Ron Bullis

Three Church Door Hinges Reflecting Movements of the Christian Spirit

…The holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

~ Revelation 3:7 ~

These church hinges hooked me from the moment I saw them. But it was only later that I saw in them movements of the Christian spirit.

To me, they pose a paradox. They seem both inviting to the spirit and yet intimidating at the same time. The Lord both reveals and conceals Himself. 

This hinge on the Paris Notre Dame cathedral (1) is hard to miss—it was almost startling with its constellation of iron, but inviting with its intricate, almost delicate floral pattern. The hinge at France’s Cluny monastery (2) embodies the cross- currents constellations of the spiritual life: the impulse to transform society and simultaneously renovate in the inner life. The hinges here also reflect the impulse to wait for Christ’s calling as well as to actively seek His will. Finally, the heavy hinges of St. Matthias’ Church in Budapest (3) remind us of Christ’s enduring, steadfast life lived out both inside and outside of our own lives.

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Ronald Bullis, Ph.D., has published one volume of poetry, photographs, and dozens of poems, non-fiction books and academic articles. He won a Hart Crane and Taproot poetry contest. He has been an ordained minister for 40 years serving in psychiatric hospitals, prisons and in the parish.