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CHILDREN'S EDUCATION |
SERMONS The
Fourth Sunday of Easter This is a time of great uncertainty and anxiety in our world. As a nation we are involved in ongoing conflict in several parts of the world. We are afraid to travel on planes and trains. Faith in financial institutions has been shaken by a variety of events. Problems with drugs and lawlessness abound. The family is under great stress. We are uncertain; we are confused; we are anxious. But for a few minutes I want us to focus on a different form of confusion from a different time; a form of confusion that lies behind the sayings of Jesus in today's gospel. I want to talk for a minute about shepherding; a subject about which I know very little, but about which the listeners of Jesus' day knew a great deal. There were many shepherds in Palestine at the time of the earthly ministry of our Lord. Each shepherd had a fairly small flock. During the day the shepherd would take his flock out to graze, and he would watch over the flock to ensure its safety. As the day ended the shepherd would lead the flock back to a walled fold, where the sheep would be secure during the night. Many shepherds did not have folds of their own, so several flocks would share the same fold. In this way the shepherds could share the watch through the night and everyone would have a chance for rest. When morning came however the sheep would all be gathered together in one large group with the various flocks intermingled. When it became time to leave the fold for the day's grazing, the shepherds would begin to call their flocks. As the sheep rose, there must have been a great deal of milling about. Yet each shepherd had a distinctive call for his flock, one his sheep would recognize. So gradually, from this great roiling mass of sheep, one shepherd's flock would emerge to follow him from the fold for the day's grazing. And even more than that, the shepherds each knew their sheep, so that no sheep would be accidentally left behind. No shepherd would leave until he was sure he had all of his sheep; because each sheep was valuable, too valuable to the shepherd to be lost. Today, the fourth Sunday of Easter, is traditionally known as "Good Shepherd Sunday." In today's collect we prayed to God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd. And in today's gospel Jesus declares that he knows his sheep and they follow him. He then goes on to assure, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand." The reading from Revelation reinforces this assurance. As the multitude stand and worship the Lamb, one of the elders states, "they will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." This is our certainty in uncertain times. This is our comfort in anxious times, our surety of in a time of confusion. That God is the Lord, and we are his. Through the waters of baptism we have been marked as sheep of his own flock. He knows us and no one can snatch us out of his hands. This parish community is the body of Christ in this place at this time. The Lord is faithful and will never, never abandon us. Take time in this time of uncertainty to listen for the shepherd's voice. It is his good will that not one of his sheep should be lost. The road he calls us to follow may not be easy. The road he took led to a cross. But the shepherd is sure of the way. It is the way that leads to hope; it is the way that leads to peace; it is the way that leads to joy; it is the way that leads to life. Listen for the voice. And do not be afraid. David
Christian Acts
13:15-16, 26-33
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Chapel
of the Cross · 674 Mannsdale Road · Madison, Mississippi
39110 · (601) 856-2593
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