Before the Door Opens: A Talk for the Drive to Lodge

Overview

Before the Door Opens is a spoken talk to play in the car on the way to lodge. It helps a Brother set down his day and remember why he joined. He arrives thinking about the Brethren he will meet: the Master, the new man, the Brother he has drifted from, and those who no longer come.

The talk follows a Brother’s drive to lodge. It asks him to leave his worries on the passenger seat for an evening and to walk in the way he did on the night of his initiation. Then it turns to the people in the room. The Master gave up a year to sit in the East, and the Secretary does work nobody sees. There is the quiet Brother on the sidelines, the newest Mason watching how it is done, and the empty chairs of men who drifted away. It also covers why an ordinary stated meeting still matters, how to disagree in a debate and let it go, and why refreshment is where Brothers really get to know one another. It ends as he parks the car.