UCC Church of Charlotte

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Sermon, May 3, 2009
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Sunday, May 3, 2009 8:38:04 AM
From:
Phil Hobson   
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To:
Phil Hobson 


Sheep?
Psalm 23
John 10:11-18

Grace and Peace to you this morning.  Grace and Peace.
    
The image of sheep in the Bible is something of a parable.  Parables
are so often those things that seem so familiar, but then cause us to
look and listen again and see that there is more going on, and pretty
soon we are drawn in and start to look at our life, our relationships,
our neighbors, our ways, a little differently as well.
    
Sheep are spoken of in different ways in the Bible, used as different
kinds of analogies during different parts of the life of the
community.  There are times when the people of covenant are in peril,
and so they cry out with bitter lament:

        Nay, for thy sake we are slain all the day long,
        and accounted as sheep for the slaughter. (Psalm 44:22)    

Other times they recall God’s goodness and mercy and speak of God as
the shepherd who protects them:

        Then he led forth his people like sheep,
        and guided them in the wilderness like a flock. (Psalm 78:52)

We know of these such times.  We can speak of times when we are so
overwhelmed, and see everyone around us herding together and charging
ahead like a frightened flock without a shepherd.  We can remember
times when life felt like there was a gentle but firm hand guiding
things to work out well, as though a shepherd were protecting us from
the ills of the day and the predators of the wilderness.

So maybe the question is what kind of sheep are we?  Again, we have
such different images.
    
In our funeral prayers we pray the commendation:

        Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant _____.
Acknowledge, we humbly pray, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your
flock, and a child of your own redeeming....

It is good to be seen as a sheep of Christ’s flock, a lamb of Christ’s fold.
    
But in the classic confession from the Book of Common Prayer, being a
sheep is not so good:

        Almighty and most merciful Father,
        we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep,
        we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts,
        we have offended against thy holy laws....
    
This prayer is quoting in part from the prophet Isaiah, who wrote:

        All we like sheep have gone astray;
        we have turned every one to his own way;
        and the LORD has laid on him
        the iniquity of us all.  (53:6)
    
And here is where we start to see that there are all kinds of sheep.
Some faithful and following, others erring and straying.  Some
enfolded and others wandering.
    
And we may chafe a little at the label of sheep.  Often it is used to
mean a group that follows unthinkingly the directives or ideas of
their leaders.  So we may speak of this or that group all being sheep,
blindly following where they are led.  Surely our obedience is to be a
different calling.  Perhaps we chafe at the thought of obedience.
Gone are the days when the discussion of duty speeds the heart and
stirs the blood as it did a half century ago.  We want to carefully
weigh our options, our decisions, our actions.  There are few things
that we would rouse ourselves instantly at their call.
    
In the age of H1N1, or whatever they are calling it today, economic
crises, and everything else we are dealing with, we see the herd
mentality, the ways a little worry becomes a big panic, and the ways
people glom together.
    
In an age of anxiety (I realize the question may well be age didn’t
have anxiety?) it is not our herding together and thoughtlessly
panicking that will get us through.  In fact, our obedience to the
Gospel is far from this.
    
Practice compassion even if the rest of the world is hoarding and
herding and panicking.

Practice forgiveness even if the rest of the world is playing the
name, blame and publically shame game.
    
Practice discernment even if the world is following what passes for
news on TV and jumping at every loud noise.
    
Practice listening to the still small voice of God even if the other
voices of the world are screaming at us.
    
And certainly, sheep isn’t the only word used to describe followers of
Christ.  We are to be servants of one another, friends of Christ,
obedient to God.  We are to be hearers and readers of the Word, but
more importantly doers of the Word.  But not blindly, not
thoughtlessly, not jumping whenever somebody mentions God’s name.  We
are to discern if it is of God.  We are called to be bold like
apostles, and meek like lambs; to be forthright and brave like Peter
and Paul, but also thinking and discerning, like Thomas and Philip.
    
In Isaiah, as in the 23rd psalm, as in the Gospel of John for this
morning, we start to realize that it isn’t just about what kind of
sheep we are.  We still have a lot to learn about following, to be
sure.  But these passages speak of the goodness of the shepherd.

        The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

God provides all that I need.
    
God provides all that we need.
    
God provides all that creation needs.
    
So where is my anxiety coming from?  Where do our wars fought over the
scarcity of materials come from?  Where does my selfishness and
inability to share come from?
    
Yes, we need to steward our resources, whether in our family, or as a
business, or as the church.  We need to care for what has been
entrusted to us.
    
This is not the same as holding on to what we have and taking as much
more as we can get for fear of running out.
    
God has given us all that we need to do and to be all that God has
called us to be and do.  It is up to us to discern what we are called
to be and do, listening and following, trusting God to make a way.

        And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold.
    
Lest we think we are the one and only way to love God, to follow
Christ, there are others outside of this church, outside of the circle
we draw to say who is in and who is out.
    
Whatever kind of sheep we may be, whatever our next lesson is for how
to be a follower of Christ, whatever parts of our lives are under
construction right now, the Lord is our shepherd.
    
And the shepherd is faithful.
    
And the shepherd is good.
    
Thanks be to God.
Amen.