Celtic Odyssey

Trees live out of themselves; they neither kill to eat -- like the creatures of land and sea -- nor do they toil for their food, but the All-Wise nourishes them in season, and their span outlasts all other living things in creation.  Their wisdom runs deep as their roots in the earth, even as their branches reach toward heaven in exaltation of their Creator. Yes, they may be cut down, and when they fall, they die.  But whether they are burned in the fire or used for building, their lives are given for those they serve -- either for warmth in the cold or to suppor the roof above...so that even in death these giants of the land serve those who depend upon them.  In this they are the emblem of the druid-kind, who seek to emulate these noble qualities in all our ways. Although trees such as the oak and hazel are much revered by the filidh, we no longer worship them as of old.  Worship of the creature is blind folly, but worship of the living Creator is the beginning of wisdom. Lawhead, Pat...

You, O God, are supreme and holy. You create our world and give us life. Your purpose overarches everything we do. You have always been with us. You are God. You, O God, are infinitely generous, good beyond all measure. You came to us before we came to you. You have revealed and proved your love for us in Jesus Christ, who lived and died and rose again. You are with us now. You are God. You, O God, are Holy Spirit. You empower us to be your gospel in the world. You reconcile and heal; you overcome death. You are our God.  We worship you. A New Zealand Prayer Book, pg. 481.

In preparing for our men's group tomorrow night, I had some thoughts regarding John 10.  Specifically, 10.6b-10 .  There, Jesus said: I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers.  But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate.  Those who come in through me will be saved.  They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. What does Jesus mean by, 'I am the gate'?  In that culture, the shepherd would lay in the gateway of the pen, between the sheep and the outside.  This would keep the sheep in the pen and the predators outside the pen.  The shepherd would protect the sheep from the predators.  If the predators wanted to get to the sheep, they would have to go through the shepherd.  And, as in the following verses, the shepherd would give his life instead of allowing the sheep to perish. Si...