Easter 4 File Sermon

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Rev. Dr. Dena Williams
Denver, CO

denawilliams@edensedge.net

The Holy Gospel according to the Community of St. John in

the 10th Chapter
Glory to you, O Lord

10:1 Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the
sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief
and a bandit.

10:2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the
sheep.

10:3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep
hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads
them out.

10:4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of
them, and the sheep follow him because they know his
voice.

10:5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from
him because they do not know the voice of strangers."

10:6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did
not understand what he was saying to them.

10:7 So again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am

the gate for the sheep.

10:8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but
the sheep did not listen to them.
10:9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and
will come in and go out and find pasture.

10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I
came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

The Gospel of the Lord

Praise to you, O Christ

Sheepish

Sheep
Lambs
Shepherds
Rods and Staffs
Pastures
Flocks and Folds
What do we know of these things,
these images we find in today’s Psalm,
in the lesson and in the Gospel?

A few of you grew up on a farm and know a thing or two

about sheep.
I personally have not spent a lot of time with sheep.
My only experience of a shepherd
came a couple summers ago in the far Northwest corner of
Colorado.
John and I are there fishing and we are taking the back
roads,
the scenic route to the highway.
As we round a corner of the quiet countryside,
There is an explosion of movement in front of us.
A horse with a rider comes directly toward us at breakneck
speed,
a sheep runs up the embankment on one side of the road,
another runs down the slope on the other side,
and two dogs pant in hot pursuit.
John brakes and the man on the horse pulls up just in time.
He grins, shakes his head, and calls his dogs back to the
road.
We drive on down the road,
and there,
just around another bend,
sitting on its haunches,
is a big black bear.
The bear scurries up the embankment,
disappears quickly in the underbrush.
That explains the commotion of
frantic sheep, determined dogs, a galloping horse and rider.

I do not know the end of this story.

How will the shepherd recover the sheep who flee to the
underbrush?
Will he get to them before the bear?
Will he use the dogs to track the sheep and then go in after
them?
Once he finds them how will he convince the sheep to follow
him and the horse?
I am guessing that things happen like this:
the dogs find the sheep,
the shepherd ties up his horse and goes after the dogs
who are herding the sheep.
Then what happens?
Do the sheep really know his voice and follow him
maybe with a little encouragement from his staff?
Or does he have to put a rope around their necks and lead
them out of the woods?
Either way, it seems to me that the shepherd has to do some
serious convincing to get the sheep back to the flock.

It looks like hard work to me,

being a shepherd.
Our shepherd on horseback looked like he had been out in
the sun for days.
He looked weathered, tattered, and lean,
the kind of leanness that comes with long hard days of
physical labor.
People who work with sheep tell me that they, the sheep,
are not high on the animal IQ list.
As a matter of fact,
sheep, it seems, are just plain dumb.
Their lack of aptitude places them in desperate need
of a shepherd,
not just any kind of shepherd,
but one who is watchful, careful, and very hardworking.

There is one thing, however, a sheep does well.

Apparently, sheep eat like it’s their job.
They will munch for hours on end.
Perhaps the most interesting fact about sheep I ever heard is
this:
a sheep, left to itself,
will continue to eat until it drops down in a faint from
exhaustion.
The sheep is so dumb it doesn’t know enough to lie down
when it’s tired.
It is the shepherd’s job to round up the sheep,
lead them to a fold where there is nothing on the ground to
eat
and make them lie down before they drop in their tracks.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

A rancher friend told me that sheep are afraid of moving

water.
Even a really thirsty sheep will not go near a river or stream.
They would thirst to death on the bank
before they would venture to the edge of the creek for a
drink.
They will stand and bleat in desperation,
but they will not get a drink from moving water.
The shepherd has to provide the sheep with ponds or stock
tanks in order for them to drink.

He leads me beside still waters.

Sheep eat with their heads down,
not paying any attention to their surroundings.
They will eat themselves into tight places.
They get caught in thickets because they don’t watch where
they’re going.
They fall down cliffs,
eating themselves right over the edge.
If not constantly shepherded
sheep get themselves into dangerous predicaments from
which they have to be rescued.
Then the shepherd’s job is to untangle the sheep
or haul it back up the cliff to a safe place,
out of danger, away from death.

He restores my soul.

Although sheep are herding animals,

they sometimes eat themselves away from the flock.
They stray,
not even noticing that they have left the safety of numbers.
Before they get completely lost
the shepherd must find the wandering sheep,
find it and bring it back to the safety of the flock.

He leads me in right paths.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley.

We are not sheep, we say.

Our brains are larger.
Our IQs are much higher.
We do not need a shepherd to make us lie down,
lead us beside still waters,
restore our souls,
guide us in right paths.
We are not sheep, we say.

Ever gotten so busy and worked such long hours that you
neglected your health or your family or your community?
He makes me lie down.

Ever been so afraid that you felt as though you were

drowning in despair caused by depression or grief or illness
or loneliness?

He leads me beside still waters.

Ever been pursued by danger—the dangers of the world, the

dangers of addiction?

He restores my soul.

Ever lost your way, been unsure of the future, felt you could
not bear to face another day?

He leads me in right paths,

even though I walk through the darkest valley.

We are not sheep, we say.

We are . . . sheepish.

But the Shepherd King, the Lamb on the throne, prepares a

table before us,
anoints our head with oil,
fills our cup until it overflows.
We find ourselves clean and clothed,
dressed for a banquet.
Clothed not in our own righteousness,
but clothed in the righteousness of the Son.
Then the Shepherd King,
comes to the head of the table.
He speaks words of welcome to us—
“Thanks for coming.
Welcome to the table.”
Then the Shepherd King makes us a promise—
“Surely my goodness and mercy shall follow you
 all the days of your life,
and you shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
Amen