Audio Link
Acts 2:42–47
Psalm 23:1-6
1 Peter 2:19–25
John 10:1–11
Who or what is life giving? In all reality, there is only one thing that is life giving, isn’t there? We as Christians would say God incarnate, Jesus the Christ, the Word who has been before the beginning and is still here today, is the source of life. He was giving life to the world during the creation in Genesis and each and every day, today. If we agree that it is God, in Christ, the Word that is the source of life for all, then we might need to ask, what is life? Is life simply breathing or is life something more? Are we experiencing life now?
Okay, so now that I have asked you so many questions, where can we find our answers? The readings today, I believe help answer this question of what is life giving, and what is life. Although the Psalm was not read, it was sung for you instead today. It is in Psalm 23, that we hear that the Lord is the center of life its self. All good thing said, all good things received, come from the Lord. He restores my soul or maybe better translated, restores my life. We hear that the Psalmist say “my cup overflows.” Life is overflowing and abundantly being renewed.
In the Psalm, we receive the imagery of the Lord being a Shepherd. The Shepherd is one who gathers and protects the entire flock. The Shepherd nurtures the young, protects the old and young alike. All that the Shepherd does is for the sheep of His flock.
This same imagery is used in the Gospel reading today. Here Jesus says that he has a dual role. Not only is He the gate, the one who allows entry and prevents entry with the other sheep, He is also the Shepherd. If the sheep are not allowed entry, then they are in danger of death, from the danger that exists outside the reach of the Shepherd. Once inside, once coming to the true Gate, the Gate Of Life, the sheep enter and will be protected by the Shepherd. The Shepherd provides all that is needed for the abundant overflowing cup of life.
Life comes from God and only God. Life does not come from money; life does not come in material things but only comes by following the Shepherd through the Gate. All this imagery is great but how does that look for us today, here and now? To help see this, we can look at the reading from Acts. The believers in Acts, are known as followers of “The Way”. The way being what Jesus teaches, Jesus the Gate, the Shepherd who provides all. For the first followers, they have the apostles providing teaching, fellowship, prayers and breaking of bread. Today, we have pastors, bishops and all the Disciples of Christ Jesus. The community of believers grew, as they gathered in community around Christ.
It is in this community we are told that they have all things in common, share in what each have with one another, spend time in the Temple, and break bread. Life is more than just going about doing day-to-day business but centering the community upon the one who gives life. The people are able to experience life focused upon the kingdom of heaven breaking through to their community. As we know, not all of the believers were able to maintain these communities with this fullness of life. Paul often wrote to a variety of churches that struggled with their practices, their faith in God and to one another.
What does this fullness actually look like? We hear it described in Acts but how can that look for us in our lives, or how has it looked for us at times? Have you ever been out in nature and just had this feeling of how lucky you are to be able to experience life and see what God is offering to you? Have you stood maybe in front of the Niagara Falls and with a group of people and you are all in sync, all together having all things in common, even if for just a moment in time? What about coming together with a group of people, from all walks of life, but for the time of that event, whatever it was, you were all one, all sharing, putting all your efforts towards a single goal, in solidarity like no other.
Maybe some of you have been involved in sit-ins for a cause. Some of the women here may have been part of the women’s liberation movement and maybe, just maybe even took part in burring their bras? Maybe some have participated in one of the Occupy movements last summer or one of the Anti-Occupy movements. How about being part of a farmer’s co-op standing as one for the farmers needs. What about the diverse members of a trade union standing hand in hand for each other. This is how the people of the way, in our reading from Acts feel and experience life at that moment.
To be fair, being a follower of the way was difficult in the early days. People were treated harshly, for their beliefs. This even happens today in other parts of the world. The worldly ways often do not align with the ways of God. It is in this misalignment that the cup does not run over with life. Perseverance by Who is Good and Right leads us back to the Gate and to the Shepherd. The Psalmist said that goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. This can also be translated that goodness and mercy shall dog me…. Christ peruses us with perseverance, dogs us so we come to the gate to enter.
In the reading from 1 Peter, we are told there is the potential for pain and suffering for being followers of Christ. At the same time, nowhere does it says we must stay and be abused. We are just told that it can and will happen. Christ is always dogging us and we need to follow Him out of these situations that are NOT life giving. Abuse, corrosion and oppression are never right and should not be tolerated. The believers in Acts could not be in a community that was being abused by fellow believers.
Life is more than just breathing; life is being focused upon God, who is the giver of the abundant overflowing cup of life. Life is being in community for the sake of the community and those that enter the Gate and are protected by the Shepherd. Life is being with God, for God, with Christ, for Christ, with the Spirit, for the Spirit, for the sake of all peoples so they may be lead to the Gate and be with the Shepherd.