"God's Sheep Are We" - Sermon, May 12, 2019
Community UMC, Quincy
“God’s Sheep Are We”
Rev. Andrew Davis
May 12, 2019
Psalm 23
John 10: 22-30
Jesus as the Good Shepherd is a prominent image in many different contexts, whether through visual art, music, devotions, or even on the names of churches. -- One particular image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd that is memorable for me is my Aunt Linda’s Good Shepherd wood plate, which has gone with her in each house that she has lived in, from California, to Tennessee, and nowWisconsin. It’s not a big piece of art, but is a small, simple wood carving of Jesus holding a lamb calmly over his shoulders, with the (KJV) 23rdPsalm inscribed on a wooden plate. It is a simple, yet meaningful image that I find myself drawn to each time I visit and sure enough when I visited her in Tennessee for Thanksgiving several years ago while still in seminary, it was right up there in her dining room, watching over the table and is a sustaining presence for anyone who takes time to notice it and read the 23rdPsalm.
Whenever I’m out and about and see sheep, whether it’s in the field across from the high school or at one of the ranches in the Sierra Valley (like we saw on the way to Reno for the choir festival yesterday), the 23rdPsalm or thinking of Jesus as the Good Shepherd quickly comes to mind. Or I hear the tune of J.S. Bach’s “Sheep May Safely Graze” that Alice played for us before the service began. Whenever I see sheep out in a meadow, or even in our own American Valley or in the Sierra Valley, another song that I used to sing as a child and youth in Sunday school comes to mind as well. If you have heard this before, please feel free to sing along:
In God's green pastures feeding, by the cool waters lie,
Soft in the evening walk my Lord and I;
All the sheep of God’s pasture fare so wondrously fine,
His sheep am I.
Soft in the evening walk my Lord and I;
All the sheep of God’s pasture fare so wondrously fine,
His sheep am I.
Waters cool, [in the valley] pastures green,
[on the mountain]
In the evening walk my Lord and I;
Dark the night, [in the valley,] rough the way,
In the evening walk my Lord and I;
Dark the night, [in the valley,] rough the way,
—- It’s a beautiful song that paints the picture of a pastoral, calm, sustaining setting, reminding us that each of us are God’s sheep, part of God’s pasture, with Jesus being the Good Shepherd. It can definitely give us a feeling of peace knowing this, while saying something about Jesus being the Good Shepherd of God’s pasture, yearning for us to put our trust and faith in Him, - and follow him just as the sheep follow their shepherd. In “His Sheep am I,” the second verse of this song moves from the pastoral landscape scene into the city and more contemporary times, as it goes,
In the streets of the city, in the darkness of night;
Far from the fold he heard my lonely cry;
Now I sit at his table in the palace of light,
His sheep am I.[ii]
This song says something about being one of God’s sheep, as we are the sheep who are gathered in God’s green pasture, and Jesus is our shepherd, whether we are in the meadow or the streets of the city.
As we just heard in John 10: 7-21, Jesus equates himself as the Good Shepherd, echoing similar words that can also be found in Ezekiel 34: 11-31. It’s part of ‘the Shepherd discourse’ in John’s Gospel, in which Jesus is revealing his identity and how he and God are one, yet those gathered around hearing Jesus say this don’t believe him, which brings us to the assigned text in th RVL for this morning, John 10: 22-30. The time and scene have both now shifted to the temple grounds during the wintertime, as it’s around the Festival of Dedication and Jesus encounters some of the Jewish people around him who he interacted with earlier.
Jesus reiterates the message of him being the Good Shepherd and how his sheep hear him and follow him, while talking of the relationship he has with God and his own identity as God’s son. At the same time, Jesus is asked directly whether he is the messiah, the anointed one, or not, although is rejected when he tells the gathered crowd who he is in verses 25-28 by saying,
I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 (NRSV).
Like last week when we talked about Simon Peter and wanting to go the route of comfortinstead of the difficult or challenging route, one of the things that can be an obstacle to following Jesus is that so often, we want an easy answer, which the grhered crowd we demanding from Jesus. We oftentimes want certainty, even though we live in a great time of uncertainty whether it’s in our own lives, or particularly in our parent denomination right now. However, that’s not something that Jesus is giving the people who ask if he’s the messiah or not. He’s not giving an easy answer here. And because Jesus is not giving an easy answer, the people are ready to stone him and accuse Jesus of blasphemy in the following passage, yet Jesus manages to slip away unharmed.
How do we hear Jesus’s voice as one of God’s sheep along our own journey of faith? As we see in our readings from Psalm 23 and Gospel of John this morning, Jesus is the shepherd of the flock, the messiah, our savior. Like we talked about last week when Jesus tells Peter to feed his sheep in John 21: 15-19, being one of God’s sheep with Jesus as shepherd means that by believing in him, Jesus knows each one of us, calls us by name, and is willing to lay down his life for each of us just like a shepherd would for the sheep, which Jesus did do in order to conquer sin and death.
In his book and Bible study, The God We Can Know: Exploring the I Am Sayings of Jesus, Rev. Rob Fuqay writes that when we think of Jesus as the Good Shepherd,
A good shepherd always watched over the sheep coming in and going out [during Jesus’s time and still today]. Once again, we can see why the Bible compares people to sheep. We all spend our lives traveling through a similar doorway. Every one of us is continually moving between a search for familiarity and a return to security.[iii]
During Jesus’s time, pastures were often in a valley with rock walls that offered protection and safety, while the gate was a narrow passageway the shepherd tended and watched. When we look to Jesus and follow Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we are looking for that sense of security, that sense of familiarity, and even sense of safety when we believe in him and follow him. Similarly, “Jesus calls himself a Good Shepherd because he provides Security and comfort in the lives of those who seek to live under his care. His very life serves as a doorway.”[iv]And it’s a doorway we have the choice to enter and to follow him.
By knowing us, Jesus is like our parents who “can pick their own kids out at a [sporting event]” even when they’re covered in gear.[v] As Jesus tells those who are gathered around, or when we read the 23rdPsalm that Pastor Ray read for us, we as God’s sheep can turn to the Good Shepherd when we feel down, when we feel alone, when we are afraid, when we need comfort, or at any time we feel things aren’t going well. Turning to the shepherd can bring a sense of peace, a sense of calm just like the pastoral imagery in Psalm 23. Regardless of where we are on our journey as God’s sheep, whether in the meadows or the city, we can hear Jesus’s voice when we listen, through our prayers, or through the people we encounter.
At the same time, we will encounter those who don’t believe, yet the good news is that Jesus is still shepherd to those who already know his voice and still invites EVERYONE to follow him, inviting everyone who is willing to hear his voice. At the same time,
we know that we have the power of the Holy Spirit to help us walk that road. We also know that this is not because of who we are, but whose we are and who Jesus is. To believe in Jesus is also to belong to those who hear his voice. And no one can take away who we are in Christ.
As Jesus continues to speak, he finds a way to assert that although they may not be sure of his identity, he is. And while we ought to believe in Jesus, Jesus does not cease to be Jesus if we do not believe. No one can take away what the Father has given to Jesus, and no one can take away what God has given to us. Whatever our call, gifts, or particular identity in Christ, they are likely to be mocked or disbelieved or belittled. No matter how often this happens, our calls, gifts, and identity never cease to exist.[vi]
So, don’t be ashamed to be one of God’s sheep and follow Jesus. I don’t have to be a broken record that following Jesus is not easy, especially when people are less apt to believe today, particularly when people see preachers or the church at its worst. Sometimes people ask me why I’m a pastor and sometimes I ask myself that; but, it’s part of following Jesus the Good shepherd and being one of God’s sheep that I made the choice to do, and I choose to hear Jesus’s voice. Yes, I’ve been mocked by some, even a few who thought I lost my ‘expletive’ mind for leaving a somewhat stable job, taking out thousands of dollars in student loans, and moving across the country for four years to pursue a calling that evolved to where I am today by following the Good Shepherd. Yet, it’s something I don’t regret, because I trust Jesus the Good Shepherd and hear his voice, even in times of uncertainty or unrest. And whether you get mocked or belittled for following Jesus, each of you still have gifts, calls, and an identity that nothing and nobody can take away.
As we continue to go about being one of God’s sheep in this great pasture and as we continue to look to Jesus, the Good Shepherd, I invite you to ponder these questions as we go into this new week:
What do your works communicate about your identity and discipleship? In what ways do your works and actions show others what your call from God is?
Jesus states that his sheep hear Jesus’ voice. It isn’t the same for everyone. In what ways do you hear God’s voice?
[And] Although Jesus’ detractors have been told the truth, they did not comprehend. Sometimes we do not believe what we hear because it sounds too good to be true or too big. Are there things that God has communicated with you that you have chosen not to believe? What is it about this wonderful thing that scares you away from believing it to be true?[vii]
Let us ponder what it means to be God’s sheep this week and onward!! In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, let the church say, AMEN!!
[i]http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/h102.html
[ii]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4YxfeWRWv0
[iii]Rob Fuqay, The God We Can Know: Exploring the “I Am” Sayings of Jesus (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2014), Kindle Position 659, 671
[iv]Ibid
[v]Karoline Lewis, “A Good Shepherd Perspective” in Working Preacher, Accessed 9 May 2019, https://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=5326.
[vi]Rev. Annie Lockhart-Gilroy, “Preaching Notes, Lectionary Year C, May 12, 2019” in UMC Discipleship Worship Resources, https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship/easter-2019-part-1-worship-planning-series/may-12-fourth-sunday-in-easter-year-c/fourth-sunday-in-easter-2019-year-c-preaching-notes
[vii]Ibid.
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