Sermon: Good Shepherd Sunday, 4/21/2024

Text: John 10: 11-18

Grace, Peace, and Mercy from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Self-sufficiency is an attitude that is heavily ingrained in American culture. There is a lot of praise for the strong-silent types, the solitary cowboy galloping across the plains, the stoic and tearless person who can do things by him or herself, there is a no pain-no gain mentality attached to life. We are prompted to hustle and strive for our success, to be the leaders and heads of others. To be a follower can be a sign of weakness, as some people say, “don’t be a sheep”, don’t get carried away by others, march at the rhythm of your own drum. It is true, there is a kind of mass or mob mentality that can be detrimental to the human soul. To be “sheepish” can bring about an uncritical following of people or groups that do not have our best interest at heart. Here in New England no less, we have our Emersons and Thoreaus that preach self-reliance, that there is something unique to every human, and they must learn to speak with an authentic voice. Yet, there is an extreme that can come about from self-reliance, a kind of negation to the fact that we need others to actually exist as ourselves.

The self-made person is not real. We are always being built by our relationships to others, starting with our parents, then to friends, community, culture, and so forth. American culture has been vulnerable to the effects of both extremes, especially in regards to the self-made man or woman. The person that focuses on making it big in this way, might fall into a solitary confinement of their own making, they isolate themselves from the world, and even more deeply, from God. The self-made person exists in a bubble of ambition and stress, seeking to go another step up the ladder, worrying if they will ever be good enough to ascend and become their best self. But there is always a limit isn’t there? There is always a moment when we ask ourselves, what is our life for, what purpose does it have, where is it leading? This crisis of realization is greatly expressed by Terrence Malick in his film The Tree of Life, through the Father figure in the film: “I wanted to be loved because I was great; A big man. I’m nothing. Look at the glory around us; trees, birds. I lived in shame. I dishonored it all, and didn’t notice the glory. I’m a foolish man.”. When we zealously live in the driver’s seat of our lives, we often miss the glory around us, don’t we? Eyes only on the road ahead. It is only when we stop hoarding the wheel, that we get to appreciate the glory that surrounds us. Our Christian faith is a reality check. It points us into a different direction. It runs contrary to the extremes that we have received from the culture, asking us to be lonesome, big and independent, not needing anybody or anything. In celebrating Christ as the Good Shepherd, as a church we surrender the idea of our selves as the center of life. In this Gospel text, there is one Good Shepherd, and it’s not you, its not me, its Jesus. He is the Good Shepherd. We on the other hand, are the sheep. So being a sheep, is not cast in a negative light as we often do today. In the Christian context, being a sheep is not about being uncritical followers. The sheep know the voice of the Shepherd, and respond to Him. And moreover, they respond to Him, because He is good. Remember, what happens with the hired hand who handles the flock? When the wolf comes, when troubles and challenges appear, the hired hand runs away, and the sheep scatter, not following the hired hand, because the hired hand does not care about the sheep. But the Good Shepherd does care. And the sheep recognize this, and stay close to Him to be lead wherever there is pasture. And not only does the Good Shepherd lead the sheep to pasture, He is willing to give His life for them. The Good Shepherd is willing to go to the utmost consequences for the sake of the sheep, so that the sheep may have life, and live it abundantly. Under the Good Shepherd’s care, we get to be truly ourselves within the flock, not worried about the path forward, but simply existing in care and love. So when we identify ourselves with the sheep as followers of Christ, we express it with gladness, because in this life of trust and relationship, in knowing that we depend on others to be ourselves, it matters in whom we place our trust. To be a Christian, is to put our trust in Christ. In the world, often we want to be the Shepherd, we put the onus on ourselves or on hired hands. In today’s world, we can see the effects of the hired hand’s shepherding, with division and violence and distrust being sown among the sheep. As Christians, we are called to lean into our own vulnerability and recognize our weakness, we are called to exist in our vulnerability alongside others. There is something currently radical in being sheep in the Christian sense. The sheep is an inoffensive animal, it is not clawed and fanged. It is not overtly large, and it is clumsy. It can barely survive alone. It is not necessarily an animal of violence, even though it can give a very good headbutt. It’s coat can even be used to bring warmth to others and clothe. It is a peaceful animal. So the Christian is called to this life of peaceful coexistence and trust. The sheep recognizes itself to exist under the care of a Good Shepherd, that brings it to life-giving pasture. It is an image of our called life. It calls to you to no longer bear the heavy burden of being big and alone, but rather it calls you to be at peace among others, to live alongside this Shepherd that never fails to bring the sheep to the source of abundant life.
I remember this funny video that was circulating some years ago. It shows this sheep stuck in a ditch. And a Shepherd sees the sheep and grabs it by the hind legs and pulls it out into freedom. The sheep takes a few steps into its newfound freedom, moving its hind legs and jumping and trotting. Literally 3 seconds after being liberated it tries to jump over the ditch. It does not make it over. The sheep got stuck again in the same old ditch. It’s the perfect analogy for us and the Good Shepard. The Good Shepherd is definitely good, because He will get us out even though we fall into the same ditch over and over again. If it was up to us, we’d be like: now you stay there and think about the consequences of your own actions now, ok?”. It is so relatable I must say, and it just drives home the reality of our walk of life. We are the clumsy sheep, we often need the helping hand of Jesus to get us through life. That is why being church is a celebration more than anything. You might fall into the ditch a million times, and it is here that a million times you will hear forgiveness and belonging, a million times, God’s grace will care for you. It happens because we trust a Good Shepherd, one who does what He says He will do.

So in this day where we celebrate this image of Jesus and the church, let us cultivate the spirit of abundant life it invites us to inhabit. We belong to a God of grace, we belong to a beloved community, we are welcomed in our vulnerability, these are treasures we are blessed to live by and receive. You do not need to feign strength and power here, here you can rest among the still waters, you can find peace among the green pastures. You can bask in the surrounding glory, with no fear of being in the driver’s seat, because not everything revolves around us. Let go of controlling every little aspect, trust in the Lord’s care and be the loving creation you were made to be. To exist in this state of mind, means to know your place in the wider world, to appreciate the whole of it and the miracle that it exists and we can actually enjoy it. This past week I attended the event that Phoebe hosted here for the Faith and Climate forum, and at this event, I learned about all the things that the church and communities of faith are doing to preserve and honor God’s Creation. The world is gravely affected when humans remove the sacred value of nature and instead exploit it for their own ambitions. Today’s Gospel invites us to the kind of life that actually cares for this world in its godly intention. The Good Shepherd leads us to exist peacefully and lovingly in this world together with everything else in Creation. As part of Christ’s flock, I exhort all of us to consider how we can preserve the sanctity of the natural world around us, and actually exist in the environment of care and enjoyment that the Good Shepherd leads us in. So let us pray:

Lord Jesus, you are our Good Shepherd. This is the identity which You reveal of yourself because You seek to lead us into abundant life, to feed us and give us a place of belonging in You. We give you thanks for your eternal care. We also pray that in the same way that You care for us, we might care for others and our planet. That our lives may be testaments to the Good Shepherd, that they may be signs of Your glory and love, which shines in all Creation. In your name we pray. Amen.