The Fourth Sunday of Easter
May 6, 2001

By
The Rev. Ann M. Smith

Based on the readings from John 10: 22-30

Have you ever recognized someone before they ever entered the room? How does that happen? Animals of course, are much more adept at it than we are. My dog, Jewel knows the sound of my car in the driveway. She knows my footstep. She knows the sound of my voice. I think she even senses that I am coming long before I arrive at the house. Our sense are not nearly as keen as those of our pets, but we all have people close to us whom we recognize before they ever enter the room. We know them by their own, unique personal qualities – their little eccentricities, their foibles, their habits.

How do we know Jesus? How do we come to know him, not as some dusty figure in a book we open occasionally, not just as someone to pray to when we're in trouble, but in a real sense, in a personal way.

Long ago I read a wonderful historical novel by Thomas B. Costain called The Silver Chalice. It recounted the spiritual journey of an artist named Basil. He was commissioned to make a silver chalice depicting Jesus and his disciples. He travelled around finding out all he could about them. He had little difficulty in capturing the likenesses of the disciples, but that of Jesus kept eluding him. He simply could not get the image he wanted. He spent his whole life following in the footsteps of Our Lord, trying desperately to discover what he looked like. It was not until he stopped trying to find out what he looked like, and started to get to know him personally, that he was able to complete his life's work. The chalice was a treasure of great beauty.

How do we come to know Jesus? How do we discover him in a personal and real way? Part of the power of Scripture is the images it conveys to us of Jesus. Of all of the images for God in Scripture possibly the favourite is "Jesus, the good shepherd", the Lord who lays down his life for the sheep, the one who knows the sheep by name, the one who leads the sheep beside the still waters. We see that image depicted in stained glass windows. Most people can quote at least a few verses of the Shepherd's Psalm. Today, the readings and collects all focus on that lovely image of Christ. It is an image that should lead us to a clearer recognition of God at work in our lives.

For the people of Jesus' time, it was a powerful image. The king of Israel was thought of in terms of the shepherd king of Israel. The image spoke to the agrarian society in which they lived. In Palestine today it is still possible to see much the same scene that Jesus saw two thousand years ago. The Bedouin shepherds live in much the same way that they always have. You will see them bringing their flocks home from the pasture. Around dusk, they lead their flocks to the watering hole. There they get all mixed up together. Shepherds do not worry about keeping the sheep separated. When it comes time to go their separate ways, each shepherd has a distinctive call. They make their call and their sheep separate themselves and follow. They recognize the voice of the shepherd.

The early Christians struggled with what it meant to be a follower of Christ. Christianity had never been intended to become a new faith. They were Jewish. The link to the synagogue and their Jewish roots was a strong part of their identity. When the Jewish community became hostile toward the new sect, they had to struggle against persecution. They were enthusiastic in their proclamation. They were fervent in their desire to share the gospel message. They understood their vocation. God had clearly called them to continue the earthly work of Christ. They tried always to grow in the image of the one whom they followed. They struggled with their identity as Christians.

Our society can certainly understand the need for identity. It is of the utmost importance to our culture. It colours the way we think of others. We identify people by the way they speak, by the clothing they wear, and by the colour of their skin. We tend to choose friends who are like us in appearance, in the way they think, in the way they act. It is very difficult to break into a group with an identity differing from one's own.

What identifies us as Christians? Do we have anything that sets us apart as a community? Do we have a profile? Surely if we consider ourselves to be set apart by God then there should be distinguishing characteristics in our lives. Things which set us apart from the world and make ‘being a Christian’ different.

The good shepherd passage from the gospel of John points out what some of those characteristics ought to be. For one thing we are members. We belong. "You do not believe because you do not belong," Jesus says to the people who confront him about who he is. They want to know if he is the Messiah. They want an easy answer, a simple yes or no. They don't want to struggle with who he is. They don't want to take the time to check it out for themselves. They want him to plainly identify who he is so that they can believe – or perhaps so that they can entrap him. But Jesus tells them clearly that believing is belonging. Believing has to do with our relationship with God. If we are not in relationship with God then we do not belong. If we do not belong, we are not in relationship with God.

When we belong, it is like being branded. There is stamped on our attitudes, our manners, our personalities, and the sign that we are owned by God, that we are God's property and God's possession. If we belong, then it follows that we should speak and act as if we belong.

Part of our identity as Christians is that sense of belonging to the community. It is no accident that people come to church because they want to belong, they want to be part of a community. If ministry is to be effective then there must be a strong sense of community. We may be well organized and efficient as a church. We may have wonderful programs going. People must be welcomed and made to feel that they belong.

Those who belong are listeners. "My sheep hear my voice," said Jesus. While others in our materialistic society listen for the ring of the cash register, we should be listening for the voice of God. It may be a still small voice. Or God may be heard in the whirlwind, the thunder, and the chaos and catastrophe of our lives. If we are listeners then we will hear the voice of God, soft or loud, communicating with us. Speaking to us through the symbols of our faith. Speaking to us as we come to worship. Speaking to us as we celebrate life. Speaking to us at times of difficulty and despair. Speaking to us through our relationships with others. Speaking to us through our sense of community.

Finally, those who belong are followers. "My sheep hear my voice," Jesus says, "and they follow me." Following means serving God. Serving others on God's behalf. We serve God in our families and in our daily lives. We serve in the community, in the political and economic struggles of our society. We serve wherever lost sheep are struggling to find meaning and purpose in life.

Through our actions as Christians, we try to live in the image of the good shepherd for those around us. Sometimes we question whether or not we really belong. Sometimes we have trouble hearing the voice of the shepherd. Sometimes we wander away and do not follow. But God continues to lead us beside the still waters, to restore our souls. To bring us back to that sense of belonging. Amen.