Amen, Amen, I say to you, 'I am the gate for the sheep."

In World war I, my father served in the Coast Artillery, guarding the entrance to San francisco Bay.

The old gun emplacemets are still there. Only now the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge towers above them.

Further inland soars the Gateway Arch in Saint Louis, the gatewy to the West.

To the south, the great gates of the Panama Canal open and close allowing great ships passage.

In every age, gates have a great significence.

In Jesus day, shepherds would at eventide herd their sheep into pens where they would find safety from maruders during the dark.

In the morning the gates would be opened and each shepherd would call forth his own flock; they would recognse his call and would trot out of the gate.

So Jesus is not only the Good Shepherd, he is also:

THE GATE.

The psalmist prefigures Jesus as the gateway, writing:

"O gates lift high your heads.

grow higher ancient doors,

Let him enter,

the King of

 Glory.

Psalm 24

And so we pray:

Jesus open the floodgates of mercy in our lives.

May your love for us flood in

and out again

to those in need.

Amen