Good Morning Friends,
There is a door though which we enter to find Jesus the Good Shepherd and Gatekeeper. There is an open archway to the Temple with Jesus as the Cornerstone holding up the structure of our worship. Images abound about the final door and they might well remind us that Jesus says that he will go and provide a place for us where we are going to spend eternity in the sounds of worship. And indeed, there are questions about the door and the doorkeeper and the church experience that are important questions, but a much more relevant one for ministry is this: Will We Welcome Those We Would Like To Spend Eternity And Even Those We Would Not?
Scripture: Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’ And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
Acts 11:1-18 (NRSV)
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’ There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.
Acts 4: 8-12 (NRSV)
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
John 10:11-18 (NRSV)
It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in mortals. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. All nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! They surrounded me, surrounded me on every side; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! They surrounded me like bees; they blazed like a fire of thorns; in the name of the Lord I cut them off! I was pushed hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly; the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.” I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we beseech you, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech you, give us success! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar.You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 118: 8-29 (NRSV)
As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.
2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NRSV)
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him”
I Corinthians 2:9 (NRSV)
Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
1 Corinthians 11:1 (NRSV)
Message: Perhaps you have heard someone say that a group was or was not our kind of people. This kind of verbiage engenders both an exclusivity and strange sense of belonging and a bit of disgust all at the same time. Of course, there are sheep and goats. And for the chosen race, Israel, or those who mistakenly think they can be a substitute for them, who is in and who is out is important in this life. Ask any immigrant. But more important is what is happening now to form the nature of our life in the next…what is being done to form Holy History. Friends, there is a sea change going on that makes me both concerned and hopeful. Sure, I trust God, but I also trust, as history is my witness, that people can muck it up. Part of me realizes that eternity starts now but in the sweet by and by it may be just as jampacked with diversity as we can imagine. And yes, we may be surprised at who gets in. There is strength in diversity and a tension. But what makes us great now in this environment is not the political power or wealth or even the number of churches. It is something much simpler. It is whether we can love others. The inhabitants of Israel during Jesus’ day walking the earth had a similar problem identifying the means of salvation. They had the wrong idea and so they rejected Jesus for a false sense of power and control. Today’s scripture tackles this issue in a surprising way. We are invited to walk in the grace of God following the Shepherd for when Jesus leads that means all kinds of people can be saved no matter where they live and what they eat. And so here change is evoked, and the disenfranchised empowered and other communities engaged so the great commission can be realized throughout the world. Jesus is the real deal, and we should be encouraged to follow his leadership and character. The symbol used is that of a Shepherd and a door. But if we are to see clearly and as a whole there are more symbols and specifically, the I AM examples to be made palpable in us and in our culture through the power of the Holy Spirit. But this morning we focus on the ideas of shepherds, gates and doors to get a better understanding of what it means to share the faith and be part of a following. The point being made is that those interested in stealing sheep never come through the door. Because they would be seen and stopped by the Good Shepherd who is the door. It is helpful to picture this in your mind. Sheepfolds are simply designed as a stone wall or shrubs and thickets with perhaps wire at the top around ten feet high. Its opening serves as the door. The shepherds drive their sheep into the fold at nightfall and leaving one of the Shepherds to stand guard and watch over the flock at the “only entrance” to the fold. The Shepherd would sleep at the opening of the fold and actually become “the door”. Nothing could enter or leave the fold without passing over the Shepherd. In the morning, each shepherd can be heard calling his own sheep, which recognizes its shepherd’s voice and in turn comes out of the fold. Christ points out that the True Shepherd comes through the door, calls his sheep by name. False shepherds and strangers, who are thieves and robbers, try to get into the fold in some subtle way, but the sheep will not recognize or follow them. The point is that today people follow leadership and though change is unavoidable many follow the same leadership all their lives sharing in baptisms, weddings, and funerals for the same families. Some ministers die at the door where they hopefully have served as protectors, providers, and guides for our souls.
And So, a positive expectation in looking for the presence and hand of God in one’s own life, and in the life of one’s potential neighbor in heaven is really important. Unfortunately, many pastors seem to focus more on a gracious outcome in the future home of their members’ money than their souls. So, leadership in the faith is not perfect and yet following Christlike leadership has never been more essential. People need to be called to a purpose of carrying on the work of Christ as his hands and feet. And it is critical for those hoping to develop their spiritual readiness that this leadership reflect the character of Christ. We need to realize that in order for a Shepherd to get sheep from one location to another – he has to “go before them”. And that is exactly what Jesus did and how today though fellowship with other believers the Holy Spirit can continue to guide us to green pastures and ultimately hopefully to our eternal home. Years ago, when we were going to Disney World regularly, we started looking for the Hidden Mickey’s. They are little silhouettes or patterns that the engineering department puts in plain view that are normally never noticed by the thousands of visitors daily. The thing is that you only find them if you are looking for them. So too in leadership. Expect a miracle and keep hoping as you seek to be less like yourself and more like Jesus the servant and shepherd.
Pray we realize that Christ is our Shepherd King. Pray we become as sheep together guided by God. Pray we are not only smart sheep but also good sheep. Pray that we are ready when God puts opportunities before us to show others the Way. Pray that we live life beyond ourselves. Pray we lead as we dare to care for others unlike ourselves. Pray that we have a heart for the lost sheep. Pray that we discover we are ministering to Christ when we respond to those in need with the dignity, intimacy, and knowledge that we are serving…suffering with Christ himself. Pray we walk in grace and live in the love of the Shepherd so that others might follow as well. Pray we do something about the love we have received. Pray we love in return. Pray we stand up for Jesus when we are called to the door as both shepherds and sheep seeking salvation. Pray we know God’s voice and respond. Pray we have boldness in our prayers. Pray we have victory in Jesus to be part of something greater than ourselves…a Family of God…a Temple of Believers…A Called-Out Assembly of God. Pray we too stand at the door.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 