My writing friends used to complain about the misuse of the word “literally.”
“I’m dying from this pain, literally.”
Well, of course you’re not dying literally.
It drove them crazy when people used the expression “literally” to mean “figuratively.”
So I was very careful when I crafted our prayer for our location.
Over the season of Lent we’ve been praying for 11 strategic prayers for our new church. One of them was a call to pray for our future location. The title of this call to prayer was “Looking for an open door—literally.”
I was careful. I meant "literal” literally. We were literally looking for someone to open their door to us so we had a place to gather.
But it seems the grammar gods were at work (or really just God, with a capital “G”), because we not only found an open door for a location to hold our Good Friday service, but the location we’re holding our Good Friday service is literally called the Open Door Art Studio.
We prayed for an open door, and literally got one.
While we aren’t planning on launching weekly services in this particular space, I can’t help but see this as special.
And it gets better.
I started ministry while I was in High School. My older brother Jeff took me and my brothers on a journey to reach the most vulnerable kids in our community. He dragged us along in launching a youth center. When my friends were at football games, I was at a youth center volunteering. This is where ministry started for me. And get this. The name of that youth center? It was literally called “The Open Door.”
It’s come full circle. I’m not one to make a big deal of coincidences, but in this particular time, during the early days of a new church, when things are fresh and fragile, little things like this are really encouraging.
Either way, I believe God is up to something. If you’d like to see what that “something” is, join us for our Good Friday service.
You can RSVP on Facebook or Eventbrite.
Joe Graves 