Drop kick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life, end over end, neither left nor the right. Straight through the heart of them righteous uprights: Drop kick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life. Amen.

Hello, welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I’m Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. This podcast is being recorded for Sunday, April 30, 2023. We’re continuing a series through Paul’s letter to the Romans. But I’ve also got football on my brain this weekend. I’ve been following the NFL draft with my son. We’ve been tracking who the Seahawks will pick to be the newest members of the team.

It turns out that the NFL draft might be a helpful analogy for understanding God’s word for us today. After all, we’re talking about how Jesus calls each of us by name. How sometimes we play offense, sometimes we’re on defense, and sometimes we play special teams. And we’re talking about putting on the jersey, showing up for practice, and representing the team. 

So please open your Bible to the tenth chapter of the gospel of John, beginning with verse 1.

John 10:1-10

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Here ends the reading. Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.