The Shepherd and the Sheep

April 25, 2021 John 10:11-18 The Shepherd and the Sheep 4th Sunday of Easter Year B Good Shepherd Sunday The health team decided that people are allowed to sing and to recite into their masks. Opening Song Welcome The Lord is our shepherd, we shall not want. God leads us into green pastures and beside still waters; God restores our soul and leads us in right paths. Even though we walk through the difficult valley, we fear no evil; for you are with us; your rod and your staff — they comfort us. You prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies; you anoint our head with oil; our cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life, and we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Opening Prayer Loving Shepherd, you know our names; you care for us. When we face darkness and death, walk beside us. When we hunger for your love, fill us with your presence. When we are fearful, feed us at your table. May we dwell in the house of goodness and mercy all the days of our lives. Amen. Stewardship Moment So often we come to worship, eager to be nurtured, encouraged, and reassured. But we also recognize times when we hear the words of scripture, and recognize the HARD questions which challenge us! Like this text from I John 3:16-17: We know love by this, that (Jesus) laid down his life for us – and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 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? (“Refuses help” can also be translated “closes the heart”. In this Easter-tide, remember how our hearts nearly burst open with the glad news, “Christ is RISEN!”? With that open heart, we know it’s possible for us to respond with compassion when we see needs in those around us. (name here either one outreach effort in your local area which could use a financial boost, use the latest info from Week of Compassion or One Great Hour of Sharing, or lift up your particular middle judicatory or the General Church.) As we receive our morning offering, may you dig deep in response to the need which is before us, and provide your life-giving gift! Offering Prayer (Psalm 23, 1 John 3) God of love, you abide with us; you provide for all our needs and guide us in your ways. Out of gratitude for your care, we bring our gifts before you. Use them for your work of caring, that all may feast at the table of abundance, walk without fear, and drink deeply from the cup of compassion. Amen. Special Music Scripture John 10:11-18 John 10:11-18 Common English Bible I am the good shepherd 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 When the hired hand sees the wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away. That’s because he isn’t the shepherd; the sheep aren’t really his. So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. 13 He’s only a hired hand and the sheep don’t matter to him. 14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. I give up my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that don’t belong to this sheep pen. I must lead them too. They will listen to my voice and there will be one flock, with one shepherd. 17 “This is why the Father loves me: I give up my life so that I can take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I give it up because I want to. I have the right to give it up, and I have the right to take it up again. I received this commandment from my Father.” Sermon The shepherd and the sheep 3 words for us this morning – omniscient, omnipotent, immortal – those are three very big words. You would be correct if you said that those are God sized words. Those words are aspects of God – All knowing, all powerful, and eternal. Those are also 3 big obsessions of people – knowledge, power and survival. Those are also the source of our biggest sins – these are the 3 things that get us into trouble – pursuit of things we don’t understand, control of our lives and the lives of others, and avoidance of death. Knowledge, power and survival – ordinary words. There is nothing wrong with them, it is the way that we go about achieving those things that can get us into trouble. Omniscient, omnipotent, immortal – words to describe God, not man. The good news is that as God’s children, - we have unlimited access to these 3 things. Jesus Christ came to our lives so that we could have those things. This is the 4th Sunday of Easter season. This is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The Shepherd is one of the most enduring images of the bible. All of the faith fathers raised sheep. The relationship of shepherd and sheep describe our faith. In many of these stories the subject is the different between the good shepherd and the bad shepherd. The whole point of John 10 – Jesus is the good shepherd. The book of John is a series of 7 statements about who the messiah is. Jesus says I am the vine, I am the door, I am the light of the world and today he says I am the good shepherd. Jews would be concerned because God is the good shepherd. Jesus is the son of God, he is also the son of man. This story is about shepherds, sheep and thieves. In some ways I think that in some point in our lives we are all of those things. I think that mostly we are all sheep led by a shepherd. Sometimes a good shepherd, sometimes a bad shepherd. That is what John 10 says. John himself was known as the beloved disciple – Jesus’ best friend. John stayed loyal to Jesus all of his life. On the cross, Jesus asked John to talk care of his mother and he did. John lived to be an old man who started a church o the island of Patmos. Mary lived with John until she died. John was like a good shepherd to Jesus because he stayed loyal. In contrast to Peter, who was a bad shepherd because he was not loyal. Jesus himself told Peter he would deny him. After the resurrection Peter became a good shepherd, starting a church and sacrificing his life for Jesus. We too are sometimes guilty of putting our needs and survival before others. But we too learn to trust in the Lord and do what we need to do. John 10 says that the good shepherd knows the sheep, doesn’t control them but takes care of them, and is willing to sacrifice his immortality so that they can live. The good shepherd gives us what we need to live so that we are not fending for ourselves. John the beloved disciple lived and carried the message much more passionate than the others gospel writers. The point of his gospel was to prove that Jesus was the messiah, the savior. A legend about John, known as the disciple whom Jesus loved, has the elderly man teaching some of his young disciples the principles of the kingdom. After he got their attention, John raised his hand for emphasis and uttered a word of wisdom: Little children love one another. One of the eager recruits retorted, that’s fine John, but how do we heal as Jesus did? The old gentleman replied, Little Children, love one another. Another neophyte chimed in, we get your point, John, but how can we be truly great and dynamic leaders? A third time the beloved disciple repeated” Little children, love one another. Love remains the essence of Jesus shepherding style of leadership. There are benefits to having the Lord as our shepherd. Being Christians is being one that Christ is willing to die for. Knowledge, power and survival are the benefits of saying the Lord is my Shepherd. We all know the 23rd psalm – the first line is the Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want. How many of us live that line? Our Master Makes the Difference As I have moved among men and women from all strata of society as both a lay pastor and as a scientist I have become increasingly aware of one thing. It is the boss, the manager, the Master in people's lives who makes the difference in their destiny. I have known some of the wealthiest men on this continent intimately, also some of the leading scientists and professional people. Despite their dazzling outward show of success, despite their affluence and their prestige, they remained poor in spirit, shriveled in soul, and unhappy in life. They were joyless people held in the iron grip and heartless ownership of the wrong master. By way of contrast, I have numerous friends among relatively poor people-people who have known hardship, disaster and the struggle to stay afloat financially. But because they belong to Christ and have recognized Him as Lord and Master of their lives, their owner and manager, they are permeated by a deep, quiet, settled peace that is beautiful to behold. It is indeed a delight to visit some of these humble homes where men and women are rich in spirit, generous in heart and large of soul. They radiate a serene confidence and quiet joy that surmounts all the tragedies of their time. They are under God's care and they know it. They have entrusted themselves to Christ's control and found contentment. Phillip Keller, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, Harper, 1970, p. 17 Many churches will tell people what their beginning date is. There is a tradition in New England instead of saying that a church is founded, it says that a church is gathered. Gathered Like Sheep I want to suggest that the connection in this text on Good Shepherd Sunday, particularly for the clergy, is not that we are the shepherds, good, bad, or indifferent, but that we are among the sheep. That puts a slightly different perspective on this text for us, because when we preach to our people as fellow sheep instead of as shepherd and sheep, they may actually be inclined to hear the text somewhat differently than we are accustomed to giving it to them and they are accustomed to receiving it. If we think of ourselves as among the sheep, as opposed to belonging to the Shepherds' Union, we may actually gain a new insight into the relationship that we have with one another. In New England, the ancient parishes of the seventeenth century in the Congregational order are not described as "founded"--if you ever look at an old seventeenth-century New England church, the sign will not say, "Founded in 1620," "Founded in 1636," "Founded in 1690"-- but use a very strange nomenclature used nowhere else in the church, either in Europe or in this country: it says "Gathered in 1620," "Gathered in 1640," "Gathered in 1690," and there is something very different between being founded and being gathered. The notion is that of sheep being gathered into the sheepfold. In church we are gathered together as the sheep of the good shepherd. When we work as a church it is not our will, but God’s will. We can lt God handle the three pursuits of life in order to have a happy and abudndant life or ministry. True Abundant Life One day a man stopped in a convenience store to get a newspaper. He noticed that the owner of the store had tears in his eyes and kept looking out the window. He asked what was going on. The store owner said, “Do you see that bus bench over there? There’s a woman who comes there every day around this time. She sits there for about an hour, knitting and waiting. Buses come and go, but she never gets on one and no one ever gets off for her to meet. The other day, I carried her a cup of coffee and sat with her for a while. “Her only son lives a long way away. She last saw him two years ago, when he boarded one of the buses right there. He is married now, and she has never met her daughter in law or seen their new child. She told me, ‘It helps to come here and wait. I pray for them as I knit little things for the baby, and I imagine them in their tiny apartment, saving money to come home. I can’t wait to see them.’” The reason the owner was looking out the window at that particular moment was that the three of them -- the son, his wife and their small child -- were just getting off the bus. The look on the woman’s face when this small family fell into her arms was one of pure joy. And this joy only increased when she looked into the face of her grandchild for the first time. The store owner commented, “I’ll never forget that look as long as I live.” The next day the same man returned to the convenience store. The owner was again behind the counter. Before the store owner could say or do anything, the customer said, “You sent her son the money for the bus tickets, didn’t you?” The store owner looked back with eyes full of love and a smile and replied, “Yes, I sent the money.” Then he repeated his statement from the day before, “I’ll never forget that look as long as I live.” This man had discovered a measure of the abundant life. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, Sermons.com Finally, I want us to think about the final line of the 23rd psalm – I shall dwell in the house of the lord forever. That my friends is eternal life – life with God. Omniscient, omnipotent, immortal – we have it all when we know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Amen. Prayer Our souls are weary, O God. We hear to easily the loud clamor of the world. We witness the terror and trauma all around us. We long for the "good old days" when life seemed so much safer and simpler; when we felt cherished and protected. In this spirit, we have come to this time of worship, seeking your peace and hope. The Psalmist wrote of green pastures and refreshing springs of water, places of rest. Offerings of quietness and comfort flood our thirsting souls. What we would give for such places in the heart! In the midst of all that is difficult, there is one who leads us to these places where, when we have gathered strength and healing, we are prepared to go forth in confidence to serve again. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, knows our name and our needs. He listens for our cries and responds in love. We can have great assurance in that. We have offered today the names and situations of illness, mourning, stress, and concern which touch our lives and our souls. We have breathed our heart’s desire for their healing and restoration. God’s abundant love shall flood over them until they are more than filled. God will be with all these dear ones in their situations and needs. And God will be with us, strengthening us, restoring us, healing us, challenging us, to witness to the Good News of Salvation in the name of Jesus Christ. Open our hearts this day, O Lord, and enter into our lives. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN. Lord’s Prayer Passing the Peace of Christ (1 John 3) God calls us to love one another as God loves us. In this we know the truth of Christ’s peace. Share signs of Christ’s peace with one another. Song for Reflection O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing UMH 57 Announcements On May 22nd we will have a special visioning session from 9-11am. During this time committees are asked to gather and to plan activities for the next six months. We will them gather and create a church calendar of events. We are asking that all committees be represented at this event. Benediction The Good Shepherd leads us forward, from this place, into the world to serve God’s people, to witness to God’s love in all that we do. Go in peace and God’s peace will go with you. AMEN. Children’s Sermon The Shepherd Cares For His Sheep Lk 15:6 · Jn 10:11 · Isa 40:11; 53:6 · Heb 13:20 · Ps 100:3 Object: Lamb or sheep stickers Good morning, boys and girls. Who can tell me where New Zealand (Montana, Australia, Israel -- any sheep-producing area) is? (Response. Help them with the location if it is remote or strange to them.) I visited (place) for a period of time and saw lots and lots of sheep. Did you know that in New Zealand there are about 70 million sheep? That's about 20 or 25 sheep per person of the population. Why do people raise sheep? (Responses -- Wool, meat, skins.) Sheep have to be looked after and taken care of. In some places they have to be moved great distances to find enough pasture for them to graze. Do you know what a person who tends the sheep is called? (Response.) Yes, a shepherd. Many shepherds spend long days with their sheep, and can even tell them apart, although they all look alike to us sometimes. The Bible tells us that we are like sheep, and that we need a shepherd to take care of us, to feed us, to find us when we get lost, and to keep us from going astray. Who is our shepherd? (Responses -- God, Jesus, even the pastor may be suggested.) We have lots of word pictures in the Bible that tell us of the special love that God has for us as part of his flock. He knows each one of us by name and is always searching for us to bring us into the safety of his fold. Jesus said that his sheep heard his voice and came to him. As good sheep we need to be listening to hear the voice of our master. (Prayer to help us to know the safety that comes from being in the care of the Great Shepherd.) (Give each child a sheep sticker.) CSS Publishing Company, Let The Children Come, by Robert B. Lantz Additional Illustrations 1. First, we have a shepherd that is a genuine shepherd. 2. Second, I think that the Good Shepherd knows his sheep. 3. Third, the Good Shepherd also includes other sheep. 4. Fourth, the shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. St. Augustine, in using this paradigm, describes the function of the shepherd as that being who puts his body in the narrow opening of the sheepfold, the opening designed to protect the sheep gathered within and to prevent the wolves on the outside from leaping in. There is something to be said for being gathered rather than founded; and to be gathered together by the Good Shepherd, who knows us by name, and who protects us as the shepherd and guardian of our souls, is a cause for thanksgiving. It connects and unites us with the people of God, it doesn't separate us from them; and, when they are used to hearing about good shepherds (us) and dumb sheep (them) it removes some of those textual barriers and makes the image one of being gathered in together. Peter J. Gomes, Good Shepherd, Good Sheep Other Voices The call of our Lord is "hidden" in a whole chorus of worldly voices which beckon us. Other would-be shepherds seek to tempt us away from the Good Shepherd, the joy of his forgiveness and the security of his love. And when we are weak and confused we may fall victim to the enticements of other gods. I am reminded of an American tourist who was traveling in the Mid East. He came upon several shepherds whose flocks had intermingled while drinking water from a brook. After an exchange of greetings, one of the shepherds turned toward the sheep and called out, "Manah. Manah. Manah." (Manah means "follow me" in Arabic.) Immediately his sheep separated themselves from the rest and followed him. Then one of the two remaining shepherds called out, "Manah. Manah." and his sheep left the common flock to follow him. The traveler then said to the third shepherd, "I would like to try that. Let me put on your cloak and turban and see if I can get the rest of the sheep to follow me." The shepherd smiled knowingly as the traveler wrapped himself in the cloak, put the turban on his head and called out, "Manah. Manah." The sheep did not respond to the stranger's voice. Not one of them moved toward him. "Will the sheep ever follow someone other than you?" The traveler asked. "Oh yes," the shepherd replied, "sometimes a sheep gets sick, and then it will follow anyone." We have seen it, haven't we? People, young and old, who are "sick." Battered by the storms of life and distracted by voices urging them to go this way and that, they have lost their bearings and they don't know where they are or where they are going. That can be more than a little frightening; it leads to despair, to hopelessness. And when someone is "sick" they will follow anyone who will promise a moment of happiness, a brief feeling of peace or forgetfulness, a sense that they are someone. But the call of Jesus the Good Shepherd is, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." There is no better way, no greater truth, no happier life. Our Lord reaches out to us in love that we might follow him. John M. Braaten, The Greatest Wonder of All, CSS Publishing A Thief and Robber Eight or so years ago there was a story carried in various newspapers about a woman from Missouri who was startled out of a dead sleep one night by some desperate cries of "Help! Help!" You know how it is when you awake to some sound: you are not at all certain whether you really heard something or if it was just a dream. At first she thought perhaps her husband had cried out, but he was sleeping soundly next to her. Then suddenly she heard the cries again: "Help! Help!" Finally she threw back the covers and headed downstairs toward their living room. "Help!" went the plaintive voice yet again. "Where are you?" the woman replied. "In the fireplace," came the rather shocking answer. And sure enough, dangling in the fireplace with his head sticking through the flue was a burglar, upside down and quite snugly stuck! The police and fire department got him out eventually, though not before having to disassemble the mantle and some of the masonry. Perhaps the best part of the story was what this woman did in the meantime. She flipped on all the lights and videotaped the whole thing. I don't know what the two talked about while waiting for the police and company to arrive, but had I been she, I think I would have hauled out a Bible and given the crook a pointed reading of John 10: "Verily I tell you, anyone who does not enter by the door but climbs in another way is a thief and a robber!" Scott Hoezee, Through the Gate The Voice of a Stranger I once knew someone who was a leader in the congregation. At one time or another he had filled most (if not all) of the important leadership positions in that church. More than that, however, oftentimes he was the one who would volunteer for those tough, dirty jobs that no one else wanted: washing dishes after a potluck supper, helping to teach the confirmation class, stacking shelves at the food bank. This is the kind of person you would like to clone and with whom you'd like to fill the congregation, right? Wrong! This person was a delight to have around until things didn't go his way, and then he was a nightmare: disruptive, divisive, even destructive. He didn't understand the meaning of community and was not a team player. And when (not for the first time) he and his wife climbed into their huff-mobile and drove away after some disagreement, the congregation finally had the good sense not to beg them to come back. Finally that congregation had learned to distinguish between the voice of a shepherd and the voice of a stranger. Verne Arens, (Good) Help Wanted Sound Theology In a Peanuts' cartoon, Lucy and Linus are staring out the window. The rain is pouring down, and Lucy says, "Boy, look at it rain! What if it floods the whole world?" Linus answers, "It will never do that. In the ninth chapter of Genesis, God promised Noah that would never happen again, and the sign of the promise is the rainbow." Lucy is looking directly at him as he is speaking. She turns back toward the window, smiles big and says, "You have taken a great load off my mind." To which Linus responds, "Sound theology has a way of doing that." James Merritt, Collected Sermons, quoting Charles Schultz Thou Shepherd of Israel Charles Wesley’s most mystical hymn is arguably “Thou Shepherd of Israel.” The hymn is no longer sung, but it might be a great way to end your sermon, or would make a wonderful benediction. 1 Thou Shepherd of Israel, and mine, The joy and desire of my heart, For closer communion I pine, I long to reside where thou art: The pasture I languish to find Where all, who their Shepherd obey, Are fed, on thy bosom reclined, And screened from the heat of the day. 2 Ah! show me that happiest place, The place of thy people's abode, Where saints in an ecstasy gaze, And hang on a crucified God; Thy love for a sinner declare, Thy passion and death on the tree: My spirit to Calvary bear, To suffer and triumph with thee. 3 'Tis there, with the lambs of thy flock, There only, I covet to rest, To lie at the foot of the rock, Or rise to be hid in thy breast; 'Tis there I would always abide, And never a moment depart, Concealed in the cleft of thy side, Eternally held in thy heart. Charles Wesley Let me ask you a question: what would you be willing to do to live forever? I’m not talking about eternal life after you die. I’m talking about avoiding death altogether. Human beings have always searched for a way to cheat death. In Hollywood, Florida, there is a church called the Church of Perpetual Life, and its focus is on extending the healthy human lifespan on this earth for as long as possible. The church’s motto is “Aging and death can be optional.” What a great marketing slogan for a society that is rapidly becoming godless! The Church of Perpetual Life’s symbol is not a cross, but a phoenix, the bird in Greek mythology that rose from the dead and lives on perpetually. The church’s leader, William Faloon, teaches his congregation about health and age reversal technologies. To support their ministry, the church sells dietary supplements and a magazine on preventing aging. And the church supports a cryonics conference. Cryonics is the practice—completely unproven, by the way—of freezing a person’s body and brain for decades, then unthawing them and bringing them back to life when medical science has found a cure for death. William Faloon hopes to build a cryonics chamber in Texas that can hold 10,000 bodies, so its members can be brought back to life sometime in the future. (1) Eternal life is God’s greatest gift. This life may offer us many pleasures and joys, but it still leaves us hungry for some greater meaning or purpose. That’s our hunger to know God. That’s part of our DNA. We were created in the image of God. All the qualities that make up God—holiness, completeness, life in its fullest sense—all these qualities are a part of our makeup. We were created to know God and to live at peace with God. We were created for purposeful work and creativity and relationships. All the blessings we see in the first chapters of Genesis—that’s the life we were made for. So when you get that empty ache inside that tells you this life is meaningless, please don’t give up. Please don’t try to numb the pain. Acknowledge that this life isn’t your true purpose. And let that ache drive you to search for the God in whose image you were created. A focus on eternal life also frees us for generosity. We’re not just talking about money here. We’re talking about a generosity of spirit that is motivated by love. If God loved us enough to give us His Son that we might have eternal life, then won’t that same God give us all that we need in this life? Knowing that our life belongs to a loving and generous God frees us to live with a generosity of spirit. Pastor Adam Hamilton’s daughter Danielle and her husband JT once worked at a hospice center for AIDS patients in South Africa. One day, the hospice staff decided to take the hospice residents out for ice cream. None of them made much money, and the residents were very poor, so the staff saved up their money for this very special treat. The closest restaurant that served ice cream was a Kentucky Fried Chicken. A customer at the restaurant noticed the hospice group and asked about their purpose there. When Danielle told them about their ice cream trip, the man immediately offered to buy all of the hospice residents some fried chicken too. Even though the man didn’t appear to have much money himself, he went up to the counter and ordered enough chicken for every resident. As Hamilton writes, “For most of the residents, this would be the last time they would eat fried chicken and ice cream, but in that moment there was great joy.” (9) Generosity is rooted in faith and it overflows in joy. Who doesn’t want more joy in this life? This is the kind of life God created you to live. But joy doesn’t come from winning the biggest chunk of cheese in the rat race. Joy comes from focusing on the things that are important to God. A focus on eternal life frees us from anxiety and frees us for generosity. When we look at the life of Jesus, we don’t have to question God’s existence and His purposes anymore. God’s purpose is for you to live eternally in God’s presence, where there is peace and joy and rest from all forms of anxiety and want. That’s what Jesus lived for and died for. Don’t you want to know there is something worth living for and dying for that is greater than this ordinary life? That “something” can only be found in giving your life over to Jesus and living in his promise of eternal life. read a story the other day id never heard before about Abraham Lincoln. He was surprised one day when a rough looking man drew a revolver and put it right in his face. Trying to remain as calm as he could Lincoln simply asked the man, “What seems to be the matter?” The stranger replied, “Well some years ago I swore an oath that if I ever came across an uglier man than I am I’d shoot him right on the spot.” Lincoln smiled and said, “Well then please shoot me for if I’m an uglier man than you are I don't want to live.” If you are normal and in a normal frame of mind you don't want to just live life you want to live a life worth living. The reason why people commit suicide is because they have convinced themselves that for whatever the reason their life is no longer worth living. Well I make no apologies when I say to you I want my life to be worth living and when it’s over I want it to be well lived. A legend about John, known as the disciple whom Jesus loved, has the elderly man teaching some of his young disciples the principles of the kingdom. After he got their attention, John raised his hand for emphasis and uttered a word of wisdom: Little children love one another. One of the eager recruits retorted, that’s fine John, but how do we heal as Jesus did? The old gentleman replied, Little Children, love one another. Another neophyte chimed in, we get your point, John, but how can we be truly great and dynamic leaders? A third time the beloved disciple repeated” Little children, love one another. Love remains the essence of Jesus shepherding style of leadership.