John 10:11-18

John 10:11-18&nb= sp; = &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; “Of Sheep and Shepherds”

May= 3, 2009 &= nbsp; &nbs= p; &= nbsp; &nbs= p; = By Rev. Kathy McDowell

Most of you who have = been in my office here at the church know

that I have a wall th= at is decorated with crosses. =

The kids and youth kn= ow that there is always a basket or jar with candy.

But in case you haven= ’t ever noticed, I’ve also got Jesus on the bench in my office,

with a sheep sitting = right next to him.

The Jesus I am talkin= g about is the Jesus doll that traveled with our youth and children last summer to camp, on vacation, to the pool and more.&n= bsp;

We will be doing that= again this summer.

Now this little sheep= has found its way next to Jesus in my office only since this year. There they sit on my bench, next to whoever happens to be sitting there,

as a reminder of one = of the most powerful images we have for God

God as Shepherd.

The Lord is my shepherd.

This is one of the most beloved and familiar nam= es for God.

We have many images, = many names for God. The Bible is a witness to this. <= /span>

It’s necessary = because it’s the only way we can express the fullness of God.

No one name, no one adjectives can describe God.

We need many words, m= any names,

many images and many adjectives for God.

A central name for Go= d in the OT is YHWH -

the name revealed by = God to Moses at the burning bush.

Roughly translated it= means “I am who I am.” =

Hebrew scholars trans= late it as “I will be there; as who I am will I be there with you.”

But maybe because thi= s name raises more questions than it answers,

the Bible is full of = many more images for YHWH, this One who will be there.

Some images are taken= from personal relationships: =

Father, mother, husba= nd, female beloved, companion, friend. <= /span>

Some are from politic= al life: advocate, liberator, ki= ng, warrior, judge.

Some picture God from= a wide range of human occupations: <= o:p>

potter, artist, midwi= fe, farmer, laundress, construction worker, merchant, physician, bakerwoman, vinedresser, teacher, metal worker, and homemaker, to name a few.

Other pictures of God= come from the animal kingdom:

roaring lion, hoverin= g mother bird, angry mother bear,

protective mother hen= , strong eagle.

In the natural world,= God has been compared to

light, cloud, rock, w= ind, fire, water, silence, and life itself.&nbs= p;

No one term alone is = enough to say all that can be said about God.&nbs= p;

And so we have a whol= e host of names for God.[1]

But today we will foc= us on this most familiar and comforting name - God as Shepherd.

The Lord is my shephe= rd - Psalm 23 - is one of the most familiar passages in the Bible.

I dare say that almos= t anyone in our culture -

churchgoer or not - w= ould recognize this as from the Bible.

It is often recited at funerals.

Harold Kushner, Jewis= h rabbi and author of several books,

including When Bad Things Happen to Good People<= /i>, says this about Psalm 23:

“No matter how = grievous a funeral was, no matter how tragic a memorial service was,

if I just started to = recite the familiar words of the 23^rd psalm,

‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. <= o:p>

He makes me to lie do= wn in green pastures . . .’

it tranquilized the congregation. It just made pe= ople feel calm.”[2]=

But there is more to = this image of God as Shepherd than what we read in Psalm 23.   When we combine this idea wi= th today’s other reading from John’s gospel,

where Jesus is the Go= od Shepherd,

we have a bolder pict= ure than the romanticized version that we have constructed

from our childhood Su= nday School lessons -

you know, the paintin= g of the blond Jesus standing serenely in a green pasture

surrounded by fluffy = white sheep.



When Jesus says I am the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep,

we are meant to remem= ber the I AM of YHWH - =

and = we are meant to understand

that Jesus is connect= ing his mission of laying down his life

with God’s purposes. <= /p>

When Jesus says I am the Good Shepherd, he is = using a Greek word

that is much more lay= ered than our translation “good” -

instead, think ordere= d, sound, noble, ideal, true, competent, faithful, praiseworthy.

The Good Shepherd is = the Model Shepherd,

embodying strength, p= ower, sympathy, kindness, mercy.

When Jesus says “I know my own and my own know me”
we must understand th= is is an intimate connection with the sheep.

We long for deep and meaningful relationships, not just shallow connections. <= /p>
There is a difference= . This is more than checking in on Facebook,

or sending a text mes= sage or a fast email.

It is sitting down wi= th someone face to face and asking questions,

listening for answers= , and coming to understand what they think and feel.

This is the kind of connection that Jesus longs to have with us.

When Jesus says “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.

“I must bring t= hem also,” the intent is inclusive.

Jesus reaches out to = bring in all the sheep:

the last, the least, = the lost, those on the margins of society, the outcasts even.=

But with a bolder understanding of Jesus as our Shepherd,

it requires a bolder = response from us sheep than just

sitting by green past= ures and still waters.

Sheep know his voice.

There is a story told of a famous actor who was once the guest= of honor

at a gathering where he was asked to recite favorite excerpts = from various literary works. An old preacher, who happened to be there, asked the actor to recite the 23^rd Psalm.

The actor agreed on the condition that the preacher would also recite it. =

The actor went first, and his recitation was beautiful with gr= eat dramatic emphasis,

for which he received lengthy applause.

When it was the preacher’s turn to speak,

his voice was rough and broken from many years of preaching, <= o:p>

and his diction was anything but polished. <= /span>

But when he finished there was not a dry eye in the room.

When someone asked the actor what made the difference, he repl= ied,

"I know the psalm, but he knows the Shepherd."= <= span style=3D'mso-special-character:footnote'>[3]=

It’s not just the tone of voice, but it’s t= he quality of life that reveals

whether we really know the Shepherd.

It’s when we walk the walk, not just talk the talk.

Sheep need a shepherd.

Even though the sheph= erd and sheep images

are not so familiar t= o many of us urban folks,

some of what we do kn= ow about sheep is not very flattering.

They tend to stray fr= om the fold. They are easily lost.

They need to be guide= d to food and water.

They need protection = because once lost out in the wild,

they are easy prey fo= r wild animals like wolves.

Sheep have even gotte= n a reputation for being dumb.

But writer and preach= er Barbara Brown Taylor

offers a different understanding of sheep,

from someone who actu= ally grew up on a sheep ranch.

It was cattle rancher= s who started the rumor that sheep are dumb,

but that’s only= because they don’t behave like cows. <= /span>

Cows are herded from = the rear, with shouts and prods from the cowboys.

Sheep are different. =

If you stand behind s= heep and start making a lot of noise,

they will just run ar= ound behind you. They prefer to be led.

Sheep will go anywher= e that their trusted shepherd goes first.[4]

It seems to me that w= e humans too often wait till we’re prodded or shouted at

(kind of like cows, m= aybe?)

before we decide to m= ove a little closer to Jesus. =

But Jesus is the Good Shepherd, not pushing and prodding us,

but inviting us in th= e words of scripture to “Follow Me.”

Sheep are part of a flock.

An old Russian prover= b says that “Without a shepherd sheep are not a flock.”

Or think about it this way:   =

There is not a separa= te English word for sheep singular and sheep plural.

We are all sheep together.

That idea reinforces = the Body of Christ imagery in Paul’s letters.

This is a difficult l= esson in our culture where individuality is prized

and competition is rewarded. <= /p>
But the church is at = its best when all the members of the body,

though many, are one = body, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12.

We are more together than we can ever be apart. =

Sheep make room for others.

The history of Christ= ianity is full of efforts to clarify who’s in and who’s out.

Over the past 2000 ye= ars, there have been 21 ecumenical councils -

some more ecumenical = than others.

It all started with t= he council in Jerusalem recorded in the Acts of the Apostles,

Where Paul and Barnab= as, and Peter and James and the others decided

that it really wasn&#= 8217;t going to be necessary to be circumcised to be a follower of Jesus.

Through the centuries= there were more of these:

the Council of Nicaea, Council of Constantinople, Council of Ephesus, and on an= d on. It’s been the work of these councils to sort out belief and heresy.

As with all things hu= man, the end result is sometimes good, sometimes bad.

Heresy may have been controlled

but the cost of doing= it has created endless splits in the church.

When you add to this = our American values of freedom and individualism, we can’t even count how many separate Christian denominations there are in the U.S.

I tried to research t= his and I came up with anywhere from 10,000 to 30,000 different denominations.

Our American religious history is full of countless church and denominational splits, over everyth= ing from racism, to music, missions, theology and more .

So when Jesus promise= s that there will be one flock, one shepherd,

it ought to make us s= it up and take notice.

That is a deep challe= nge to all of our denominational factions and fighting.

It may even be a deep challenge to our interfaith quarrels.

It is certainly a cha= llenge to the ways Christians, in their efforts to keep the faith,

often keep others awa= y from Jesus,

I know I’ve tol= d this story before, but it’s worth repeating.

There is a huge outdo= or festival of music and camping called Bonnaroo

that is held every Ju= ne on a 700 acre farm in Manchester, TN.

Although we have been= stuck in the traffic jams that are created on the interstate
leading to this festi= val, we’ve never been. =

But one of my good fr= iends has been.

She is a musician and one year she = took her teenage son and his friends to this event.

A chaperone is a good= thing for this event.

Because besides great= music, this event is full of drugs, alcohol,

people staying up and= out all night,

and anything else you= might imagine when you hear someone say “wild party.”

It was several years = ago when my friend attended this,

but what she remember= ed was this little country church

that happened to be s= tuck right smack in the middle of this 4-day music festival
that is really a thro= wback to the 60s hippie era.

For four days, over a weekend, which we know includes a Sunday,

this church literally= closed down.

Not only closed down,= but surrounded itself with a high chain link fence,

specially brought in = for the purpose.
Posted everywhere were signs:   “Church Property: Keep Out.”

But Jesus is not a fe= nce, a barrier keeping people away. =

Jesus is the Good She= pherd, leading, calling, seeking.

The Good Shepherd who= lays down his life for the sheep,

the ones who belong, = and those who do not yet.

The good Shepherd who= is strongly and mercifully the one who is there,

inviting us all to li= sten to his voice.
Thanks be to God, Amen.