Over the centuries church door styles have changed. At first simple wooden doors with hand carvings were the fashion. Later, they were made of bronze, becoming increasingly ornate with stories from the Old or New Testament engraved onto them. Often, doors were decorated with iron or precious metal hinges, knockers, and handles.
Throughout history, the front doors of a church served several purposes; the first was to glorify God, the second was to instruct those who could not read. More importantly though, the doors marked the threshold to the sacred, a place to pause as the faithful prepared to enter a spiritual experience within.
Practically, the doors of a church were meant to keep out animals, noise, the elements, and unwanted distractions.
Recently, the Cathedral Church of All Saints, Halifax, removed our wooden front doors. They were replaced with doors made almost entirely of glass. For practical reasons, the Cathedral Church removed the wooden doors as they required stripping, sanding, and re-staining every two years at a cost of about $6,000. But more than that, the glass doors provide a window to the world – a view of the neighbourhood and the people God calls us to love and serve. While these windowed doors create a greater sense of welcome for any passersby, more importantly they allow us to see the stranger.
Through the pandemic, many shifts have occurred in Anglican churches across Canada. For instance, prior to Covid few churches offered online services. Many churches did not even have an online presence – no social media, no website, and no way to provide an electronic donation. Seemingly overnight, many churches embraced new tools and ways of doing things because no longer could people come to the church, the church had to actively be where the people could be.
Similarly, the Cathedral Church did not want to appear like a fortress, making our in-person services, gatherings, and our building appear inaccessible. Instead, the glass doors give us a reminder of our neighbours. Our Christian faith insists that by opening ourselves to the stranger and by actively loving our neighbours we will see more and more of the holy. So, as we enter the Cathedral Church to worship God and go out to serve God, these glass doors are a tool to remind us that we are called by God to love each of our neighbours as ourselves.
