Between the Altar and the Door

I heard a sentence in a song on the radio this morning and it really stuck with me, causing me to think back on it multiple times throughout the day.  I usually attribute that to an urging by the Holy Spirit to dwell on a subject...

“…between the Altar and the Door…”

It was just part of a lyric actually and I didn’t catch what was before or after, but just that one partial phrase,

“…between the Altar and the Door…”

And what is between the Altar and the Door?  The Middle.  The Church.  The People.  The World. 

So where am I?  (Metaphorically speaking).  Am I closer to the Altar or am I closer to the Door?

“…between the Altar and the Door…”

The World has a lot to offer, a lot of pleasures, a lot of sorrow, a lot of excitement, a lot of boredom, a lot of fun, a lot of work. We are all in the World, we are all milling about, ever- moving, ever-changing places.

The World has a lot to say about what we should be doing or feeling, how we should act.  It filters in from the Door and the Altar.  The World takes what it hears and sees and feels and passes it around to each other.

By the Door, the World is told that individuals are most important.  Feeling good and being happy are to be coveted.  It says “you need success, money, power and material goods” and it tells us without these things we can’t be happy.  Try to achieve these things with as little work as possible, even at the expense of others, and you will be even happier!  Anyone who attains these things is looked upon favorably in the World. 

The Door doesn't want you to see what is beyond it.

“…between the Altar and the Door…”

By the Altar, we hear a different message.  Relationships are most important, first to God, then to Family, then to the others in the World.  Humility, sacrifice, honor, and humbleness, integrity and morality – these are the qualities that the Altar speaks highly of.  The message from the Altar is that attaining earthly wealth and power and influence and materials may not lead to happiness in the World.  But remaining true to the message of the Altar will allow you to cross-over into perfect happiness beyond the Altar.

“…between the Altar and the Door…”

Beyond the Altar is Heaven. 

Beyond the Door is Hell.

“…between the Altar and the Door…”

As I mill about, moving with the ebb and flow of the World, I feel the pull of the Door, I feel the pull of the Altar. 

“…between the Altar and the Door…”

The Door has a wide, easy path to it.  I ease down there to take a look, I am intrigued by the noises and bright lights I can see coming from there.  The World looks like they are having a good time near the Door.

I venture down the spacious route towards the Door.  It is dazzling  and murky there at the same time.  It is confusing – but yet I continue to be drawn there. It seems so thrilling and pleasurable.  Now I notice there are deep shadows on the peripheral of the World near the Door, it is not pretty around the edges – but I don’t dwell on it because there are so many shiny things to look at.  Through the Door comes the sounds of rude laughter and unidentifiable noises.   It is loud and rowdy.  The Path gets shabbier and shabbier along the edges, I can’t really identify what it is as my senses keep being pulled away from the fringes  towards the middle of the Door where it is full of stimulating lights and intense  noise.   It is tantalizing and enticing. 

I don’t quite feel right, it is dizzying here to me.

I turn to go the other direction.  The World calls to me, tells me I’m confused and to turn back around.  It tells me I’m missing all the fun, I’m old fashioned, I’m a stick-in-the-mud.  The World laughs at me they continue towards the noise near the Door.

Walking towards the Altar, the Path begins to get narrower.  Sometimes it is hard to travel.  It has mountains to climb and deserts to traverse.  Worst of all, the Path has many shiny Stumbling Blocks along  the way.  The Stumbling Blocks are like mirrors, they reflect the spectacle near the Door.   They are a constant reminder of the ease of the Path behind me.  They allow the sights and sounds to rebound down the Path towards the World that is traveling towards the Altar.

The Mountains are high and numerous (but the view from them is lovely), the deserts are wide and lonely (but there are restful oasis on the other side).  Others on  the Path reach out to me sometimes, hold my hand, share their water, lift me up.  I assist others too, and receive  peace and contentment in doing so. 

The Altar ahead looks so peaceful.  I hear laughter, but it’s more gentle.  There is lovely music and the murmuring of voices, pleasant and soft  I am sensing extraordinary smells and colors and lights and sounds, all unidentifiable and just beyond the Altar.

There are lovely curtains around the Altar, they are iridescent and  shimmering.  They have the quality of smoke or a butterflies wing.  They wave in a gentle breeze which carries the aroma of an unknown fragrance and gives fleeting glimpses of what is behind the Altar.

Just as I trip over a particularly sharp Stumbling Block glinting ominously on the Path, I feel a sweet breath of air on my face.  I look up to the Altar just as the curtain reveals a momentary glance at what is behind it:  Pure Love!

 It is exquisite and magnificent!

I can feel the blissful happiness resonating from the World around the Altar, I am pulled towards it.  There is Hope here!  I can feel the beautiful-ness of the World around me when I am near the Altar. 

If the Altar is so nice and the Door is so unpleasant, why are more people standing in the back near the Exit?  Why do they strain to see over the crowd at the Door, what is the call to that place?

Are you Godly or Worldly?