BEYOND IMAGE
Easter 4b15 (Acts 4:5-12; I John 3:16-24 and John 10:11-18 To be preached April 26, 2015)
Over the years I have had the privilege of listening to different people's stories - particularly their faith stories. Some time ago I was privileged to listen to a woman who was soon to face critical surgery. In asking her how she was doing she replied that she believed that Jesus would be holding her hand both before and during her surgery. She also mentioned that Jesus would be holding the hands of the surgeon. I view this as an incredible faith story. This doesn't imply that everything will necessarily go the way she wants it to. This doesn't mean that there won't be any complications, or that she or her family will be spared from great struggle. So, what does her statement mean? I think it means that somehow she believes that the risen Jesus is there for her, with her, no matter what happens!
This fourth Sunday of Easter is often referred to as "Shepherd" Sunday. Even as I mention this I feel like you might nod off. After all, there is important stuff going on. Right now there are people still alive under the rubble caused by the earthquake in Nepal. Right now there are people trying to survive in an ashen state caused by the volcano in Chile. Right now there are women here at home terrified by the violence of their boyfriends, partners, husbands. Right now there are kids being abused by people they know. Right now there are also great things happening – people making promises, children being born, good dreams being hatched. There are people devoting their lives to looking for cures to illnesses, people lending their skill and expertise to find other energy sources so that we don't continue to destroy our earth. And there are people devoting themselves to protecting us, caring for us, sharing the good news of God's love in all kinds of ways. All this stuff is going on and the Pastor is going to talk about some archaic image of a shepherd?
I will respond by saying, "sort of". Sort of because the image of a good shepherd – is old but as it is applied to who we are, it is anything but archaic. . .
Good shepherds protected their sheep. Good shepherds led their sheep to the good pasture – pastures where everything the sheep needed were provided. Good shepherds led their sheep by going ahead of them, calling them, sometimes even by name. Not all of this was cuddly or always nice. Shepherds did have a staff. That staff was occasionally employed for the unruly, unheeding sheep.
At night shepherds create a fold for the sheep. This was a thicket or an enclosure surrounded by some kind of barricade to somewhat deter predators. The shepherd then guarded the door so that predators would have to go through the shepherd to get at the sheep. Good shepherds put their lives on the line for their sheep. And the sheep know them – their voice, that they could be trusted.
Jesus claims to be the good shepherd. As the good shepherd, Jesus says, "I know my own and my own know me".
Such knowing is so much more than "head" knowledge. The way that the shepherd knows the sheep is a profound knowing. Such knowing is the way a caring mother can read the body language of her child. She will know whether her child needs a hug, a glancing touch, to be held, to have a band aid applied, or even to be left alone. This is the kind of knowing that occurs between 2 people who deeply love each other over a long period time. Even a slight change in one's voice can signal that something is deeply wrong or amazingly good. This is the kind of knowing that sometimes even occurs between a master and a dog when the simple word, "walk" is spoken or a leash is reached for.
Jesus knows us – the wonderful, the amazing, the differing potentialities, the dreams, the disappointments, the struggles, the fears, the loneliness – ALL of whom we are, individually and together. Jesus knows us. He knows our voices – whatever our age, whatever the changes that come with aging. He knows our thoughts – as wild, as desperate, as daring as they may be. He knows our fears. In all of this knowing Jesus chooses to love us – not as a fleeting feeling, but with all He is. He lays down his life that we might know that we are loved, that we are worth everything to Him. He truly knows us.
It's miraculous – that He knows and loves us!
But there's also a 2nd part to this miracle. We can know him. This Son of God, the One who is there with the Creator from the beginning of time. This One who is the goal of all creation – the Beginning and the End. We can know Him. Not just about him. Not only as a character in history.
God sends the Spirit to stir up trust within us – trust that God through Jesus loves us – trust that this risen Jesus comes to us in what are seemingly ordinary things – like water washing over our heads saying, "You are mine, forever." Yes, he comes to us in a variety of seemingly ordinary things like words that are somehow addressed specifically to us. The risen Jesus comes to us in bread and wine. Somehow at different times our disaffections are removed and we hear him speaking TO US: "This is my body. This is my blood, given for you!" By His grace we are enabled to trust and begin to know him. AND NOTHING IS EVER THE SAME...
Things still happen with us, to us and through us. Good things, amazing things, wonderful things – children are born, we are loved and enabled to love; we are being forgiven and miraculously sometimes let go, forgive others. We learn new, deep realities about ourselves and others. But now, all of these wonderful realities come to us under a much larger expanse – a canopy that spreads her life-giving wings over everything. We know that all of this comes to us from and through God because we know the good shepherd, God's own Son. We are daily being gifted with new eyes, ears, minds and hearts.
It is also true that difficult, and even horrific things also come our way. Loved ones suffer, become ill, experience broken relationships. Sometimes such realities are part of our lives. Hateful things are done by people to others and to our earth. Sometimes we contribute to that. Some of these things are so horrific that to us they are unimaginable. Some of these things we cannot look at for very long – they are too painful. Our hearts are torn asunder. We may feel ourselves sinking into the depths of despair.
But the suffering, risen Jesus, this good Shepherd comes to us because he hears the cries of our voices, hearts and minds. He comes because as that woman whose story I began these reflections with is right. She is right not so much in the sense of being correct. Rather she is right in the sense of having been known by this Good Shepherd. By His grace she is coming to know him. Even though we walk, crawl through, or even lay down in the darkest valley of death, this Good Shepherd comes to be with us. He will not abandon us. He goes before us. He is with us. He will take our hand and lead us through and out.
This "shepherd" is no archaic image. Instead He is the very Son of God, who knows us intimately and loves us. Do we hear his voice? ... Amen.