Being Faithful Not Cheesy

 Gate Pa – 4^th Sunday in Easter (21 April 2013)

Readings:

First Reading:                         Acts 9:36-43     

Psalm:                         23

Epistle:                        Rev 7:9-17 

Gospel:                        John 10:22-30 

What I want to say:

What would it mean for us to be faithful?

            commonly thought – allow people feel good (warm fuzzy)

            attract people to join us – God’s people

use John 10 and Good Shepherd image to critique

-          not cheesy but hard

-          not just interested in us but everyone (all are God’s people)

-          those who hear “his voice” are ones blessed to carry on that work.

explore being faithful which means knowing Jesus voice and listening

      how do we do that

What I want to happen:

I want people to continue to embrace a bigger understanding of what it means to be the people of God

People to spend more time knowing “his” voice, and listening

The Sermon

1.      Introduction:

      ask – what good shepherd image means for them?

often described as Jesus looking after his flock (us – those hear his voice)

            brings comfort to us – preachers talk about shepherd stroking backs with staff as shepherds at that time did

                        so psalm 23 is one great hymns funerals because of that image of comfort – which hope continue to be.

couple of problems with this

easily become really sentimental, cheesy (buddy Christ)

            Jesus becomes this lovely soft nice guy like cuddle into

            super nice to most people

            deep penetrating eyes

make us feel warm and fuzzy

churches too easily slip into selling this Christ so that people will join us

            point church becomes getting more people to join church, particularly our church

            do that so that people experience God’s goodness

wonder how that cheesy image stack up against reality then or now?

2.      Shepherds then and now

image shepherd common one

                        sight shepherds common

                        these guys not soft cuddly

                        warm fuzzy people

            shepherds today in this country – hard but good blokes

                        Jesus time – hard blokes as well

                                    slept out with flocks

                                    fought thieves and predators

                        to do that needed to be reasonably tough

                        nothing soft cheesy about these guys

good shepherd protect flock from harm from outsider                    

                                    predators

                                    thieves

if you are sheep you stick with that shepherd because if you stray there is good chance die

            eaten by thieves

            eaten by predators

so no matter how good bad shepherd is, life is found only with them.

image or metaphor commonly applied to kings/rulers

                                    God

            like shepherds in fields

kings and rulers – protected people from outsiders

            invading armies

            thieves

            etc…

like shepherds in fields pay back

                                    sheep bred wool and meat

                                                sacrifice at altar

            kings protected people for what they provided him

taxes

                        food grew

                        loyalty

                        any that stopped – people trouble.

            like sheep in field no matter how bad king ws – mostly stuck with them (not that lot choice, again like sheep in field) because life without that protection often short.

            Paula reminded us in her article when applied to God

                        that we are sheep

                        dwell on that too long can be problematic

            Jesus/God not so cute and cuddly

                        not so cheesy

Writer from Revelation subverts the whole shepherd sheep thing and makes Jesus the Lamb,

            lamb that was slain

in this extraordinary scene from eastern courts  

            normally centred on king/emperor

centre this scene is sacrificial lamb –

            not more powerful

            more vulnerable

shepherd becomes the one who gives all away to be the shepherd

seen that this is often how things workd, especially in gospels

            Jesus takes common image or metaphore

                        and subverts it

raises a question for me

as I think about Jesus good shepherd

            how is that being used by John

            how is this being used in subversive way?

                        wonder how that changes our attitude to good shepherd

3.      Being in the flock

another problem with cheesy image is that normally understand that need to part of flock enjoy protection of shepherd – however we understand that

so we put a lot of time into attracting people to be part of our flock

that becomes purpose of church

to grow

seems to be exactly what Jesus is saying in todays gospel reading

some hear Jesus voice

some don’t

those who do are in and those don’t are out

not sure this is about who is and who out

not theme fits with rest gospels

suspect more going on here

4.      Todays gospel reading

when Jesus is confronted by Judean elite – want plain answer

            Jesus does what Jesus seems to do really well

                        slides out from under them

“The works that I do in my Father’s name testify to me; ²⁶but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. ²⁷My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸I give them eternal life, and they will never perish”

or Message

“You don’t believe because you’re not my sheep. My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them real and eternal life.”

only boundary around belonging is hearing

to belong means you hear shepherds voice

To not belong means that you do not hear the shepherd’s voice

hearing is all important

So how do we hear God?

      ask

I’ve talked a lot about being missional –

            joining with crucified and risen Christ in God’s mission

                        just to be clear

                                    not about getting people to join this church

                                    helping bring God’s mercy, peace, goodness, love into this world   

            also talked about incarnational living

                        being so shaped by gospels that how we live points to Jesus

John, I think is this reading is clear that for any of that to happen we fist of all have to hear

that kind of hearing comes out of deep prayer life

look example of any saints always have this two pronged thing going on

            a lot of time in prayer

            living  eternal life now, and joining in God’s work of redeeming, recreating, resurrecting this world, bringing it from death to life

hearing means having our imagination shaped by biblical story

            especially story of Jesus in gospels

                        subversive story

            not story moral judgement some tried to use it over last few weeks

            story turns so much religious thinking on its head

                        invites us to rethink our lives

                                    our priorities

5.      Psalm 23

so what might it look life if imagination and lives shaped by biblical sotry

            hear and follow real good shepherd

Psalm 23 gives clues

            same clues found prayer Jesus left us.

“The Lord ' is my ' shepherd:
therefore ' can I ' lack ' nothing.

or

“Give us today our daily bread”

assurance God’s geneoristy and goodness

flip side to this

God gives us everything we need, and enough of everything

raises a really big question

all those things we might want

all those things we think need

if we don’t have them

do we need them

Walter Brugemmann puts it this way

“[Therefore can I lack nothing]. I shall not have any other yearnings or desires that fall outside the gifts of God. What God gives will be enough for me. This is a statement of enormous confidence in the generosity of God, the one who knows what we need and gives well beyond all that we ask or think. But notice at the same time that this phrase, “I shall not want,” is a decision made against the greed and lust and satiation and aggressive ambition of a consumer society Our consumer society is driven by the notion that we always must want one more thing, and we are entitled to it, and we will have it no matter what ....”

To truly have Christ as our good shepherd is not about joining in group who kept safe and comforted by cheesy Jesus

to follow Christ good shepherd means

            take time hear voice of shepherd

                        know it

                        follow it

                        to have our imagination and world view shaped by it

call into question every want and desire

be ready for gentle poke that pushes out of this safe place

into world in which Christ good shepherd is at work

bringing hope, life, peace, love

redeeming, recreating, resurrecting this world, bringing it from death to life

knowing that our true needs are found in joining this work

and in nothing else.

so what do you say to Christ the good shepherd this morning?