Shepherds And Seals
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
With the lectionary texts for the Fourth Sunday of Easter featuring the 23rd Psalm and the passage from John's gospel where Jesus compares himself to a shepherd and to the gate of a sheepfold, it's not surprising that this week is often colloquially referred to as "Good Shepherd" Sunday. It's particularly noteworthy that these are our texts on the Sunday following the news of the raid resulting in the death of Osama bin Laden, as they raise the issues of from what and where we find our ultimate security. In this installment of The Immediate Word team member Mary Austin contemplates some of these issues, and Mary notes that while there may be some similarities between the protective role of the shepherd and our military, what really defines the shepherd-sheep relationship that Jesus references is the element of complete and total trust. That's a salient point, because though bin Laden's death is unquestionably a blow to al-Qaida, experts are telling us that terrorism remains as much of a threat as ever. But while evil will always be with us -- and God has never promised us complete protection from our enemies -- what we have been promised is a relationship with the divine... if we willingly listen to Jesus' voice and surrender to him in complete and total trust. This is the true protection God offers to us. As the Psalmist so tellingly describes it, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies."
Team member Dean Feldmeyer shares some additional thoughts on the Psalm's shepherd imagery, and Dean points out that the Psalmist describes another essential role of the Good Shepherd: bringing restoration to a weary and battered world. Dean reminds us that not only does God provide restoration for our souls, but as Christians we are also called to reflect that gift and become agents of restoration ourselves.
Shepherds and SEALs
by Mary Austin
Psalm 23; John 10:1-10
Almost ten years after the events of September 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden's death brings one chapter of the war on terror to a close, even as the global fight against terrorism and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue. Bin Laden's recent demise at the hands of an elite U.S. team of Navy SEALs has prompted a national and international discussion about what it means, and whether the future will be any different as a result. Initial reactions in the U.S. ran the gamut from jubilation to somber reflection, paralleled by anger and disbelief and relief in the Arab world. Even members of the military and their families, along with those who lost loved ones on 9/11, have been divided in their views. Some felt justice had been done, while others noted that their loved ones were still missing. No one seemed to feel that global terrorism would come to a halt.
The week brought a storm of praise for the highly trained military units who made a courageous raid on bin Laden's compound in Pakistan, along with the acknowledgment that vigilance about terror attacks is still needed. And yet the threat continues, and we are never certain where or when our safety may be threatened.
THE WORLD
The death of Osama bin Laden may be the last part of the war on terror that is a simple equation.
As the architect of the 9/11 attacks, along with the attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa and the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, he was the face of terrorism for many Americans. As Charlie Szrom notes in an article in The Weekly Standard: "The death of Osama bin Laden is a major symbolic victory in the war on terror. Not since the defeat of al-Qaida in Iraq has the U.S. been able to celebrate such a clear success against the terrorist enemy. This achievement will provide closure for the many lives lost on (and tremendous sacrifices made since) September 11, 2001, an event whose ten-year anniversary arrives in just four months. There is an important difference between symbolic and material victories, however."
For Szrom, an associate at the international consulting firm DC International Advisory, the future holds grim possibilities: "The next generation of entrepreneurial al-Qaida leaders will, however, sense an opportunity to fill a power vacuum. They will want to achieve the notoriety enjoyed by bin Laden and show that the violent Islamist cause will survive this setback. Each leader will want to prove that his organization or leadership should receive the lion's share of recruits and fund-raising dollars in the wake of bin Laden's death. These individuals will compete for attention by plotting and engaging in terrorist attacks, some of which may be successful."
An article by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross in Foreign Policy magazine argues that Osama bin Laden's philosophy and techniques have become such a part of the terrorist cause that the death of one person, even such an important person, won't make a difference. The author notes that an important pillar of bin Laden's strategy is to destabilize the enemy's economy. To that end, terrorist attacks that are cheap to develop -- even if they fail -- have a tremendous economic cost to defend against. He cites the example of the bombs discovered in toner cartridges on cargo planes this year. They were detected in time, but led to expensive and time-consuming new security measures for cargo planes. The bombs cost an estimated $4,200 for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula versus perhaps billions of dollars in new security procedures for America and other Western countries. The threat is not just in weapons and bombs, but in time and dollars spent defending against them -- and in the loss of peace of mind, if we resort to worrying all the time.
Astute as our intelligence gathering may be, powerful as our military may be, even the death of Osama bin Laden reminds us that true security is fleeting. Our sons and daughters in the military remain in Afghanistan and Iraq and around the globe. Our travel still involves taking off our shoes and jackets and having everyone from babies to grandmothers searched. Our federal government's spending on defense and homeland security continues to grow.
THE WORD
The Fourth Sunday of the Easter season -- midway between Easter and Pentecost -- turns us back to God, our Shepherd, and Jesus, the face of God, who proclaims himself to be the Good Shepherd. The lectionary rescues the 23rd Psalm from its frequent use at funerals and calls us to hear it in a different way, especially in light of recent events. The "valley of the shadow of death" is our constant companion now, and with it comes the assurance of God's presence in the valley and beyond the shadow. Our precautions fit our world, but we need not live in constant fear because of God's sustaining grace. Even in the presence of our enemies, God prepares a feast for us. It is not promised that we will have no enemies, but that we can relax in their presence, knowing that God is there. Our cup is full, if we have the wisdom to slow down and see it.
In John's gospel, Jesus proclaims in this section that he is the gate to the sheepfold, and thus the guardian of the sheep. William Barclay notes that in ancient Palestine the sheep slept at night in an enclosure, with the shepherd sleeping across the doorway to protect the sheep. The shepherd himself is the gate in order to keep out evil and harm, and to keep the sheep safe. In our world most of us don't see a lot of shepherds, but the image still tells us what kind of God we have. Just after this pericope come the familiar words "I am the good shepherd," so deeply ingrained in our hearing that they function as the subtext of these words.
As we know, shepherds had a curious place in ancient society. This was a job for the children of the family or a hired hand; it was not a path to wealth or career success. The image of the shepherd is a frequent metaphor for the ruler of a country... but no one actually wanted to be a shepherd. Jesus turns the image of the king on its head -- using the metaphor, but saying that he is the shepherd who knows the sheep, who lives with the sheep, who provides for the sheep.
This is important for more than our private faith. "Forming a flock and protecting it from scattering portrays Jesus' intention for an indestructible relationship between sheep and shepherd," writes Molly T. Marshall in Feasting on the Word [Year A, Volume 2, p. 446]. "Likewise, the church must be known by its relationship to Jesus.... The church would be helped if it could recover the theological meaning of the shepherding imagery."
CRAFTING THE SERMON
Complete trust in God is often preached about, and rarely achieved. For many of us, organized religion has been more about rules and "shoulds" than about a deep connection with the Good Shepherd. If we're always nervous about whether we're getting it right, then it's hard to surrender to the care of the Shepherd. This is a different kind of faith, one that allows us to live with such trust. Both of these texts call us back to that place where we know every need is met, and we can surrender to the shepherd's care. Still, it's difficult for us to live in that place for long.
A high school-aged friend, Megan Mueller, and I once preached together on this text, and she said: "This passage exemplifies Jesus’ relationship with God and his relationship with us. Jesus says that he ‘knows his own sheep, and his own sheep know him.’ However, as Christians this is what we strive to do our whole life. Jesus confidently says ‘the sheep will recognize my voice.’ Jesus is crazy! I am always looking for his word and guidance in my life, and I’m sure that most of the time I fail to see it. It is hard to distinguish what he is telling us from everything else we hear. I am not like the sheep in this passage. It is so easy for them to hear Jesus because there are no outside influences pulling them astray. For us, the media is telling us how we should look, how we should dress, what we should buy. School and jobs influence how we spend our money. Our friends influence our choices."
Now a college student, Megan said in that same sermon: "Nonetheless, Jesus is confident we will be able to distinguish him from all the other influences. The fact that Jesus is so sure we will be able to do it gives me hope. If Jesus is certain I will hear his voice, who am I to say I won’t? As sheep we are all important to him. Jesus has told us it is possible to know him and it is possible to have a relationship with him."
That relationship is the foundation of our complete trust. The deeper the relationship, the deeper our ability to trust. We come back to the Good Shepherd when the valley of the shadow of death looms, or enemies surround us, or the table seems to be empty. We hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and come in through the gate, to rest in God's care through all that threatens us.
SECOND THOUGHTS
The Restored Soul
by Dean Feldmeyer
Psalm 23
About 20 years ago my sister and her husband purchased a small farm near the village of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, on the Ohio River. The farmhouse, a log home, had been built in 1858. They bought it with the intention of restoring the original structure and then adding other, more modern living space -- a kitchen, a laundry room, and a modern bathroom -- onto the back.
They tore off the lapped siding on the outside of the house and the sheetrock on the inside. They got books from the library and learned how to re-chink the logs. They tore off the asphalt shingles and put on a tin roof. When the chimneys had to be rebuilt, they took pictures of them, numbered the stones, and then put them back in exactly the same places they had originally been. For two years, they heated the house with the multiple fireplaces until they could hand dig a basement under it for the gas furnace. A couple of years ago they had to re-chink the logs again.
Their restoration work continues to this day. It is, they have learned, never really complete. It is a process.
The Psalmist tells us that Yahweh, the Lord, is a restorer of souls. The ancient Hebrew understanding of "soul" was a unified one. The soul was the whole person -- body, mind, and spirit. The implication of the psalm is that though we are created by God to be united, harmonized beings, from time to time we become fractured, broken, and separated from our essential selves. God, in that infinite, compassionate grace that is only God's, engages us in the process of restoration, harmonizing all our dimensions, resetting all our parts, and rebuilding us to make us whole again.
In his beautiful sermon "You Are Accepted," Paul Tillich spends nearly two thirds of his words describing the fractured, broken condition that is the human despair that we all experience from time to time. He reminds us of those times when we find ourselves lonely in the midst of a crowd, when year after year the longed-for perfection of life refuses to appear, when we have hurt the ones we love or been hurt by them, and when all seems dark and hopeless. Then he says: "Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying: 'You are accepted. You are accepted, accepted by that which is greater than you, and the name of which you do not know.' "
"Sometimes" may be the key word here. We can't make it happen. We can't control the timing of it. The restoration of our souls is a gift that comes to us from time to time, when we need it and know that we need it. And if God loves us enough to sometimes provide that gift to us, then what can we do but love each other enough to sometimes give it to our brothers and sisters?
Having been restored, we become agents of restoration.
ILLUSTRATIONS
When Christian missionaries first came to the arctic regions of Alaska, they struggled to tell the Christian story to the Inuit people, who they called "Eskimos." It was no easy task because life in Bible times was so different from anything in the Inuit experience. The story of the Good Shepherd posed particular problems, since none of the Inuit people had ever seen a sheep. Finally one of the missionaries learned of a strange and noble practice of the Inuit people that communicated this truth.
In times of severe famine during the endless dark days of arctic winter, a brave young man armed with only a pointed stick would sometimes go off across the ice. He would walk until he encountered the deadliest animal of the arctic -- a polar bear. The hunter would do whatever he could to provoke the bear. Eventually the bear would rear up on its hind legs and raise its deadly claws to strike. At that moment, the hunter would set the blunt end of his pointed stick in the ground and brace it against his foot. When the full weight of the bear fell down upon him, it also came down upon the stick. Pierced through the heart, the bear was sure to die -- but not before it had the opportunity to finish off the hunter. The next day, the villagers would follow the hunter's tracks until they came to the place where the two bodies lay -- the bear's and the hunter who had slain it. In the frozen bear meat they would find enough food to survive the famine.
The missionaries used this story to tell the parable of the Good Shepherd -- and that is how the story of the Good Shepherd became, in the Inuit language, "the story of the good hunter."
* * *
The relationship between Palestinian shepherds and their sheep is a very special one, even to this day. It is close and intimate in ways that are hard for us to imagine. The shepherd "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." The shepherd leads them by walking ahead of them -- and trusting their shepherd implicitly, the sheep follow.
That's not the way sheep are herded in many other parts of the world. In Scotland, border collies do the job, running around and around the herd, barking and nipping at their legs. In the wide-open spaces of the American west, some shepherds operate by helicopter, frightening the sheep with the drone and draft of the rotor blades. Yet that's not how it was in Jesus' day; the shepherds led their sheep by walking ahead of them ñ and that is still the practice in Palestine today.
There once was a busload of tourists traveling through Israel. Their Arab guide had just finished telling the visitors about how the Palestinian shepherd always walks ahead of the flock when one of them looked out the window and saw a man driving a herd of sheep with a large, menacing stick. Delighted with the opportunity to "one-up" the guide, the tourist pointed out what he saw.
The guide immediately stopped the bus, bounded down the steps, and ran over to the man with the stick. The passengers could see the two men talking and waving their hands in the air. Finally their guide turned and walked back to the bus with a big grin on his face. Once aboard, the guide turned to the tourists and proclaimed in triumph: "I have just spoken to the man. Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to know that he is not the shepherd. He is the butcher."
* * *
Anthony Failoa wrote a lengthy article for the Washington Post on his observations of the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, appropriately titled "That Second Kiss Sealed It". The article reflected Failoa's view that when the couple responded to the shouts of the crowd with a second kiss between them, the British tradition of the single balcony kiss, displayed 30 years prior between Charles and Diana, was broken. With the second kiss, according to Failoa, the monarchy returned to the people. Failoa observed, "More than any other moment, it symbolized the turning of a page for the British monarchy, of a new generation of kings and queens who would, perhaps, stand somewhat closer to the people."
Jesus as the Good Shepherd stood close to his people. Though recognized as a leader, he was never considered aloof. This was in direct contrast to his pharisaical counterparts. The coming of the Good Shepherd did recognize a new page in our relationship to God.
* * *
Photographs have been released this week showing that during World War II airplane and munitions factories all along the Pacific coast were camouflaged to look like residential communities. Above the factories were strung acres of camouflage netting, and on top of the netting were fabricated suburban communities. Walkways were constructed so people could walk among the Hollywood structures to simulate normal life on the street. Underneath the mirage were massive factories building airplanes and other war material. The deception was created because there was a genuine fear that the Japanese would bomb the factories along the western coast from southern California to northern Washington.
At times secrets and deceptions are needed and appropriate. But this is never the case when it comes to the gospel message. When preaching the gospel one cannot massage the truth to display a personal belief or camouflage a scriptural passage one would rather not adhere too. For those who were entrusted to care for the sheep, deception was the order of the day for the hirelings --but truth was the standard for the Good Shepherd.
* * *
William Barclay has said that there were two kinds of sheepfolds in Jesus' day, with different types of doors:
1) There was a communal sheepfold where all the village's flocks were corralled together for protection when they returned home at night. The flocks were protected by a strong door -- and only the gatekeeper had a key to that door.
2) In warmer seasons sheep out on the hills did not return to the village at night; it was too much trouble. Instead the sheep were herded into sheepfolds on the hillsides where they grazed. These were open spaces enclosed by walls, with no doors. But at night the shepherd would lie down across the opening or entrance so that no sheep could wander out without stepping over the shepherd. He was the door -- literally. He protected the sheep from harm.
* * *
C.S. Lewis wrote somewhere that on our journey we come to an enormous house with many rooms and windows and turrets. This is the house of faith. After looking up, we walk up the steps to the porch and knock on the door -- and Jesus is the door. We gain entrance through him. It means that through Jesus we see what God is like. Once inside the house, we come into a vestibule with hallways and rooms running in all directions. We can stay in the vestibule of the house all of our lives, but if we do so we will be the poorer. There are so many rooms to explore that we can never discover them all. But the house of faith is big -- and there are many, many expressions of faith to be found there.
* * *
One of the great conflicts in our country today is over immigration. Many Hispanics and Muslims feel isolated and unwelcome. On our better days, we have said the door was open to all who wanted to come: "Whosoever will, may come." But through our history we have tried to close the door to Poles, Jews, Irish, Italians, and many others. We forget Miss Liberty standing in the harbor. At the bottom of that statue we read: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
* * *
Doors lock people out, but doors also open wide and receive. The church continues to struggle with making our doors big enough for all to enter. You might think of what groups or persons would not be welcome in your church. The doors lead to a sanctuary -- and a sanctuary is meant to be a safe place. Who is not safe to walk through your doors? The poor, immigrants, gays, liberals, conservatives, the weak and powerless? It might be fruitful to name those that would not feel welcome in your church.
* * *
Doors are also made to open outward. William James was a child when he excitedly wrote to a friend about their new summer home in New Hampshire, telling him that "It is a wonderful house -- for all the doors open outward."
* * *
A Methodist preacher in Little Rock, Arkansas, told of one Sunday when he called the children down for children's time. He asked them what he thought was an innocent question: "Children, can you name some of the disciples?"
Hands went up. Somebody said Matthew. Someone else said James. A little girl said John. Another little boy spoke up and said, "Charlie!"
Everybody in the church just broke up with laughter. When order returned to the sanctuary, the pastor asked the little boy, "What is your name?"
The little four-year-old replied, "Charlie."
At the end of the children's sermon the pastor was wise enough to pray: "And God bless the disciples Matthew, James, and John -- and your disciple Charlie."
* * *
Attorney Paul Clement has endured a great deal of criticism for his defense of the federal ban on recognizing same-sex marriage. The House of Representatives hired the law firm King & Spalding, who employed Clement, to defend the ban. When it came to public attention that King & Spalding were advocates of homosexual rights, the firm was dismissed from the case. In their place the law firm of Bancroft PLLC was retained. Clement resigned from his previous firm and joined Bancroft. This act became very controversial. In response to his critics, Clement defended his decision of as one of ethical integrity. He said, "Much has been said about being on the right side of history. When it comes to lawyers, the surest way to be on the wrong side of history is to abandon a client in the face of hostile criticism." Clement pledged to Congress that he would represent them and that to abandon his client was morally indefensible.
Peter speaks about suffering unjustly. It is often a suffering that comes from defending unpopular moral decisions. It is a suffering that we can only endure if we are certain of our convictions.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Come, for the Shepherd is calling us.
People: With God as our Shepherd, we have no wants.
Leader: Come and walk by the still waters of God's love.
People: We will lie down in the green pasture of God's grace.
Leader: Do not fear anything, even death.
People: We have no fear, for our God is always with us.
OR
Leader: Come, all you who are thirsty for life.
People: We come seeking life from the Giver of life.
Leader: Come, all you who are weary.
People: We come seeking rest in the arms of mercy.
Leader: Come, all who are fearful.
People: We come to be sheltered by the Rock of Ages.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"He Leadeth Me, O Blessed Thought"
found in:
UMH: 128
AAHH: 142
NNBH: 235
CH: 545
LBW: 501
"Heal Me, Hands of Jesus"
found in:
UMH: 262
CH: 504
"O Love, How Deep"
found in:
UMH: 267
H82: 448, 449
PH: 83
NCH: 209
LBW: 88
"O Thou, in Whose Presence"
found in:
UMH: 518
"The King of Love My Shepherd Is"
found in:
UMH: 138
H82: 645, 646
PH: 171
NCH: 248
LBW: 456
Renew: 106
"The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want"
found in:
UMH: 136
NNBH: 237, 241
CH: 78
LBW: 451
"There Is a Balm in Gilead"
found in:
UMH: 375
H82: 676
PH: 394
AAHH: 524
NNBH: 489
NCH: 553
CH: 501
"When Jesus the Healer Passed Through Galilee"
found in:
UMH: 263
"All I Need Is You"
found in:
CCB: 100
"Cares Chorus"
found in:
CCB: 53
"Healer of My Soul"
found in:
Renew: 224
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who comes to restore your people: Grant us the faith to trust in your good will toward us even when we are in the midst of our troubles; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come into your presence, O God, desiring the restoring of our souls. We are weak and we are worn. Help us to open our entire beings to you that we might be filled with your life-giving Spirit. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the ways in which we look for the restoring of our souls in places that do not satisfy.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We know that we are your creatures made in your image and given life through your Spirit that dwells within us. Yet when our lives are broken and dry, we look for health and refreshment everywhere but with you. We look for diversions from our pain, we look for solace in substances that destroy us, and we look for love in relationships that do not satisfy. Forgive us, and draw us once more to follow you to the places where you can restore us to life as it was meant to be lived. Amen.
Leader: God loves us and desires to make us whole. Receive that love and Spirit of God who comes to restore us to wholeness and health.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We worship and adore you, O God of love and compassion. You come to us when we need you most to bring us restoration and wholeness.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We know that we are your creatures made in your image and given life through your Spirit that dwells within us. Yet when our lives are broken and dry, we look for health and refreshment everywhere but with you. We look for diversions from our pain, we look for solace in substances that destroy us, and we look for love in relationships that do not satisfy. Forgive us, and draw us once more to follow you to the places where you can restore us to life as it was meant to be lived.
We give you thanks for your never-failing love that seeks us when we have gone astray and that desires nothing more than to see us healthy and whole, body and soul. We thank you for those you send to us to call us back to you.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We know what it is like to be broken and lost, so we pray for those who, like us, are also experiencing these things. We pray for them in their need, and we pray that we might be faithful in being your presence to them.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Visuals
Have several pictures of quiet, pastoral scenes: a flower growing up through pavement, a desert scene.
Children's Sermon Starter
Take two plants -- one that you have watered and kept in sunlight, and one that you have not watered and you have kept in the dark. Talk about how they look different and how important it is for a plant to receive water and sunlight on a regular basis. Talk to the children about how we need not only physical but spiritual nourishment. That is why it is important for us to read our Bibles and pray every day.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Our Shepherd
John 10:1-10
Object: a recording of the voices of several mothers whose children will be at the service
Good morning, boys and girls! Jesus thought of himself as a shepherd. Do you know what a shepherd does? (let the children answer) That's right! A shepherd watches and protects sheep. Jesus must have known a lot about shepherds because he taught us that sheep trust the shepherd with their lives. When a shepherd speaks, the sheep listen. The sheep know the shepherd's voice and follow him to safety.
Sheep will not follow a stranger. When a stranger speaks, the sheep run away and hide from the stranger. It sounds to me like the sheep are pretty smart.
I brought along a recording of some voices. I want to see if you recognize the voices and can pick out the one voice that you really trust. (play the recording and see if the children can identify their own mother's voice) The voices you heard were some of your mothers' voices, and we can tell that you know your own mother's voice and that you trust it.
What are you supposed to do when a stranger asks you to get in car with them or take a walk with them? (let them answer) That's right, you are to run away from them and if they follow you when you run away then you should yell loudly while you are running. According to Jesus, that is what sheep do when a stranger tries to make sheep follow him.
All of us trust Jesus and the voice of Jesus. If we were sheep we would call him our shepherd. But because we are people we call him other names of trust. We call Jesus the Christ, the Savior, our Lord, our Master, the Son of God, and other names like this because we trust Jesus with our lives, just like the sheep trust the shepherd.
The next time you are taking a drive in the country and you pass some sheep out in a field munching some good green grass, I hope you think of Jesus and his voice calling you. Jesus is our God and we trust him with everything we have.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, May 15, 2011, issue.
Copyright 2011 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
Team member Dean Feldmeyer shares some additional thoughts on the Psalm's shepherd imagery, and Dean points out that the Psalmist describes another essential role of the Good Shepherd: bringing restoration to a weary and battered world. Dean reminds us that not only does God provide restoration for our souls, but as Christians we are also called to reflect that gift and become agents of restoration ourselves.
Shepherds and SEALs
by Mary Austin
Psalm 23; John 10:1-10
Almost ten years after the events of September 11, 2001, Osama bin Laden's death brings one chapter of the war on terror to a close, even as the global fight against terrorism and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue. Bin Laden's recent demise at the hands of an elite U.S. team of Navy SEALs has prompted a national and international discussion about what it means, and whether the future will be any different as a result. Initial reactions in the U.S. ran the gamut from jubilation to somber reflection, paralleled by anger and disbelief and relief in the Arab world. Even members of the military and their families, along with those who lost loved ones on 9/11, have been divided in their views. Some felt justice had been done, while others noted that their loved ones were still missing. No one seemed to feel that global terrorism would come to a halt.
The week brought a storm of praise for the highly trained military units who made a courageous raid on bin Laden's compound in Pakistan, along with the acknowledgment that vigilance about terror attacks is still needed. And yet the threat continues, and we are never certain where or when our safety may be threatened.
THE WORLD
The death of Osama bin Laden may be the last part of the war on terror that is a simple equation.
As the architect of the 9/11 attacks, along with the attacks on U.S. embassies in Africa and the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen, he was the face of terrorism for many Americans. As Charlie Szrom notes in an article in The Weekly Standard: "The death of Osama bin Laden is a major symbolic victory in the war on terror. Not since the defeat of al-Qaida in Iraq has the U.S. been able to celebrate such a clear success against the terrorist enemy. This achievement will provide closure for the many lives lost on (and tremendous sacrifices made since) September 11, 2001, an event whose ten-year anniversary arrives in just four months. There is an important difference between symbolic and material victories, however."
For Szrom, an associate at the international consulting firm DC International Advisory, the future holds grim possibilities: "The next generation of entrepreneurial al-Qaida leaders will, however, sense an opportunity to fill a power vacuum. They will want to achieve the notoriety enjoyed by bin Laden and show that the violent Islamist cause will survive this setback. Each leader will want to prove that his organization or leadership should receive the lion's share of recruits and fund-raising dollars in the wake of bin Laden's death. These individuals will compete for attention by plotting and engaging in terrorist attacks, some of which may be successful."
An article by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross in Foreign Policy magazine argues that Osama bin Laden's philosophy and techniques have become such a part of the terrorist cause that the death of one person, even such an important person, won't make a difference. The author notes that an important pillar of bin Laden's strategy is to destabilize the enemy's economy. To that end, terrorist attacks that are cheap to develop -- even if they fail -- have a tremendous economic cost to defend against. He cites the example of the bombs discovered in toner cartridges on cargo planes this year. They were detected in time, but led to expensive and time-consuming new security measures for cargo planes. The bombs cost an estimated $4,200 for al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula versus perhaps billions of dollars in new security procedures for America and other Western countries. The threat is not just in weapons and bombs, but in time and dollars spent defending against them -- and in the loss of peace of mind, if we resort to worrying all the time.
Astute as our intelligence gathering may be, powerful as our military may be, even the death of Osama bin Laden reminds us that true security is fleeting. Our sons and daughters in the military remain in Afghanistan and Iraq and around the globe. Our travel still involves taking off our shoes and jackets and having everyone from babies to grandmothers searched. Our federal government's spending on defense and homeland security continues to grow.
THE WORD
The Fourth Sunday of the Easter season -- midway between Easter and Pentecost -- turns us back to God, our Shepherd, and Jesus, the face of God, who proclaims himself to be the Good Shepherd. The lectionary rescues the 23rd Psalm from its frequent use at funerals and calls us to hear it in a different way, especially in light of recent events. The "valley of the shadow of death" is our constant companion now, and with it comes the assurance of God's presence in the valley and beyond the shadow. Our precautions fit our world, but we need not live in constant fear because of God's sustaining grace. Even in the presence of our enemies, God prepares a feast for us. It is not promised that we will have no enemies, but that we can relax in their presence, knowing that God is there. Our cup is full, if we have the wisdom to slow down and see it.
In John's gospel, Jesus proclaims in this section that he is the gate to the sheepfold, and thus the guardian of the sheep. William Barclay notes that in ancient Palestine the sheep slept at night in an enclosure, with the shepherd sleeping across the doorway to protect the sheep. The shepherd himself is the gate in order to keep out evil and harm, and to keep the sheep safe. In our world most of us don't see a lot of shepherds, but the image still tells us what kind of God we have. Just after this pericope come the familiar words "I am the good shepherd," so deeply ingrained in our hearing that they function as the subtext of these words.
As we know, shepherds had a curious place in ancient society. This was a job for the children of the family or a hired hand; it was not a path to wealth or career success. The image of the shepherd is a frequent metaphor for the ruler of a country... but no one actually wanted to be a shepherd. Jesus turns the image of the king on its head -- using the metaphor, but saying that he is the shepherd who knows the sheep, who lives with the sheep, who provides for the sheep.
This is important for more than our private faith. "Forming a flock and protecting it from scattering portrays Jesus' intention for an indestructible relationship between sheep and shepherd," writes Molly T. Marshall in Feasting on the Word [Year A, Volume 2, p. 446]. "Likewise, the church must be known by its relationship to Jesus.... The church would be helped if it could recover the theological meaning of the shepherding imagery."
CRAFTING THE SERMON
Complete trust in God is often preached about, and rarely achieved. For many of us, organized religion has been more about rules and "shoulds" than about a deep connection with the Good Shepherd. If we're always nervous about whether we're getting it right, then it's hard to surrender to the care of the Shepherd. This is a different kind of faith, one that allows us to live with such trust. Both of these texts call us back to that place where we know every need is met, and we can surrender to the shepherd's care. Still, it's difficult for us to live in that place for long.
A high school-aged friend, Megan Mueller, and I once preached together on this text, and she said: "This passage exemplifies Jesus’ relationship with God and his relationship with us. Jesus says that he ‘knows his own sheep, and his own sheep know him.’ However, as Christians this is what we strive to do our whole life. Jesus confidently says ‘the sheep will recognize my voice.’ Jesus is crazy! I am always looking for his word and guidance in my life, and I’m sure that most of the time I fail to see it. It is hard to distinguish what he is telling us from everything else we hear. I am not like the sheep in this passage. It is so easy for them to hear Jesus because there are no outside influences pulling them astray. For us, the media is telling us how we should look, how we should dress, what we should buy. School and jobs influence how we spend our money. Our friends influence our choices."
Now a college student, Megan said in that same sermon: "Nonetheless, Jesus is confident we will be able to distinguish him from all the other influences. The fact that Jesus is so sure we will be able to do it gives me hope. If Jesus is certain I will hear his voice, who am I to say I won’t? As sheep we are all important to him. Jesus has told us it is possible to know him and it is possible to have a relationship with him."
That relationship is the foundation of our complete trust. The deeper the relationship, the deeper our ability to trust. We come back to the Good Shepherd when the valley of the shadow of death looms, or enemies surround us, or the table seems to be empty. We hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and come in through the gate, to rest in God's care through all that threatens us.
SECOND THOUGHTS
The Restored Soul
by Dean Feldmeyer
Psalm 23
About 20 years ago my sister and her husband purchased a small farm near the village of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, on the Ohio River. The farmhouse, a log home, had been built in 1858. They bought it with the intention of restoring the original structure and then adding other, more modern living space -- a kitchen, a laundry room, and a modern bathroom -- onto the back.
They tore off the lapped siding on the outside of the house and the sheetrock on the inside. They got books from the library and learned how to re-chink the logs. They tore off the asphalt shingles and put on a tin roof. When the chimneys had to be rebuilt, they took pictures of them, numbered the stones, and then put them back in exactly the same places they had originally been. For two years, they heated the house with the multiple fireplaces until they could hand dig a basement under it for the gas furnace. A couple of years ago they had to re-chink the logs again.
Their restoration work continues to this day. It is, they have learned, never really complete. It is a process.
The Psalmist tells us that Yahweh, the Lord, is a restorer of souls. The ancient Hebrew understanding of "soul" was a unified one. The soul was the whole person -- body, mind, and spirit. The implication of the psalm is that though we are created by God to be united, harmonized beings, from time to time we become fractured, broken, and separated from our essential selves. God, in that infinite, compassionate grace that is only God's, engages us in the process of restoration, harmonizing all our dimensions, resetting all our parts, and rebuilding us to make us whole again.
In his beautiful sermon "You Are Accepted," Paul Tillich spends nearly two thirds of his words describing the fractured, broken condition that is the human despair that we all experience from time to time. He reminds us of those times when we find ourselves lonely in the midst of a crowd, when year after year the longed-for perfection of life refuses to appear, when we have hurt the ones we love or been hurt by them, and when all seems dark and hopeless. Then he says: "Sometimes at that moment a wave of light breaks into our darkness, and it is as though a voice were saying: 'You are accepted. You are accepted, accepted by that which is greater than you, and the name of which you do not know.' "
"Sometimes" may be the key word here. We can't make it happen. We can't control the timing of it. The restoration of our souls is a gift that comes to us from time to time, when we need it and know that we need it. And if God loves us enough to sometimes provide that gift to us, then what can we do but love each other enough to sometimes give it to our brothers and sisters?
Having been restored, we become agents of restoration.
ILLUSTRATIONS
When Christian missionaries first came to the arctic regions of Alaska, they struggled to tell the Christian story to the Inuit people, who they called "Eskimos." It was no easy task because life in Bible times was so different from anything in the Inuit experience. The story of the Good Shepherd posed particular problems, since none of the Inuit people had ever seen a sheep. Finally one of the missionaries learned of a strange and noble practice of the Inuit people that communicated this truth.
In times of severe famine during the endless dark days of arctic winter, a brave young man armed with only a pointed stick would sometimes go off across the ice. He would walk until he encountered the deadliest animal of the arctic -- a polar bear. The hunter would do whatever he could to provoke the bear. Eventually the bear would rear up on its hind legs and raise its deadly claws to strike. At that moment, the hunter would set the blunt end of his pointed stick in the ground and brace it against his foot. When the full weight of the bear fell down upon him, it also came down upon the stick. Pierced through the heart, the bear was sure to die -- but not before it had the opportunity to finish off the hunter. The next day, the villagers would follow the hunter's tracks until they came to the place where the two bodies lay -- the bear's and the hunter who had slain it. In the frozen bear meat they would find enough food to survive the famine.
The missionaries used this story to tell the parable of the Good Shepherd -- and that is how the story of the Good Shepherd became, in the Inuit language, "the story of the good hunter."
* * *
The relationship between Palestinian shepherds and their sheep is a very special one, even to this day. It is close and intimate in ways that are hard for us to imagine. The shepherd "calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." The shepherd leads them by walking ahead of them -- and trusting their shepherd implicitly, the sheep follow.
That's not the way sheep are herded in many other parts of the world. In Scotland, border collies do the job, running around and around the herd, barking and nipping at their legs. In the wide-open spaces of the American west, some shepherds operate by helicopter, frightening the sheep with the drone and draft of the rotor blades. Yet that's not how it was in Jesus' day; the shepherds led their sheep by walking ahead of them ñ and that is still the practice in Palestine today.
There once was a busload of tourists traveling through Israel. Their Arab guide had just finished telling the visitors about how the Palestinian shepherd always walks ahead of the flock when one of them looked out the window and saw a man driving a herd of sheep with a large, menacing stick. Delighted with the opportunity to "one-up" the guide, the tourist pointed out what he saw.
The guide immediately stopped the bus, bounded down the steps, and ran over to the man with the stick. The passengers could see the two men talking and waving their hands in the air. Finally their guide turned and walked back to the bus with a big grin on his face. Once aboard, the guide turned to the tourists and proclaimed in triumph: "I have just spoken to the man. Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to know that he is not the shepherd. He is the butcher."
* * *
Anthony Failoa wrote a lengthy article for the Washington Post on his observations of the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, appropriately titled "That Second Kiss Sealed It". The article reflected Failoa's view that when the couple responded to the shouts of the crowd with a second kiss between them, the British tradition of the single balcony kiss, displayed 30 years prior between Charles and Diana, was broken. With the second kiss, according to Failoa, the monarchy returned to the people. Failoa observed, "More than any other moment, it symbolized the turning of a page for the British monarchy, of a new generation of kings and queens who would, perhaps, stand somewhat closer to the people."
Jesus as the Good Shepherd stood close to his people. Though recognized as a leader, he was never considered aloof. This was in direct contrast to his pharisaical counterparts. The coming of the Good Shepherd did recognize a new page in our relationship to God.
* * *
Photographs have been released this week showing that during World War II airplane and munitions factories all along the Pacific coast were camouflaged to look like residential communities. Above the factories were strung acres of camouflage netting, and on top of the netting were fabricated suburban communities. Walkways were constructed so people could walk among the Hollywood structures to simulate normal life on the street. Underneath the mirage were massive factories building airplanes and other war material. The deception was created because there was a genuine fear that the Japanese would bomb the factories along the western coast from southern California to northern Washington.
At times secrets and deceptions are needed and appropriate. But this is never the case when it comes to the gospel message. When preaching the gospel one cannot massage the truth to display a personal belief or camouflage a scriptural passage one would rather not adhere too. For those who were entrusted to care for the sheep, deception was the order of the day for the hirelings --but truth was the standard for the Good Shepherd.
* * *
William Barclay has said that there were two kinds of sheepfolds in Jesus' day, with different types of doors:
1) There was a communal sheepfold where all the village's flocks were corralled together for protection when they returned home at night. The flocks were protected by a strong door -- and only the gatekeeper had a key to that door.
2) In warmer seasons sheep out on the hills did not return to the village at night; it was too much trouble. Instead the sheep were herded into sheepfolds on the hillsides where they grazed. These were open spaces enclosed by walls, with no doors. But at night the shepherd would lie down across the opening or entrance so that no sheep could wander out without stepping over the shepherd. He was the door -- literally. He protected the sheep from harm.
* * *
C.S. Lewis wrote somewhere that on our journey we come to an enormous house with many rooms and windows and turrets. This is the house of faith. After looking up, we walk up the steps to the porch and knock on the door -- and Jesus is the door. We gain entrance through him. It means that through Jesus we see what God is like. Once inside the house, we come into a vestibule with hallways and rooms running in all directions. We can stay in the vestibule of the house all of our lives, but if we do so we will be the poorer. There are so many rooms to explore that we can never discover them all. But the house of faith is big -- and there are many, many expressions of faith to be found there.
* * *
One of the great conflicts in our country today is over immigration. Many Hispanics and Muslims feel isolated and unwelcome. On our better days, we have said the door was open to all who wanted to come: "Whosoever will, may come." But through our history we have tried to close the door to Poles, Jews, Irish, Italians, and many others. We forget Miss Liberty standing in the harbor. At the bottom of that statue we read: "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door."
* * *
Doors lock people out, but doors also open wide and receive. The church continues to struggle with making our doors big enough for all to enter. You might think of what groups or persons would not be welcome in your church. The doors lead to a sanctuary -- and a sanctuary is meant to be a safe place. Who is not safe to walk through your doors? The poor, immigrants, gays, liberals, conservatives, the weak and powerless? It might be fruitful to name those that would not feel welcome in your church.
* * *
Doors are also made to open outward. William James was a child when he excitedly wrote to a friend about their new summer home in New Hampshire, telling him that "It is a wonderful house -- for all the doors open outward."
* * *
A Methodist preacher in Little Rock, Arkansas, told of one Sunday when he called the children down for children's time. He asked them what he thought was an innocent question: "Children, can you name some of the disciples?"
Hands went up. Somebody said Matthew. Someone else said James. A little girl said John. Another little boy spoke up and said, "Charlie!"
Everybody in the church just broke up with laughter. When order returned to the sanctuary, the pastor asked the little boy, "What is your name?"
The little four-year-old replied, "Charlie."
At the end of the children's sermon the pastor was wise enough to pray: "And God bless the disciples Matthew, James, and John -- and your disciple Charlie."
* * *
Attorney Paul Clement has endured a great deal of criticism for his defense of the federal ban on recognizing same-sex marriage. The House of Representatives hired the law firm King & Spalding, who employed Clement, to defend the ban. When it came to public attention that King & Spalding were advocates of homosexual rights, the firm was dismissed from the case. In their place the law firm of Bancroft PLLC was retained. Clement resigned from his previous firm and joined Bancroft. This act became very controversial. In response to his critics, Clement defended his decision of as one of ethical integrity. He said, "Much has been said about being on the right side of history. When it comes to lawyers, the surest way to be on the wrong side of history is to abandon a client in the face of hostile criticism." Clement pledged to Congress that he would represent them and that to abandon his client was morally indefensible.
Peter speaks about suffering unjustly. It is often a suffering that comes from defending unpopular moral decisions. It is a suffering that we can only endure if we are certain of our convictions.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: Come, for the Shepherd is calling us.
People: With God as our Shepherd, we have no wants.
Leader: Come and walk by the still waters of God's love.
People: We will lie down in the green pasture of God's grace.
Leader: Do not fear anything, even death.
People: We have no fear, for our God is always with us.
OR
Leader: Come, all you who are thirsty for life.
People: We come seeking life from the Giver of life.
Leader: Come, all you who are weary.
People: We come seeking rest in the arms of mercy.
Leader: Come, all who are fearful.
People: We come to be sheltered by the Rock of Ages.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"He Leadeth Me, O Blessed Thought"
found in:
UMH: 128
AAHH: 142
NNBH: 235
CH: 545
LBW: 501
"Heal Me, Hands of Jesus"
found in:
UMH: 262
CH: 504
"O Love, How Deep"
found in:
UMH: 267
H82: 448, 449
PH: 83
NCH: 209
LBW: 88
"O Thou, in Whose Presence"
found in:
UMH: 518
"The King of Love My Shepherd Is"
found in:
UMH: 138
H82: 645, 646
PH: 171
NCH: 248
LBW: 456
Renew: 106
"The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want"
found in:
UMH: 136
NNBH: 237, 241
CH: 78
LBW: 451
"There Is a Balm in Gilead"
found in:
UMH: 375
H82: 676
PH: 394
AAHH: 524
NNBH: 489
NCH: 553
CH: 501
"When Jesus the Healer Passed Through Galilee"
found in:
UMH: 263
"All I Need Is You"
found in:
CCB: 100
"Cares Chorus"
found in:
CCB: 53
"Healer of My Soul"
found in:
Renew: 224
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who comes to restore your people: Grant us the faith to trust in your good will toward us even when we are in the midst of our troubles; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We come into your presence, O God, desiring the restoring of our souls. We are weak and we are worn. Help us to open our entire beings to you that we might be filled with your life-giving Spirit. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins, and especially the ways in which we look for the restoring of our souls in places that do not satisfy.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We know that we are your creatures made in your image and given life through your Spirit that dwells within us. Yet when our lives are broken and dry, we look for health and refreshment everywhere but with you. We look for diversions from our pain, we look for solace in substances that destroy us, and we look for love in relationships that do not satisfy. Forgive us, and draw us once more to follow you to the places where you can restore us to life as it was meant to be lived. Amen.
Leader: God loves us and desires to make us whole. Receive that love and Spirit of God who comes to restore us to wholeness and health.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
We worship and adore you, O God of love and compassion. You come to us when we need you most to bring us restoration and wholeness.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We know that we are your creatures made in your image and given life through your Spirit that dwells within us. Yet when our lives are broken and dry, we look for health and refreshment everywhere but with you. We look for diversions from our pain, we look for solace in substances that destroy us, and we look for love in relationships that do not satisfy. Forgive us, and draw us once more to follow you to the places where you can restore us to life as it was meant to be lived.
We give you thanks for your never-failing love that seeks us when we have gone astray and that desires nothing more than to see us healthy and whole, body and soul. We thank you for those you send to us to call us back to you.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We know what it is like to be broken and lost, so we pray for those who, like us, are also experiencing these things. We pray for them in their need, and we pray that we might be faithful in being your presence to them.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the Name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Visuals
Have several pictures of quiet, pastoral scenes: a flower growing up through pavement, a desert scene.
Children's Sermon Starter
Take two plants -- one that you have watered and kept in sunlight, and one that you have not watered and you have kept in the dark. Talk about how they look different and how important it is for a plant to receive water and sunlight on a regular basis. Talk to the children about how we need not only physical but spiritual nourishment. That is why it is important for us to read our Bibles and pray every day.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Our Shepherd
John 10:1-10
Object: a recording of the voices of several mothers whose children will be at the service
Good morning, boys and girls! Jesus thought of himself as a shepherd. Do you know what a shepherd does? (let the children answer) That's right! A shepherd watches and protects sheep. Jesus must have known a lot about shepherds because he taught us that sheep trust the shepherd with their lives. When a shepherd speaks, the sheep listen. The sheep know the shepherd's voice and follow him to safety.
Sheep will not follow a stranger. When a stranger speaks, the sheep run away and hide from the stranger. It sounds to me like the sheep are pretty smart.
I brought along a recording of some voices. I want to see if you recognize the voices and can pick out the one voice that you really trust. (play the recording and see if the children can identify their own mother's voice) The voices you heard were some of your mothers' voices, and we can tell that you know your own mother's voice and that you trust it.
What are you supposed to do when a stranger asks you to get in car with them or take a walk with them? (let them answer) That's right, you are to run away from them and if they follow you when you run away then you should yell loudly while you are running. According to Jesus, that is what sheep do when a stranger tries to make sheep follow him.
All of us trust Jesus and the voice of Jesus. If we were sheep we would call him our shepherd. But because we are people we call him other names of trust. We call Jesus the Christ, the Savior, our Lord, our Master, the Son of God, and other names like this because we trust Jesus with our lives, just like the sheep trust the shepherd.
The next time you are taking a drive in the country and you pass some sheep out in a field munching some good green grass, I hope you think of Jesus and his voice calling you. Jesus is our God and we trust him with everything we have.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, May 15, 2011, issue.
Copyright 2011 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
