We began this journey with the Bishops through John’s Gospel the first Monday of Lent, and here we are in the fifth week after Easter. Only now are we coming to one of people's favorite images from this Gospel—the Good Shepherd. And we recently heard this passage read and expounded upon on the Fourth Sunday of Easter.
Lois took the opportunity of Good Shepherd Sunday to address the issue of child abuse. I urge you to go read her sermon. It is a powerful and necessary message.
However, today I am using a quote from her sermon to go in a different direction. In response to the oft heard comment that sheep are dumb, Lois said:
...during my seminary years, while I was in England, I met the daughter of real live shepherds, whose sheep were alone on the moors much of every day, so they had to have their wits about them. It was she who taught me that sheep are not stupid. They are smart. They may seem stupid because if you are making a bad decision, they’ll refuse to budge and even lean on you with all their weight. But they are smart, because the only person they will follow is a person they trust.
There is only one person who is trustworthy enough to be the shepherd, and that is Jesus. So we are all, you and I, sheep in the fold of Jesus, the one and only shepherd.
This is an image of a sheep I can identify with. Yet, there are days when I wonder if many of us aren't being the dumb sheep. We sit and wait for Jesus to find us and solve our problems. When danger comes, we sit passively waiting for Jesus to save us. Frankly, if there's danger, we ought to have the smarts to run, and run toward the shepherd.
It's like the old joke about the man in a town that's flooding. As the floodwaters rise, he sits on his porch. A firetruck comes by and the firemen tell him to get on, and they'll take him to higher ground.
"No thanks. The Lord will save me."
The floodwaters rise, and he is forced to move to the second floor of his house. A boat comes by, and the driver tells him to get in, and they'll take him to higher ground.
"No thanks. The Lord will save me."
The floodwaters rise, and he is forced to move to the roof of his house. A helicopter comes by, and the pilot tells him to grab the rope, and they'll take him to safety.
"No thanks. The Lord will save me."
The floodwaters rise, and the man drowns. When he gets to heaven, he walks up to God and asks, "I trusted in you to save me, and yet you let me drown. How could you do that?"
And God replies, " I sent you a firetruck, a boat, and a helicopter! What more did you need?"
Lois continued:
At the same time, we are all of us, you and I together, the body of Jesus in this world. We are his hands, his feet, and his voice. He is depending on us. We must be trustworthy, as he is trustworthy.For whom do I represent the shepherd today? And today, who is my shepherd?
Peace,
Jeffri
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