“I Am the Gate: Trusting the Shepherd in Dark Days”

• Acts 2:42-47

• 1 Peter 2:19-25

• John 10:1-10

• Psalm 23

“May you live in interesting times” is a phrase, sometimes known as the Chinese curse – it is said to be a translation of an ancient curse, although there’s no real evidence of this. Be that as it may, we understand the irony of it, as “interesting" times are usually times of trouble.

And there is no denying that we are currently living through “interesting times” – without getting too political, there are world leaders whose only motivation appears to be grabbing more power, more money, more territory for themselves; there are more families descending into poverty than should ever be the case; there are people quoting from “Pulp Fiction” believing it is from the Bible and twisting the words of Christ to fit their own agendas. …

But, if we’re honest, we know that life will always include dark times, times of fear, uncertainty and suffering. That is what life is. Darkness is not imaginary; it’s part of the journey. God has never promised to take our uncertainty, our pain, from us, and neither should we expect him to. But what he has promised that he will walk with us through those times. God does not always remove the valley—but He walks with us through it.

As we read the Psalm together, we declared that as we experience those valleys, we will fear no evil, for God is with us. We trust the Shepherd who is leading us because we have learned that he is faithful, he is trustworthy. Of course, we are only human, and despite our declaration of trust, it isn’t so easy to actually do. Fear is natural – God knows that when I received my diagnosis of cancer, my heart was full of fear for the future. But I was still reassured by the fact that my Shepherd would be by my side through this valley, because comfort comes not from control – I had no control over what was happening in my body – but rather comfort comes from companionship. While it may sound trite, someone has said: “Courage is not the absence of fear—it’s knowing the presence of God” and for us, as we learn to trust our Lord, we learn that this is the case.

The reading from John’s gospel continues this theme of the Shepherd – in other places in the Gospels Jesus declared that he was the Shepherd, calling to the mind of his listeners the Psalm which was a part of the Jewish scriptures, probably as well known and as well-loved as it is today.  But here, in John’s Gospel, he refers to himself as “the gate” which sounds less Shepherd-like and more Prison guard. However, in the times in which Jesus was speaking, the sheepfolds did not actually have gates in the way we might imagine. Instead, several flocks would gather in an enclosure for the night, and it was the shepherds themselves who lay in front of the entrance, who formed the barrier, keeping all the sheep – whoever they belonged to - safe from predators, but also allowing any stray sheep to enter for safety. They really were the gates. Jesus, as the good shepherd, was also the gate.

So in calling himself “the gate” Jesus is saying “I bring both safety and liberation. I am willing to sacrifice myself, to keep you safe, but I am also there to lead you when you leave the safety of the pen.” He is saying “I love and protect all the sheep, whoever they belong to. No exceptions”

Jesus is offering safety, but he also offers liberation. Those sheep are not enclosed in their pen, with no room to move, no fresh grass, no freedom. They will come in and go out to find pasture.

Jesus is offering true liberty that leads to life, not the false promises of the world that lead to conflict and restriction. Jesus says that those of his flock who trust him will ‘come in and go out and find pasture.’ That’s a picture of freedom—real freedom – being able to be out in the world, knowing that God is with us, that we walk with the comfort of the rod and staff.

But sadly the truth is, not everyone who is out is actually free… In his book “Into the Silent Land” Martin Laird tells of walking across a moor with a friend who had four dogs. As they walked, three of the dogs would run out across the moor, leaping over creeks and chasing rabbits and joyfully exploring their environment. But one of the dogs would only run in a small circle right in front of his owner. No matter how many miles they walked or how far afield the other dogs went, this dog would only run in a tight circle very close to them. Laird asked the owner why, and he replied, “This dog was kept for his entire life prior to coming to me in a very small cage. His body has left the cage, but his mind still carries it with him. For him, the world outside the cage does not exist, and so no matter how big and beautiful the moor, he will never run out across it. I bring him here so he can breathe the fresh air, but he’s still running circles in his cage.”

That’s what so many lives look like—even among believers. The Gate has been opened. The Shepherd has led us out. The pasture is wide and full and good. But we’re still running in circles…trapped not by walls—but by fear, habit, and old ways of thinking. When we are hurting, weary, afraid, we become the dog who carries the cage with him out onto the moor. We think we’re keeping ourselves safe, we think we’re obeying the rules, but really, we’re our own jailers. We’re refusing to see the open gate in our hearts. We’re refusing to see Jesus.

But we know Jesus is patient with our wilful blindness. He says to all of us, “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.” Sometimes we wish there were no gate. Sometimes we wish the barriers and boundaries we’ve placed around our hearts were bulletproof and siege resistant. But before long, God reminds us that that aching hole in our hearts, where insight and possibility and all of these people, beautiful, flawed people, keep sneaking in—that is the very presence of Jesus who brings us rest in green pastures, beside the still waters.

Remember that in the analogy, Jesus says ““I have come that they may have life… abundantly.” Abundantly. Overflowing. Not just survival, but flourishing. Jesus didn’t just come to bring us out of something— He came to bring us into something. Not just out of sin—but into life. Not just out of fear—but into freedom. ‘They will come in and go out and find pasture.’ That’s not a cage—that’s a calling

But we are who we are, and we can still be sheep unwilling to leave the pen, or like the poor dog, unable to escape the prison of the cage in his mind. So I ask you – and I ask myself –

-         “Where are you still running in circles?”

-           “What ‘cage’ are you carrying that Jesus has already opened?”

-         “Do you trust our Shepherd enough to step beyond what feels safe?”

We have to take the step. We have to trust that what’s beyond our fear is better than what’s inside our circle. I imagine that for some of us, that step is letting go of control. For others, it’s releasing fear. For some, it’s finally trusting Christ—not just as Shepherd, but as your Gate.

“The Shepherd is not leading us into danger— He’s leading us into green pastures. Even if the valley has been dark – or is dark, or will be dark - even if fear has been loud…

That promise is always there: You will come in and go out and find pasture.’ May we not spend our lives running circles in a cage Jesus has already opened.May we take the step and walk through the Gate, knowing that the Shepherd will always be at our side.