We put in our vegetable garden this week – at least some herbs and beans and carrots. We’ve tried different plants, and we are finding that some are better suited to our yard than others. We have to careful and avoid plants that the deer won’t eat. Some kind of bug gets into the cucumbers and zucchini. I take on all the work and worry because I look forward to fresh tomatoes. I want to reach the day when my table is full of fresh food.

         We carry a secret hope of abundance. It might be our gardens, but we also hope for abundance in our homes and in our church. We look to the day when everyone is fulfilled – when our bills are paid and everyone is working at tasks that use their best gifts. We look to a day when we can see life in this place. We want the noise of children. We want to see signs of productive activity. We want to be assured that the good things we have known here will continue in the future for others to enjoy.

         We want to do more than just survive. We want abundant life as promised by Jesus. Today we have many images of sheep and shepherd. The sheep may be safe from harm as the gather in the sheep pen, but they must go out into the pasture to live – to find abundance.

         Much of what Jesus is speaking about is how he is not like the other religious leaders. There is a long tradition of thinking about the leaders of Israel as shepherds. This goes back to the time of David – the one who was taken from the flocks of sheep to be anointed king. Ever since, leaders were measured against David, and found lacking. Jesus calls himself the good shepherd, the true shepherd. The other leaders act like robbers. They come into and leave the sheepfold for their own ends. Jesus, like a true shepherd enters and leaves by the gate. His job is to look after the sheep. The sheep recognize him and they follow willingly.

         Then Jesus adds another twist. He says that he is the gate of the sheep. This is a kind of addition to the image of Jesus as a shepherd. Jesus calls himself the way in and the way out of the sheepfold. I am imagining a kind of enclosure (maybe made of stones, maybe a cave) where there is one opening. It would have been common in those days for the shepherd to lie across the entrance and sleep there. No animal could go out without stepping over the shepherd. No dangerous animal could enter without first alarming the shepherd.

         Jesus is declaring himself a protector but also a pathway. We know that the way that we enter this church is through Jesus. We may have been invited by a person, or we may have been attracted through a program, but eventually, our commitment is made through Jesus. He died for us and he gives us life. Our relationship with God is all through Jesus.

         Our lives are not complete by resting here. We live our life of faith out in the wide world. Our abundance will not be found in this place of gathering and of safety. We need to go out. The sheep get what they need by being led to green pastures and places of fresh water. We also are led out by the good shepherd who is our doorway into the world.

         Consider my garden. I put a fence around it to keep out the deer and the rabbits. I do everything I can to help the vegetables grow and I carefully remove weeds and pests. Everything I do is to produce a harvest. The abundance comes when I harvest what is grown. If I leave it safely on the vine, it will only eventually wither and rot. The plants are safe in my garden. They fulfill their purpose when the produce is taken out.

         We have many challenges as a community. We are overwhelmed with property and financial issues. There’s so much to pay attention to we can fill all our time taking care of this community. If we don’t, there won’t be a community to hear and proclaim the good news. We won’t have a place to be nourished in our faith. We won’t be able to gather and support each other. We are also meant to go out. We are not made only to be gathered and safe. We are called to share what we have been given. The way we will find abundance is to carry our faith into the world.

         As we work together, we cannot choose one or the other. If, on the one hand, we maintain the community and neglect our mission, then we will have no purpose, and our gifts will wither. If, on the other hand, we serve the needs of others without supporting each other, we will have no strength for the work, and we will fail. As we listen to one another and encourage the sharing of gifts, we will find what we need to maintain our sheepfold: our garden.

         In the next few months, we will be discerning our future together. We will have to have a parish meeting to approve a loan to fix our boiler. The vestry will be working on a vision statement to guide our work together. We will continue to plan stewardship programs, and Christian education programs. We will work on our worship and our singing. There’s an awful lot to do, so if you’ve come here to rest, I’m afraid you may be out of luck. Jesus doesn’t call us to ease. Jesus calls us to life. Right now, our life together requires a lot of attention.

         We can see this as a burden and be discouraged. I encourage us to see this as an adventure. We have been called here at a unique moment. All the reasons we used to gather as a church are passing away. It’s no longer a social expectation. We’re no longer guardians of some sort of civic duty. We get to discover what God wants the church to be today.

         Jesus encourages us as well. When we gather to learn and pray and help one another, Jesus guides and protects us. When we go forth into the world (which God also loves) Jesus will continue to guide us and protect us. The whole purpose is to experience God’s abundance. In the end, God’s blessings may not be what we expect, but in the end God’s gifts are always better than we hope.