.”
Whenever anyone knocks at your door, everything depends on whether you open that door. Sometimes it would not make much difference if you open the door, especially to a parish priest, but have you ever thought that someone much more important is knocking at your door and mine?
That someone is Jesus who is going to great lengths to be invited into our world. Before the universe began, before the stars, the sun, and the earth were even created, God had a plan to become one with us. At the right moment, his son, Jesus, as we heard in the gospel story, was born in Bethlehem to a Jewish maiden named Mary.
From the moment he was born, you could say that Jesus knocked on doors to enter the lives of many people since his birth in Bethlehem. They opened the doors of their hearts and let him in and that is what we are encouraged to do ourselves. There is no reason to be afraid and hide from him.
My cousin had a painting that showed Jesus knocking on someone’s door. What caught my eye was that there was no knob on the door! Obviously, there was no way that Jesus could open the door. The only way Jesus could enter would be if someone in the house opened the door for him. Likewise, Jesus can enter our hearts only if we open the doors to our hearts to let him enter, so imagine Jesus standing here and knocking at the door of your heart. I pray that you welcome him into your heart not only on the day we celebrate his birth, but every day as well.
Think of the times when you open the door to your home and let someone in. Do you desire that person’s company or can you hardly wait for that person to leave? When the visitor at the door is someone we love, we are excited to welcome that person into our lives. Not only that, we are inclined to tell others about what a delightful time we had with our visitor. Don’t you usually tell others about the visits of your relatives and friends? And when you do, do you feel as though you are speaking from the heart?
That is how our new archbishop feels about Jesus. Every bishop has what is called a coat of arms. Archbishop Peter Sartain has a motto on his which reads, “Of you my heart has spoken.” That line is taken from psalm 27:8. His heart always speaks of God.
Does our heart always speak of God? I hope so. Your very presence here at this liturgy speaks volumes that your heart speaks of God here and now. I urge you to allow your heart to speak of God every day just as our new archbishop does. Invite Jesus into your heart even after the Christmas tree is taken down and the decorations are put away. Even when Christmas becomes a distant memory, I hope you allow your heart to speak of God by being generous to those in need, being patient with your family and friends, being loving even to those whom you do not like, forgiving those who have hurt you, and being kind to everyone you meet, just as Jesus is kind and loving to you.
May you have a blessed Christmas not just today but for weeks to come.