Through These Doors

We are God’s church. We are not our own, but a people called to new identity and fresh purpose in Christ. We are a people being saved by being drawn into Christ’s saving work.

Jesus says, “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:9-10).

Every year we set aside a few weeks in the fall to give prayerful and focused attention to one dimension of our discipleship: being stewards. A steward is someone entrusted with taking care of someone else’s property. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are not property owners but stewards of life – air, water, and land; animals and plants; the time, the neighbors, the resources given to us. Every year we set aside a few weeks to ask ourselves, Are we good stewards of life? Are we faithful stewards of the gifts entrusted to us? Does our way of life reflect that we have entered into new life through baptism into Christ?

We enter the church through the Gate, and we become part of a community that reaches back in time across many generations and that brings together people from every tribe and nation on the face of the earth. Whenever we say Church, we say GlobaLocal Church. Last Sunday we celebrated World Communion Sunday; theday serves as a reminder that the table around which we gather is larger than any of our tables: this table is big enough for all. This table extends beyond the doors of any sanctuary.

Doors are powerful symbols because they are openings. They are openings where access can be granted or denied. We go through doors to enter the world and to return home. We find ourselves standing in front of closed doors. We sit by doors longing for somebody to knock or we hold a door open waiting for somebody to cross the threshold.

Keeping in mind that Jesus Christ is the Gate to abundant life for the whole world, what doors do you need to unlock? What doors do you want to walk through more often? What doors will you have to close for good?