Fourth Sunday of Easter: April 17, 2005.Acts 2:42-47 Psalm 23 1 Peter 2:19-25 John 10:1-10 K: Today is Good Shepherd Sunday Good Shepherd Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Easter in the new liturgical calendar; that is, the Sunday three weeks after Easter Sunday. The name derives from the gospel readings on this day which are taken from the 10th chapter of John. . The images and texts are familiar to the point of being passe pas·sé adj. 1. No longer current or in fashion; out-of-date. 2. Past the prime; faded or aged. [French, past participle of passer, to pass, from Old French; see . One of the challenges in preaching today is to reclaim the ambiguity and direction of these texts. I am inclined to think that, based on the texts, this Sunday should be subtitled sub·ti·tle n. 1. A secondary, usually explanatory title, as of a literary work. 2. A printed translation of the dialogue of a foreign-language film shown at the bottom of the screen. tr.v. "Coming and Going" Sunday. Our Acts reading is the immediate continuation of last Sunday's text. What happened to all the people whose baptism date was Pentecost 1? They are a new community centered around the teachings of the Word and the breaking of bread. Their lives became a reflection of the life of Jesus. They were fed and filled up together. They gave of themselves. They worshiped. They prayed. They lived their lives not for themselves but in the body of Christ
The Body of Christ is a term used by Christians to describe believers in Christ. Jesus Christ is seen as the "head" of the body, which is the church. and for the community of God. As they did this, more and more people--daily, we are told--came into the community of the faithful. There were four markers to this community with a new identity: they learned, prayed, worshiped, and broke bread together. As they did this, they grew in the numbers of people who joined them. God is leading God's people to one another. Then there is the beautiful and beloved Psalm 23. God leads us to safety and wholeness. We are restored in our communities and treated as honored guests. Even in the darkness, we are comforted and never abandoned. There is no place we can go that will be outside of God's reach. We know the psalm, but do we know the shepherd? The first challenge is to read today's Gospel past the images and feelings that inevitably arise. When you do, unexpected parts of this text may stand out. For example, is Jesus the shepherd or the gate? T: I'm pretty sure the answer to that is Yes. Jesus is the shepherd, keeping us safe and leading us in right paths. But Jesus is also the gate, the one through whom the shepherd the psalmist psalm·ist n. A writer or composer of psalms. psalmist Noun a writer of psalms Noun 1. talked about enters into our lives. It's too bad our lectionary lec·tion·ar·y n. pl. lec·tion·ar·ies A book or list of lections to be read at church services during the year. [Medieval Latin l stops at v. 10, because in the verse immediately following, Jesus makes it clear that things are confusing: "I am the gate," vv. 7 and 9. Then he turns around and says, "I am the good shepherd Good Shepherd [N.T.: John 10:11–14] See : Christ ." K: It is a rhetorical question rhetorical question n. A question to which no answer is expected, often used for rhetorical effect. rhetorical question Noun , of course. Jesus is both, and he makes it clear to us in the Gospel that things today are going to be very unclear! He lets us know that he is using a figure of speech (one of the only times Jesus ever tips his hand about his teaching methods). It is the fourth week of Easter now, but Jesus was speaking during the Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah). There he was, with thousands of others, celebrating the rededication Noun 1. rededication - a new dedication; "the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem" dedication - a ceremony in which something (as a building) is dedicated to some goal or purpose of the temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple (Hebrew: בית המקדש, transliterated Bet HaMikdash and meaning literally "The Holy House") was located on the Temple Mount (Har HaBayit) in the old city of Jerusalem. . The more devout among them, perhaps in a fit of frustration, perhaps dismay, perhaps confusion, finally said, "Look, if you are the Messiah, just tell us plainly." What is Jesus? Messiah? Prophet? Lunatic LUNATIC, persons. One who has had an understanding, but who, by disease, grief, or other accident, has lost the use of his reason. A lunatic is properly one who has had lucid intervals, sometimes enjoying his senses, and sometimes not. 4 Co. 123; 1 Bl. Com. 304; Bac. Abr. Idiots, &c. ? Gate? Shepherd? To whom do we listen? Today, things are as clear as mud. First, Jesus is the shepherd. But then, in the next verse, who is the gatekeeper In an H.323 IP telephony or video environment, a gatekeeper is a device that manages domains and provides call control. It is used to translate user names into IP addresses, to authenticate users and to manage network resources. ? Is that Jesus? Certainly in v. 7 Jesus changes gear and says that he is the gate. Peter is told to shepherd later on in John, and in Ephesians the word for shepherd is translated as "pastor." Am I the shepherd? Truly I tell you, I do not know whether I am coming or going in this passage! Jesus said that he was using figures of speech so that hearers would not know (there is ginosko again) what he is saying. T: Immediately after Jesus' metaphors/figures of speech, it says in v. 19 that "Again the Jews were divided because of these words." It seems we're not the only ones to be confused here. K: There is an element of danger in this text. Who is standing against Jesus? There are strangers, thieves, and bandits mentioned--people who would snatch away the sheep from the safety of the shepherd. And in the first figure of speech, Jesus is the shepherd. If the sheep are in danger, and there is a pen (which the gatekeeper would be guarding), why does Jesus lead the sheep out, not in? We understand that we are the sheep. We are not coming to Jesus here as much as we are going with Jesus. Where? T: Seems to me that's a question that only a pastor can answer, because it is a contextual question involving vision and discernment. Sure, I can list lots of categories: Ministry. Mission. All the nations. The World. But the reality is, this is the fundamental question of the church, of each parish, congregation, community. Jesus is the gate, leading us out somewhere. Where? And how do we follow, how do we know where he is leading? K: Out into the world, I imagine. There are billions of people in the world today, so how do we focus on one voice through the din? "The sheep follow him because they know his voice" (v. 4b). The noun translated as "voice" can also be translated as "sound." Are we to listen for a specific voice, or do we know Jesus because of the resonance created by his perfect pitch? There is a more intimate connection, a more profound knowing, when something resonates deep within us. T: Sometime try sitting at a piano, and hold down the damper damp·er n. 1. One that deadens, restrains, or depresses: Rain put a damper on our picnic plans. 2. An adjustable plate, as in the flue of a furnace or stove, for controlling the draft. pedal (the one on the right that makes it hold notes). Then sing a few notes. If you get the pitch right, the strings will start vibrating vibrating, v using quivering hand motions made across the client's body for therapeutic purposes. because of your voice, and you'll hear a ghostly echo of the sound you made. Maybe that is how we know Jesus' voice, his call, his sound. The strings on the piano are singing because of sympathetic vibrations to the resonance of your voice. Jesus speaks to us, his sheep and charges, and sets our souls vibrating. K: In the second hyperbole hyperbole (hīpûr`bəlē), a figure of speech in which exceptional exaggeration is deliberately used for emphasis rather than deception. , Jesus is the gate. People who opposed Jesus, who "stood in front" of him and his message, he called thieves and bandits. This time, Jesus is there both coming and going. He is the way in and the way out. One note on verse 9: the Greek verb sothesetai is translated by the NRSV NRSV New Revised Standard Version (Bible) as "will be saved." Another translation is "shall be kept safe." Danger is still there. John knew it. The psalmist knew it. But what does faith look like for a community with a shepherd in charge? Teaching, prayer, worship, and meal. And a shepherd's voice that resonates in us, in our coming in and our going out. T: Psalm 23 catches us coming and going, too. It begins with God as shepherd leading us: in front of us. Then God is with us (vv. 4-5). Then God is behind us (v. 6). So either God is stationary and we're passing by like a parade float, or God's got us surrounded. Personally, I prefer the latter of those two for preaching: God is everywhere we need God to be. Whether coming, staying, or going, God is there. KH/TK |
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