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John 10:10 ' I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.' Many years ago, when I was a confused teenager, I asked a wise old Methodist Local Preacher what he thought Christianity was all about. He thought for a moment, and then he said, quite simply: 'abundant life'. He went on to explain what he thought that meant – living a full and satisfying life, a life where a person could live in dignity, without fear, with all that is necessary for body, mind and spirit. But how elusive that is! Some of the people I most admire for their dignity, and their deep spirituality, are people who in physical and material terms live very precarious lives indeed. They are people who live in what we would regard as poverty, and they tend to be in the less developed countries of the world. And some of the people I know who have all the possessions and more than they really need, who want for nothing in material terms, are some of the most spiritually impoverished people I have ever met. They tend to live in the western world, in the more developed countries. Neither of these two groups of people (who are both broad generalizations, of course) – neither group can be said to be living lives in all their fullness, or abundantly, as John puts it. In both groups, something very important is missing. Living in poverty is not a virtue. Neither is living in affluence, yet neglecting one's spirituality, a virtue either. And think on this. A recent government report in Britain finds that we waste one-third of the food we produce, and that it is of sufficient value to pay the council-tax of every home in the land, it does rather put the two issues in an ironic juxtaposition. Do you remember the slogan from the 80s: 'Live simply, so that others may simply live'? We have been at this for a long time! That is the connection we are still trying to make! Let us look at this word John gives us, which is translated as 'abundantly'. It is a lovely word in the Greek – perissos – which means 'more than sufficient', or 'over and above what is required'. It can also mean 'out of the ordinary', or 'superior'. So you can see straight away that there is something extremely desirable about it. Abundant life – for all who want it. It would, on the face of it, seem to be an astounding claim. Can it just drop from the sky into the laps of those who just want a better life? Well, yes. And no! We need to look at the context here. This is the hard bit coming up now, so don't go to sleep! The gospel of John is noteworthy for its key words and phrases. One of these which he records as being uttered on several occasions by Jesus is the phrase 'I am', which is very emphatic in the Greek, and you can no doubt recall some of them off the top of your head – 'I am the true vine'; I am the Way, the Truth and the Life'. And here, in chapter 10, twice he says 'I am the gate', or, 'the door'. Jesus is making an astounding claim. He is saying: 'I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.' In other words, if you want abundant life, life in all its splendid fullness, you will find it through Jesus. John's claim is that Jesus is the only means of entry into what theologians call 'the messianic community' because he is the only bringer of salvation. 'Whoever enters by me will be saved'. So first, the believer is delivered by going through the 'gate', is given freedom to 'come in and go out', and then finds the means of achieving 'abundant life' by finding good pasture. It is a sheep and shepherd analogy which may not be crystal clear at first to the casual reader. The real issue here is as between the true and the false shepherds of Israel. This is a matter of life and death, as Jesus goes on to say later in the gospel. He is the Good Shepherd, and the readers of the gospel have to be on the watch for upstart hired hands, who are not good, and who will not care for the little flock. There was a long history of these in the history of Israel, who promised people that if they would follow them, they would bring in the golden age of abundant life. This abundant life, as I have hinted, is different things to different people. Body, mind and spirit can all be impoverished and in need of enrichment if they are to find abundance. For example, many of us have signed a petition to 'make poverty history', and next Sunday we shall focus on that theme. Christian Aid and Oxfam are both working very hard at this, and urging the likes of you and I to lobby with them, and support them. We support this campaign wholeheartedly, and quite rightly. Some of us have also been using Fairtrade products for years to help producers overseas make a decent living. People are shopping to change the world, and we do these things because they make a difference. But how do we make a difference to the people who are spiritually impoverished? The signs are all around us. People who live ever so well, live in nice houses, drive nice cars, who don't want for anything materially. So why are so many people suffering from depression, propping up their lives with drugs; binge drinking because their lives are so desperate that at the end of a week they seek oblivion? Is it not because deep down, in our heart of hearts, we know that our affluence is, in fact, extremely precarious. The workers at the Rover plant, sadly, know that, and it would seem that they have indeed been shafted. And in my darkest nights, even I wonder if my pension fund is secure! Who is going to make spiritual poverty 'history'? Well, we are. By we, I mean those who have been entrusted with the good news about abundant life. Remember those words from Peter: For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. And this from Acts: Many were baptized and were added to the community. The American writer, Henry Thoreau, who himself led a very simple life, once wrote: 'The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation.' It is not right that people should live lives of desperation, whether quietly even very noisily. We have the promise of Jesus that he is the gate to abundant life, and so I am here to tell you this morning that if you have never experienced that for yourself yet, it can happen for you. And if you have experienced it for yourself, then perhaps you should pass on this very good news to someone who is searching for a better way to live. The way of Jesus is that way, the way of the Kingdom, the way of life in the community of the Christ. It isn't an easy way, as anyone who has ever studied the parables of Jesus will know, but it is a way which has its rewards. Abundant life? You'd better believe it! |