As I look out of the Dining Room window I see this view of the gate. I wondered four things. What is it called, what is its purpose, why was it placed there and when was one first made?

Its formal name can be written in two ways, either Lych Gate or Lynch Gate. The original meaning of the Old English word means corpse. The purpose is twofold. In practical ways it was where the deceased person’s body was brought and where the mourners could shelter, often more than one day. They were awaiting the parish priest to come from the other side to conduct the burial service and place the body in the grave. The religious purpose was that it “marked the boundary between the secular world and the sacred space of the churchyard.” It also was the symbol of the transition from life to death. The first Lynch Gate has its origins in the fourteen hundreds. The Lynch Gate is a place of transition and permission is required to be able to cross over from Common Ground to Sacred Ground. 

Thinking about the function of the Lynch Gate I called to mind Jesus’ response to a group of people listening to him. The particular part of his teaching I recalled included this statement, “Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” We have come to call this The Golden Rule. Jesus continued by challenging them about their faith pathway in life. He said, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”  New Living Translation.

We, who have accepted Jesus as our Redeemer, and so have become a child of God, have chosen the Narrow Way. The Christian pathway does not exempt us from difficult times. The Devil will do his best to cause us to doubt our relationship with God. Let us remember Jesus’ promise that he would never leave us. Jesus, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, will be with us until the end of time. The promise is to be with us in both the highs and lows of life. When time ends it means we are with Jesus in heaven.

I end with the words of a song from Sunday School days. “I met Jesus at the crossroads, where the two ways meet. Satan too was standing there, and he said, “Come this way. Lots and lots of pleasures I will give to you today.” But I said, “No, there’s Jesus here, just see what he offers me. Down here my sins forgiven, up there a home in heaven. Praise God, that’s the way for me.” We will then cross over from Common Ground to Sacred Ground!