The Reverend Barbara K. Briggs
May 3, 2009
The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday.  Right now at the children’s Eucharist they are hearing the Godly Play story of the Good Shepherd and world communion.  The image of God as the good shepherd has been cherished for a long time.  People throughout the ages, in both Old and New Testament times, have been comforted by an image of God as one who pursues us with loving care and concern:  as one who goes out of his way to seek out, find and rescue us.  We are especially moved by such an image of God in times of trial when we are acutely aware that we have reached a limit somewhere.  As creative and ingenuous as the human race can be, there are times when human efforts alone can bring no comfort or security.

In the 6th century BC, when the temple had been destroyed and the people of Judah were exiled, they had lost the place where they could find God and they had lost their home.  They felt lost.  Their experience of yearning to be found by their God is reflected by the biblical literature attributed to the prophet Ezekiel.  He writes of a God who goes in search of the lost sheep:  [Ezekiel 34.12]

"As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. "

In Psalm 23 we hear:

"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."

The Hebrew word for “valley” here can be read as “gully” or “crevice.”  Most of us have experienced this dark gully.  Some of us may even be in a deep crevice right now, or may feel as if we are teetering on its edge, afraid we will actually fall in.

We have good reason to feel stressed, anxious and afraid.  We have the economy, our employment, the swine flu, and our personal relationships to deal with.  The Good Shepherd tells us that this is NORMAL.  Concern for things that trouble us is part of being human.  It is also the concern of the Good Shepherd.  There is no shame in admitting our fear in uncertain times.  In fact, an honest appraisal of how we are coping in our everyday life is essential for our well-being.  It is in the moment of honesty that we can welcome the Good Shepherd who goes out in search of us and calls us into the fold – calls as a community of those who listen to his voice – calls us each by name.

Our name has been called in many different ways over the years.  At school, at home, at work; by friends, by family, by teachers.  Remember the tone of voice when you were a child who had just been called by name because of something you did that you maybe shouldn’t have?  (I usually got the benefit of hearing my full name called at times like those.)  Remember what it sounded like when someone you admired called your name?  What about when the one you loved called you by name?  And God calls us each by name.  God calls us by name into an intimate relationship with him.  When we stop running ourselves ragged and take the time to listen to the voice of the shepherd, we understand that we are not meant to dwell in our fear and anxiety, but to take stock of it, acknowledge its source, entrust it to God and let the shepherd embrace us.  The Good Shepherd calls us so that we can stop running.

What often happens is that we don’t realize that we are running or that we have resorted to our own devices.  We don’t even notice when we have put our trust in our own ability to pull ourselves out of whatever mess we are in, rather than seeking the help of the shepherd.  We veer off course, try a short cut or run like terrified sheep.  The late psychologist Rollo May has written, “Humans are the strangest of all of God’s creatures, because they run fastest when they have lost their way.”

We all periodically become lost in grief, or in our battle against declining health, or in regret over things done and left undone.  If we find ourselves in such a place, we can understand why we are described in Scripture as being lost.  It is not to condemn us, but to help us to be honest with ourselves and to offer us the opportunity for salvation.  Confessing that we are frightened and lost is the first step in accepting God’s help.

The Good Shepherd pursues us to do us good.  God finds us before we even become aware of his presence.  Even when we are in the darkest crevice God is there.  We don’t have to wait for things to feel better.  The Good Shepherd will come and find us where we are, no matter how far we think we’ve strayed, no matter how far out of God’s reach we think we have gotten ourselves, no matter how numbed, bewildered or confused we become.

The media, especially television and self-serving web-sites and emails, can prey on our fears with a lot of hype about the swine flu.

It works, because deep down, we are all afraid of death and dying.

It is hard to keep the balance between taking necessary steps to be smart about our health, and living on the edge of fear.  Can we refuse to enter into blind fear and panic while making responsible, informed decisions about how we might modify our life-style as needed?

If our objective is to find some sure-fire way of guaranteeing ourselves that somehow we can be immune to death and its effects, we will live in an atmosphere of fear.  No matter how hard we try, we can’t control everything about our lives.  There are no absolute guarantees that we will remain in good health, that we will enjoy financial security, or that some unexpected tragedy, loss or grief can be avoided.  If we make avoiding pain our primary objective, chances are we will live in fear of experiencing pain.

But, if our objective is to embrace life fully, accepting that even in death, Jesus is our Good Shepherd, then we can let life be the place where the shepherd comes to care for us.  We will feel fear and anxiety from time to time, but we can entrust our fear to the Good Shepherd.  Then, it loses its power to run our lives.  Even in death, we can do this, for the same Jesus who said, “I am the Good Shepherd” also said, “I am the resurrection and the life.”  He is Jesus, Our Good Shepherd, Jesus, our life, Jesus our resurrection. We can count on him. Amen+

Copyright © 2009 by The Reverend Barbara K. Briggs