- This event has passed.
“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 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 that person, and they with me.” Revelation 3:14, 20
Laodicea was forty-five miles southeast of Philadelphia and ninety miles east of Ephesus. It was a wealthy city with thriving banks, a textile industry, and a medical school. The city was also known for its sparse water supply.
The word “angel” means messenger, so this was probably addressed to the local pastor of the church. “The ruler of God’s creation” is synonymous with “the source of God’s creation”, which emphasizes that “all things were made through Jesus”.
The image of Christ standing and knocking at the door may be related to the parable about the servants whose master is at a wedding feast. They are expected to be ready and waiting for him when he appears, with the promise that those servants whom he finds ready will be blessed. I will come … eat with him. Best understood as referring to both the Church’s weekly celebrations of the Eucharist and the eternal, messianic banquet in heaven. Luther once said, “The righteous always act (in fear) as if the Lord saw them. But the ungodly walk along smugly, as if God had His eyelids closed and did not see them, even though He examines them, too, and knocks, warning their conscience, as well.”
God’s blessings on your day…