If Jesus Is, Then We Are Also…
While preparing this week’s sermon on the “I am the Good Shepherd” verse, I am admittedly still thinking about last week. As I said, “I am the gate” is one of the hardest of the “I Am” statements in John’s Gospel. It isn’t about taking action, it is about a way of being.
Of course, being the gate is an action in and of itself. If we are able to live in such a way that invites people to enter the realm of God, then we are definitely doing something worthwhile with our lives. It’s just that being a certain way takes more intention than engaging in a specific action, doesn’t it?
We are halfway through the “I Am Christian” sermon series. I don’t know what it’s been like to listen to the sermons. However, preparing them continues to be a challenge, an enjoyable challenge, though a challenge nonetheless. Figuring out what it means to be Christian in today’s political climate is a worthy adventure.
It’s funny, 35 years ago I wrote my undergraduate thesis on the I Am statements in John’s Gospel. I was a senior in college with plans to take a year off before entering seminary. I’d also spent a couple of years with a conservative Christian campus group. While I had left that group, their influence on my faith remained.
As a college senior at the age of 20, I was certain that the I Am statements were an affirmation of Jesus’ divinity and nothing more. They were a literary tool to shine the proverbial spotlight on Jesus being the incarnate Son of God. While I still believe that this was one of the intentions of the writer, I don’t think it was the only one.
Studying these texts today, I am more inclined to say that they are an invitation for us to embody these attributes – bread of life, light of the world, gate, Good Shepherd, and so on – as individuals, and more importantly, as community. In short, these I Am statements can function as guidelines for being followers of Christ in the world today.
I used to believe that there was only one “correct” way to be a Christian in the world and I was determined to find that way. Now, after more than 30 years of ordained ministry, I know that there are many, perhaps countless, ways to follow Jesus. Theology and doctrine are less important than how we bring Divine Love into the world, how we make the world a better place than when we entered it.
As we go about our daily living this week, I hope you, like me, are still thinking about what you do, how you live, how you are, as “The Gate” to the realm of God. And remember, there comes a point when it is less about “doing” and more about “being.” So as I said on Sunday, “Do what you can and be the rest.”
About Rachael Keefe
Rev. Dr. Rachael Keefe is the pastor of Living Table United Church of Christ. She was called to Living Table in 2015 after serving in many varied ministry settings since her ordination in 1992. She holds graduate degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary and Andover Newton Seminary at Yale (formerly Andover Newton Theological School). Her ministry and leadership often center around advocacy and accessibility. Her writing has been published by Chalice Press, The Christian Century, Red Letter Christians, Working Preacher, RevGalBlogPals, and others. She is grateful to be in ministry with Living Table today.
Copyright
Unless otherwise specified, all content on this site is copyrighted by the author, when designated, or by Living Table United Church of Christ. This means that you cannot copy-and-paste content from this website to reuse elsewhere without express written permission. All images are copyrighted and may not be used elsewhere. With any questions, please contact us. You can still share everything from this site by sharing a link to the exact page of interest. What is prohibited by this policy and standard U.S. copyright law is reusing or republishing our content without license.
I missed church last Sunday. I love this idea: “Do what you can and be the rest.”
I was thinking today about t-shirt slogans (long winding story about how I got there). I think that might be a good one.
I look forward to this week’s challenge!
Sandy, it was truly an inspired idea. You remind me that we need to find a way to record sermons again that is not through Zoom.
I still mulling over the concept of being the gate. Unless the gate freely swings both ways then there are those that are out and and those who are out.
Barb, the key to being the gate is to swing open when needed and closed when needed. There is no who’s in and who’s out. All are equally free to pass through, in both directions.