EASTER 4B – Acts 4:5-12; Psalm 23; 1 John 3:16-24; John 10:1-18 – 3 May 2009 -

A sermon given by The Rev. Peter A. Munson for St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Boulder, Colorado

Moving From Sheep to Shepherds

INTRODUCTION – Sheep and Shepherd Sunday

You might think of this as “Sheep and Shepherd” Sunday.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters…” For the vast majority of us, we don’t even have to think about identifying the source of these words, for once we heard the first five of them, we think to ourselves, “Ah! Psalm 23!” And probably we smile, and perhaps think of a loved one who loved this psalm.

And if you and I hear “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep… I know my own and my own know me… And I lay down my life for the sheep…”, we think, “That’s Jesus speaking. That’s John, chapter 10, and my Lord did exactly what he said in this passage. He laid down his life for the sheep.” And perhaps you and I begin to think about what it means that you and I are like sheep, and what an amazing shepherd we follow.

But I’d like to take off in a different direction today. You’ve probably thought a few times or a dozen times about what it means to be a sheep in the fold of the Good Shepherd, to know the comfort of a Lord who makes you lie down in green pasture, to know a Lord and Shepherd who leads you and revives your soul and guides you along right pathways, who protects you from evil, and provides for your needs, even or especially in times of trouble, who makes your life at times just spill over with joy and gratitude. To know the goodness and mercy and forgiveness of this Lord/Shepherd, and to know that we have an eternity with Him, well – is it any wonder that people have found comfort in this psalm for 3,000 years?

But I’d like to suggest to you that we’re not supposed to remain sheep all the days of our lives. There may be moments, even in our later years, when we need to hold onto that image, and remember that, just as Heather mentioned last week, we are always the beloved children of God, so it’s true that we are always sheep in need of a shepherd. We need Someone to look after us and guide us, to provide for our needs, to comfort us in times of sorrow, to pick us up and hold us when we are feeling lost, when we are hurting or grieving, or when we feel very alone.

And yet, if we are to “follow where he leads”, as we heard in the opening prayer today, then it also means that we are to become shepherds ourselves. This is part of growing into Christian maturity, into the “full stature of Christ”, as it says in Ephesians 4.

MANY PASTORS

If I say the word “pastor” to you, what do you think of? Probably you think of a member of the clergy, because that is the way we use the word. You’ll see that definition if you look up the word in the dictionary. But the word means “shepherd”. It literally means “to pasture”, “to feed”. It is the job and the calling of Heather and Linda and me to feed you spiritually. But in another sense, we are all called to be pastors, for we all called to feed each other. To put that in another way, we are called to care for and love each other.

If a pastor is a shepherd, then a pastor does all the things that a shepherd does.

A pastor is called to love, to care for, to demonstrate real concern, the help revive the soul, to provide for the sheep in times of need, to give comfort when comfort is what is most needed, to redirect and help one of the sheep get back on track when lost.

If that is what a pastor is called to do, then there are way more than two or three pastors at St. Ambrose.

When you really listen to someone, you are being their pastor in that moment.

When you suggest a new way of looking at something, or gently ask someone “Have you seen God lately in all of this?”, you are being a pastor.

If you take a meal over to someone’s home during a time of illness or recovery, or watch someone’s children for a couple of hours so that they can have a break, or cook and serve food at the shelter, or help build someone their first home - a Habitat home - or comfort your child who has had a rough day at school, you are being a pastor.

If you respect the opinion of someone else in the choir or on the Vestry or in the Altar Guild or Sexton’s Guild or in a class that you take here, and honor that person in such a way that he or she feels seen, heard, accepted, and loved, you are being a pastor.

When you kneel at this altar rail and put your arm gently on the back of the person next to you who is receiving communion, and you say without words, “You are the beloved child of God, and God loves you, and so do I”, you are being a pastor.

EARLY EXAMPLES IN THE CHURCH

Did you hear this morning the story from Acts? A man outside the temple, who had been lame from birth, saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, and asked them for money. Peter and John looked intently at the man and said, “Look at us.” And then Peter said, “I have no silver of gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk.” And his feet and hands were made strong, and he jumped up and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, “walking and leaping and praising God.” (Acts 3:8) And not too long after this, after telling others about Jesus, Peter and John were arrested.

And the religious-powers-that-be asked Peter and John, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” And Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, was ready with an answer. “… if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you… that this man is standing before you and in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.” (Acts 5:8-10)

God does not let us remain forever as sheep. All you have to do is open your eyes and look around you and notice all the other sheep who are in need. And if you see just one of them, as Peter and John did, don’t be surprised one bit if God chooses to use you as one of his good and loving shepherds, in the very same way that he used Peter and John. This is the way the kingdom of God works. One moment you’re a sheep, and someone is encouraging and guiding and caring for you. And the next day, the tables are turned, and you are the pastor. You are the good shepherd, working on behalf of the Good Shepherd, the Author of Life, and the Source of all healing.

CONCLUSION

If all the pastoral care that is given in this church is limited to what Heather and Linda and I can offer, then we are a church in poverty. Thank God that is not the case. I am well aware that there is a whole lot of pastoral care that goes on in this place that does not originate from one of the three of us. We all have times – regular times – when we need to experience the love of God. And God, being an unlimited, infinitely gracious God, uses all of us as means of expressing that love, uses all of us as pastors. We must only be willing. We must only reach out, and acknowledge the truth, that while many times I feel like a sheep, and desperately need the love and guidance of the Good Shepherd, that same shepherd also calls me us to join him in shepherding the sheep.

That is one of many mysteries of being a Christian. Just as we are God’s beloved children, and yet are called to be parents and godparents to others in the faith, so it is also true that we are sheep and shepherds. The two roles can and do coexist, such that you might find yourself being a sheep who is comforted in the morning, and a pastor/shepherd who is comforting someone else in the afternoon or evening. And that is indeed a wonderful thing. That is a lot to celebrate. For even though Jesus proclaims that there will be “one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:16), and even though we acknowledge Jesus as The Good Shepherd who leads all of us, it’s a big world with lots of people and lots of needs. And Jesus says, “Come help me lead and comfort and pasture the flock. Yesterday you were one of the sheep. Today I need you to step up and help me take care of some of the other sheep. That’s just the way it works around here. Thanks for your help.”

I thank you for all the ways you step up and take on the role of shepherd and pastor for each other and for the many other sheep out there in the world. I hear the Lord saying of you, “Well done, good and faithful servant! Well done, good and faithful shepherd! Well done, good and faithful pastor!”