Sermons for the Month

A Shepherd Of Absolute Love
DATE: April 29th, 2007
SERVICE: 4th Sunday of Easter
TEXT: Psalm 23 and John 10:22-30
“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
While on vacation, as I enjoyed driving through Ohio on those beautiful spring days, I was listening to a novel about a group of women who were randomly placed in a prayer group with one another during a city-wide Christian women's conference. The group was very diverse it terms of culture, denominational background, education and economics, but they were bound together as - to use a term from the book - Jesus Followers.
So, in spite of their vast differences, they decided to continue praying together after the conference ended. Each woman faced challenges, but the most significant situation was encountered by the book's narrator, a woman named Jodie.
Her story is one that could happen to anyone. On an ordinary Sunday evening she and her husband had one of those "why did I get so angry about that" fights that began with her thinking that she said she had to be somewhere by 5 p.m. and his thinking she said to have the car home by 5 p.m. The "discussion" began with how inconsiderate it was of him to make her late, and blew up from there. So, when Jodie got in the car she was upset and in a hurry, driving too fast in the rain, as she attempted to get through a light before it turned red.
The result was a terrible accident involving another vehicle and a teenage pedestrian. Jodie was seriously injured, and, tragically, the boy died. In the midst of the physical, emotional and spiritual suffering that follows, Psalm 23 is quoted to her. She observes that having heard it hundreds of times previously, it had never sounded the same, because for the first time she truly was in a dark valley.
"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
At first she is too overwhelmed by loss and guilt and anger at God to hear the Psalm's promises, but eventually she grasps that she is not walking alone. The Lord, the Shepherd, Jesus, is with her, usually in the presence of those women with whom she shares little in common EXCEPT that they are Jesus followers. (1)
It's hard to go through the dark valley. It's painful to watch people we care about go through the dark valley. But, both situations are unavoidable. That's why the words of today's Psalm and Gospel lesson are so significant. The Lord, the Shepherd is not just our escort in the green pastures and beside the still waters. The Psalm's author reminds us that EVEN THOUGH … in spite of the fact that… shadows descend it is possible not to be afraid, Jesus is with us. He will guide and encourage us - which is what the staff represents. He will protect us - which is the purpose of the Shepherd's rod. And in his guiding, encouraging, protective care we are comforted.
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want."
Wouldn't it be great to always feel that which motivated the beautiful statement of faith that is Psalm 23? But, truth be told, we struggle with being sheep led by the Shepherd Jesus, especially in the dark valley. Maybe it's because we are accustomed to leading ourselves, or because we expect that being a person of faith means that we'll encounter only the green pastures, or because we do not know the Shepherd well enough to trust him. So, we feel alone in the darkness.
Yet, the interesting thing is that what we do, or expect, or feel does not get in the way of what Jesus does; it only blocks our ability to benefit from it. Let me say that again. What we do, or expect, or feel does not get in the way of what Jesus does; it only blocks our ability to benefit from it. In other words, Jesus walks with us always, but sometimes it's difficult for us to sense his presence.
Let's take a look at today's Gospel lesson. It's winter, there's a literal and a spiritual chill in the air. The enemies of Jesus are attempting to trap him into making incriminating statements. They have chosen not to believe - to see him for who he is - in spite of the clear testimony of Jesus' actions as he has transformed lives. They are not among his sheep. Could that be because they could not endure being known? Because, you see, Jesus knows the sheep.
That implies more than physical identification; Jesus sees to the depths of the heart, nothing is hidden, and yet the sheep are loved, forgiven and cherished. And, since they are known and yet loved, the sheep follow.
That's us. We are the known-inside-and-out sheep who are granted the privilege of living life in the presence of God. Remember, that's the definition of eternal life, to live life in the presence of God. It's a reality now and in the face of death.
"I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand", the Shepherd says.
No one, nothing can keep us from living life in the presence of God. Will there be dark valleys? Of course that will be the case. Will we be alone as we walk through them? No, that will never be true whether or not we feel that it is the reality.
The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want.
So, we pray for ourselves, and for others, that we will feel the Shepherd's hand gently - and firmly - upon us. May we too be as confident as the Psalm writer who created this ancient hymn of trust and praise, or imitate the more recent hymn composer who wrote "The King of Love My Shepherd Is."
It's a beautiful hymn, even if the sentence structure is odd. I like the strength in it. "The KING of love my shepherd is…" not the prince of love or a conveyor of love, but the supreme lover. "Whose goodness faileth NEVER…." This isn't goodness that is available occasionally or conditionally; it never fails. "I NOTHING lack if I am his…." It's not that I have most of what I need, or some of what is ultimately good, but nothing is lacking in my life. "And he is mine FOREVER…"not as long as I do this or that, or feel a certain way, not for this life time only, but forever.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Today we hear and we sing songs of absolutes. The Lord is our Shepherd…the Lord makes us rest…the Lord restores our souls…the Lord guides us...the Lord is with us…the Lord comforts…the Lord prepares a celebration for us…the Lord anoints us with goodness. Indeed, the Lord is ours, a Shepherd of absolute love, especially in the dark valleys, and we will not be in want.

AMEN
(1) The YadaYada Prayer Group by Neta Jackson, Blackstone Audiobooks, Ashland, OR.