Proverbs 1:20-22. 

²⁰ Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
    she raises her voice in the public square;

²¹ on top of the wall she cries out,
    at the city gate she makes her speech.  

Many of us were raised on the Biblical account of Solomon, son of David, becoming king of Israel.  Solomon goes to the Temple to pray.  God offers him anything he would like.  He asks for wisdom to rule God’s people. God affirms that request and adds long life and riches. Solomon started right, recognizing his need for wisdom.

This week we have looked at Jesus’ claim that he is the gate for the sheep.  Proverbs personifies Wisdom as a person in the city of our lives.  It is at the “gate” that she makes a speech and talks to us.  If Jesus is the gate then it is in our relationship with him, with God, that we not only enter in and thus change our lives in a legal transaction that controls Evil’s access to us and protects us, even when we make bad choices, but it is in that relationship that we begin to hear Wisdom speaking into our lives.

Today we will face many decisions.  Some of those decisions are small like whether to eat that piece of cake, and some are big as we face the challenges of life.  It is a comfort to know that as we listen, Wisdom is seeking to speak to us.  We are not alone as we  navigate life and the Spirit that walks with us knows the best way through the tangles.  Thank you, Lord.

Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.  John 10:7-9

This week we have been looking at John 10:7-9 where JEsus tells the Pharisees that he is the gate for the sheep and pondering s  of gates in the Bible.  Gates are places where we go in and out.  Gates were places of legal transactions like Boaz marrying Ruth.  Gates are places that keep the bad guys out and protect the good guys.  We looked at Sampson moving the gates of Gaza when he was caught compromised and took up the gates and repositioned them facing Hebron – God.  Today let’s look at that favorite Psalm 100 written by King David.  It talks about entering the gates.  I am asking myself today how I am entering the gates of my salvation – all discombobulated from jet lag, grumping about figuring what it means to be a widow, or am I entering the gates with thanksgiving for my many friends and his presence with me as I navigate this phase of life?

Psalm 100

¹ Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

²  Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come before him with joyful songs.

³ Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he who made us, and we are his^[a];
    we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.

⁵ For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

A brother wronged is more unyielding than a fortified city;
    disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel. (Proverbs 18:19)

16 One day Samson went to Gaza, where he saw a prostitute. He went in to spend the night with her. ² The people of Gaza were told, “Samson is here!” So they surrounded the place and lay in wait for him all night at the city gate. They made no move during the night, saying, “At dawn we’ll kill him.”

³ But Samson lay there only until the middle of the night. Then he got up and took hold of the doors of the city gate, together with the two posts, and tore them loose, bar and all. He lifted them to his shoulders and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron.   (Judges 16:1-3”)

A phrase that has become common in English now is “gated community.”  It is a group of homes that is protected by a gate that must be passed to enter and visit someone .  A ”gate” can imply entrance and exit ability.  So. when Jesus says he is the “gate for the sheep,” we often think of the entrance into a relationship with God and he leads us out daily. Yesterday we looked at “the gate” as a place of legal transactions as with Ruth for whom Boaz negotiated a marriage with at the city gate of Bethlehem.  When we enter into relationship with God, we no longer belong to Evil and cannot be possessed by it. 

A gate also protects that within from the evil that is seeking to ruin it.  I have often wondered about a little scenario found in Judges involving the life of Sampson.  We usually think of him in relationship to Delila but there is also a little story of him staying one night with a prostitute in the city of Gaza.  The men gather at the gate to kill him.  In the middle of the night, he gets up, and with his strength tears out the gate and posts, carries them to the top of a hill and faces them towards Hebron, the burial place of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob.  End of story.  There must be a lesson in the scene worth pondering for a moment.

We do not particularly support prostitution but even as Sampson, the hero whom we might see as being involved with sin, so are we as Christians even after confessing faith, still sinners.  Perhaps it is not prostitution but we gossip, say snarky remarks, and do that which we deeply regret later.  One way of dealing with these questionable events inn our life is to question our salvation, repent, and “recommit” our lives to God. Sampson offers another model.  Even as saved sinners becoming sanctified, growing in our faith are still prone to sin, God does not abandon us but still protects us and redirects us so that we reposition that gate in our lives towards Hebron, towards God.

The sheepherders we worked with in Kenya, had sheepfolds to protect the sheep but those enclosures were thorn bushes that could move with the nomads and so the “gate” also moved with the sheep.  The door always pointed to the rising sun.  Our faith is a declaration of identity but it is also a journey of growing and learning about our shepherd.  Jesus, our gate, travels with us and when we take a wrong turn, he helps us reposition ourselves so we are facing toward him.  I find that comforting. 

Maybe today, you need to make some adjustments as you grow with him.  He’s protecting you from the enemy that would destroy you.  Blessings.   

⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.  John 10:7-9

Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.  Ruth 4:11

As I ponder Jesus’ statement that he is the “gate for the sheep,” I thought of ways that gates represented different aspects of life in the Bible that might be our first association with the word “gate.”  I thought of the Old Testament story of Ruth.  She was a foreigner, not a Jew, but married the son of Naomi whose family fled to Moab during a famine in Bethlehem.  Ruth’s husband died and she eventually returned to Bethlehem with Naomi to find “the new normal” as a widow, a foreigner, and poor.  She starts gathering fallen grain in the field of Boaz who actually is a relative of her family who culturally could protect her. 

This short book ends with Boaz going to the city “gate” to negotiate a marriage with Ruth and to make the relationship legal.  Ruth, a foreigner, a widow, and poor becomes the grandmother of King David.  Wow. Redemption!  Gates were places of legal transactions is the Bible that resulted in life changing agreements that impacted history.  Jesus says he is the “gate.”  He is the place where we make decisions that change the direction of our lives!  He is not just a door we walk through – what first comes to our minds when we think of “gates” but going through Jesus as a gate to faith, a legal transaction occurs that affects our eternity.  Pretty spiff, I think.  Blessings as you ponder the “gates” in your life.

⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.  John 10:7-9

In Chapter 10 of the gospel of John, he gives a third “I am” statement of Jesus.  Jesus is again responding to the Pharisees.  He gives them the example of a sheep pen.  The real shepherd goes in the gate or door of the holding pen and calls his sheep by name.  We might give the example of someone coming to our house.  If he climbs in the window like a thief, the dog inside will bark and alert the people inside.  But if the husband comes home at night, the dog knows him, wags his tail, gives a royal welcome and will obey.  Other animals are just like our pets. They recognize their master or leader.  They do not follow strangers who approach with unknown intent.  The Pharisees don’t get it, though.  Jesus turns to them and says, “I am that gate to faith.”

So what does that mean to us?  I think it means that the path to approaching and understanding the unseen God who created our existence is found in the incarnation.  Many religions believe in various ways to approach the unseen God-being or force that is acknowledged to be beyond our comprehension.  Many faiths focus on becoming good enough to approach that being.  Christianity believes God came to us in the life of Jesus who took on humanity and through his life demonstrated the character of God.  Other philosophies are like thieves that lead us astray in their attempt belief systems that seem so logical and perhaps do-able.  Jesus does not ask us to do but to believe.  Jesus is the only true gate for understanding God.

So let us again work with an acrostic of the word “gate.”  G is for ….., A is for ….., T is for ….., and E is for ……. I might say, Jesus is Good, Available, Touchable, and Essential.  What would you say?  Blessings as you ponder.

This week we looked at Jesus’ “I am” statement that he is the  “light of the world” found in John 8:12.

¹² When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Not only is it a statement of his identity but it is also a promise that calls us into worship of thanks.  Not only does faith bring clarity to my life but God is working in the world and those around me.  Jesus not only gave sight to the blind but he also created eyes and sight for a man born blind.  No barrier need stand between us and seeing.  We compared walking in the light and walking in the darkness.  I love evenings but I do not like to stumble and fall or bump into the unseen.  Accepting Christ as the source of light for the dark night of the soul and those horrible days when all seems clouded is a wonderful description of our God.  Please enjoy this worship song.  Blessings.

9 As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ³ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.  (John 9:1-3)

In Chapter 9 of John we hear of Jesus healing a man born blind.  This is a report that confirms Jesus’ statement in Chapter 8 that he is the “light of the world.”  Jesus meets a man born blind, spits in the dirt to make mud, puts the mud on the man’s eye holes and tells him to go and wash.  He went and came back seeing.  The people are confused and debate if it is the same man.  The Pharisees question the man but discount his story for he was born blind, a sure sign that he was a sinner.  They call the parents as a second witness and the parents refuse to stick their neck out.  The man, who of course could not recognize Jesus, then meets Jesus and believes.  “’Lord, I believe.” And he worshipped him.”

Jesus responds, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.’” (John 9:39)  Jesus is talking about spiritual blindness and spiritual light, discernment and wisdom that the Holy Spirit gives us.  I love the explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed that talks about the Holy Spirit, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in JesusChrist my Lord, or come to him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith.”

The blind man could do nothing to heal himself.  He was born without eyes.  No great confession of faith is recorded.  God reached into his darkness and gave him sight.  The man saw and believed.  Perhaps we don’t have as dramatic a story.  Perhaps ours was a slow recognition or a moment of insight.  Maybe you have grown slowly in your faith.  Relationships take time.   

Think about the changes since you first believed.  Sometimes it helps to draw a line.  Above the line mark the good events and below the line record the tough times.  Do you recognize God working?  Lord, open my eyes that I might see clearly in 2024.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being ⁴ in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)

John introduces us to Jesus at the beginning of his Gospel with those famous words, “in the beginning,” that immediately draws our thinking back to Genesis 1.  Back at the beginning of our known reality Jesus was “Word,” “life,” and “light of all people.”  John opens with hope.  Light defeats darkness.  

In the beginning of 2024 

• what word do you want to hear, 
• what light do you want to see, 
• and where do you need life breathed into your journey?  

Perhaps you would use another noun to describe what you need for 2024.  Perhaps you need strength.  Perhaps you need faith.  Perhaps you need comfort.  Then again you may need clarity on some issue you’ve been grappling with.  When faced with a challenge, it is easy to think of relief and escape.  Let’s identify a gift – a word, a light, or some life – God could give us this year that can only come from him.  We want the darkness defeated so let’s cling to the promise that darkness is overcome by the light of Jesus.  Jesus is the light of the world.  He helps us overcome our challenges from the beginning.  Blessings.

¹ The Lord is my light and my salvation;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    of whom shall I be afraid?

Psalm 27:1 by KIng David

I am a genuine, 100% certified and credentialed “fearling.”  As a young adult I read the book Hinds Feet in High Places.  It is a moving tale about little shero Much-Afraid and her spiritual journey to the High Places.  It was a modern Pilgrim’s Progress. King David catches this same sense of overcoming fear as we learn to travel in faith, trusting God, following the light. 

Today we perhaps say we have “control issues.”  I like to be able to see what’s coming and know I can cope well enough not to embarrass myself or my family and friends watching.  When I experience darkness like we talked about yesterday, I am an easy target for fear.

  I like that David used the word “and.”  God is not only my light that helps me see and cope but there is also an “and.”  And he is my salvation.  The truth is that I do have tough days and I do make mistakes and I get “my panties all twisted” about something I should be trusting God with.  The verse does not say that because God is our light we must therefore be perfect.  The verse says that even as God leads, we will make mistakes and God will be our salvation.  David loved God but David made mistakes like adultery and murder.  God loved David who was “a man after his own heart.”  God confronted David and punished him for his wrong but God did not abandon David.  The Lord is our light everyday and on those ooops days he is our salvation too.

So let’s take a moment and be honest with ourselves about the fears that linger on the edge of our awareness.  Don’t just think about yourself but let us pray for our country as we enter elections and the arenas of conflict in our world where fear is ever present.  Thank you Lord that you save us.

“¹² Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’” (John 8:12)

Yesterday we looked at the context Jesus spoke this “I am” into.  Today let’s look at the content.  Jesus juxtaposes light and darkness.  More specifically walking in darkness vs having, walking, in the light of life.  I think of a time when a friend treated our family to Knotts Berry Farm in Los Angeles somewhere.  Because I was pregnant…again…I could not ride the rollar coaster rides but that night I went in the basket that raised the rider up high to over look the LA basin as the lights on the basket went out.  It was like being suspended in a dark void.  I could not appreciate the scenery because I was too terrified, clutching the rails of the basket, and trying to act brave for a child with me.  I could not identify anything.  I was paralyzed.  Being lowered was petrifying.  Perhaps you would find that fun but I did not.  I do not like to walk where I cannot tell up from down, where I am going, or if there are objects in the way.

Jesus says that without “light” life becomes like that.  It is hard to get our berrings.  We do not really know if what we are doing is getting us where we want to go.  We cannot see the sticks and stones on the path.  We cannot see to know which friend to reach out to for orientation.  Jesus claiming to be the light of life sounds to me like orientation, like direction, like fellowship, and like guidance.  Jesus uses the word, “never.”  Walking with Jesus is never walking in total darkness.  In our darkest days, he is our torch, our flashlight, that will lead us to safety.

Let’s take a short time to think how light helps us to navigate our daily lives and pray for that gift in facing the challenges of today.