I am the Door

Q: When is a door not a door?

 A: When it’s a Jesus metaphor!

 

            Doors are very important parts of a building: needing to be secure, well-fitting, stylish and with attractive ‘door furniture’, (-otherwise known as handles and locks!) Huge doors are difficult to open, tiny ones are impossible to get through and revolving ones simple confuse me and I don’t know whether I’m coming or going!

            Gates are a bit different, perhaps because they don’t always meet a wall at the top and they seem more open and easier to climb over, (in theory, anyway.)

And a partly-open gate always speaks of invitation to me: “Come and see what’s on the other side of me! Come on, don’t be shy!”

And doors are all about access, -one of the greatest of human needs, and possibly a human right. As a citizen I need access to shelter; the place I work; hospitals, when I need them; shops on a regular basis; the legal facilities and law courts on occasions, etc. To deny me access is unjust and demeaning and dangerous. Without access, I am set apart from my community and left vulnerable.

            Jesus once used the word ‘door’ or ‘gate’ to describe himself. A strange notion, perhaps, but at the time he was talking about his care and love for us. He painted a picture of people being like sheep inside a sheep-pen. Not the flimsy, temporary kind, but more like a stone enclosure with substantial walls and an opening to let the animals in. He said he was like that sort of gate or door.

             In fact, in those bygone days, there was often no actual gate in position on the sheep-pen: the shepherd himself would lie down across the entrance, acting as the door. It was a dangerous step to take, as he would then be the only thing between the sheep and any possible predators: whether wolf or thief! A really good shepherd would be prepared to risk his own life for the lives of his sheep.

            So here we have a picture of Jesus as the Really Good Shepherd, who took that ‘door-job’ responsibility seriously and did die for his sheep. But that’s not the only thing in this image of Jesus as a door. He gives us access into the sheep-pen of God’s family, to be closer to God and be safe and cherished there; but he also gives us access to go out from that place of security, back into the world, following where he takes us.

            This is about God sending Jesus into our world, to lead us out into his. It’s about Jesus as the Good Shepherd, finding us, putting us in a safe sheep fold, yet leading us out daily into the reality of the rest of the world. He meets us in our timidity and need for safe enclosure, but also leading us out into fullness of life.

            The daily journey for the sheep, -out of that pen and into the outside world, -holds many fears and dangers. It would be so much simpler to keep them penned up all the time, away from wolves and stormy weather and dangerous, craggy footpaths. But the Really Good Shepherd knows that they need to move in order to feed and grow, and be the free creatures they were meant to be. So he calls them, gently, by their names. And because he is Really Good, they trust him and follow him into the unknown.

            Where will he take us today? Can you hear his voice coaxing you out of where you are, to give you access to something greater he has in mind for you?

            It’s all about access, -to life in all its fullness.    

 

Dear Lord Jesus, I thank you for drawing me into the family of God. Thank you for the confidence and security of knowing I am loved and cherished. Help me to listen when you call me to move out, too. Help me to get to know you so I can recognise your voice among all the clamouring noises in my life. And when I do find the courage to get up and follow you, please let me embrace the fullness of life you offer, and learn to invite others into it, too. Amen.