Jesus the Open Gate
St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD
April 26, 2026
Year A: The Fourth Sunday of Easter
Acts 2:42-47
Psalm 23
John 10:1-10
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Why, yes, it is still Easter!
Today is the Fourth Sunday of Easter, and each year on this day we are invited to reflect on a particular image of Jesus: Jesus the Good Shepherd.
And it’s a beautiful and comforting image, isn’t it?
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who knows and calls each of us by name.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and his sheep – us – we know his voice.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who protects us from the unnamed “thieves and bandits” – unnamed but they’re always out there, aren’t they, always looking to take what does not belong to them.
Now, if you’ve ever heard me preach on this Sunday, you may remember that I often express some discomfort – not with the image of the Good Shepherd – but with the image of us as sheep.
Part of this discomfort comes from my own arrogance – I’d like to think I’m smarter than a sheep – I don’t just follow without thinking for myself – I can make my own decisions, thank you very much.
And part of my discomfort comes from the fact that I’ve never met a real-life shepherd, and I’ve only encountered sheep at a petting zoo.
Well, nothing much has changed since last year – I still haven’t accepted Barritt Peterson’s invitation to go over to his place and observe the sheep who live next door – I still don’t know much about sheep.
But in today’s gospel lesson, Jesus introduces an additional image for himself.
Jesus says, “I am the gate.”
“I am the gate.”
And, you know, over the past year, I may not have learned anything about sheep, but, along with some of our other church leaders, I have learned something about gates.
As you may have heard, today is the kickoff celebration for our capital campaign.
And as you probably also already know, we’re hoping that our campaign will support several important ministries and projects, including creating an endowment for outreach and hiring someone to especially serve and nurture our youngest parishioners.
And, as you also know, in an act of faith in God and trust in your generosity, even before the start of the campaign, we have begun two important projects.
Our historic organ has been disassembled and removed to a workshop where it is being carefully cleaned, repaired, and enhanced, and the choir area is being rebuilt in a way that will make our already excellent choir sound even more amazing and allow us to offer more music programs.
And the other project that is already underway is properly memorializing the North Cemetery.
Over the past few years, we’ve learned a lot about our African-American burial ground and about the people buried there.
The culmination of this work will take place on Saturday, June 20, when Bishop Carrie will be here to consecrate the North Cemetery – officially acknowledging the holiness of that place.
But, thanks to the leadership of Frances Rockwell, we’ve already completed the new gate at the entrance to the North Cemetery – if you’re not sure what I’m talking about, there’s a picture of the gate on the cover of today’s bulletin. It’s so beautiful, isn’t it?
It’s brand-new but looks like it’s been here forever, in harmony with the other walls and gates that surround the churchyard – a perfect symbol of the holy remembering and re-membering that we’ve been doing these last few years.
And here’s the thing: the gate is always open.
The gate is always open.
When Jesus says, “I am the gate,” he means an open gate – an open gate that welcomes everyone – the weary and heavy-burdened, the lost, the frightened, the wounded, the confused, the doubtful, the messed-up – welcomes everyone - maybe even the “thieves and the bandits,” if they are willing to repent.
No one is beyond God’s love and forgiveness.
When Jesus says, “I am the gate,” he means an open gate – an open gate that invites us to follow the way – an open gate that leads us to new life.
Jesus is the open gate.
And, these last few days, as I’ve been thinking about our capital campaign, I’ve realized that everything we’re hoping to do – everything we’re hoping to do with the support of all of us – helps St. Thomas’ open our gates even wider.
Open gates to absolutely everyone.
Open gates to the people resting in the North Cemetery, no longer forgotten.
Open gates to the people who will come here for extraordinary music, who will be inspired and moved and comforted by the beauty and skill they hear and see all around them.
Open gates to kids and youth who are not only the future of the church but are a cherished and vital part of our present.
Open gates to the people out there, people we may never meet, people who may never be able to thank us, but who are blessed by our generosity and service.
Open gates to the natural world on our campus, the plants and creatures who make their home here.
And, then there’s the sewer line.
Maybe you think I can’t work that in, but, you know, nothing says “closed gate” more than a failed septic system – nothing says “closed gate” more than a bathroom that’s out of order.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd and Jesus is the gate.
Jesus is the open gate.
And as his sheep, trusting in his protection, guidance, and love, we can open wide our gates, welcoming absolutely everybody and heading through our open gates out into the world, announcing the best news of all time:
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Amen.
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