THE WORD 4 ev 1

Today’s reading is John 10 (click here for link)

The choice of the door as a symbol for the Savior is a curious one. While there is some precedent for door language in the Psalms (118:20) and in the synoptic Gospels (Matt. 7:13), it is hardly a dominant New Testament metaphor. It certainly lacks the poetry and the luster of figures like "the bread of life" and "the light of the world." When I think of doors, I can't help thinking of the 20-odd closet, bedroom, bathroom and exterior, doors in an old house that Pam and I used to live in back in Arkansas--few of which worked properly. Some didn’t latch evenly. Others had rusted hardware, squeaky hinges and handles that didn’t match. Still others swelled hopelessly with summer humidity and shrunk miserably with winter cold. So why the reference to Jesus as the door of the sheepfold? Why such a mundane symbol for the Savior of the world?

Well… a door is about as straightforward an image that there is. We all need a door in life. Without a door we are trapped. So when Jesus speaks of saving those who pass through the door, he has rescue in mind. "Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by another way, is a thief and "a bandit." No one can know the realm of abundant life without entering through Jesus. Everyone else will come up short. Sheep locked in a pen without a functioning door will never discover freedom. In fact, we can be trapped even when we feel secure in our own self-assuredness that we’ve got things under control. Full life comes through a different door.

For years St. Anthony's Catholic Church in San Francisco has served meals to people in need. Over the doorway to its dining room the church has posted a sign bearing the inscription: Caritate Dei. One day a young mechanic, just released from jail and new to St. Anthony's, entered the door and sat down for a meal. A woman was busy cleaning the adjoining table. "When do we get on our knees and do the chores, lady?" he asked. "You don't," she replied. “Well I guess I need to pay my dues… er… give an offering,” he said sarcastically. The woman just shook her head and said, “Nope… We just enjoy having you here.” "Then when's the sermon comin'?" he inquired. "Aren't any," she said. "How `bout the lecture on life, huh?" "Not here," she said. The man was becoming very suspicious. "Then what's the gimmick?" The woman pointed to the inscription over the door. He squinted at the sign. "What's it mean, lady?" "Out of love for God," she said with a smile, and moved on to another table.

Check out the inscription over your next door in life. If it has to do with genuine love for God, you won't go wrong.

Is Jesus over the door you are walking through today?
Pastor Aaron