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May 07, 2006

Anne Jensen - May 7, 2006

Trinity Parish 2006 - Easter 4 B
Ps. 23 and John 10:11-18

"The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want…" How beloved these words are! There are 150 psalms, but the one that almost everyone knows, or at least recognizes, is the 23rd psalm, “The Lord is my shepherd.” We read it to our children, and we read it to ourselves and find comfort in it. Many people memorize it. It is the most frequently requested psalm for funeral services. The image of the Lord as shepherd is ingrained in us from our earliest years. The images of God’s providence: food, water, a secure path, protection, abundance are all very inviting. The child within us, the child we were when we first heard this psalm, still yearns for such security.

But Biblical shepherds were not always so wonderful. In the Old Testament the writers used the metaphor of shepherd for the kings of Israel. For example Ezekiel condemns Israel’s leaders by calling them unworthy shepherds for neglecting to do their duty to the flock. They have been more interested in themselves than in their flock, which has scattered to find its own food. I recommend that you read chapter 34 of the book of Ezekiel to really understand what John’s gospel is referring to. It’s powerful reading!

When Jesus says “I am the Good Shepherd,” he is doing two things. First he is contrasting his leadership to that of the Jewish leaders who have neglected their ministry. Secondly he is claiming this attribute of God, this shepherd quality found in the 23rd psalm, for himself. Throughout this gospel Jesus continues to reveal who he is through the I AM sayings. “I am the Good Shepherd” is the fourth of these sayings.

But Jesus isn’t talking about green pasture and still waters. The first thing he says is “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” By contrast the hired hand, who does not own the sheep, runs away when he sees the wolf coming, leaving the sheep to be scattered.

Then Jesus continues in this new definition of what it takes to be the Good Shepherd. It’s the quality of intimate relationship. He says, “I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.” In the Bible “knowing” isn’t intellectual knowing, like knowing the multiplication tables. Knowing is the relationship between a husband and a wife; knowing is experiencing other other; knowing is to be connected in a special relationship. There’s a relationship claim here that defines the good shepherd, the one who will lay down his life for the sake of the flock. But he’s saying even more than that.

He has set up and equation here. “I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.” The relationship between the shepherd and the flock mirrors the relationship between God the Father and the Son. Since Jesus knows the flock and the Father knows Jesus, Jesus is the way to the Father. Jesus, as he has said only 6 verses earlier, is the gate. He says “Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will find pasture… And then comes one of my favorite verses in the Bible, just before the beginning of today’s gospel: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Here the Gospel of John meets Psalm 23. The Good Shepherd will provide for our well being and security.

Well, we have heard a lot about shepherds and sheep, but such a livelihood is far removed from our lives. I expect most of us have romanticized shepherds and sheep. Let me share with you a little of my background. My father was a sheep rancher in Washington State. There was very little that was idyllic about it. It was a large operation, and other than the lead sheep none of them had names. The hired hands were an odd bunch, often recruited from the bars on Front Street. Their lives were lonely. If they were lucky they had a dog for companionship and help. Life could be dangerous, especially in the summers when the sheep went up to the mountains, where mountain lions, bears and coyotes thought they’d just found their dinner. One dog was particularly prized because she was good at treeing bears. The sheep were smelly and often restless; they tended to stray. The life of the shepherd was hard.

Obviously Jesus was referring to people, who were his flock, it’s worth asking, “How are we like the sheep?” On the surface we look pretty good: we’re clean and well fed; we take pretty good care of ourselves, and we don’t wander very far off the path. Do we really need a shepherd? And if so, what kind of shepherd?

Well, my answer is “Yes. We do need a shepherd.” But not just any shepherd. We need the Good Shepherd. Here’s why. First of all, for the most part we look better than we actually feel. That is to say, we look more independent and confident than we know to be true because to do so is the cultural norm here. It’s protective coloring. Underneath we may feel as unkempt and scattered as those sheep. Also we have so much information, so many opportunities, so much activity coming at us that we need a perspective, a viewpoint to sort it all out and to try to find meaning in our lives. Jesus, the good shepherd provides that.

Without the presence and guidance of the Good Shepherd we are just as muddled as those scattered sheep. Our internal selves become fragmented and scattered. We need this good shepherd because he is the one who has laid down his life for us and then has taken it up again in the Resurrection. He draws us to himself. He knows us by name.

As we are looking for a new rector, a position most other churches call pastor, which means shepherd, it is important to remember that all earthly shepherds for God’s flocks are derived from the work of the Good Shepherd and share in the work of feeding, guiding and protecting. In Ezekiel 34 God declares, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down…I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak…” This is the work of Jesus and this is the work of all of us who profess our faith in him.

Yes, we need Jesus as the shepherd of our lives, body and soul, spirit and mind. We need Jesus as the shepherd who laid down his life for us because through that life, death and resurrection he has established for the pathway to the Kingdom of God, even now. That is the realm in which we wish to live. Those are the rules and the guideline which will help us get a perspective on all that confronts us. The prospect of eternal life is what gives us hope and courage in the valley of the shadow of death.

I can’t imagine how difficult life on our own, life without such a shepherd, would be. Once during a spiritually dry time in my life a number of years ago, my spiritual director asked if I really believed. Maybe I should just try living without belief in God. It was awful. I tried it for a week, and it was awful. Nothing terrible happened, but I was desolate.

In this complicated life I think we need to be shepherds for each other: companions and guides on the way, guides to others of the flock when faced with dangers. Our heritage is rich with people who have been shepherds: Joan of Arc, Harriet Tubman and many, many bishops, including Bishop Swing, who has faithfully served as bishop for 27 years.

You know the bishop’s staff is really a shepherd’s crook; it’s a symbol of his or her role as shepherd. As I finish, I want to say just a few words about our election of Mark Andrus to be our new bishop, which took place at Grace Cathedral yesterday. The day was set in the context of prayer and of the Eucharist. We had the liturgy of the Word before we started voting, and between each ballot there was a hymn, a prayer and a meditation. Once we had an election, there was a great cheer! Through the marvels of technology, he was able to make his acceptance by telephone, in a voice that was as clear as if he had been at the cathedral. He was thoughtful of the other candidates, he was humbled by the experience, and he is passionate for the gospel. I believe the spirit was present and active as we called a new bishop to be a shepherd for this diocese.

I believe the spirit is present and active with our search committee as they proceed with their work to find a new rector who will be the shepherd of this congregation. Earthly shepherds need to find their model in the Good Shepherd.

We too can be shepherds...as long as we can be like the psalmist who proclaims, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…. And with the psalmist conclude, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”