Valois United Church

Acts 4:5-12...13
Psalm 23
John 10:11-18
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This is Good Shepherd Sunday.
This is also one of those buffet Sundays, as there are several bits and pieces.

First, we are reminded today that Biblical imagery is not either-or.
Today, while we are talking about Jesus being the shepherd, we also remember elsewhere that Jesus speaks of being the sheep - or more specifically, being the lamb.

Just like we can have a lot of different scripturally based images for God - father, mother, mother hen, king, judge, shepherd - so we can have lots of images of Jesus as well - Prophet, Priest, King, lamb, shepherd, rabbi, friend.....
the more images that we can connect with, perhaps the richer our faith, the deeper our understanding.

Today the focus is the shepherd.
In previous years you may have heard myself or some other preacher talking about how a shepherd in the Middle East is far different from a cattle herder in Canada.

And how the shepherd does not walk along behind and drive the flock, but walks in front, keeping the flock safe from that position.
And the flock follows, for the sheep trust the shepherd and listen for the master’s voice.

I’ve heard that before, and you’ve heard it before.
But I thought it good to SEE it - though the quality is not great, and though it is in three short clips, I want to share this with you. If you can’t see the wall, maybe you want to shift - and if you’re in the choir, maybe I can play if for you again after, if you cannot see.

Watch the shepherd. Watch the sheep.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwysdVbw3OY&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzkLQ3a7sJU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0GQVuK2aVk&feature=related

When I see that image in Amman, Jordan, I see a lot more of what Jesus was talking about when he declares himself to be the shepherd, to be our shepherd.

Yes, the shepherd walks ahead, considering the danger.
The shepherd does not walk behind, smacking the sheep whenever they don’t get going just right.
And the sheep - well, they follow.
Now, these sheep are not just following on a nice little wander through green verdant pastures.
They are in the middle of Amman.
Busses, cars, trucks whizzing by.

But do the sheep run and hide in a doorway to be safe from it all, to be away from the traffic and the beeping horns?
No. They follow.
Are the sheep distracted by all that stuff - the horns and noises and just all that busyness?
No. They stay focussed on where the shepherd is, and where the shepherd is leading.
Are they anxious and worried?
Well, quite likely they are. But that does not stop them from following.

Jesus says:
10:14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.
And I lay down my life for the sheep.

As Jesus’ flock, we know him.
And so we can be confident in him.
And how confident can we be?
We can be very confident, because the measure of his love and concern for us is that he lived and suffered and died for us.

It is interesting how things work out - this week in Bible study we were talking about a variety of heresies - that is, false systems of belief that purported to be the true way. One of them was Gnosticism, which erred in a variety of ways, but one way was that it said that Jesus was never really human, and therefore never really suffered or died.

Well, that is not our faith. That is not what we read in this passage, where we hear that he laid down his life for us.

And because we know that, we can go on through our day, through our week.... sometimes worry-free, sometimes anxious, but still able to go on, because Jesus is the Shepherd and we are not alone.

Another preacher writes:
We live with anxiety. As The Family Circus cartoon
reminds us - kids are afraid of the monsters under
the bed and even as the father assures them that
there is nothing to be afraid of - he is haunted
by recession, pollution, war, crime and tax forms.

It’s a good thing the Good Shepherd doesn't insist
the sheep be unafraid. The Good Shepherd simply
protects them with his own life is necessary.

Now, what difference does it make? Or should it make?

Well, look at the disciples who knew the shepherd.
In the book of Acts - we walk in in the middle of a story.
The disciples have healed a man who had been lame from birth.
Most people thought it was great.
And so the followers of Jesus began to explain their faith.
Healing. Teaching.
The leaders, who had gotten rid of Jesus in part because he did stuff like this, were anxious, and being anxious they were upset, and being upset they were angry, and so they had Peter and John arrested.

Now understand that when Peter and John reached out to the lame man, they knew they were in danger.
But they were trusting the Shepherd.
Understand that when Peter and John began to teach, they knew they were in danger.
But they were trusting the Shepherd.And understand that Peter and John were just ordinary people - as the book of Acts says,
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and recognized them as companions of Jesus.

But they were trusting the Shepherd.

They were ready to act in faith because they knew that they were not alone.

So today when we hear about the Good Shepherd, we are comforted.

But we are also challenged.

For we are challenged to go out into the world and act our faith - to act for justice, compassion and love.
The crowds looked at Peter and John, ordinary people, and they saw people that were out of the ordinary in what they were doing.
If we’re trusting the shepherd, and following the call of the shepherd, then people ought to look at us and see people out of the ordinary in what we are doing.

May we be people of faith.
May we be people of faith-directed action.

AMEN