SETTING THE CONTEXT

The psalms are a collection of songs or hymns. Psalm 23 is probably the best known psalm and even possibly the best known Scripture in the Bible. The lyrics of this psalm are attributed to David. David was a shepherd boy who became the best known and revered king of Israel. The psalm reflects his experience as both a shepherd in the first verses and then later as a king in the last verses. There is an image and a story that have shown me the power of this passage of Scripture. The image is a photo I saw in the Arizona Republic newspaper of a soldier, Sgt Russell Lewis, in Iraq who painted the words “Psalm 23” on his helmet. Another news story told of a child caught in the midst of a school shooting. When someone asked him what he did during the shooting, he said he just kept saying the 23^rd Psalm over and over again. As we say this psalm together in the words of the King James Version of the Bible, I invite you to allow the images to sink in and encourage you.

Read Psalm 23

This next passage of Scripture from the Gospel of John picks up the story where we left it two weeks ago. Remember the first Easter evening where Jesus appeared to his disciples and breathed on them giving them the Holy Spirit. Now some time has passed, we don’t know how much, but we know enough time has passed that the disciples have walked back from Jerusalem to Galilee. Jesus sent them but what do they do now? It appears that at least some of them went home to the lives they knew and understood. At what is referred to sometimes as the First Breakfast (as opposed to the Last Supper) Jesus commissions them again.

Read John 21:1-17

THE SERMON

At this time of year when I was growing up, we would have Good Shepherd Sunday. It was a weekend when the Scriptures used the images of God and Jesus as the Good Shepherds. I always looked forward to Good Shepherd Sunday and I continue to celebrate it when I can. I love the images of shepherds and sheep. Now I admit that I have a romantic view of sheep because I have never actually been around sheep. But I have also done some study to deepen the meaning of those images that were drawn from the everyday experiences of the Hebrew people.

Psalm 23 is possibly the best known Scripture in the Bible. It is a Scripture that I read at most funerals and memorial services. I have read it many times at the hospital beds of people to bring them comfort and encouragement. It is the Scripture, Sarah and I turned to for comfort on the morning of the 9-11 attacks. The Psalm speaks so poetically of God’s attentive care with such beautiful images of green pastures, still waters, dirt paths and comforting guidance. A good shepherd devotes his or her life to the care of the sheep and this Scripture tells us that God is the Good Shepherd and we are the sheep of God’s pasture. Phillip Keller in his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 talks about the most indifferent sheepman he ever met. This tenant sheepman lived on the farm next door. “He didn’t care about the condition of his sheep. His land was neglected. He gave little or no time to his flock, letting them pretty well forage for themselves as best they could during both the summer and winter. They fell prey to dogs, cougars, and rustlers. Every year the poor creatures were forced to gnaw away at bare brown fields and impoverished pastures. Every winter there was a shortage of nourishing hay and wholesome grain to feed the hungry ewes. Shelter to safeguard and protect the suffering sheep from storms and blizzards was scanty and inadequate. They had only polluted, muddy water to drink. In their thin, weak, and diseased condition these poor sheep were a pathetic sight. … To all their distress, the heartless, selfish owner seemed utterly callous and indifferent.” He went on to say “I never looked at those poor sheep without an acute awareness that this was a precise picture of those wretched old taskmasters, Sin and Satan, on their derelict ranch—scoffing at the plight of those within their power. ... It is the boss—the manager—the Master in people’s lives who makes the difference in their destiny.”^[i] We have too many examples of people who have given power over their lives to ruthless masters. The shooter at Virginia Tech gave his power to hatred and violence and look what it cost him and many innocents. Too many of us have given the power over our lives to things like unchecked consumerism and greed. Now stress-related illness is rampant as well as other problems of overindulgence that impact not just us but innocents half a world away. Every 30 seconds a child in extreme poverty dies. On the American Idol Gives Back benefit show that was on last week, they showed story after story of children in this country and in Africa in dire need. The Master, the Shepherd, in people’s lives makes a huge difference in their destiny and, I would add, in the destiny of others. The Good Shepherd devotes himself to the care, feeding and protection of his sheep leading them to green pastures and still waters, guiding them on the right paths and walking with them through the dark valleys, honoring them in front of their enemies. The Good Shepherd’s attentive care chases after the flock every day of their lives.

The passage from John’s Gospel uses the image of the shepherd in a different way. While the disciples were mostly fishermen they would most certainly have known about shepherding. It was probably a very common sight to see flocks grazing on the hillsides around Galilee or outside Jerusalem. They may well have had cousins or neighbors who shepherded flocks. After the First Breakfast, Jesus gave Peter a chance to reconnect with him. After Peter’s denial of Jesus during his arrest, it would be understandable that Peter would wonder if Jesus thought less of him; after all we often say “three strikes and you’re out.” Peter denied Jesus three times now Peter is given the opportunity to offset this terrible memory. Jesus asks him three times, “Do you love me?”  And three times Peter affirms his love and three times Jesus tells him to demonstrate that love by turning his faith into action, “Feed my lambs, tend my sheep, feed my sheep.” Now earlier in their encounter when he had the disciples recast their nets, Jesus showed that it is his power working through the disciples that will produce the full harvest. And this story should have an echo for you because in Luke’s Gospel he tells almost the exact same story in the midst of Jesus’ calling the disciples at the very beginning of his ministry (Luke 5:1-11). Remember the famous promise, “and I will make you fishers of people”? Peter and the other disciples are called and commissioned to care for Jesus’ flock, but they will not do it alone, the Good Shepherd will give them his power. This commissioning is very important so important that all four Gospels end with Jesus telling the disciples to go into the world. They are sent to feed and tend Jesus’ flock.

Just before Jesus died, Luke reports that he said to God, “Into your hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). In essence now that he is resurrected Jesus turns to his followers and says the same thing, “into your hands I commend my spirit.” I ask you now in my spirit to care for my flock. Shepherds are held accountable for all of the Master’s sheep so a good shepherd will go to great lengths to find and save a lost or sickly sheep. That is our calling too, to go to great lengths to find and save the lost and sickly sheep. Do you love me? Feed and tend my sheep.

I have to say it was very exciting and heartening to see the money American Idol Gives Back was able to raise in such a short time for some very worthwhile projects. The last reported total was over $60 million and more may continue coming in. If a silly television show was able to do so much how much more should we, the church, the followers of Jesus Christ be able to do. I was told at a Coalition for Compassion and Justice meeting this week that it has been very difficult to get church pastors involved in these caring ministries for the poor. What an indictment of the clergy and of the church! If we are not feeding and tending Jesus’ children, if we are not caring for creation as our youth so wonderfully pointed out to us last week, if we are not pointing people to the Master who will direct their destiny with goodness and mercy then how can we claim to be Christian, lovers of Christ! “If you love me, feed my sheep, tend my sheep.”

We want to hold ourselves accountable. We want to keep our feet to the fire, so every quarter we review how we have lived our mission. Have we been faithful to the Owner of this sheep ranch?

REVIEW MARCH 2007 MINISTRY REPORT. (Click here to view this and past slide shows.)

Sermon delived by Rev. Nancy Cushman on April 29, 2007.