Easter 4 B: God is Not Done Yet!
Dear Partner in Preaching,
I have, as you likely have, preached more sermons on the tenth chapter of John than almost any other (except perhaps the story of Thomas!), as we read portions of it each year on “Good Shepherd” Sunday. That, I know, can make preaching this text challenging, as we wonder what new element might speak to us and our congregations. But every once in a while, something completely new jumps out of a familiar passage, grabs your attention, and makes you wonder why you hadn’t noticed it before. And that’s what happened this week. It may or may not be what focuses your work, but I offer it in the confidence that you know the needs of your congregation well and will find a fitting and faithful word for your people.
So here it is: amid Jesus’ discourse on being “the good shepherd,” what jumped out to me this time was Jesus’ simply but bold assertion that, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” Have you ever noticed that before? Or, more than notice it, have you ever given much thought to its theological and homiletical implications?
What strikes me is that, quite simply, Jesus isn’t done yet. Despite his healings, despite his preaching, despite all that he had already done and planned to do, Jesus isn’t done yet. He still has more sheep to reach, sheep that are not in this fold. By extension, I’d suggest that God isn’t done yet, either. And this matters for at least three reasons.
First, God continues to call people from all walks of life, from every nation on the face of the earth, and from each and every generation across the nearly two thousand years since Jesus first uttered those words until today. If that were not true, you and I would not have come to faith and we certainly would not be giving our lives to the task and joy of proclaiming the Gospel.
Second, God is at work in our midst and through us and our congregations to extend the invitation to abundant life offered by the Good Shepherd. We probably know that, but do our people? Do they imagine, that is, that God is using their lives and words to invite others to faith? Can they imagine that simply by praying for someone or inviting someone to church they might be the vessel by which God continues to reach out and embrace God’s beloved sheep from beyond this fold? Perhaps kindling their imagination might prepare them to be equipped to do just that.
Third, the members who will one day constitute Jesus’ flock are beyond our imagining. There is a tremendous expansiveness to Jesus’ statement here, and we do not know – for neither Jesus nor John tells us – just what are the limits of the fold Jesus describes. All we know is that Jesus – and therefore God – isn’t done yet. Jesus is still calling, God is still searching, and in time we will all be, as Jesus says, one flock under one shepherd.
I think this third point is the one that most animates my imagination, because I know more and more people who are worried about friends and family members who no longer go to church, who don’t necessarily identify as Christian anymore, or who have married people of other faiths. And while I don’t think the sermon is the best place to hash out the merits of a universalist versus particularist view of salvation, I do think we can say with confidence that God is not done yet, that God works in ways beyond our imagining to bring together one flock, and that Jesus Christ’s mercy and grace are for all. What makes me bold to proclaim these promises even though I don’t know for sure the fate of the various people you and I and our people are concerned about? Just this: Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the one who laid down his life for the sheep – all the sheep! – and who was raised to life once again, validating his sacrifice and promise. Which means, I think, that while we may not know all that God has in mind for those who have followed different paths, I nevertheless trust them all to the mercy and grace of the Good Shepherd.
So perhaps this week, Dear Partner, we might name some of the anxieties we harbor and concerns we hold regarding those who have left the faith, or seem on the edge of our community, or have not heard of or yet believed in the good news of God’s grace. And, having named them, perhaps we might also pray for them, praying that God would work in us and through us to share the abundant life we’ve experienced. But we might also pray that we grow to trust to God the fate of all God’s children and sheep simply because of the faith God showed in us by sending the Good Shepherd, the one who lays down his life for us and all people out of nothing other than sheer, abiding, and eternal love. Thanks to be God.
This may not be an easy word to preach, Dear Partner, as there are often a few in our congregations who are pretty sure they do indeed know the criteria for salvation. J But I think it is nevertheless an important word and will bring a measure of encouragement and comfort to many who are not as likely to voice their thoughts and concerns. Thank you for your words, and blessings upon your ministry.
In Christ,
David
I’m looking for something fresh to say about this lesson. You’ve given me some good ideas.
David, I have commented before, but I wanted to thank you again for your continued work! you have a preachers heart and I appreciate your insights.
Point 3 well said. I could not face the daily role of serving as a hospice chaplain if I did not believe in the mystery of God’s love.
David,
I love ‘In the Meantime’…here is a response to your latest blog:
A Poem a Sunday
Easter 4 B
St. John 10:11-18
Good Shepherd Sunday
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
Where do they belong:
the atheist uncle?
the learned professor?
the hairdresser who has given up on religion?
Where do they belong:
the altruistic benefactor?
the faithful spouse who never went to worship?
the friend who left the church years ago?
Where do they belong?
Might they be ‘the other sheep’?
The ‘other sheep’
who listen to the voice of Jesus
in their everyday routine
encounters with grocery clerks,
co-workers, neighbors,
and clever cornball relatives.
Who hear the Shepherd’s call
in the birds of the air
and the lilies of the field.
Jesus announces:
“I have other sheep that do not
belong to this fold.”
Could grace be more expansive
than our ecclesiastical boundaries,
the walls of the church,
the flock inside?
April 20, 2015 / Kenn Stock
Gorgeous, Kenn. Thank you.
Kenn, I love, love love your poem. May I share it with my congregation this Sunday?
Colleagues – Please share it with your congregation…credit the author.
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing your poem
Pastor Kenn,
Thank you for sharing the poetic response to such a meaningful blog. May our congregation read this sometime?
Thank-you so much! I, too, would like to share this with my congregation. Blessings on your ministry.
provocative and thoughtful. love it.
Thanks to both of you.
David: I found this prayer that’s appropriate to your suggestion for prayers this Sunday: I’ve included references.
Prayer: Our Shepherding God
Here’s a prayer from Rev. Abi, written for “Good Shepherd” Sunday (the fourth Sunday of Easter), or any other time when Psalm 23, John 10 or other shepherding passages are being explored.
Our Shepherding God
O Lord, our Shepherding God,
come close to us now
Come near us in our time of need.
Shepherding God,
we need you in our time of anxiety.
We need you in our time of economic uncertainty.
We need you in a time of a globe-trotting disease.
We need you to bind our wounds,
and pour your healing ointment on our heads .
We need the briars, and brambles, and burrs
pulled out of our fleece and skin.
Shepherding God.
you guide us with your voice,
Help us to listen and follow no matter where your voice leads.
Help us to trust you.
Shepherding God,
protect us from the hired hands
that do not really care for us
and have neglected or abused us in the past.
Shepherding God,
thank you for your son
who lay down his life for those who follow him
and for those who are not in the fold yet..
Lord we pray for those who don’t know the shepherd,
whose life circumstances kept them from knowing the good shepherd.
We pray that by our actions, our behavior,
and our reaching out into the community,
they may come to know you.
Shepherding God,
renew us, guide us with your love
and renew us with your peace. Amen
~ written by Rev. Abi and posted on her Long and Winding Road blog.http://vicarofwadley.blogspot.ca/
David,
I was so happy that you zeroed in on the “Sheep of other folds” passage. I have been intrigued by that passage ever since I read one person’s opinion that, perhaps Jesus, speaking for God here, is addressing those outside of the Judaism of the time. I know this gets into the whole realm of universalism. However, since John 14:6 does not state that “I am the way, the truth and the life, and everyone else is going to hell,” I like to consider these two passages of scripture together. How hard it is for us Christians to think of God being generous to those of other, or no, faith traditions. I am a better Christian when I remind myself that there are sheep in other folds, and the tent is bigger than I had imagined.
David,
Thanks again for your posting. As I explore the Word, I am always wondering where the Holy Spirit will lead me and curious to see where you are lead by the same Spirit.
Thanks for always taking the time to share your whisperings with the world.
If you ever are in Canada, Edmonton, please come share with us?
Thanks so much
Lucretia
David, although this is such a familiar text and as you state, often preached on, it is my favorite as I grew up on a farm that raised sheep. I experienced being the the voice of the stranger, when at age 5 I stood beside my father and attempted to duplicate my dad’s voice and tone in calling the sheep from the timber to the feeding pen near the barn – and to my great dismay, having them run the other way.
Regarding verses 11-18 and your reflection, “God is at work in our midst and through us and our congregations to extend the invitation to abundant life offered by the Good Shepherd.” I often refer to this portion of the text when challenging and discussing with church councils and staff the question…”How are we as Christian communities of faith called “outside” the walls of our church, to those who are not “members of our own flock?”
How do we deeply care and risk all we have, so “they too” may have fulness and quality of life. Is the voice and actions of this congregation, in this neighborhood, the voice of the stranger or the voice of the Shepherd? Is the congregation totally invested in the neighborhood? Does it have a meaningful relationship with the local schools, children and youth, and intimately know the celebrations and heart-aches and names of the families that make up its zip code? Is the image and reputation of this congregation one that draws people near, or has them running away?
And maybe this is a stretch, but I believe this text also speaks to what we know today about the forming of faith. It is through deeply caring, authentic relationships, like that of a Shepherd to its sheep, that faith is nurtured and disciples are developed. The thousands of dollars and pages of research all tell us it is parents, grandparents, godparents and caring adults that nurture the Christian faith in the routine of every day interactions and trusted relationships- not glitzy church programs, or through those we idolize in our society, or in a culture that entertains and sends a message of “you need more” …as they will all fade away.
If one has the time to read and understand more fully the intimate relationship between sheep and the Shepherd in the Middle East, such as this piece, (or another you may recommend, David) the John 10 text becomes even more profound: http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=qDQAYzDf0WM=
Thank you David, for your continued passion and gifts for writing and sharing! – Linda
What strikes me is the genesis of this controversy… a man blind from birth where of necessity Jesus voice must serve as his identification. Now, he will not apparently know Jesus just by the voice. (See John 9:36.) Throughout the fumbling understanding of the Pharisees and community, the blind man (who now sees) remains constant in pointing to the voice that simple commands he wash the mud from his eyes. He trusts the voice. We can image him as one who “was not of the flock” but whose blindness served the purpose to reveal God’s profound mystery among us. He is then sought by Jesus and comes then to knows something of this “Son of Man.” (John 9:35-38) Therein is, perhaps, the sheep we are to understand. Jesus will court disfavor for the sake of this blind “sheep” not of the flock.
Thank you for this reflection. I Read it while playing hooky from one of the sessions of the National Workshop on Christian Unity. So it sucked me into reflecting on unity even while I thought I was taking a short break from it. Glorious.
The universalist trend in this discussion fascinates me given the other texts that inhabit the lectionary this coming Sunday. I agree with the gist that we can’t know the bounds of God’s kingdom but certainly we are not imagining that those who reject Jesus are part of that Kingdom.
but see… that’s just the point. If we will allow grace to overwhelm us to the point of imagining the unimaginable then maybe we will be like Moses arguing for the stiff-necked? Or like Abraham negotiating for Sodom? If Scripture is about God, maybe it is for us?
And of course, the text of the sheep and the goats was clear; ‘When did we …?’ Rejecting and not rejecting may not be so clear when it comes to the reigning of heaven. Those who choose greed and denial instead of trust and faith may be those who say, “Lord, Lord” – but to which Lord? Not to mention the damage done ‘In Jesus Name’ since the conquest and during slavery…