O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people; Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls each by name, and follow where he leads…
Thus begins our Collect today.
The Fourth Sunday of Easter is always Good Shepherd Sunday. It is a Sunday dedicated to reminding us of the character of God who is our Shepherd.
An image that is comforting and caring.
Our passages of Scripture today, as often is the case with the Lessons, do not fully put the Lessons into context. You need to read some of what comes before and some of what comes behind to fully understand what is being said in the passages.
In Acts, a lame man has been healed, and Peter and John have been hauled into some sort of ecclesiastical court to explain why the lame man is not still lame. The court wanted to know by what power and what name the healing had occurred. And our passage from John really begins two chapters before, in John 8, where Jesus is accused of being possessed by a demon for the things he had been doing and teaching, and in chapter 9 where he heals a blind man by the Pool of Siloam.
People were wondering who Jesus was and by what power these miracles were occurring and under what authority he was granting forgiveness to sinners. And so when Jesus declares in chapter 10, I am the Good Shepherd - it is in context to having performed those miracles and in answer to these questions.
Jesus proclaims, “the Father knows me and I know the Father — I lay down my life for my sheep”. In the next few verses from the Gospel of John that are not included in the lectionary passage today, chapter 10:19-20 it goes on to say,
19 dThere was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, e“He has a demon, and fis insane; why listen to him?”
They were still trying to figure out who exactly Jesus was and why they should listen to him and under whose authority he was speaking and performing these miracles. It was a fair question and statement. And it is the same for us.
Why do we listen to Jesus?
We listen to Jesus because we are sheep whom he has laid his life down for. As sheep, our role is to follow.
I am not going to preach a sermon to you about what it means to be a shepherd. I am sure you have all heard that one before - how a shepherd cares for his sheep, and watches over his sheep, and lays down in front of the sheep gate at night to sleep so that not one will step over him and escape.
A shepherds love and care for his sheep is well discussed in religious circles.
But I want to talk about is what does it mean to be sheep and to belong to a flock of sheep?
Being sheep means belonging to a flock.
In this day and time where more and more are trying to “go it alone” and see no need to belong to a religious body or institution, I want to tell you something about sheep.
Sheep who go out on their own are known to not do well. A shepherd has to go look for them. They may find themselves alone and on a hillside all by themselves. When they are all by themselves, they are vulnerable to roaming predators. They need their flock around to help protect them. We need our flock around us to protect us, to help strengthen us. Often when we go through hard times, we tend to isolate. It is not what God intended for us.
Sheep are safest and happiest when they are part of a community of sheep. Sheep know how to stick together - and they stick together for their own good.
Sheep are not dumb animals; in fact, they are known for being fairly intelligent.
In my research, I discovered that they rank right under pigs, which are considered one of the most intelligent mammals. Sheep can easily recognize faces and facial expressions. They form deep bonds with another and can remember about 50 individuals (other sheep and humans) for years at a time.
Jesus refers to us a sheep and himself as our shepherd.
If we are going to be good sheep, we need to find a place to belong. We can’t be going out on our own. We might get killed. Or suffer harm when we don’t have others with us to help guard and protect us. We are vulnerable.
We as sheep belong to a wider community - the church universal and this church. Our presence matters to others and to ourselves. We need each other.
We are happiest and safest, like sheep, when we are together in community. We are vulnerable to the dangers of the world - to depression and loneliness - when we distance ourselves from community. We have a common shepherd who leads and guides us and we have a communal reality.
Often, people who are depressed and despondent are isolated. Because we weren’t meant to be alone - we were meant to be in community.
So we belong to a flock, but what does belonging look like? What does it look like to be Jesus’ sheep in community?
1 John 3 today, “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us — and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.”
Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.”
When you are brought into community you have responsibilities to one another - just like belonging to a family. You love each other and your actions show it.
When you recognize you are in community you begin to see and ask, “How am I part of this community and what do I contribute to it?” You understand you have responsibility to the community.
We have a responsibility to one another to uplift one another and care for one another. Not easy things. Time consuming and may require sacrifice on our part at times. The laying down of our own self and interests in the interest of others.
Which St. James is remarkable at. When there is a need in our church family or the community at large, St. James can be depended on to step up and care for one another.
Besides being in community, being a sheep also means listening to the Shepherd. The Shepherd had a lot of things to say to us. We need to make time to learn these things and incorporate them into to our lives and being.
We also need to rest in the knowledge that we have a Shepherd…
1 The Lord is my shepherd; *
I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.
3 He revives my soul *
Psalm 23.
He revives my soul.
Being part of Jesus’ flock also has another implication besides being in community and listening and following him,
Let me quote one thing that Jesus said today,
“I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So their will be one flock, one shepherd” John 10: 15-17
There are going to be people in Jesus’ flock that are not like us. That don’t look like us, or talk like us, or think like us, or vote like us. They don’t come from where we come from.
Being part of Jesus’ flock means recognizing and loving, 1 John 3, those that are different than us - and helping them if need be. “How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?” 1 John 3: 17
Why listen to Jesus? The blind man knew. He gained abundant life. Not just his sight. He became a sheep of Jesus’ own fold.
The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not be in want.
We lay down our lives when we live into that relationship, when we trust that our shepherd sees things we do not, and knows things we do not, and has foresight that we do not.
You don’t have to go it alone. There is community. There is a shepherd. There is a flock. Embrace it.
Amen.
Thus begins our Collect today.
The Fourth Sunday of Easter is always Good Shepherd Sunday. It is a Sunday dedicated to reminding us of the character of God who is our Shepherd.
An image that is comforting and caring.
Our passages of Scripture today, as often is the case with the Lessons, do not fully put the Lessons into context. You need to read some of what comes before and some of what comes behind to fully understand what is being said in the passages.
In Acts, a lame man has been healed, and Peter and John have been hauled into some sort of ecclesiastical court to explain why the lame man is not still lame. The court wanted to know by what power and what name the healing had occurred. And our passage from John really begins two chapters before, in John 8, where Jesus is accused of being possessed by a demon for the things he had been doing and teaching, and in chapter 9 where he heals a blind man by the Pool of Siloam.
People were wondering who Jesus was and by what power these miracles were occurring and under what authority he was granting forgiveness to sinners. And so when Jesus declares in chapter 10, I am the Good Shepherd - it is in context to having performed those miracles and in answer to these questions.
Jesus proclaims, “the Father knows me and I know the Father — I lay down my life for my sheep”. In the next few verses from the Gospel of John that are not included in the lectionary passage today, chapter 10:19-20 it goes on to say,
19 dThere was again a division among the Jews because of these words. 20 Many of them said, e“He has a demon, and fis insane; why listen to him?”
They were still trying to figure out who exactly Jesus was and why they should listen to him and under whose authority he was speaking and performing these miracles. It was a fair question and statement. And it is the same for us.
Why do we listen to Jesus?
We listen to Jesus because we are sheep whom he has laid his life down for. As sheep, our role is to follow.
I am not going to preach a sermon to you about what it means to be a shepherd. I am sure you have all heard that one before - how a shepherd cares for his sheep, and watches over his sheep, and lays down in front of the sheep gate at night to sleep so that not one will step over him and escape.
A shepherds love and care for his sheep is well discussed in religious circles.
But I want to talk about is what does it mean to be sheep and to belong to a flock of sheep?
Being sheep means belonging to a flock.
In this day and time where more and more are trying to “go it alone” and see no need to belong to a religious body or institution, I want to tell you something about sheep.
Sheep who go out on their own are known to not do well. A shepherd has to go look for them. They may find themselves alone and on a hillside all by themselves. When they are all by themselves, they are vulnerable to roaming predators. They need their flock around to help protect them. We need our flock around us to protect us, to help strengthen us. Often when we go through hard times, we tend to isolate. It is not what God intended for us.
Sheep are safest and happiest when they are part of a community of sheep. Sheep know how to stick together - and they stick together for their own good.
Sheep are not dumb animals; in fact, they are known for being fairly intelligent.
In my research, I discovered that they rank right under pigs, which are considered one of the most intelligent mammals. Sheep can easily recognize faces and facial expressions. They form deep bonds with another and can remember about 50 individuals (other sheep and humans) for years at a time.
Jesus refers to us a sheep and himself as our shepherd.
If we are going to be good sheep, we need to find a place to belong. We can’t be going out on our own. We might get killed. Or suffer harm when we don’t have others with us to help guard and protect us. We are vulnerable.
We as sheep belong to a wider community - the church universal and this church. Our presence matters to others and to ourselves. We need each other.
We are happiest and safest, like sheep, when we are together in community. We are vulnerable to the dangers of the world - to depression and loneliness - when we distance ourselves from community. We have a common shepherd who leads and guides us and we have a communal reality.
Often, people who are depressed and despondent are isolated. Because we weren’t meant to be alone - we were meant to be in community.
So we belong to a flock, but what does belonging look like? What does it look like to be Jesus’ sheep in community?
1 John 3 today, “We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us — and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.”
Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.”
When you are brought into community you have responsibilities to one another - just like belonging to a family. You love each other and your actions show it.
When you recognize you are in community you begin to see and ask, “How am I part of this community and what do I contribute to it?” You understand you have responsibility to the community.
We have a responsibility to one another to uplift one another and care for one another. Not easy things. Time consuming and may require sacrifice on our part at times. The laying down of our own self and interests in the interest of others.
Which St. James is remarkable at. When there is a need in our church family or the community at large, St. James can be depended on to step up and care for one another.
Besides being in community, being a sheep also means listening to the Shepherd. The Shepherd had a lot of things to say to us. We need to make time to learn these things and incorporate them into to our lives and being.
We also need to rest in the knowledge that we have a Shepherd…
1 The Lord is my shepherd; *
I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.
3 He revives my soul *
Psalm 23.
He revives my soul.
Being part of Jesus’ flock also has another implication besides being in community and listening and following him,
Let me quote one thing that Jesus said today,
“I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So their will be one flock, one shepherd” John 10: 15-17
There are going to be people in Jesus’ flock that are not like us. That don’t look like us, or talk like us, or think like us, or vote like us. They don’t come from where we come from.
Being part of Jesus’ flock means recognizing and loving, 1 John 3, those that are different than us - and helping them if need be. “How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?” 1 John 3: 17
Why listen to Jesus? The blind man knew. He gained abundant life. Not just his sight. He became a sheep of Jesus’ own fold.
The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not be in want.
We lay down our lives when we live into that relationship, when we trust that our shepherd sees things we do not, and knows things we do not, and has foresight that we do not.
You don’t have to go it alone. There is community. There is a shepherd. There is a flock. Embrace it.
Amen.