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The Fourth Sunday of Easter May 11, 2003 - Preaching Helps

Currents in Theology and Mission, Feb, 2003

Acts 4:5-12

Psalm 23

1 John 3:16-24

John 10:11-18

Jeremiah Wright once pointed out in one of his sermons that sheep get lost "six feet at a time." Their eyesight is so poor, he said, that they can see no farther than six feet in front of them. They graze in the grass and see something greener up ahead, six feet. They see something greener yet, six feet. See another green patch, six feet. Six feet by six feet by six feet, the sheep get lost, straying from the flock and the shepherd.

Likewise, he said, we get lost a little bit at a time. Wright cited a string of examples by which we wander away bit by bit. With each example, Wright stepped another six feet away from the pulpit--until he was out the side door of the church.

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Sheep get themselves lost in multiples of six feet, unless of course a wolf snatches and destroys them suddenly.

The wolves I know are most often in sheeps' clothing. They look attractive, even helpful. Daniel Erlander has helped me spot the wolves. In his booklet "Let the Children Come: A Baptism Manual for Parents and Sponsors" he calls baptism "Storied Waters." He says, "Every human being is shaped by some .... To be baptized is to be plunged into the greatest ...." We tell those preparing for baptism that baptism makes them part of God's own narrative of salvation. Baptism edits their story into God's story.

There are other stories that seek our lives. They look and sound good. Erlander cites the North American story of rags to riches. We add other examples from our culture and invite those preparing for baptism to offer their own. What are those things that look like blessings but end up as curses in our lives? These are the wolves in sheeps' clothing.

The identity of the hirelings is obvious from Jesus' prior encounter with the Pharisees over the man born blind. At this point in John's Gospel he is using the term "Jews" or "Judeans" for those who are opposed to Jesus. That reflects perhaps a situation of animosity between Jews and Christians in the communities where the churches under his influence were located. Robert Kysar suggests that the "other sheep not belonging to this fold" refers in John's context to other Christian communities that were not a part of the Johannine circle of congregations.

Who are the 'hirelings" among us? As I try on various roles described in this account, I wonder if "hireling" describes me. Are we pastors mere hired hands who cut and run when the going gets tough? When wolves of financial problems or staff problems or problems with one group or another arise, do we look for a way out, not of the problem but an exit for ourselves? Do our charges sometimes look to us less like a flock of sheep than a pack of wolves?

I am not the Good Shepherd. Jesus is. If sheep get lost six feet at a time, that is how the Good Shepherd finds them. But the Good Shepherd's six feet is vertical. The Good Shepherd's six feet is the six feet of the grave. The Good Shepherd's six feet takes him the whole distance a person is separated from God. The 6' x 6' x 6' x 6' horizontal wandering ends finally in the grave's six feet.

That is why it is good news that the Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. In ordinary terms, if the shepherd dies defending the sheep they are no better off than with the hireling who ran away. The Good Shepherd in his death, however, takes on the one Paul identifies as the greatest enemy. And in death Jesus brings God to those who are as far from God as they can get. Jesus descended into hell and so brought God there.

We are not the Good Shepherd. We are subshepherds of the Good Shepherd. Since Good Shepherd Sunday falls on Mothers' Day this year, why not look to mothers and to mothering qualities for those actions that cross out the actions of the hireling?

I know many who counsel that for the church it is the Fourth Sunday of Easter and the Lord's Day, not Mothers' Day. Why should time invade the cathedral? Certainly, some church observances are thick with sentiment that borders on maudlin. The special flowers and accolades lean toward deification.

I am further aware of nonliturgical hazards. There will be some present who were abused by their mothers. Present also will be those who are not mothers. Some of these long for husband and family. Some have not been able to conceive or adopt. The children of some of those present in worship on Mothers' Day will have preceded them in death. Others will recently have buried a mother. With so much potential for hurt and slight, perhaps the safest route would be to limit acknowledgment of the day to one of the petitions of the prayers.

On the other hand, Luther calls parenthood the highest office. He says we should bestow the bishop's mitre and staff upon mom and dad. That would make a more impressive display than some old carnation. Mom fills the church on her day. Ask mothers what they want on Mothers' Day and a good portion of them reply, "to go to church together." The job of subshepherds of the Good Shepherd is to pass the faith along and to nurture its growth. Subshepherds of the Good Shepherd defend their charges much like mothers defend their offspring. Have you ever seen a mother cat come after a dog who has wandered too close to her kittens? There's nothing sentimental about that scene.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter May 11, 2003 - Preaching Helps

Currents in Theology and Mission, Feb, 2003

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