Table for One
John 10:1-10 & Psalm 23
Sunday April 30th, 2023
Rev. Rhonda Blevins, pastor
“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go 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.
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The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
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I don’t have many regrets in life, but here’s one I’m willing to share . . .
I spent six weeks in China one summer, but I didn’t see the Great Wall. I regret that. The Great Wall of China is one of the seven “construction wonders of the world.” It took Chinese soldiers over 2,000 years to complete (the USA is not even 250 years old), and it spans over 13,000 miles. It’s hard to fathom. If you built a wall around the entire circumference of the United States mainland, it would only take 11,000 miles of wall. The Great Wall of China is over 13,000 miles.
The primary reason Chinese rulers built the wall was for defense. In the 7th Century B.C. the Chinese leader heard that nomadic tribes from the north planned to overthrow him, so he ordered soldiers to connect fortifications already in place. Thus, the beginnings of the Great Wall of China.
But here’s the thing about walls, or any defensive fortification: they are only as effective as the people guarding them. In 1644, the Chinese version of “Benedict Arnold,” a turncoat general in the Chinese army, allowed Manchu invaders to pass through a gate in Great Wall. The Manchus toppled the government and established their own dynasty.
Sometimes it’s not just the enemy outside the walls we should be concerned about. We should also mind the enemy within.
This idea was on my mind as I read our scripture lessons today from Psalm 23 and John 10:1-10. In John 10, Jesus talks about the thief who seeks to “steal, kill, and destroy.” In Psalm 23, the Psalmist writes about having a “table in the presence” of enemies. But what if, wonders pastor Robb McCoy, what if that “table in the presence” of enemies is a table set for one?[1]
To be fair, the author of Psalm 23, presumably King David, had many enemies. The leader of Israel has always had plenty of enemies. King David had leaders of other tribes and nations who would love to have his head on a platter. There were surely people within Israel who wanted him dead as well.
What about you? Do you have people who want you dead? As for me, there are some folks who don’t like me, but I don’t think there’s anyone who wants me dead. (Maybe?)
For many, if not most of us, the greatest enemy we face is the enemy within.
You may have heard about a method African bushmen use to trap monkeys. They take some bait, like some kind of food, and place it in a hole. The entrance to the hole is just large enough for the monkey to put his open hand through, but not large enough to pull his fisted hand out. So the unsuspecting monkey comes upon the hole with the treat inside, puts his hand through the small hole, grabs the treat, but he is unable to pull his hand out of the hole unless he drops the treat. The monkey is too stupid to drop the treat! Greedy monkey! And there he will be when the monkey hunter comes back around to check his traps. The monkey’s greed and desire and stubbornness—his enemies within—become the cause of his demise. Even good things may entrap us when we refuse to let go of them.
I think we’re all a little bit like that monkey, aren’t we? Holding on to patterns, mental habits and behaviors that run counter to our spiritual, emotional, relational, and physical wellbeing.
The Psalmist suggests that God sets a table, prepares a feast for us, in the presence of all of this. When we can let go of what’s in the “trap”—a mere trinket— we find there’s an entire table of good things ready for us.
In my class I’ve been teaching about the Enneagram of personality, we’ve been talking a lot about this. This ancient system has many correlations to the Christian faith. Enneagram theory suggests there are nine core personality types, and each type has its “passion.” The word we use for that in the Christian tradition is “sin.”
When I was a campus minister at the University of Georgia, the senior campus minister had this wicked, dry sense of humor. Oftentimes, when he would meet new freshmen—18-year-old kids talking to a 50-something grown man—he would tease them by asking, “What’s your favorite sin?” Usually they would laugh. Occasionally there would be a kid who turned bright red in the face, like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Enneagram theory suggests that each of us has a “favorite sin,”—that “sin that clings so closely” the author of Hebrews calls it (Hebrews 12:1). By that, I mean the patterns and habits that are so engrained in us that we barely notice them, unless someone points it out to us, or we do the inner work to recognize how our “favorite sin” shows up in our daily lives. And if you do the work, you’ll notice your “favorite sin” shows up dozens, maybe hundreds, even thousands of times each day, operating (oftentimes) at a subconscious level.
What are those “sins that cling so closely?”
Ever heard of the “seven deadly sins?” The earliest Christian tradition actually points to nine deadly sins:
1. Anger (wrath)
2. Pride
3. Deceit
4. Envy
5. Avarice (greed)
6. Fear
7. Gluttony
8. Lust (forcefulness)
9. Sloth.
Each of us has a “favorite.” A better way to say that, is that each of us, at an often subconscious level, is wrestling with an habitual “passion” or “sin.”
I spoke with a pastor recently—the Enneagram revealed to him that his passion/sin is anger. He didn’t realize until a mentor or professor told him, that his preaching came off as angry. He didn’t mean to come across as angry. But anger is so much a part of him that it shows up uninvited.
Jesus said the “thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.” Sometimes the thief emanates from inside out.
But not to worry. Jesus came that we might have life, and have it to the full!
Using the imagery of a shepherd with his sheep, Jesus likens himself to a good shepherd. Sheep, you see, learn to recognize the voice of their shepherd. The shepherd calls to them, and they trust their shepherd, knowing that their shepherd will lead them to green pastures and still waters. But because they don’t know the thief, they don’t know the thief’s voice, they will not follow.
As we walk with God throughout our lives, we learn to recognize the voice of God within. In the beginning of our journey, most people think that the voice of guilt and shame is the voice of an angry God. But if we keep up with our faith journey, we begin to recognize that’s not the case at all. Instead of guilt and shame, the voice of God sounds more like love and wisdom, the voice of a peaceful God.
I will suggest that a majority of Christians don’t get this. I will suggest that perhaps a majority of pastors don’t get this. That’s why there are so many churches—their entire ministry is based on guilt and shame rather than wisdom and love. I’ve been to those churches. I got the t-shirts. I even went to that seminary. I’ve got that diploma.
I’m over it. And you are too, or you wouldn’t be here (or you won’t be here for long). If you’re not yet at a place where you recognize the voice of God as the voice of wisdom and love, you’ll find a church where the message of guilt and shame is preached. And that’s ok. When you get over it, and you discover that’s actually the thief’s voice, there’s an open door here for you. Because here, we know the voice of the good shepherd sounds more like wisdom and love instead of the thief’s voice of guilt and shame.
It's not easy, the transition. When you’ve been listening to one voice for so many years and you discover, suddenly or over time, you’ve been listening to the wrong voice this whole time. The newfound freedom is terrifying.
But the smart monkey will let go of the bait inside the hole. Giving up the bait that keeps him entrapped, he’ll find a feast, prepared by God, even at a table set for one. Life abundant is what Christ offers. Not life restricted. Not life enshamed or enguilted. (Yes, I just invented those words.) Life abundant is there for us when we follow the voice of God rather than guilt.
I don’t think that voice ever goes away. That “sin that clings so closely” hangs around like yesterday’s mistakes. But as we walk with God, day by day, we learn to follow God’s voice instead of the thief’s, and it makes all the difference.
What’s the “sin that clings so closely” in your life? The invitation today is to let go of that “trinket” and enjoy the table—there’s a feast set for you—there’s life abundant awaiting you!
I close with a Native American tale. You’ve probably heard it before, but it’s perineal wisdom worth hearing from time to time:
The wise old grandfather is talking with his grandson. He says, “I have a fight going on in me at all times,” the old man says. “It’s taking place between two wolves. One is evil—he is anger, pride, deceit, envy, greed, fear, gluttony, lust, and sloth.”
The grandfather looks at his grandson and goes on: “The other wolf is goodness—he is serenity, humility, authenticity, equanimity, non-attachment, courage, sobriety, innocence and action.”
The old man continues: “Both wolves are fighting to the death. The same fight is going on inside you and every other person, too.”
The grandson takes a moment to reflect on this. At last, he looks up at his grandfather and asks, “Which wolf will win?”
The old Cherokee offers a simple reply: “Which ever one you feed.”
Which wolf will you feed at your table for one?