Easter IV

By the Reverend Martha Frances

Year A, Easter IV

13 April 2008 

Text:  John 10: 1-10

Other Readings:  Acts 2: 42-47; I Peter 2: 19-25; Psalm 23 

      "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want," today's psalm begins, & here from the Hebrew Bible we have the image of the Shepherd who fulfills all our needs if not our wants.  We opened worship today with a prayer desiring to hear the Good Shepherd's voice calling us each by name, that we might know him & follow where he leads. Shepherds were very familiar characters in Bible times, unlike today when we would be more accustomed to hearing about the latest basketball star, oil baron or airline executive with mega-salary, or office-seeker.  How many of US have ever been shepherds?  Even KNOWN a shepherd?  Here in Texas, sheep are raised lots of places, yet sheep-herding is foreign to most of us city-dwellers.  Throughout the Bible including in our scripture readings today as well as much of our music, this familiar image of a shepherd caring for the sheep of his own fold as well as other flocks comforts us & assures us of God's ever-presence regardless of our circumstances.

      Peter tells us in the today's epistle that sheep go astray.  That's why the shepherd's crook, from which our bishops' croziers are copied, has a curved hook on the end.  Sheep can be yanked back on the path when they wander off into the underbrush which they often do.  Actually, God's guidance as a shepherd leading the sheep is exactly what we often need, isn't it?

      When we feel battered & beaten by the world around us, how good it is to know that God our Shepherd revives our souls, guides us along right pathways, spreads a banquet table before us, & anoints our heads with oil.  It's comforting to know that God our Shepherd knows us each by name, walks ahead of us, & shows us the way.  So perhaps both the toughest & the most timid among us can relax & feel safe in the care of our shepherd God. 

      Closer attention to the Gospel passage reveals that Jesus doesn't separate sheep into different groups yet only warns all the sheep that they should follow when he calls their names.  Jesus clearly provides true access to God, & that access is offered to ALL the sheep.  ALL are invited to live life abundantly.  ALL are urged to follow the Shepherd's voice to come & go & find pasture.

      Furthermore, we're supposed to go out into the world to gather those people together who are scattered like lost sheep & share the joy of the in-breaking reign of God with others who are yearning to be invited out of lives of quiet desperation or meaningless frenetic busyness. 

      This weekend 6 Hope parishioners joined me at Palmer Church for a diocesan conference on multiculturalism in music & liturgy.  What a refreshing gift we who attended were given including the opportunity to experience 3 different worship forms that will help us in planning meaningful worship for Hope!

      A quote from noted Episcopal preacher Barbara Brown Taylor reminded me of a gift of leadership Jesus offers, particularly in this Easter season for those of us willing to let Jesus be the Shepherd & us to be the sheep.  As we move into a new phase of discerning God's call to Hope, may we have the courage to embrace Taylor's challenge to us:

      The only thing we cannot do is hold on to [Jesus].  He has asked us please not to do that, because he knows that all in all we would rather keep him with us where we are than let him take us where he is going.  Better we should let him hold on to us, perhaps.  Better we should let him take us in to the white hot presence of God, who is not behind us but ahead of us, every step of the way.

      [At 8:00]  As 7 of us from Hope experienced the workshop & worship this weekend, we considered how Hope could pattern ourselves after the 1^st Christian community we heard about in our passage from Acts today.  Here is some of my musing:

      We Episcopalians say that so we worship, thus we form & develop our beliefs, so our corporate worship is at center of our life together in community.  Luke tells us in Acts we must spend much time together, both at church & in each other's homes, with glad & generous hearts, praising God & having the good will of all the people.  How could our community be transformed if every person at Hope were involved in a weekly small group Bible study, not only breaking open the apostles' teachings to see what they meant in their original contexts but also what they invite us to do, be, or change in our lives?  How many of your sisters & brothers in Christ have you invited into your home, met for a cup of coffee, seen a movie with followed by a discussion of its relevance in your lives, or shared other fellowship like families do?  When we break & share the bread & drink the wine at our Eucharistic table on Sundays or Wednesdays, do we pray for those at table with us?  Do we actively look for those with whom our sharing of a family meal, a church family meal, or the Eucharistic meal would be a step toward more abundant life?  After all, each of our meals as well as our communion table is sort of an appetizer for the heavenly banquet which Christ prepares for us in eternity.  Sounds like abundant life to me, meant to be shared with folks like Jesus chose to share meals—the folks who were politically incorrect but who truly needed family.  And finally, for whom do you pray daily?  Your family, your friends, your church community (even those here at Hope who really make you feel uncomfortable), those who may not ever find a church community unless you invite them?  What can we do to put feet on those prayers? 

      [At 10:30]  I asked five of your fellow parishioners to think outside the box in light of their learning & experience of the past 2 days to dream—to wonder—how Hope could pattern ourselves after the 1^st Christian community we heard about in our passage from Acts today.  They will share with you briefly their preliminary observations of how we at Hope might devote ourselves to the apostles' teaching & fellowship, to the breaking of bread & the prayers, & spend much time together becoming community with glad & generous hearts, praising God & having the goodwill of all the people. 

      Testimonies from Michael, Ladelle, Dorothy, Sherley, & Rob

      Michael Fahey:  I wonder if in the future we could visit other churches & see & hear what they care doing to learn the apostles' teachings.  The emphasis might be different, & their perspective might enrich our own.  We need to walk in other persons' moccasins.

      Ladelle Hyman:  Fellowship means being family & sharing where needed.  A whole group of us met here at the church to go down to help after Hurricane Katrina.  Yesterday, four of us left the meeting to walk to the hospital to visit Jackie.  Mike & Rob stepped up to the plate to lead our music when there was a need.  Families do things together & share the burden with one another.

      Dorothy Miller:  We share the breaking of the bread at the communion rail but at other times also, like when representatives of the congregation take communion to others.  It is in this place but also every time we visit with others.  It includes being in community with each others in the morning, at noon, & in the evening, sometimes with formal or informal prayers.  In ancient times, the sharing of a meal was a great honor;  even enemies sat at table with no hate or animosity.  Hope needs to be open for all to come & share.

      Sherley Holden: I have asked God to teach me how to pray.  There are many ways.  We pray here in worship & at home , meditate, & some pray with music.  How did the early church pray?  How would it look for us to do it differently from our usual way?  I wonder. . . .

      Rob Burchfield:  I was really moved yesterday.  If you can imagine a song being sung in 5 languages simultaneously, it gives you a sense of the larger world.  Yesterday we did just that, & we could understand each other through music.  In the last days of Jesus' life, h e crossed borders & showed us how to make disciples.  We had an amazing opportunity to learn yesterday a little about communicating the love of Christ to this community.

      Mother Martha:

      Our sisters & brothers, God has begun a good work here at Hope in growing our Church together & welcoming others into our church community.  Here as we begin our 3^rd year as family, we must let go of Christ the Good Shepherd for him to lead us to where he is going.  My prayer for each person today is that you open your mind & heart & imagination to dare to dream, always aware that the Good Shepherd is present to strengthen, to guide, to correct our tangents on our journey, & to rejoice in our faithfulness.  Come, let us journey together.