A Sermon for the Fourth Sunday of Easter at St. John’s, Richmond
April 21, 2024
The Rev. Robin Teasley
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 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. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 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. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 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.” John 10:11-18
The Good Shepherd, Catacomb of Priscilla, Rome, 3rd century
There is so much noise in this world that it’s hard to know what to listen to and what to ignore. Media of one kind or another blares at us everywhere we go. Twenty-four hour news channels in the gym. Background music in the dentist’s office. Health videos in the doctor's office. It's almost as if they are afraid to leave us alone in silence. In Macy’s the other day I noticed they were playing music that was not actually music. It was this repetitive, energetic combination of sound and rhythm designed to keep you in motion, to make you feel as though you are on a mission. A shopping mission for things you didn’t even know you needed.
We are constantly bombarded with news and noise and too many choices. Ironically this can have the reverse effect of making us think we don’t have a choice about all the things. To use a scriptural metaphor, we might begin to feel like sheep that are being herded, getting so caught up in the jostling and herd mentality with all the other sheep around us, that we forget that there is a shepherd. And when there is so much background noise and so many distractions and expectations, it can be difficult to hear the shepherd.
The writer of John’s gospel devotes an entire chapter to the image of Jesus as the good shepherd. In today’s text there is just one line that speaks about hearing the voice of the shepherd, but it’s an important line. In talking about sheep, both those inside the flock and those yet to enter the flock, Jesus is clear that the sheep will listen to his voice. But in all the bleating chaos of life, hearing God’s voice, distinguishing the voice of the good shepherd from all the other noise that surrounds us, can sometimes be difficult.
However, I would like to challenge that we are not so inept at this as we would like to claim. We are actually quite adept at hearing what we want to hear. Many of us immediately recognize the sound of new mail in our inbox, or the special ringtones and text alerts on our phones. We know that much awaited sound of our coffee maker just as it’s finished brewing, letting us know that our morning caffeine supplement is ready! And for some of you, it's the sound of the pop top on your soft drink!
Our family once had a chocolate Labrador retriever who knew the sound of my car keys. I could not ever pick them up quietly enough to sneak out without alerting her to my departure. She was always at the door ahead of me!
And what about human voices? Those of us who are parents know the sound of our children stirring in the night, or calling out when they have gotten separated from us in a crowd. Growing up we knew our parents’ voices and most of the time we knew better than to ignore them. We have spent enough time listening to the voices that provide for us and depend on us, that we can recognize them anywhere. The question is, are we able to hear them and are we going to choose to listen?
It's a sign of our humanity that we hear what we want to hear; we hear what comforts us, feeds us, brings us happiness. But hearing what we want to hear is not the same as hearing what we need to hear. And when we wander away from the shepherd, out of hearing range, we risk becoming prey to the voices and influence of the hired hands, those people and things which call us away from our shepherd, away from the good, away from God.
We sometimes choose to follow our own agendas, hearing only those voices that sound like our own. We begin to graze only on what we want rather than on what we need. Whether we are talking about an unhealthy lifestyle, accumulation of wealth and status, selfishness in our relationships with family and friends, or an unwillingness to embrace change, we don’t always realize just how far we have strayed. If we think we are too busy to rest, to be still and listen for God’s voice, our relationship with God and with our neighbor begins to suffer.
Hearing the voice of the shepherd is about relationship, it’s about belonging. Only in relationship can we begin to trust that we are truly known. Jesus says, “I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.”
God’s desire for us is to have green pastures and still waters. God’s goodness and mercy follow us, never giving up on us, always seeking to be in relationship with us. In fact, in Psalm 23, the word for follow is the Hebrew word, radaph, which actually means “to pursue” in the same way that a hunter pursues its prey. It is a relentless pursuit, but it is a pursuit of love.
Just as the sheep need to hear the voice of the shepherd, we need to hear God’s voice to give us direction; to provide comfort and hope in our lives, especially in those times when pastures are not green, and waters are not still; when our souls need reviving, when our paths are in need of redirection, and when we find ourselves walking in the valleys. It is God’s voice that will shepherd us through these times. Have you heard God’s voice lately? We may hear it in scripture, prayers, and hymns during worship, or through wise words spoken by others. God’s voice speaks to us through nature and art, and as we serve in actions of care and justice alongside others.
One of the best examples of a sheepfold is the beloved community found in church. Here we find a place to belong, a place where we are loved and supported from birth, throughout our lives, to death and resurrection. This is where we are accepted just as we are, and where we are loved into becoming all God has created us to be. We listen in community for the voice of the shepherd and follow where the shepherd leads, trusting in God’s goodness and mercy.
In a few moments we will baptize Julia, welcoming her into the household of God. We will promise to support her in her life in Christ, to provide a place where she may bring her inquiring and discerning heart. Together with Julia and her family we will listen for the voice of the shepherd, teaching us to love and serve one another both here and beyond our doors.
In ways we don't always realize until much later, the voice of the shepherd is heard in this place; the good news of God in Christ is spoken and sung by word and example, opening hearts to God’s grace and truth. We are being transformed into shepherds, good shepherds, and our work is to tend and care for those who wander, who need healing, who are hungry, who have been mistreated. This is how we lay down our lives for one another. Week after week, season after season of life, we return to this sheepfold to be reminded, to listen again to the voice of the shepherd Jesus.
Title Image: Christ as the Good Shepherd, mosaic from the entrance wall of the Mausoleum of
Galla Placidia, Ravenna, Italy, ca. 425
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