The following sermon was delivered on May 7, 2006
“THE Good Shepherd” John 10:1-16
INTRODUCTION
Our Jewish friends have a beautiful phrase in Hebrew that all of us might well take into our vocabulary. The word is “L’Chaim!" It means, “To life!"
It is a toast to life, a salute to the incredible miracle of being among the living. It is a word which recognizes life, rejoices in it, affirms it, and does so in such a way as to include the all-important note of celebration and appreciation.
Such a phrase suits us well for this sermon on Jesus’ sentence which breathes that joyful, affirmative spirit of the life which he grants to us by his rising again from the dead: Speaking of us, his sheep Jesus says, "I came that they might have life—life in all it’s fullness! (John 10:10) ”L’Chaim!
Hear the words of our Lord leading up to and beyond that promise from John 10:1-16
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A shepherd was herding his flocks in a remote pasture when suddenly a Brand new Jeep Cherokee advanced towards him out of a dust cloud. The driver, a young man in Ray Ban sunglasses leans out of the window and asks: "If I can tell you exactly how many sheep you have in your flock, will you give me one?"
The shepherd looks at the yuppie, then at his peacefully grazing flock And answers, "Sure!" The yuppie parks the car, whips out his notebook, Connects it to a cell phone, surfs to a NASA page where he calls up a GPS Navigation system, scans the area and opens a database and spreadsheets with complex formulas. Finally, he prints a report on a miniature printer, turns to our shepherd and says: "You have exactly 1586 sheep!"
"That's correct. As agreed, you can take one of the sheep," says the shepherd. He watches the young man make a selection and bundle it into his Cherokee. As the car starts to pull away, he calls out: "If I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me my sheep back?" "Okay, why not?" answers the young man, stopping the car.
"You are a consultant" says the shepherd. "That's correct," says the yuppie. "How did you guess?"
"Easy," answers the shepherd. "You turn up here without being asked. You want to be paid for information I already have. And you don't know Anything about my business because you just took my dog." -- Keith Wagner, The Nurturing God
He may have been a good consultant, but he would have made a lousy shepherd. A good shepherd knows not only how many sheep he has, but can tell the difference between a sheep and a sheep dog and besides, a good shepherd knows you can’t start a flock with one sheep anyway.
Counting Sheep
When I was at the Church Planting Pastor’s Conference in Orlando, one of the speakers told a story of a pastor who was in the Holy Land and saw a shepherd on a hillside tending sheep. The pastor wandered over to the shepherd and struck up a conversation. Luckily, the shepherd spoke a little English. The pastor asked his interpreter to ask the shepherd, “How many sheep do you have in your flock?” The shepherd looked confused by the question. The shepherd indicated he didn’t’ know what the pastor was asking. Finally the pastor realized that the shepherd didn’t’ know how to count. The shepherd didn’t know how to count his sheep, but he knew his sheep. He knew them by name.
Naming Sheep
There have always been people with a good memory for names: Napoleon ” who knew thousands of his soldiers by name . . . or James A. Farley ” who claimed he knew 50,000 people by their first name . . . or Charles Schwab ” who knew the names of all 8,000 of his employees at Homestead Mill . . . or Charles W. Eliot ” who, during his forty years as president of Harvard, earned the reputation of knowing all the students by name each year . . . or Harry Lorayne ” who used to amaze his audiences by being introduced to hundreds of people, one after another, then giving the name of any person who stood up and requested it.
But can you imagine Jesus knowing all his sheep by name? That's billions and billions of people over the last 2,000 years. No wonder we call him Master, Lord, Savior. Watching over his flock, calling them by name. But he knows more than our names.
Knowing Sheep
To an untrained eye, the individual sheep in a flock all look alike. A good shepherd, however, can tell them apart” often because of their defects and peculiar traits. A man who was tending a large flock explained this to a Christian friend who expressed surprise at his familiarity with each animal. "See that sheep over there?" he asked. "Notice how it toes in a little. The one behind it has a squint; the next one has a patch of wool off its back; ahead is one with a distinguishing black mark, while the one closest to us has a small piece torn out of its ear." Observing all of them, the believer thought about Christ, THE GOOD SHEPHERD, who not only knows our names but also knows our individual weaknesses and failings and watches over us with discerning love and sympathetic understanding. (6)
Do you know what the Spanish word for shepherd is? It’s Pastor. There are Spanish language Presbyterian Churches in Austin and San Antonio that are named El Buen Pastor, the Good Shepherd.
A good shepherd, a good pastor….and must not only be able to count sheep, not only able to know how many members he has in his flock. He must not only know by name, a good shepherd must know about them….A good shepherd must know more than how to take attendance and read name tags. A good shepherd must know the sheep.
Knowing the shepherd.
In turn, the members must be able to get to know their pastor and trust that their pastor will lead them in safety and lead them to green pastures and still waters and especially through the valley of the shadow of death.
In her book The Preaching Life, Barbara Brown Taylor tells of a conversation she had with a friend who grew up on a sheep farm in the Midwest. According to him, sheep are not dumb at all. "It is the cattle ranchers who are responsible for spreading that ugly rumor, and all because sheep do not behave like cows. Cows are herded from the rear by hooting cowboys with cracking whips, like some of us saw this week on PBS’s Texas Ranch House.
But that will not work with sheep at all. If you stand behind sheep and make loud noises all they will do is run around behind you, because they prefer to be led. If you ask me, that’s pretty smart. You drive cows, but you lead sheep, and they will not go anywhere that someone else does not go first.
I think I’d rather be shepherd-led than purpose-driven. How about you? I’d rather be spirit-led that bottom line-driven. I’d rather follow Jesus than respond to a membership drive!
Barbara’s friend went on to say that "it never ceased to amaze him, growing up, that He could walk right through a sleeping flock without disturbing a single one of them, while a stranger could not step foot in the fold without causing pandemonium." Not only must the shepherd know the sheep, but the sheep must know their shepherd and know their shepherd’s voice.
Hearing the Shepherd’s voice
The voice of our Good Shepherd Jesus is sometimes "hidden" in a whole chorus of worldly voices which beckon us. Other would-be shepherds seek to tempt us away from the Good Shepherd, the joy of his forgiveness and the security of his love. And When we are weak and confused we may fall victim to the enticements of other voices.
There once was an American tourist who was traveling in the Mid East. He came upon several shepherds whose flocks had intermingled while drinking water from a brook. After an exchange of greetings, one of the shepherds turned toward the sheep and called out, "Manah. Manah. Manah." (Manah means "follow me" in Arabic.) Immediately his sheep separated themselves from the rest and followed him.
Then one of the two remaining shepherds called out, "Manah. Manah." and his sheep left the common flock to follow him. The traveler then said to the third shepherd, "I would like to try that. Let me put on your cloak and turban and see if I can get the rest of the sheep to follow me."
The shepherd smiled knowingly as the traveler wrapped himself in the cloak, put the turban on his head and called out, "Manah. Manah." The sheep did not respond to the stranger's voice. Not one of them moved toward him. "Will the sheep ever follow someone other than you?" The traveler asked. "Oh yes," the shepherd replied, "sometimes a sheep gets sick, and then it will follow anyone."
We have seen it, haven't we? People, young and old, who are "sick," who have been battered by the storms of life and distracted by voices urging them to go this way and that, they have lost their bearings and they don't know where they are or where they are going. That can be more than a little frightening; it leads to despair, to hopelessness. And when someone is "sick" they will follow anyone who will promise a moment of happiness, a brief feeling of peace or forgetfulness, a sense that they are someone.
A good shepherd keeps count of his flock, knows them by name, knows them by their weaknesses and strengths, talents and abilities, AND the sheep of a good shepherd know their shepherds’ voice AND follow.
Jesus is THE Good Shepherd. He knows and does all those things for his flocks all over the world from before time began.
But Jesus calls out some of his sheep to become leaders of the followers. Jesus calls some to lead teh way in following THE Good shepherd. Those sheep are also called shepherds, pastors, elders. I can never be THE Good Shepherd, but as I listen to his voice and seek to follow I can aspire to be A good shepherd, the lead follower, if you will.
At this point in our church family it’s relatively easy for me to know how many are in my flock because so far we are relatively small. It’s also relatively easy to know the names of those in this flock because I can read name tags. (I do get Steven Scott mixed up with Scott Nance some time and Call Steven Scott, Scott. But I have yet to call Scott Steven.) It is however not as easy to know about you. In order for me to know the flock that Jesus has gathered and is gathering at Peace, I need to spend time with you. I need to hear your story and let you hear my story. That’s why I’ve given you Feedback cards this morning. It’s another wrinkle I picked up at the Church Planter’s Conference. I need a way to hear from you. I want to know what you think. Mind reading is not a spiritual gift and even if it was, Anne, my wife, will tell you that I don’t have it. I want to know what is on your mind, what is exciting you, what is troubling you, what is inspiring you. Many of you have commented on the new arrangement of chairs as being helpful, being able to see each other a little better. Some have said the rows are too close together and we’re working on that. In fact let’s have some feedback now….Please raise your hand if you don’t have enough leg room. We may have a challenge this morning when it comes to serving communion. We’ll see.
I want to know what you thought about using the movie clip last week as a part of the sermon. That’s something that some churches are doing now. That was a part of the conference I attended in Orlando and I wanted to try that out. Was that helpful for you? Is that for a different type of service that we will offer in the future?
I want to know what you thought about the 9:30 Traditional Service we had on Easter morning. Is that the next service we need to add and when should we add it?
I want to know what God is tugging on your heart to do. This morning while we are presenting our offering to the Lord, I want to ask you to fill out a Feedback card and we will collect them as you leave the service and pass them on.
The feedback cards are just one way to share what’s on your heart. I have a cell phone and I have email and I generally eat 3 meals a day and hate to eat alone. There’s also 2 chairs in my office where people can come and sit and visit. I assume that you might have chairs at your home or office as well and I would love to visit with you on your turf.
You hear from me each week from the pulpit, but I need a way to hear from you. I want to get to know you. I need to get to know you if I’m going to be a good shepherd, un buen pastor.
That’s why I want you to come be a part of a Newcomers’ Brunch. That’s another wrinkle I picked up in Orlando. Before Orlando (B.O) I called it an Inquirer’s Class. But there may be some who are not curious. There may be some who do not have any questions and think that an Inquirer’s Class is not for them. But in this church, everyone is a Newcomer. You may have been a Christian or a Presbyterian for 70 years and don’t have any questions, but you are still a newcomer to Peace Presbyterian. So I invite you to sign up to come to the next Newcomer’s Brunch if you haven’t already been in one of my previous Inquirer’s Classes.
My goal is to become a good shepherd, but of course Jesus is THE Good Shepherd, Jesus knows his sheep. Jesus knows you better than I will ever be able to know you. Jesus CAN read minds. Jesus CAN read hearts. And Jesus loves you. Jesus wants to gather you into his flock that He is gathering here at Peace. Jesus has called you by name to be here. Jesus is calling your name to be here. Jesus is calling your name to follow him here and follow him from here to go and make a difference in the world in which you live.
Jesus, THE Good Shepherd, even laid down his life in our behalf. Now he calls us to take up the calling of laying down our lives for others with no other reward than to someday hear his voice say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."
Are you up to it? Do you have what it takes to give your life in service to this church? This community? To those around you? I’m ready if you are.
Jesus came that we might have life—life in all it’s fullness. So with my Jewish brothers and sisters I say, “L’Chaim ”
Let’s pray. Lord, Jesus, thank you for knowing us by name by our weaknesses and strengths, by caring for us and leading us and for gathering us into flocks like Peace. Teach us to listen for your voice among the caucophany of voices that call out to us. Teach us to trust your leadership and to be shepherd-led, spirit-led and to risk following you. Give us a welcoming spirit as you gather others into this flock and give us the desire to be agents of that gathering. Stir in us the desire to not only welcome other sheep, but to make more sheep by sharing our story with those who have yet to hear that you are the Good Shepherd and you love them and want them to join us here at Peace.
