Opening and Closing Doors

In my faith life I have opened and closed many doors. Some with a slam, some with a small click of the latch. Some with someone's foot firmly placed on the threshold. Life is composed of such things I think, opening and closing doors, windows, opportunities, lifestyles, whatevers. Some of the passages I've gone through should have been left alone. Some of them have been wondrous and God sent. Of course, you may argue that ALL were God-sent which is your privilege, but since this is my stream of thought, I'm sticking to my analogy. In the life of St. Marks, we have turned through passages sometimes facing forward and sometimes facing back. Today, we made a decision as a congregation which feels like a "facing forward" moment. In the world of fiscal responsibility, this was a good decision and well-thought out and explained by our council. We are indeed blessed with a congregational council that is willing to explore possibilities and be our representatives in the "running of the church". It was a good decision. Another congregation, just down the road had to make a decision. I don't know yet, what their decision was. But it was a hard one to make. I was briefly part of that community of faith before coming down the pike a piece. They are in a difficult place. The door is still swinging on its hinges whether to go this way or that. A friend of mine recently was officially declared divorced. The door in this case was shut while her foot was still on the threshold. She is smart, beautiful, funny and warm. She will be moving away from this rudely slammed door with her dignity in tact and her family and friends standing next to her, holding her hand and cracking smart aleck jokes to get that laugh out of her. But for me, this was a difficult door to watch close. I knew her ex. Okay, not well, apparently. But I thought I did. And he doesn't seem to be the same person he was before. I'm confused by his actions. I'm really annoyed on her behalf. I think I want some kind of closure, some kind of answer as to what happened, even though it didn't even happen to me. All those opening, but mostly closings has left me feeling somewhat scared and alone. It has reminded me that life is changing and it doesn't matter whether you are looking for change or not, it's gonna happen! And then I remembered the sermon today. The thought that Jesus is with us. Really with us, in person through all those in the pews and beyond. God was not brought into the world once and that was it. God is in the world, with us, if we but look through the doorway and see the faces on the other side. If we look to the right and left and see the faces of family in faith, we are not alone in the changes, in the closings, in the whatevers. God is with us. And no matter what door we face, whether open or closed, whether gilded or plain pine, whether in the church or out, NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. That was a promise made a long time ago. So I guess I'll keep opening and closing the doors as I go along. I just have to remember that someone is standing next to me as the next threshold comes into focus. And he's going through it with me whether I remember he's there or not.