OPEN THE DOOR

Today, we celebrate Palm Sunday, the triumphal entry of our Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. We’ve walked through the 40 days of Lent praying, fasting, and reflecting, and now we stand at the gateway to Holy Week.

In the Armenian Church, we mark this day with a deeply symbolic service called “The Opening of the Doors.” At the end of Badarak, the priest knocks on the church door, and people sing together: “Open to us, O Lord, the door of Your mercy, and make us worthy to enter the dwellings of Your light.”

We don’t demand our way in. We don’t break down the door. We come humbly. We knock, just as Jesus taught us in Matthew 7:7: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.”

But here’s the deeper question: While we’re knocking on God’s door… are we opening ours? Are we letting him into our Jerusalem—our heart, our home, our story?

There’s a painting I love, maybe you’ve seen it, it’s called The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt. It shows Jesus standing outside a door, holding a lantern. If you look closely, you’ll notice that there’s no handle on the outside. The door represents your heart, and only you can open it from within.

Jesus doesn’t force His way in. He doesn’t barge in. He knocks. And waits. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock,” He says in Revelation 3:20. “If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with Me.”

What a promise! He doesn’t say, if you’re perfect, or you’ve got it all together, I’ll come in. He says, “Just open the door.”

Friends, this Holy Week, open the door of your heart to Lord Jesus. Let Him in, not just as a visitor on Sunday morning, but as the Lord of your life every day. And when you do, His peace will reign. His light will shine. And His mercy… will lead you all the way to resurrection.

Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan
April 13, 2025