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“Following Knowing His Voice”
Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10
Rev. Sandy Nuernberg
Oakland-Cambridge Presbyterian Church, Cambridge, WI
4th Sunday of Easter - Health
Awareness Sunday
April 13, 2008
Please pray with me,
Lord, as your flock, we are comforted to know that you are the Good Shepherd
that looks after us. Be with us now in receiving your Holy Spirit, and allow
us to be your sheep in strength, confidence and hope that we might follow
you all the days of our lives and will dwell in the house of the Lord our
whole life long. AMEN.
I
remember in the mid-50s, into the mid-60s as church goers we were in a culture
quite relaxed in knowing that our pews would be filled each Sunday–sure, there
was tradition and familiarity in the music and song, praise, prayer and worship
together. That’s when we memorized the Apostle’s creed, found where the 10
commandments and beatitudes were in the Bible, and took part in the sacrament of
Holy Communion. They were impressionable years for me then when I was young, as
a sheep (maybe a sensitive lamb!). I had to ask then, if there was anything
‘reformed and always reforming’ for Presbyterians? Not knowing it then,
with the same ole’ same ole’ vision and plan, not much to experience personally
much less the chance to grow to be challenged in my faith spiritually. Being
closed off and in not ‘doing it’ together as Christians, I had to ask, perhaps
selfishly, where’s the meaning of the church for me? Have you ever asked that
today?
Back then, we were the white and
middle-income, post-war church culture and on the move. Our family moved into
the suburbs in Appleton, and we looked for faith and spirituality in staying
with our denomination; some of our friends began anew. Remember your faith walk
back then, some of you; did we ever dream that at that time we were main-line
church liberals? Then, I was proud of my faith; I followed what was taught,
asked lots of questions, yet not knowing how to describe who God, the Good
Shepherd, or who Jesus Christ, His Son was for me in my life and not ever being
able to witness let alone describe my faith? I remember well because we
Presbyterians were then (and maybe still are) described as ‘closet’ or ‘quiet’
believers, rarely witnessing or sharing faith moments with each other. You just
didn’t do it, then! Wowee, did I learn from those Pentecostals, U.U’s
(Unitarian Universalists), and Baptists at seminary fifty years later! Now,
actually, I am learning a lot from them and other faiths as well.
In the theme and imagery of the
shepherd and the sheep in our texts today, along with the familiar 23rd
Psalm, it’s apparent that in this Eastertide our lectionary is encouraging us in
identifying and following who Jesus is for us. These are marvelous texts where
we identify with Christ, have relationship and trust in following along, in
knowing His voice and being led to abundant life day by day. But we have to ask,
what is this ‘knowing His voice’ in being sheep, followers of Christ, of the
Good Shepherd? How do we see ourselves ‘through the valley of the shadow of
death?’ How do we not use the gate for thieves/bandits?
The 23rd Psalm is a
pretty good utterance in the O.T. of who God is for us.....for the
Israelites their identity was revived and enhanced by their knowledge of
Yahweh—their dwelling securely was in knowing, confirming, affirming, and
uttering Yahweh’s identity thru the Psalter. Many people today are comforted in
reading the Psalms, upon impending surgery or even death. This all was indeed
told to them in the wisdom teachings of the Torah as well. John’s entire gospel,
especially our text today identifies who Jesus is for us, as shepherd of
his flock; as the gate to salvation (v.9).
Rabbi Harold Kushner, author of
best-selling books like When Bad Things Happen to Good People, and even a
less popular but indeed insightful book, The Lord Is My Shepherd, seemed
to always have the 23rd Psalm as his ‘ace in the hole’ when leading
the most tragic or grievous funerals, as he said recently, “It just made people
feel calm.” (Abernathy, Bob, and Bole, William,
The Life of Meaning: Reflections on Faith, Doubt, and Repairing the World,
Ch. 18, p.123, Seven Stories Press, 2007). The psalmist uses
‘leading’ and ‘feeding’ words having affirmation of yes, Lord, you are with me.
In both of our texts imagery is mindful of a shepherd leading his flock and
feeding them with care and tenderness, comfortableness, gentleness, and constant
attentiveness–what a pastoral image of the Good Shepherd, knowing the voice of
God close to us!
Yet I feel Kushner indicates there
is a kind of a rub; along with many of us in today’s crazy, somewhat scary,
out-of-control world, and especially since 9/11, we do wonder where God was and
is when such tragic things happen. Terrorism, inexplicable and sudden deaths
like we’ve just experienced in Cambridge, or disease that doesn’t heal—they are
all about impending death, it seems. But one thing is sure; we also know that in
facing our own mortality, just like Christ in his life, like those first
Christians full of energy and who ‘had all things in common’ we aren’t ever
told that life would be easy, or fair, or all fun. We try to identify with the
struggles, challenges, the bumps in the road, and that is in our following and
knowing the voice of Christ as the shepherd in our midst. For me, the meaning of
the church, in its unity and in its integrity, is in Luke’s telling us of being
devoted together to the apostle’s teaching and fellowship, praying and breaking
bread together at the table! That’s the voice of Christ in us and our following;
in Jesus’ actions and in our actions we are brought through the hard times.
Christ’ voice is in our praise, song, prayer, worship; in our relationships in
supporting each other.
Sometimes we ‘do church’ without
knowing it but in our following. Like in our visiting at Pres House this
afternoon. The last two weeks we’ve had new member classes and this past
Wednesday (six of them) we shared with the Session and learned of our ties that
bind us to church. Some of their comments were: they ‘liked to be able to
connect with others they know (or don’t know), they can explore, ask questions
and have doubts, and at OCPC they feel God in the Spirit is present.’ We are
connected in many ways; our families, our beliefs, our ideas and questions, and
yes, our fears. In realizing that more than half of members in churches these
days have very little or no background of the denomination they are coming into,
it is paramount that we welcome, inform, and allow persons to experience their
faith, and to know and find an intimate relationship with God in Christ Jesus
who has an impact upon our lives. I believe we are a community of faith where
God’s people are all learnin’ and doin’ it’ together!
As in the early Jerusalem
Christian community, it’s in this connecting each of us with knowing God’s
voice, sharing in our faith, and in allowing God to be by our side, leading us
always; that’s the meaning of the church. The good news for us is that God the
Good Shepherd wants us to follow God’s voice...it’s also in our knowing the
voice to follow. We get ‘stuck,’ we get bogged down in the ‘valley’, following
the thieves/bandits, and we can’t get out of it, or through it to move on.
Kushner’s most important word in the entire 23rd Psalm, he says, is
‘through’ in ‘through the valley of the shadow’ and he describes our fear and
guilt or something in someone we love leaving this world. But instead, isn’t it
that we loved them so much that through their life with us, they will never
leave us, in thought or word or deed? Jesus’ life and death, Jesus’ words and
deeds, will never perish (leave us) because in Jesus’ resurrection, we find the
gate opened to the world in new, abundant life; yes we can go in and out of the
gate, but we find Christ with us even in eternal life that will never perish. We
find in following and knowing God’s voice in Christ Jesus, as God’s sheep we
have relationship with God the Shepherd and are connected with each other. Have
you heard God’s voice lately?
AMEN.
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