“The
Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not be in want.”
Today, on this Fourth Sunday of Easter, the Church reminds her people
that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
is best described as a shepherd, as someone who tends sheep. Today is what we call Good Shepherd Sunday. Scripture says, “the sheep follow [the
shepherd] because they know his voice.”
Sometimes
when I am having a difficult time or feeling particularly alone, I long to hear
the voice of my mom or dad. And
occasionally, I do still hear their voices playing in my head. I can still hear my mother’s soothing voice
whispering my name when I was sad, upset.
I can still hear the firm yet assuring voice of my father holding me
close when I was mad or frustrated.
Even though my parents
are no longer with me on this earthly pilgrimage, their voices still have the
power to call me back to myself where I feel safe and secure no matter how dark
or chaotic things are.
As people of God, we rely
on the voice of God to draw us back to ourselves and God’s own heart. We rely on the voice of God give us clarity
in the midst of chaos. We rely on the voice of God to make us see the light
shining in the darkness. We rely on the
voice of God to remind us of who we are when we forget that we are a sheep of
his own fold, a lamb of his own flock, a sinner of his own redeeming.
But sometimes it is hard
to hear the voice of God. Sometimes
there are too many distractions, too many competing voices that keep us from
hearing the truth of God. And as I grow
older, I realize that most of those voices that are born out of fear and
anxiety.
I give the voices that
are born of fear and anxiety too much power.
Like the thief who breaks in to steal and kill and destroy, I let these
voices of fear and anxiety break into my heart and soul and steal my joy. Instead of trusting that God, my Good
Shepherd is leading me beside still waters, I let fear of the unknown dictate
how I live my life, I let the fear of not having enough control my actions. And in case you haven’t noticed, fear makes
us do terrible things to each other, fear destroys communities, fear is the
anti-thesis to kingdom living.
Bishop Sloan told the
clergy last week that fear is easier to sell than love. Fear creates an impulse to do things that we
would not otherwise do. Like the thieves
and bandits, fear distracts us from the way of God, from the voice of God. Fear convinces us to take short-cuts, to look
for easy answers, to look for easy ways out, to put our own interests
first. But in the end, fear only leads
to a slow, painful death in the wilderness.
As a diagnostic for your
own spiritual health this week, I encourage you to pay attention how you make
decisions. Are your words and actions
influenced by fear or by love? Do you
respond to adversity out of a place of fear or out of a place of love?
If you respond more often
out of love, then you are in touch with the voice of the Good Shepherd and you
don’t have to listen to the rest of the sermon.
If you are like me, then you need to keep going. If you are like me, you pay too much
attention to the voices of the thieves and bandits who are baiting us with
fear.
An NPR story ran recently
about the rise of Islamophobia or the fear of Muslims. The story chronicled how Islamophobia is the
number one recruiting tool for ISIS.
ISIS is growing exactly because they are feared. In other words, fear fuels hatred and hatred
fuels fear. Fear is one of the most
destructive forces in this world. If we
let it, fear will destroy everything we touch including ourselves and the
people God made us to be.
But the good news tells
us that there is another way. And this
way is the way of love. Fear pulls us
apart but love draws us together. Fear
creates suspicion and mistrust while love creates space where we can embrace
and trust each other. Fear breaks down
but love builds up.
Someone commented
recently that they know about 20 pastors who they keep up with on a regular
basis. He noted that half of them motivate
their congregation out of a place of fear and anxiety while the other half
inspire from a posture of peace and love.
I’m not sure which side of the gate I fell on but hope it was love. My
friend ultimately asked, can we not hope or perhaps even expect our clergy to
lead us into green pastures and help us find still waters to enable us, by
God's grace, to both cope and hope?
My response is
absolutely. You should expect your
clergy to be this kind of pastor. And as
your pastor, I vow to help lead you to green pastures and beside still waters
and by God’s grace enable you to cope and hope in a world that is being driven
by fear and anxiety. If I’m not doing
this, please tell me. I want to
know. The health of this flock depends
on it.
With that being said,
here is my attempt to pastor you from a place of love. If you find yourself struggling to hear the
voice of the God, listen for the voice of love.
If you are facing a big decision in your life today, listen for the
voice of love. If you are in a dark
place, listen for the voice of love. If
you are doubting yourself and your value, listen for the voice of love. If you are going down a dark path, stop, and
listen for the voice of love.
And my prayer for you is
that this voice of love grab your heart in such a way that you turn around and
follow that voice. My prayer for you is
that this voice of love grab your heart like the voice of a loving parent
would. Listen to this voice of love
because that is the voice of the Good Shepherd calling you by name, that is the
voice of the Good Shepherd calling you beyond fear, the voice of the One
pointing to abundant life.
If you need help learning
to trust this voice of love, share that with me or Henry or someone you trust won’t
judge or condemn you, someone who will walk that lonesome valley with you,
someone who will pray with you, someone who will share their own experience of
learning to trust love.
As you learn to trust
love, don’t be surprised if the voices of fear creep back into your hearing
especially when things get tough. But
keep following the voice of the shepherd, the One who calls you by name, the
One whose rod and staff lead with the rule of love, not fear. Pray with the psalmist, “Yea, though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death; I will fear no evil, thy rod and thy
staff, they comfort me.”
Beloved,
follow the voice of love – it is the only way through valley of the shadow of
death – it is the way of the Good Shepherd who leads us beside green pastures
and still waters – the way of the One who says, “Do not be afraid. I call you
by name. You are mine, always. Hold on to the sound of my voice because I
will hold onto you forever with a love that lives beyond death.” Amen.
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