Opening Doors

 

 

7Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find;
knock, and the door will be opened for you Matthew 7:7

Since the atrocities in Paris two weeks ago we have heard the doors slamming shut around the world, and nowhere louder than in the United States. I am appalled by the xenophobia expressed so freely in the US these days, with Buffoon in Chief Donald Trump leading the charge. This is American Thanksgiving, a day to celebrate doors being opened and bounty shared by Native Americans with Europeans in desperate need, but that seems lost on many. 

Here in Canada it isn't as bad, but there are plenty of conversations where folk express their desire to keep doors closed. One member here offered wisely that many Canadians hide behind their own niqabs of internet anonymity to express their negative opinions.

There is an installation at the Aga Khan Museum which we unfortunately missed by days when we visited recently. It features the work of Abbas Kiorostami and it's called Doors Without Keys. Here is a portion of the description:

Walls and doors are both boundaries and barriers. Yet doors offer us hope of entry or of escape — hope for connection, for finding another world, for finding freedom. With this evocative premise, Abbas Kiarostami presents the world premiere of his installation piece, Doors Without Keys. Photographed over two decades in Iran, Italy, France, and Morocco, these weathered doors have been witnesses to the many lives lived behind, through, and before them. Presented at life size on canvas, they are works of art that transcend their origins of time and place.

 https://www.agakhanmuseum.org/exhibitions/abbas-kiarostami-doors-without-keys#sthash.UisCcVGt.dpuf



Perhaps we will get back to see it. I hope so.

What has your experience been when it comes to the current refugee situation? Are doors being opened or closed in your circle? What about your faith community? Is discipleship in Christ a door-opener?