Sermon 4th Sunday of Easter Good Shepherd Sunday

Sermon:

Text: John 10:22-30

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who will not let us be snatched away.

         It seems like every three or four months now I end up writing a newsletter article, or a sermon regarding a tragedy in our world. This week was no different as we watched two bombings in Boston and the manhunt killing 5, including one of the bombers, an explosion in West, Texas killing 14, an earthquake in Iran killing 70, bombings in Iraq where 30+ were killed, and another earthquake in China killing at least 150.

         We sit this week almost overwhelmed by fear and darkness. It can be tempting to give into that darkness and fear and simply lash out, which when we look at Boston and the bombings in Iraq is what they want. I heard a quote this week that I think was very profound,

“We can't let them feed off of our fear. We can't give them the pleasure of watching us, like little children, jump from the carpet to the bed. We can't let them witness us running up the basement stairs when we flip off the light. The point I'm making here is you cannot give into it. You cannot give into that fear. We do not have to be afraid of the dark that they live in.”

         Events like this, especially ones of terror, want to throw us away from who we are, and make us react how they want us to react, in fear. But, we cannot give into that, and as Christians one of the ways that we can make sure we don’t is to constantly remind ourselves that we are Christians. It is Christ in our lives that lets us move forward when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. When we fear evil, God is with us, God’s rod and staff, they comfort us.

         I spent the last half of this week at Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque for my three year reunion. I got there on Tuesday evening and spent that night at my friends Sam and Amy’s. Sam is a professor at Wartburg and Amy is the Dean of Vocation there. That evening we decided to go on a walk, which was at first going to be a walk around the block but turned into an hour-long walk. We walked along with their dog Archie who is an Australian shepherd dog. It reminded me of my Aunt and Uncle’s dog, Brough who was a sheltie, another shepherding dog. Both Archie and Brough always need to be in the front of the group of walkers, but if they get too far ahead they would stop and look back to make sure everyone was keeping up.

         This long walk started in light, but ended after the sun set. I had never really been in that area before, and when it got dark I didn’t recognize any landmarks anymore. But, Archie knew exactly where to go. Kept on walking, watching out for us, and keeping watch for what is coming up.

         This Sunday is commonly called Good Shepherd Sunday where we talk about Christ as our shepherd. Christ as the Good Shepherd walks in front of us on our path, and Christ watches out for us. There is a concern that I do think we get last weeks text and this weeks text mixed a bit. Last week, we heard Peter declare that he loves Jesus, and Jesus commands him to feed and nourish his sheep, and to follow him. With this in mind when we now look at the good shepherd we concentrate too much on the follow me. Is it important to Follow Jesus? Of course, it’s the primary way we show forth that we are Christians. And, Jesus as shepherd, us hearing his voice certainly means that we follow him.

But, the primary relationship between shepherd and sheep is not that the sheep follow the shepherd, but that the shepherd herd’s the sheep. The primary relationship is one of the shepherd to the sheep, not the sheep to the shepherd. In our relationship with Jesus, yes, we follow him, but the primary part of our relationship is that Jesus is our shepherd. Jesus protects us, watches out for us, sees our hurts and bruises, leads us to still waters and green pastures. In the relationship between shepherd and sheep it is about what the shepherd does. In the relationship between Jesus and us, it is about what Jesus has already done.

         Jesus has already died for us, and in our baptism, like the two we held this morning, we die as well, and through Jesus we are reborn. It is that reborn eternal life that God holds. And to use the words of our text, it cannot be snatched away from God.

         With everything that is been going on this week, and talking last week about being overworked, all situations of grief, fear and pain, it can feel like we are being snatched away from God.

         We can get in a spiral where it feels like things are out of our control. I felt like that this week as I watched the tragedy in Boston, life being snatched away from some of those people. I spent a good amount of time on Monday evening just watching the horror that was going on there. In this day and age after all that has happened in last decade it still seems shocking to me that someone can do such a thing to other human beings. And before we even reached memorial services for those lost, another tragedy, the fertilizer explosion in West, Texas snatching people away from family and friends. Grief seems often to pile upon grief. When we are just recovering again things are snatched from our grasp. Life being changed before we have even begun to realize it changed the first time.

         Because that is what grief is, it’s the shock of life suddenly changing, important people in our life suddenly not there. The way of life we were in snatched away.

         But, we cannot be snatched away from God.

         The love of God, the grace of God, the gift of eternal life, cannot be snatched away.

         Christ is our good shepherd, and watches over us. Tragedy may strike, but Christ’s love will never be overwhelmed.

         Let us pray,

God of mercy, we pray for all people every where in the world who are suffering because of tragedy, whether this week or years or decades ago. Hold us in your arms when such events occur, keep us safe from the dark and walk with us through the valleys. Bring us to water when we thirst, comfort us when we cry, and gives us a dwelling place in your house at the end.

         Amen.