The Sheep Gate

by Pat Lee

(Based on John 10:1-10)

Today’s gospel passage precedes the “I am the good shepherd” statement in verse 11. But there is an “I am” statement in today’s reading too, in verse 7. The two statements are both about Jesus talking about himself and are interconnected. They are both metaphors, of course. In fact, the whole of today’s passage is metaphorical.
A metaphor is a figure of speech that directly compares two unrelated things by stating that one is the other to create an image or highlight a shared quality. Examples of this might be, She has a heart of gold and, Life is a rollercoaster. [I think we can all identify with that.]

So, Jesus is comparing himself with a gate or a door depending on which version you read, but also a shepherd.  How can he be both? Well, he’s a gate because he is the way to salvation. He’s the good shepherd because he knows his sheep and he leads, protects and looks after them. It’s in his nature to be both.

In this country when we think of sheep, we think of a very large number of sheep grazing in a green field or on a hillside with not a single shepherd in sight, which is very different from how it was in Jesus’s time.

I found this delightful story.
While doing some research in the Middle East, a Bible commentator came across an Arab shepherd. This shepherd was not a Christian and did not know the Bible. But he was a keeper of sheep and so was showing off his flock as well as the penned-in area where his sheep slept every night. “And every night when they go in there,” he said proudly, “they are perfectly safe.” The commentator noticed something. “The sheep sleep in that pen and yet I just noticed that the pen does not have a gate on it.” “Yes, that’s right,” the shepherd replied, “I am the gate.” “What do you mean?” the man asked in startled wonder. “After my sheep are in the pen, I lay my body across the opening. No sheep will step over me and no wolf can get in without getting past me first. I am the gate.” This also pictures how it was in in Jesus’s time.

Graham Horn, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0

We must all pass through the gate that is Jesus, to receive abundant life. When we pass through this gate we receive spiritual nourishment, protection, and guidance. Jesus is the one who stops us being robbed of what he promised and he will not lead us astray as the thieves and robbers will, because he is the good shepherd.
So, who is the thief, the bandit or robber, and who are the sheep?

In the time of the shepherd in the story I read before, the thief was the wolf who came looking for food and would try to steal the sheep from the fold by climbing in through another way. In the previous chapter the Pharisees were the thieves because they were trying to steal the truth from both the blind man and his parents.

But in the reading today, the metaphor of the thief is anyone who tries to steal us away from the truth of Jesus being our Redeemer, our Saviour, and the one who gives us abundant life. This ‘thief’ might be a family member, a friend who has not yet come to know Jesus, or Satan himself who can come in many different guises. He even tempted Jesus in the desert, quoting Scripture. But in 1 Peter 5:8 it says, “Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour.” He wants to steal the truth from you.

Who are the sheep?
We are.
We need to listen to the voice of the shepherd. He knows each of us by name and will not lead us astray. We need to be aware of those who are trying to lead us astray, like some of the religious teachers in the Old Testament. They were supposed to spiritually nourish and protect people. They were the ones who knew the scriptures and the prophecies about the Messiah, but when he came before them, they did not recognize him, and still don’t.

Don’t be fooled. There are people like that today and unfortunately, dare I say it, in some of our churches. Jesus said that salvation comes only through him, the gate. He also said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) And in Acts 4:12 it says, “Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to people by which we must be saved.”

We are just like the sheep that come into and go out of the fold into the pasture.  The pasture gives sheep their life sustaining fuel. Feeding on the grass of the pasture is how sheep survive. The pasture for the sheep is life. We do not feed on grass, but we do feed on the word of God, the Bible, our sustenance and our life.

“I am the gate,” Jesus asserted. “Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Some versions use different words for ‘abundantly’, like, have life to the full, life in its fullness, or have a rich and satisfying life. It doesn’t matter. They all mean that we will have a rich and fulfilling life when we follow him .

Jesus will give you life, but false teachers will lead you to death. The message that Jesus teaches and preaches about himself is so different from what false teachers would have us believe about him.  They don’t want you to believe that faith in Christ is life-giving. Jesus leads his followers into a lush meadow that stretches as far as the eye can see. He provides life for us in the fullest possible sense. Faith in Christ grants eternal life, but it also gives meaning, purpose, and fulfillment here and now!

Ggia, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0

To quote an unknown writer, “The Christian life isn’t a life of mediocrity. The Christian life is one of abundance. Being a Christian gives a deep seated, inexplicable joy that’s present even in the hardest of times! It’s not just an average thing to be a Christian. It’s a glorious thing. Being in Christ, turning from your sins and having them forgiven, having Christ’s righteousness given to you, ultimately restores your fellowship with God.”

Have you come through the gate that is Jesus? Do you feed on the pasture that is his word, the Bible? Is your life fulfilling and satisfying?

Heavenly Father, thank you that Jesus is all we need for life and godliness. Thank you that in him are the words of eternal life and that he is the Good Shepherd of the sheep and the singular door into the sheepfold. Thank you that in him we have been made your sons and daughters and that the many promises of God are ours through faith. May we live and work to your praise and glory. Amen.

Facets of Grief

by Liz Young

(Based on Luke 24:13-35; Acts 2:14a,36-41; 1 Pet 1:17-23)

Here are my thoughts on grief and visions.

We all grieve differently, and our grief comes and goes in waves, and at different times; and depending on how old we are, and whether we have experienced grief before.
Sometimes for those grieving deeply, especially if a death has been sudden and unexpected, the longing to see someone they love again means that they do see them, at least, a vision of them. But for those of us whose partner’s death has been expected for a while – maybe tchey’ve died slowly of cancer – much of our grieving is done before they die and, while we relive memories, we are less likely to see visions.

The disciples had not understood Jesus’s warnings, that he was going to be killed in Jerusalem, so his death on Calvary was a shock that took time to process. I’m not surprised that they saw him on several occasions. The two disciples on the Emmaus road, had not seen the risen Jesus with Mary, or with Peter and John, but had heard them relate their experiences of seeing the risen Jesus. They were walking and talking together, on a road they’d walked with Jesus, and this would have brought back memories of him, vivid memories – and as they heard Jesus teach, beginning with the story of Moses, he reminded them of those Old Testament teachings, particularly those in Isaiah, that foretold of his death. But it wasn’t until Jesus broke bread that they recognized him.

We all will feel grief at some stage of our lives. Jesus felt grief. He wept at Lazarus’s death. Bishop Bruce wrote, “We cannot deny or hurry the process of grief, the adjustment that leads to acceptance and moving on with our lives. What helps us do this? Facing and naming our loss, letting the pain be fully felt, letting it deepen us, and ignite our compassion for others in pain; above all, knowing we are not alone, that Jesus the Christ also suffered, sweated, wept and bled … and finally triumphed. He stands beside us, his arm around our shoulders as we grieve.”

In your time of pain, put your trust in God. I’d add, it helps to have experienced grief before, and know that peace and acceptance come in time.

We also experience grief differently depending on our age. I was 26 when my mother died. It was my first experience of grief and it was overwhelming. It was exacerbated by my realization that she had masked her pain and hidden it, so that I wouldn’t be distracted while I was taking my medicine finals. Three weeks after she died, I started working on a radiotherapy ward that specialized in breast and testicular cancers and lymphomas. It was not until nine years later as I watched the courage of children dying of leukaemia and cancer, and the care they took to protect their parents, that I healed.  I made sure that as many children as possible were able to die at home. That was something I could do.

Which brings me to ask you, what can we do, to use the insights we gain from experiencing grief, and use the strengths we have gained from our experience of sorrow, to help others?

I looked up how the other great religions honour death and grief. Buddhists have specific funeral rites. Most Buddhists, like Buddha himself, are cremated, though some are buried. Mourning services are held on the third, seventh, forty ninth and hundredth days after a funeral.
Moslems (and the Spanish, interestingly) try to bury their dead as soon as possible, preferably within twenty four hours. Traditionally only men were allowed to attend the funeral, but women have been allowed to attend more in recent years. After the funeral there are three days of mourning, when the family are not allowed to cook and the community feeds them.

Jewish funerals also take place within twenty four hours of the death. Sometimes mourners rip pieces of material off their own clothing and the torn garment is worn for a week after the death. There is a personal remembrance service held annually, and national days of mourning are held on Yom Kippur and at Passover.

There are other causes of grief, besides losing someone to death. There is the loss of having a ‘normal’ child to enjoy, when a ‘handicapped’ child is born to you. Mothers seem to cope with this better than fathers, maybe because they invest more in their care, but there is a lifetime of recurring grief ahead of them. I watched the film I Swear this week. It addresses Tourette’s Syndrome. The mother of the guy affected never moved from her grief of having an abnormal child: but he made a success of his life with the help of two staunch friends – a mental health nurse and his first employer, the manager of a community care centre.
Then there is the loss of a child to addiction.
And many of you will have had your own different griefs to bear. Lay them at the foot of the cross and move on, just as we laid our stones at the foot of the cross recently, on Good Friday.

Having practical supportive friends does help in times of grief. I have been grateful for the mutual support of the staff in the Op Shop.

What can you do?
Learn about grief and its different stages, as we move from being numb or in denial, to being angry, to trying to bargain and, finally, acceptance. Be aware of those who need to grieve in their own way, as they honour their own individual relationship to the person they are grieving for.
Get out for a walk in Nature frequently, and practise Gratitude as you wake in the morning, and last thing at night.

And, finally, let’s use the experience and the knowledge and strengths we have gained in our grief to follow the love of Christ in deed and action. As Peter said, “We are ransomed by Christ’s blood. Love one another, because you have been born anew.”

I have been blest this year by all the love and care you have given me.
What can we do this week that shows our love for each other?

Amen

Emerging from a Locked Room

by Barry Pollard

(Based on John 20:19-31; Acts 2:14a, 22-32; 1 Pet 1:3-9)

[Editor’s note: We normally publish these reflections after they’ve been delivered in our church, by various contributors. On this occasion the service was cancelled, due to an approaching cyclone, so this homily didn’t get delivered. Like the theme itself, it’s emerging from the locked room.]

Researching where I’d like to go with the reflection today, I consulted widely. I have talked on this Gospel reading before, so I thought that would be a good place to start. You know, save a bit of time and check that what I said then applies now. But it turned out that it was several computers ago, and before the logging of reflections on the church website, so that came to nothing. In the process, however, I came across one of the late Chris Ison’s files and he had a reflection on this reading. But his tack was not one I felt confident to emulate, Chris being a very learned and articulate man.

So, it was back to basics for me!
Perhaps the first Holy Spirit moment in my preparations!
I was prompted to go back and look at today’s readings again, more closely. And, I’m sure you’ve experienced it, much more was revealed than at first read. Enough, in fact, to give me a direction and thread to follow.

You, too, may have picked up that there’s a thread that runs through all three readings: the movement from fear and uncertainty to faith and living hope. In each of the readings, people are standing at crossroads. In John’s Gospel, the disciples are locked in a room, afraid. In Acts, Peter is standing up boldly where once he denied Jesus. In 1 Peter, believers are facing trials, yet are called to rejoice. Something has changed. And that ‘something’ is not an idea, not a philosophy. It is a person, the risen Jesus Christ.

The excerpt from John’s Gospel tells of the disciples in hiding. The doors in their meeting place are locked. They are afraid of what might happen next. What happened to Jesus might happen to them. And then, into that fear, Jesus comes and says, “Peace be with you.” Not once, but twice. You know in Scripture when things are repeated they are important! This is not just a greeting. It is a gift. The peace Jesus brings is not the absence of trouble. It is the presence of Christ in the middle of it.

And the story of change unfolds. He shows them his wounds. He breathes on them, imparting the Holy Spirit, filling them with joy. Then he sends them. Fearful people become sent people.

How often do we live behind locked doors? Fear of the future. Fear of change. Fear of speaking out our faith.
Well, the risen Jesus still comes into our locked places, into our anxious hearts, and says, “Peace be with you.”

Then there is Thomas. He has missed the encounter with Jesus in the locked room. He has heard from the disciples their story, but he doubts it. “Doubting Thomas” we call him; but that’s not his whole story. Thomas is honest. He refuses second-hand faith. “I won’t believe unless I see.” And when they finally meet, what does Jesus do? He does not reject Thomas. He meets him. “Put your finger here … look at my hands.” Thomas responds with one of the greatest confessions in Scripture, “My Lord and my God!”

Doubt is not necessarily the opposite of faith. It can be the doorway to deeper faith, when we bring it to Christ. Many of us struggle with belief. It’s not uncommon. But the invitation remains the same: not, “have all the answers”, but, “come and see”.

Let’s now look at the Acts reading. It’s hard to believe that this Peter, the one standing before the crowd proclaiming loudly, is the same Peter who only a short time before denied Jesus three times. What is he proclaiming so loudly? Jesus crucified. Jesus raised.
And, “… it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.”

What changed Peter?

He had encountered the risen Christ.

The resurrection is not just a comforting story. It is a world-changing reality. Peter shows that it was foretold in history, that it is proclaimed in eyewitness testimony, and in God’s action. Because Jesus is alive, sin does not have the final word, death does not have the final word, and fear does not have the final word!

And then we hear from Peter again, years later, writing to Christians under pressure. He says, “It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead.”

A living hope.
Not wishful thinking. Not fragile optimism. But a hope that is alive because Jesus is alive. And this hope sustains us in grief, strengthens us in trials, and refines our faith “like gold”.  A living hope that helps us with the uncertainty in the world, with pressures in families and communities, with questions about the future of faith in society. Peter does not deny the reality of suffering. But he is explaining that suffering is not the end of the story.

These readings show us that fear can be changed to peace, that doubt can be changed to faith, that death can be changed to life, and that trial can be changed to hope. And at the centre of it all is the risen Jesus.

We all look for reassurance. My wife Keri accesses her Good Shepherd imagery, I deploy an ‘arrow path’. These are keys to our reassurance. We have someone looking after us. We have a path to follow that will lead us to the best life. So, remember that Jesus always meets us where we are. Whether we are afraid, doubtful or weary, he comes to us. Our faith is not about certainty. It is about trust. Jesus wants us in relationship. He is not expecting us to be perfect.

by marfis75, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

The resurrection changed everything. And it isn’t just about life after death. It is about life now. Just like the apostles, we are sent people. We are sent to carry peace, hope, and good news into our communities.

Imagine those locked doors again. Now imagine them opening. The disciples step out, not because the world is safe, but because they have seen the Lord. That is the call for us today. Not to stay behind locked doors of fear or doubt, but to step into the world with peace in our hearts, faith in our Lord, and hope that is alive.

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed,” Jesus said.

Let’s conclude with a simple prayer:
Risen Jesus help us as we move from fear to peace, from doubt to faith and from death to life. May we live as people of the resurrection today, and every day. Amen.

Dem Bones

By Pat Lee

(Based on John 11:1-45; Ezek 37:1-14)

When I read the story of Ezekiel and the valley of the dry bones, I can’t help thinking back to the fifties and a song that was popular on the radio then. “Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones (x3), now hear da Word of da Lord”!

[My thanks to Michael K Marsh for aspects of the following reflection.]

Last week how blessed we were to have Psalm 23 as our appointed psalm. It was exactly what we needed to hear. We needed to be reminded that the Lord is our Shepherd and we shall not want. We needed to be assured that all shall be well.
Last week we stood in the valley of death. This week we stand in the valley of the dry bones. They’re not too different. Look at what is happening in the world today with so many nations at war. Reading about the valley of the dry bones – it’s exactly what we, our country, and our world need to hear. Why?
Because it’s a story of hope. It’s a story of promise. It’s a story about a people who have a future. If ‘all shall be well’ is the theme that runs through Psalm 23, then ‘you shall live’ is the theme that runs through the valley of the dry bones.

Three things came to mind about Ezekiel. The first one was that he saw. The Lord brought him to the valley of dry bones where there were not just a few bones, but thousands. This made me wonder what his first reaction was at seeing them. I think my reaction would have been to weep over seeing so many people who, most probably, had been slain in battle.
Back in 1987 I visited one of the burial grounds in Germany where my father-in-law, who was a pilot during the Second World War, was buried. The sight of thousands of graves of young allied airmen, was so overwhelming that the tears flowed, hence my wondering about Ezekiel. Did he feel emotional about what he saw?

The second one was that he listened. The Lord told him to prophesy over these dead bones so that they would come together and be covered with flesh and tendons. And again, to prophesy that the winds would come and fill the bodies with breath. At this stage he was probably feeling very uncertain and powerless.

The third one was that he obeyed. He prophesied as the Lord had commanded him to do and the bones came to life. Wow! What a sight that must have been. I think it would also have been a great relief.

Then the Lord said to Ezekiel, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and have done it, declares the Lord.’” (NIV)

There is a link between the story of the dry bones and the Gospel reading, a difference being that only one man was brought back to life this time. But what else is in this reading that links back to the Ezekiel story? It’s another example of a story of hope, promise, and a people who have a future.

Jesus was more than just an acquaintance with this family. He was a family friend. So why did it take so long for him to go to Bethany, less than two miles from Jerusalem, when he knew Lazarus was ill? It was because Jesus had a message that wasn’t just for Martha and Mary, but for all who had come to comfort the sisters in their loss, and for us.
Martha went out and met Jesus when he was still some distance from Bethany. You can hear the anger, bitterness and even admonishment as well as disappointment in her voice when she says to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” Perhaps that was her grief talking – a natural reaction when someone we love dies.

Mary went out to meet Jesus too, and fell at his feet, and also said the same thing as her sister. “Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died.” Unlike her sister though, only disappointment seems to be in her voice. As we all experience disappointment in our lives, especially when things don’t turn out as we expect them to.

They both wanted answers and explanations, just as we do.

Attempting to insulate ourselves from disappointment, and demanding once and for all answers to life’s questions, is to close ourselves to the vulnerabilities that make possible real life, love, intimacy, and relationships with God, and with one another. It limits what we are willing to risk giving or receiving. It leaves the stone in place over Lazarus’s tomb, and refuses to consider God’s question to Ezekiel, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

While we might want to escape our disappointments, life wants to use them. Life will not waste our disappointments, and Jesus always stands in the middle of life. Disappointment calls into question our assumptions about life, ourselves, each other, and God. Disappointment opens our eyes to a different way of seeing.
Isn’t that what he’s doing with Martha and Mary?  “I am the resurrection and life.” “Take away the stone.” “Did I not tell you that you that believed, you would see the glory of God?” “Lazarus come out.” “Unbind him and let him go.” With those words Jesus is holding before Martha and Mary the valley that they are currently walking through. “Son of Man, can these bones live again?” He’s asking them to take a risk; because the body has been dead for four days. He’s asking them to trust, just as Ezekiel had to do.

Did Jesus have disappointments in his life? He sure did. He not only had the disappointment of the death of Lazarus, but the crucifixion, Peter’s drawn sword and violence, Judas’s betrayal, the disciples sleeping in the garden, the way his Father’s house had been turned into a ‘den of robbers’, his disciples arguing about who was the greatest, the disciples’ misunderstanding of who he is, the world’s refusal to receive him … and in myriad other ways.

So, what is the valley that you are walking through right now? A broken relationship with family or friend, a death of someone you loved, a terminal diagnosis of a loved one, of ongoing pain, depression or grief? We all have our valleys. Whatever it is, it’s a place where Jesus has walked and shown the way forward. It is not the dark place we often think it is. We need to take it to him because he is the Shepherd who will lead us out of that valley.

The valley that is the question mark of life becomes the exclamation mark of God: the exclamation mark of love, the exclamation mark of life and light, the exclamation mark of mercy and forgiveness, the exclamation mark of wisdom, beauty, and generosity, the exclamation mark of hope, healing, and compassion, and, ultimately, the exclamation mark of God’s “yes” to you, me and our lives.

“Son of man, can these bones live again?” The answer to that question echoes throughout the valley that we are walking through right now. Yes they can! Yes they do! Yes they will!