Adult Object Lesson: Christ Knocking

Someone’s Knocking at Your Door

Luke 12:32-40

ChristKnocking-WarnerSallmanToday’s object lesson is one of the most famous American paintings of Christ. Warner Sallman, a commercial artist in Chicago, painted several religious paintings in the early 1900s that are universally part of our faith imagery.

One of these is Christ Knocking at Heart’s Door.

This week turns the table on the Adult Object Lesson of a few weeks ago. In that lesson the Scripture had us knocking on Christ’s door. Now we are asked to listen for Christ’s knock on our door.

Many churches have a print of this painting hanging somewhere in their church.

It never hurts to point out a few things about the painting.

  • Christ is standing among the briars and thistles of the world.
  • A major light source of the painting is Christ’s heart.
  • The door between us is solid but there is a grill for us to see through. We can check things out before we open the door.
  • The door has no handle. We must open the door from the inside.

A discussion of this painting goes nicely with this week’s gospel which ends by placing a good bit of the responsibility for our relationship with Christ squarely on our shoulders.

“You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

You can use the song Someone’s Knocking at Your Door to accompany this lesson.

Or you can use “Into My Heart”

Into my heart, Into my heart
Come into my heart, Lord Jesus
Come in today, Come in to stay
Come in to my heart, Lord Jesus