So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’
And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him.
~ Matthew 28:8-9
There is something abut doors that remind me a lot about Easter and the Resurrection. Doors are meant to lock away and keep things away from view. For the most part they are meant to be closed to ensure safety and privacy. When people are fearful, they lock their doors. And when they want to truly relish their joys, they close the doors to enjoy themselves in privacy.
But opening doors often is a very liberating and thrilling experience. When want to share our joys and we invite our friends and families to come, we throw open our doors in exuberant welcome. When we want to share our pains and sorrow, it is comforting to see them at our doorsteps.
The greatest fear of men is that of the door of life closing in on them. Death can seem so final, there is no more reopening of doors after. Christ’s resurrection opened the door of death and took away the sting that death inflicts on men. Death is no longer the fearsome event that it was after Jesus opened the door to eternal life. There are other doors He opened as well: the door to love and service, the door to mercy and compassion, the door to joy and the fullness of life.
I love the images that the other words for door also evoke. Portal is the where we pass through to transition into a better and fuller life. Threshold is where we go through to come into a new level of existence in Christ. Gateway is the place where new vistas and pathways open us for us.
Therefore, throw open the gateways, the portals, the thresholds and the doors and let the fullness of life that Christ brings to us on Easter come in!