Our gospel lesson this morning from John recounts a conflict that Jesus had with the synagogue authorities. They confronted him about being the Messiah, and demanded of him that if he was the Messiah, he should tell them plainly.
Jesus responded by saying that he had told them, that the works he had done in the God’s name said all there was to say, and yet, they still did not believe. He told them that his works done in God’s name testified to who he was, and they did not believe. He used a shepherd metaphor to point out that the synagogue authorities did not belong to his sheep, that his sheep hear his voice, and follow him. I love that Jesus told the authorities that he told them who he was by what he did in the name of God. The teaching, the healing, the feeding, the miracles. The advocacy for the oppressed and the vilified. Table fellowship with the despised. He didn’t have to come out and say it, because he lived it. And I especially love that he told them plainly that they weren’t part of his flock. Not because he rejected them, but because they rejected him. We want to be a part of that flock, don’t we? We want to hear the voice of Jesus, want to join together under his protection, guidance, and care. Want to find rest in green pastures beside still waters. Believing that his actions testified to who he was helps us be part of the flock; listening for, and listening to his voice helps us be a part of the flock, but I’m beginning to wonder if there isn’t a time when the members of Jesus’ flock have to work harder at doing their own actions in God’s name. At what point in our faith lives do we have to act on our faith in order for the world to know whom it is we follow? When, as part of the flock, do we band together in order to feed and comfort, clothe and house, advocate and invite? Even if it angers the authorities? When is it that the followers from the flock begin to push against injustice, and oppression, even if it’s unpopular? Anytime now, actually. The metaphor of shepherd and sheep only goes so far. In today’s gospel lesson, we learn about those who hear the shepherd’s voice and those who do not. We hear from Jesus that the consequence of being part of his flock is eternal life, that we will never perish. But something is nagging at me about this. Part of my spirit is restless, anxious. Those of us who follow Jesus can do many acts in God’s name. We can specifically act to resist racial oppression, to eliminate gender violence, to find ways to bring about economic equity, to advocate for reproductive freedom and justice. But are we? It is nice to find rest in Jesus, beside the still waters, yes. But after we’ve rested for awhile, it will be time for us to gather ourselves and begin acting on our faith, acting on our beliefs in a shepherd stands for the oppressed. The authorities of today may not belong to the flock. They may not hear his voice. Do we? And what does he say? Where does our Good Shepherd want us to put our energies? What risks does he want us to take, since he has promised us protection? How will our acts in the name of our Creator God testify to who we are? Each of us can do our part, each of us has gifts given to us for this purpose. What God-given gift have you been given, that can help in the work of the flock? What are you willing to risk, to sacrifice, in order to faithfully act in the name of God? What will your testimony be? As individuals, as members of our two congregations, as part of one worshiping community, we can be a powerful force for good. With resolve, with focus, and with confidence, we can act in ways we never thought possible. I firmly believe our future depends on it. Being good listeners is a start. Being willing to follow is a good start. The difficult part is acting, sometimes, especially if it flies in the face of the authorities. No matter how many days we’ve been walking upon this earth, there is always something we can do to advance the love, the compassion, the patience, and the caring of the Good Shepherd. As you reflect during the coming week, I’d encourage you to consider how it is that you act on your faith, what things do you do in the name of God? Prayer? Stewardship? Feeding? Clothing? Visiting? Advocating? Resisting? Now, I know these are not traditional words used to describe sheep, but as I said before, that metaphor only goes so far. The world as I see it needs us, the flock that follows Jesus, to start tipping the balance towards justice, towards the core values and principles of our Shepherd. To find ways to make a difference with the gifts God gave us. Jesus told us who he was by what he did. Jesus told those who would silence him, those who were afraid of him who he was by his actions. We can do the same. And we need not be afraid. He knows us. He knows each of us, inside and out. And I believe he calls us to act, in the name of God, in any way that we can, to fight the injustices of the world. We hear his voice, even when it’s a quiet voice, calling us to action. Can we respond? I believe we can. I believe we do. There is protection by being in the flock. There is reassurance. There is support, affection, even power. Those things will help us in our mission. With the guidance of our Shepherd, and the power of our flock, our works in the name of our God can do miracles. Let us listen for our Shepherd’s voice, for we know it well. Let us remember the protection our Shepherd gives us, so that when the time comes to act on our faith in God’s name, we won’t be afraid. There is no shortage of injustices out there. No shortage of oppression. But maybe our work together as the flock can identify one on which we can focus: bring to bear all our resources and all our gifts to affect change in one area of injustice or oppression. We may in fact, be individual members of the flock, but we are not powerless: we are the very testimony the world needs to survive. Let’s get to it. Amen.
0 Comments
Does anybody else here feel badly for Peter? A disciple who wore his heart on his sleeve, so to speak, Peter is often portrayed as impulsive, sometimes naïve, and awkward. He shows up in all 4 gospels, and, in spite of his faults and flaws, was the rock upon which Jesus founded the church.
Peter was the disciple who was rebuked by Jesus after suggesting that a home could be built for Jesus on the mountaintop, so he could live with Elijah and Moses. Peter was the one who leaped out of the fishing boat in attempt to walk on water with Jesus. Peter was the one who was rebuked by Jesus after he blurted out that God should forbid Jesus from being arrested, crucified, and killed… Peter was the one who was predicted to deny Jesus 3 times before the rooster crowed, and he did just that. In today’s gospel, Peter is out fishing with some of the other disciples. After a night of fruitless fishing, a stranger from the shore calls out to tell them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. When they do so, they catch so many fish they could hardly haul the net into the boat. And they recognized Jesus in that moment. Once on the shore, Jesus invites them to have a breakfast of fish and bread. It is the third time Jesus has appeared to his disciples since his resurrection. And for me, this is where the story starts to get interesting. Jesus asks Peter 3 times if he loves him. The first time, when Peter says he loves Jesus, Jesus tells him to feed his lambs. The second time, Peter says he loves Jesus, and Jesus tells him to tend his sheep. The third time, an exasperated Peter says he loves Jesus, and Jesus tells him to feed his sheep. So the third time Jesus appears to the disciples, he asks the one who denied him three times if he loves him, and Jesus gives Peter 3 similar responses to his declarations of love. That is a lot of 3’s. Not a coincidence. There is some very good news here: in spite of his very human failings, Jesus chose Peter to be the foundation of the church. After all the awkward rebukes, the blustery outbursts, even after denying Jesus 3 times, Peter is given another chance to be redeemed. And in today’s scripture, the path to that redemption is found in the feeding and the tending of Jesus’ lambs and sheep. Feeding and tending. Nothing mystical or miraculous about that. Just basic care and concern in making sure that the metaphorical lambs and sheep that follow Jesus are fed and cared for. I feel kind of badly for Peter, in part because I can see some of myself in him. Perhaps, you can see some of yourselves in him as well. We’ve all had times when our actions and our words were denials of Jesus. We’ve all had times when we blustered or blurted awkwardly about our faith. We’ve all had moments when we just didn’t get what was going on spiritually. Similarly, we are all being told by Jesus that if we love him, we will feed and tend his lambs and sheep. Although we aren’t Apostles, don’t you think the church is as much dependent upon you and me to survive as it was on Peter at that time? Would you agree with me that it seems like when the church started to move away from the tending and feeding of the lambs and sheep in need, and instead started to point fingers at who was a sinner and who wasn’t going to heaven that things began to fall apart for the church? In my book, also not a coincidence. It seems that when the church began to worry more about itself, and it’s own care and feeding, began to act as the judge of who could be forgiven and who could not, that things began to get worse. If Peter could be forgiven after denying Jesus 3 times at such a critical moment in the story of Jesus’ journey toward resurrection, then all of us, and all our sisters and brothers can be forgiven our own faults and flaws. But if we are to take seriously the commission to tend and feed the lambs and sheep in need, we don’t ever get to decide who is a sinner, or who gets into heaven, do we? Tending and feeding. And what will use to feed our sisters and brother in need? Jesus helps us with that too! The disciples were fishing all night, and didn’t catch a thing. Jesus told them to put down their nets on the other side of their boat. For the most part, in real net fishing, this shouldn’t make a difference. But this is one of those sacred metaphors that can help us on our faith journey: if what we are doing as the church isn’t yielding anything, Jesus tells us to do something different, even if it doesn’t make sense. Wouldn’t the tending and feeding of the neediest lambs and sheep be easier if our nets were full? Of course it would! Imagine this: the disciples are fishing all night, and a stranger on the shore shouts out to them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. And Peter yells back, but we’ve always fished on this side of the boat! Now, I’m not so naïve as to think that the various parts of the institution of the Christian Church could act in harmony. Most Christian denominations can’t act in harmony in their own communities. But I am hopeful, optimistic even, that individual faith communities, like ours, can reimagine how to fish. Can take a risk, and can learn to cast our nets on the other side of the boat, so that our nets might be full enough to feed and tend to the lambs and sheep of the world who are in need. For sheep in our own neighborhood, for lambs across the ocean. But if we ever start to think that the nets are full for our own needs, so that we can eat, survive, and thrive, well, pardon the expression, but we will have missed the boat! In today’s gospel, the disciples are told to try something different after a night of fishing yielded no fish. So are we. In today’s gospel, Peter is given the commands to feed and tend Jesus’ lambs and sheep. So are we. The institution of the church has developed a language for these things. Words to describe what Jesus is suggesting in our sacred scripture for today: evangelism, and mission. One of these will almost certainly make some of us cringe: evangelism. The other, mission, is a much more comfortable word. But my read on today’s scripture says that we will need to do both in order to fulfill Jesus’ instructions: we’ll need to do some things differently in order to tend and feed his lambs and sheep. Sharing and spreading the good news in ways that are different from how we do it now may lead to an increased ability to feed and tend the sheep and lambs in need. Let’s not worry about what others have done in the name of evangelism, let’s only worry about how we can find ways to share and spread the good news to those who need it. Acting on our faith in ways that demonstrate to others what we believe. Using all our gifts of generosity, forgiveness, compassion, patience, and awareness. Some days our nets will still come up empty. But on the days they come up full, we’ll be able to tend and feed many more lambs and sheep, won’t we? All of this is so highly metaphorical, just as Jesus intended. But when we boil everything down, today’s scripture seems to be telling us that the purpose of the church, our purpose, collectively and individually, is to tend and feed those in need. Nothing metaphorical about hunger, or poverty, or violence, or trauma, or hopelessness, is there? I say, let’s work together to figure out what we can do differently, what the other side of the boat looks like, and how to cast our nets over there. And then, let’s be prepared to share our resources with those in need, so that our love for Jesus will be shown in the tending and the feeding of his lambs and sheep. Are you with me? Amen. |
WatchClick here to watch our scripture and sermons playlist on YouTube. (link opens in a new window)
Archives
July 2023
Categories
All
|