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. (NIV)

The Book of Revelation can be intimidating. Do you steer clear of it? It may be tempting to think of it as merely a challenging vision of the apocalyptic future, but it’s more than that! Revelation has application for your life – here and now.

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John’s writings begin with a series of letters to seven churches in Asia. Can you name the seven churches? I tried off the top of my head and came up well short, but they are: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. These seven cities were spread around the Aegean coast of what is now western Türkiye (yes, they changed the official spelling from ‘Turkey’ to ‘Türkiye’ a couple years ago).

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Interestingly, scholars tend to associate each church with a distinct historical stage of the Christian church, with unique challenges related to the overriding culture of the cities. Today’s passage is in the letter to the church of Laodicea, which is appropriate because that’s the one reflecting Christianity’s current status in the West. The Laodicean Church is known as the ‘Lukewarm Church’ or the ‘Apostate Church’. It’s a shame that this is our scholarly label right now, but it should drive us to focus even more on today’s message. This letter was written for people like us in times like this.

Laodicea, meaning Rule of the People, was an important, wealthy city. It was known for being a financial powerhouse, a textile manufacturer, and a medical hub. Years before John wrote Revelation, Laodicea was hit with a significant earthquake, but it refused aid from Rome. The historian Tacitus wrote, “Laodicea arose from the ruins by the strength of her own resources, and with no help from us.”

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The church of Laodicea was comprised of a group of democratic, self-sufficient, well-to-do people. I hope you’re able to draw the parallels between this church from 2,000 years ago and us today.

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The fact that the Church of Laodicea is the recipient of The Great Invitation should grab our attention. Go reread today’s verse – it’s meant for us!

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Several verses before, we’re called lukewarm – neither hot nor cold for God. Our wealth comforts us, insulating the church from outside pain and suffering. We have fine buildings, excellent curriculum, eloquent teachings, and yet we are listless, passive, half-hearted.

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Christ says he will vomit us out! Then he invites us. He stands at the door and knocks.

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Why does Christ stand outside and knock? He’s sovereign and all-powerful, why doesn’t he just burst in? Why does he wait for our cooperation?

Well, before we can convene with him, we need to repent (like our Laodicean brethren). We are hindered in fellowshipping with our stainless, perfect Creator by our pride, self-sufficiency, and cowardly neutrality.

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Our cozy, lukewarm lifestyles can lull us into thinking we’re not that bad or that there’s other stuff we could be doing. We might not even hear him knocking at the door! There are a thousand daily distractions at play - our phones, busy schedules, obligations, and endless consumerism.

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The application here is obvious – are you listening for Christ? Are you ready to open the door? He’s inviting us to engage with him, to fellowship with him, to welcome him into our lives. He has so much more for us than what the world offers. It’s worth it to ignore the distractions and to listen for him knocking.

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Next, it’s time to consider if we’ve actually opened the door and welcomed him in.

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Well, are you lukewarm about your faith? Do you know God? I’m not sure you can honestly answer ‘yes’ to both those questions. That was the concern for the Church of Laodicea, and I’m afraid it’s a valid concern for the church today. Pastor Brian recently challenged us by asking what excites and invigorates us. Is it sports? Travel? Food and drink? It may be worth comparing our level of excitement for transient things of this world to matters of faith. Lukewarm religion is dead religion. It’s unexciting, unappealing, inactive.

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God yearns to fellowship with you. He wants you. It may be hard to fathom, but that’s the entire message of scripture. God will pursue you, whether speaking through a burning bush or sending a fish to swallow you whole or leaving the flock of ninety-nine to look for you. This new year of 2025 is a perfect opportunity to fight the distractions and malaise of a lukewarm existence – get to know God by opening the door.

Dear God, thank you for inviting me to a relationship with you. I don’t bring anything to the table and yet you pursue me. Thank you for knocking at the door. Please give me the courage to answer you and welcome you in. Help me reject my pride and withstand the distractions of the day – I truly want to know you. I don’t want a lukewarm faith - I want to follow you. Amen.