The Gatekeeper
Illustration
Stories
Carl pulled his car into a parking space and sighed. He hoped to have some idea of what he was going to speak about at the service. The truth was for days he had stared at the passage from John’s Gospel about Jesus being the gatekeeper, and nothing came to mind. He wanted to relate the passage to the lives of the people in the nursing home but honestly, he had nothing interesting to say.
He grabbed his bag with his Bible and opened the back of his car to grab the elements for Holy Communion. He struggled a bit to carry everything but was fine until he got to the door and realized he needed to press the buzzer in order to get into the facility. He juggled the things he was carrying until he could press the button. A woman’s voice sounded from above him.
“Hello, can I help you?”
Carl looked around and saw the camera above the door. “Hi, my name is Pastor Carl and I’m here to lead a service for the residents.”
“Hi Pastor, I’m Jill and I think we spoke on the phone about the service. I know the residents are thrilled to have you come and are looking forward to meeting you. I’ll buzz you in.”
Carl heard the buzzer and reached for the door but realized that if he did, he was going to drop something. There was a slight pause.
“Should I buzz you through again, Pastor?”
“Sorry,” Carl said. “I don’t want to drop anything and need a second to put something down first.”
“Hmm...you do have your hands full. Just give me a second.”
Carl waited and thought about what he would say at the service. He sighed again. He really wished he could talk about Jesus as the gatekeeper. The door swung open, and Jill smiled at him.
“Can I take something?”
“The bag in my left hand would be easiest.” He balanced the other items and felt relieved when she took the bag from him.
“Thanks.” He stopped just inside the door. “Um. I’ve never been here before, which way to the chapel?”
“The chapel is to the left. Why don’t I show you?”
“Thanks.”
“Not a problem, Pastor. I think the residents who are coming are getting settled anyway so you have a few moments.”
She took him down the corridor and around the corner into a small room where residents in wheelchairs were waiting. Jill led him to the front and helped him arrange the elements on the small table. Carl put his Bible on the pulpit and looked at the twenty or so people who had gathered.
“Who are you?” a woman from the front row asked.
“I’m Pastor Carl.”
“I don’t know you,” the man beside her said.
“I’m new at the church,” Carl explained.
“I still don’t know you,” the man announced. “Are you supposed to be here?”
Jill stepped beside Carl. “Everyone, this is Pastor Carl who is the new pastor at First Church. I invited him to come and lead our worship service today.”
“Oh, then welcome.” the man said. “If Jill invited you then you must be okay.”
“I still don’t know who he is,” the woman who spoke before said. “But if Jill says he’s a pastor, then he must be.”
Jill turned to Carl. “Anything else I can do for you, Pastor?”
“No, that is great, thank you.”
“No problem. I’ll be back when you are finished to help you carry your stuff out.” Jill talked to a few of the residents on her way out and soon Carl was left with the residents.
He led them in prayer and they sang a few familiar hymns before he read the lesson from John’s Gospel. He closed the Bible and looked at the people seated in front of him. He decided to start with the question hoping that he would figure out what else to say.
“What does it mean that Jesus is the gatekeeper?” He took a breath to continue but the answers started from the gathered residents.
“Someone who lets you in and shows you the way I guess,” one man said.
“Whose voice you trust too,” the woman beside him added.
“Kind of like Jill,” a second man added.
“Jill isn’t Jesus.” another woman piped in. “Although she is a good Christian woman.”
“How do you know?” the man from the front row asked.
“The way she talks to us like people. You know she cares. She makes sure that I don’t get any peanuts because they make me sick.”
“I think you’re right.” The man nodded. “Pastor, is that what it means that Jesus is the gatekeeper?”
“I think that is a great way to start understanding these words of Jesus. Should we look at them in more detail?”
Everyone agreed and as Carl began to go through the passage with the residents, he offered a silent prayer of thanks for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and for the good people like Jill who act like Christ in their lives.
*****************************************
StoryShare, April 30, 2023 issue.
Copyright 2023 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
He grabbed his bag with his Bible and opened the back of his car to grab the elements for Holy Communion. He struggled a bit to carry everything but was fine until he got to the door and realized he needed to press the buzzer in order to get into the facility. He juggled the things he was carrying until he could press the button. A woman’s voice sounded from above him.
“Hello, can I help you?”
Carl looked around and saw the camera above the door. “Hi, my name is Pastor Carl and I’m here to lead a service for the residents.”
“Hi Pastor, I’m Jill and I think we spoke on the phone about the service. I know the residents are thrilled to have you come and are looking forward to meeting you. I’ll buzz you in.”
Carl heard the buzzer and reached for the door but realized that if he did, he was going to drop something. There was a slight pause.
“Should I buzz you through again, Pastor?”
“Sorry,” Carl said. “I don’t want to drop anything and need a second to put something down first.”
“Hmm...you do have your hands full. Just give me a second.”
Carl waited and thought about what he would say at the service. He sighed again. He really wished he could talk about Jesus as the gatekeeper. The door swung open, and Jill smiled at him.
“Can I take something?”
“The bag in my left hand would be easiest.” He balanced the other items and felt relieved when she took the bag from him.
“Thanks.” He stopped just inside the door. “Um. I’ve never been here before, which way to the chapel?”
“The chapel is to the left. Why don’t I show you?”
“Thanks.”
“Not a problem, Pastor. I think the residents who are coming are getting settled anyway so you have a few moments.”
She took him down the corridor and around the corner into a small room where residents in wheelchairs were waiting. Jill led him to the front and helped him arrange the elements on the small table. Carl put his Bible on the pulpit and looked at the twenty or so people who had gathered.
“Who are you?” a woman from the front row asked.
“I’m Pastor Carl.”
“I don’t know you,” the man beside her said.
“I’m new at the church,” Carl explained.
“I still don’t know you,” the man announced. “Are you supposed to be here?”
Jill stepped beside Carl. “Everyone, this is Pastor Carl who is the new pastor at First Church. I invited him to come and lead our worship service today.”
“Oh, then welcome.” the man said. “If Jill invited you then you must be okay.”
“I still don’t know who he is,” the woman who spoke before said. “But if Jill says he’s a pastor, then he must be.”
Jill turned to Carl. “Anything else I can do for you, Pastor?”
“No, that is great, thank you.”
“No problem. I’ll be back when you are finished to help you carry your stuff out.” Jill talked to a few of the residents on her way out and soon Carl was left with the residents.
He led them in prayer and they sang a few familiar hymns before he read the lesson from John’s Gospel. He closed the Bible and looked at the people seated in front of him. He decided to start with the question hoping that he would figure out what else to say.
“What does it mean that Jesus is the gatekeeper?” He took a breath to continue but the answers started from the gathered residents.
“Someone who lets you in and shows you the way I guess,” one man said.
“Whose voice you trust too,” the woman beside him added.
“Kind of like Jill,” a second man added.
“Jill isn’t Jesus.” another woman piped in. “Although she is a good Christian woman.”
“How do you know?” the man from the front row asked.
“The way she talks to us like people. You know she cares. She makes sure that I don’t get any peanuts because they make me sick.”
“I think you’re right.” The man nodded. “Pastor, is that what it means that Jesus is the gatekeeper?”
“I think that is a great way to start understanding these words of Jesus. Should we look at them in more detail?”
Everyone agreed and as Carl began to go through the passage with the residents, he offered a silent prayer of thanks for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and for the good people like Jill who act like Christ in their lives.
*****************************************
StoryShare, April 30, 2023 issue.
Copyright 2023 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
