The Need for Holy Sap?

5 Easter     B  April 29, 2018
Acts 8:26-40 Psalm 22:24-30
1 John 4:7-21  John 15:1-8

Lectionary Link

One of the effects of the experience of the sublime is to be "shut up," or left stammering with repetitive tautologies or a profoundly simple word like "Wow!"

In human experience, if a person is fortunate, one is able to be able to use the word love authentically.  To be brought to stammering by the sense of love or the encounter of love or the sense of having been transported by love is perhaps the most fortunate human experience of all.

The Belle of Amherst, Emily Dickinson wrote about sublime love in very few words, short and simple, and yet it is taunting to the reader to want to have the experience of love.  She wrote: "That love is all there is, is all we know of love."  It seems so simplistically stated but it invites us to know what it means and to know whether it is true and whether it is true in a meaningful way for me.

If there is some sub-atomic unifying essence in everything in a place where the material world joins with the relational world of personality, then such an invisible relational unifying magnetic energy in the English language is reduced to the word "love."

Love must be meaningfully true since it creeps into all human traditions; and it must be more than magnetic lust for procreation; it has to include the hopeful wish of mutual well-being exchanged between people in relationship.

When the dialoging Plato's Socrates tried to emulate a hired hand rhetorician, he spoke in rhetorical performance like a hired speech maker, against love.  But then he recanted and apologized to Love, who was Eros who was a god for the Greeks.

Can Love be interchangeable with God?  Can God be Love?  Can Love be God?  One can find words about love and God within Holy Scripture.  The Song of Songs, or Song of Solomon is a sensual love confession, where God's name is not mentioned, and the images seem all too human, all too deliciously human,  and yet so divine the ancient rabbis thought that the beauty of such love had to be in the canon of Scriptures.  And Christian canon makers, those whose votes counted on what books to include in the Bible, also included this sensual love confession within the Christian Bible.  The love is so expressive of the lucky gift of mutual relational well-being, Christian expositors could only say it was an analogy of the soul's relationship with God.  The experience of intense mutual relational well-being evokes the elevating poetry and when one rises to the sublime, one wants to confess that which attains being God-worthy, God-inspired, God-incarnate.

Another apparent bachelor also wrote profoundly about love, St. Paul.  When compared with faith and hope, St. Paul said that love was the greatest of all.

Today, we have the portion of first Epistle of John and we find the writer stammering about love and God.  In woeful lack of stylistic variation, the writer mentions love 28 times.  "Get a Thesaurus!" one might say.  In the same short passage, there are also 39 uses of God and mentions of members of the Trinity and pronouns for the same.   God and love are used so often in such a short passage so it is not surprising that the writer uses the ultimate metaphorical tautology by writing, "God is Love."  One could see how this confession about God would have some resonance in the wake of Hellenistic culture in the Roman Empire.  Love as the name of God was familiar poetic discourse.

As exalted and as poetically sublime that this confession of love is, it is also very much down to earth.  How so?  One cannot say that one loves God who is not seen, if one does not love one's brothers and sisters whom one does see.  It is no good elevating love to a sublime name for God or for a sublime feeling toward God, if one's regard for one's fellow human being does not ratify one's confession of love for God.  Charlie Brown confessed the hypocrisy of "mere" pious love when he declaims, "I love mankind!  It's people I can't stand!"  

We as those who are trying to be worshipful and piously respectful toward God can find it much easier to love an invisible ideal God than to love in messy details the people of our world.  The writer of the Epistle of John warns us not to separate the piety of love for God and the messiness of the love of fellow human beings in the practice of gritty justice and care.

How indeed do we avoid a pretentious love piety for God in swooning mystical experience with contradictory misanthropic behaviors toward our fellow people?

First we confess the truth about how hard it is to love people unconditionally.  We might be tempted to limit the use of the love to what we really mean by "like."  But we cannot reduce love to mere personal affinity or personal taste.  How do we bring the energy of swooning mystical love of God who is Love to the messy details of human interaction?

I would suggest that attempting love in human interaction teaches us failure at love.  So what do we do with failure at love?  Do we avoid?  Do we fuel our disillusionment with imperfect people into misanthropic behaviors?  Or is our failure to love, the crucible to ask for the higher Power of God's love to be present even within our imperfect bodily vessel?  Let us have the humility not to think that we originate such a wonderful thing as love and with this humility we ask for the power, the gift and the fruit of the Spirit, God's love.

The discourse in the John's Gospel with Jesus saying, "I am the vine and you are the branches and my Father is the vine grower," does not mention directly the third member of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.

But we can read between the lines.  The Holy Spirit would be the Holy Sap.  Sap is plant blood.  It flows and delivers life throughout the plant.  How does the branch abide in the vine?  Through sap.    How do we abide in Christ?  Through the presences of the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is the life and power of God in us, loving through us even when it is difficult for us to love some of the people in our world.

The words of Scriptures invite to the reality of God as love.  The words of Scripture warn us not to separate religious love from actual down to earth love.  The words of Scriptures promise us help in learning to love as we abide in Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sunday School, April 29, 2018 5 Easter B

Sunday School,  April 29, 2018    5  Easter B

Sunday School Themes

The writer of the Gospel of John uses examples from farming and agriculture to teach lessons.

How close is a branch to the main stem of a plant?

How close are the leaves and fruit to a grape vine?

Very Close

When we speak about a grape plant we know that they consist of a root, stem or vine and branches which have leaves and grapes.

Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches.”

This means that the life of Christ is very close to us and a part of us.

How does the life of the vine give life to the branches?  Plant blood is called “sap” and it flows inside of the plant to provide life food to all parts of the plant.

Jesus said there is something like sap which keeps us connected to him.

This sap would be the experience of God’s Holy Spirit who keeps us connected to Christ as the special life of God which we can find within ourselves, but we need to pay attention to it through prayer and study.

Allegorical Role playing Dialogue

Vine and Branchie.

Branchie: I am getting tired of just hanging around.  I want to leave this neighborhood and go away.

Vine: How are you going to do that?

Branchie:  Well, I will just swing really hard in the wind until I fall off on the ground and then I’ll get up and walk away.

Vine:  I don’t think so Branchie.  That is not the way plant life works.

Branchie:  Why not?  Why can’t I leave this neighborhood?

Vine: Well, you will always be a branch and you cannot be anything else.  So you have to follow the rules for branches.

Branchie:  What kind of rules?

Vine: Well, sometimes you have to get a “hair cut.”  You have to get pruned and trimmed.

Branchie: Ouch, that hurts.

Vine:  Yes, but it makes you grow much better and it helps you grow the very best grapes.  You like to grow grapes don’t you?

Branchie:  Well, yes, but why can’t I leave this neighborhood and travel?

Vine: You can because if you are broken off from me, you will lose your supply of plant blood and you will dry up and die and you will just be recycled.

Branchie: What is plant blood?

Vine:  Plant blood is called sap and you get your sap from me your Vine.  And you cannot live without the plant blood called sap.  So you have to stay connected to me.  I am happy to provide you with plant blood and I like to have you living close to me.

Branchie:  But can I ever leave or travel and still live?

Vine:  You can in a different way.  When you produce wonderful grapes, then your grapes are used for wine and for eating but also you produce more seeds for more grapevines.  And so the grapes are like your children and they get to travel and create more plant life everywhere.  They get to provide wonderful life for the people who eat them.  So you have a very important role in life.

Branchie: Yes, I do and I want to produce many good grapes so I want to stay close to you my Vine so that the plant blood or sap can continue to give me good life.

Vine: I would like these boys and girls to know that Jesus is like a Vine.  The Risen Christ is like a big tree with many branches.  And each of these boys and girls are like branches on the tree of Christ.  And they have the wonderful plant blood or sap inside of them.  Inside of each of these boys and girls is the Spirit of God and the Spirit of God provides a wonderful special kind of life within them and this special kind of life will last forever, even after they leave this earth.

Branchie:  Wow.  That is a special life.

Vine:  Boys and Girls can you repeat after me:  Christ is the true Vine of my life.   He provides me with the special inner life of God’s Holy Spirit.  Amen.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church

17740 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill, CA 95037

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

May 3, 2015: The Fifth Sunday of Easter

Gathering Songs:  Glorify Your Name; If You’re Happy; Alleluia; Lord, I Lift Your Name

Liturgist: Alleluia, Christ is Risen.

People: The Lord is Risen Indeed.  Alleluia.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.

And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.
Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: Glorify Your Name (Renew!  # 37)

1.      Father, we love you, we worship and adore you, glorify your name in all the earth. Glorify your name, glorify you name, glorify your name in all the earth.

2.      Jesus, we love you, we worship and adore you, glorify your name in all the earth.  Glorify your name, glorify your name, glorify your name in all the earth.

3.      Spirit, we love you, we worship and adore you, glorify your name in all the earth.  Glorify your name, glorify your name, glorify your name in all the earth.

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Chant: Alleluia

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia
O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia
O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia
O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia
O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia
O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

A reading from the First Letter of John

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God's love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Let us read together from Psalm 22

My praise is of him in the great assembly; * I will perform my vows in the presence of those who worship him.

The poor shall eat and be satisfied, and those who seek the LORD shall praise him: * "May your heart live for ever!"
All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, * and all the families of the nations shall bow before him.

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Litanist:

For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!
For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!
For work and for play. Thanks be to God!
For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!
For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!
For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.
   Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.

Since God is so great and we are so small,
We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.
We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and
     resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.
We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is
     welcome.
We believe that Christ is kind and fair.
We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.
And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy.

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.
For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.
For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.
For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.
For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.
For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.
For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.
For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Youth Liturgist:          The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

People:                        And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering

Song: If You’re Happy and You Know It   (Christian Children’s Songbook, # 124)

1.      If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.  If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands.  If you’re happy and you know, then your face should surely show it, if you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands.

2.      Make a high five…. 3. Make a low five…  4. Shout Amen.

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.
Holy Baptism is a celebration of our birth into the family of God.
A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.
The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts
We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 
Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;

You have made us in your image
And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:
Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.
And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph
And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat

  the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as

  this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Sanctify us by your Holy Spirit so that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory

 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.
Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.
As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.
But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.
Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.
Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:        Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Alleluia (Renew! # 136)

1. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.  Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
2. He’s my Savior, Alleluia… 3. He is worthy, Alleluia…. 4 I will praise him, Alleluia

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;
We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.
And His Presence has been known to us.
We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers
    and sisters in Christ.
Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the
     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,
As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: Lord, I Lift Your Name on High (Renew! # 4)

Lord, I lift your name on high; Lord, I love to sing your praises. 

I’m so glad you’re in my life; I’m so glad you came to save us. 
You came from heaven to earth to show the way, from the earth to the cross, my debt to pay. 
From the cross to the grave, from the grave to the sky; Lord, I lift your name on high.

Repeat

Dismissal:   

Liturgist: Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.

People: Thanks be to God! Alleluia!  Alleluia!

The Good Shepherd and Shepherding

4 Easter B  April 22, 2018

Acts 4:5-12  Psalm 23

1 John 3:1-8     John 10:11-16

Lectionary Link
St. Paul and his disciples waxed poetic about Christ.  They proclaimed him as an omni-universal entity who had only a short earthly physical appearance in the life of Jesus of Nazareth.  The Christian faith was to offered to people beyond the community of Judaism, and Christ was proclaimed as a universal being.  In the letter to the Colossian church, it is written:  "Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all."

Christ is all, and is in all.  What does that mean?  Is Christness universal humanity?  Is Christ in us the rising the original image of God within each human being?

If this is the poetic spiritual theology of the early church, what would such poetic theology look like in a narrative about the life of Jesus?  The theology and the spiritual practice of the early church was developed before the Gospels were written.

I would call such a narrative of the life of Jesus instantiating the spiritual theology of the church, the Gospel of John.

The Gospel of John begins with God as the Word and all things exist because of the Word.  And that Word became best expressed as a human being in the person of Jesus Christ. "And the Word was made flesh...."

What are the words about existence?   In English we use the verb "to be."  But is being or "to be"  an action?  Or is being an abstraction of becoming.  I become in time and I sum up becoming in time with the reduction "I am or I have been until now."  The holy name of God in Hebrew "Yahweh" might be a form of "to be" expressed as "the one who has always been and who will always be."  For Jews, the special name of God is holy and unpronounceable because to say the name might imply God could have even a momentary limitation in time.

My one name Phil, which names my existence, is a reduction of all of the occasions of my becoming in time, from conception until time.  All of that becoming is reduced to my one name.

John is the Gospel of naming who Word of God is in time.  The Word of God in time as a human being is best expressed in Jesus Christ.  And John's Gospels uses lots of "ego eimi" or "I am"  phrases. "I am" phrase are metaphors.  A metaphor relates the identity of someone or something using something that is entirely different than someone or something.

So in John's Gospel there are "I am" phrases of the confessed identities of Jesus, the one who St. Paul said was all and in all.

I am the light of the world, the way, the truth, the life, the resurrection, the bread of life, the living bread come down from heaven, the gate, the vine; I am he the messiah,  I am he, the Son of Man,  I am he, the Son of God.  And perhaps the most blatant "I am" phrase is when Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am."  How could that be?  Well, Word or Naming itself exists before everything that is named.

In today's Gospel, Jesus says, "I am the Good Shepherd."  A shepherd is the symbol for leadership and especially spiritual leadership within the community.

In Hebrew Scriptures leaders in the community were referred to as "shepherds," a metaphor which derived from the sheep herding beginnings of nomadic tribes of Israel.  Most of pre-democratic societies could be called "paternalistic" societies, that is to say, they were dominated by leaders who made most of the big decision on behalf of the highly dependent "child-like members of " society.  The roles in paternalistic societies are limited to the leaders and their delegates.  The dependent people of society were regarded to be lacking independent wealth, power and knowledge to be able to decide for themselves and co-determine their own existence in their societies.  They relied upon "omni-competent" shepherds to tell them how to earn their livelihood,  where to dwell and where to find protection from enemies.  The leaders in ancient societies were tyrannical kings,  conquering and exploitive tribal leaders but some of them benevolent and caring particularly to their own relatives and clan.

Israel had been given the laws which provided recommended behaviors toward God as well as recommended human social behaviors.  Prophets like Moses, Judges like Samuel and Deborah and Kings like David were supposed to be the shepherd leaders to show people how to live the Torah, the law of God.  The Hebrew Scriptures includes accounts of lots of bad leaders, bad shepherds who did not keep the covenant with God and who exploited their people to the ruin of the nation.

The writer of the Twenty Third Psalm wrote a poem about a personal discovery of God as the perfect shepherd.  God is the one who takes care of the one who knows himself or herself to be dependent on God.  How is God experienced?  One who leads besides still waters; one who provides; one who protects; one who anoints with health and salvation; one who provides an eternal dwelling place.  The twenty third Psalm is the experience of God as being one's Great and Good Shepherd.

And how would the good and great Shepherd look in human life?  The Gospel of John presents Jesus as the Good Shepherd.  He lived the life of care and concern for vulnerable people.  He did not exploit the weak, the ignorant and the poor.  The good shepherd discourse is a discourse on power and power relationships.  Social Darwinism implies that the strong are the fittest who are destined to survive because they maintain themselves first at the expense of the weak.  The Good Shepherd discourse reveals the opposite; if one has wealth, knowledge and power, one is called to follow the example of the Good Shepherd and lay down one's life for the sheep, those who lack enough power, wealth and knowledge to maintain the well-being of their own lives.  This study in power is still relevant for us today.

I believe it is relevant in our days of so-called modern democracies.  Modern democracies are based upon the individual having enough knowledge, power and wealth, to be able to participate to make good decisions together for the common good.  But in practice, many individuals have become strong, wealthy and knowledgeable to be able to be "free economic" agents in our societies.  Individuals have been wealthy and strong enough not to need community institutions.  The result has been the atrophy of democracies and democratic institutions.  The institutions themselves have become the vulnerable sheep because of non-participation.  Only 58% of the eligible voters voted in the last elections; attendance and participation in churches has drastically declined.  Why?  Because independent free economic agents "don't need" the institutions and can fare well without participation.  The institutions themselves have become bodies of people where 10 percent of the people give and do 90 percent of the giving and the work.  The modern democratic institutions, the volunteer associations have become the weak sheep and they need the strong participation of shepherds again.  People need to come to church to be shepherds; strong, knowledgeable, generous shepherds on behalf of the common good and on behalf of what we can do together if we pool our resources to make a difference in bringing good news to our world.

Today, on this Good Shepherd Sunday, we need to accept our baptismal roles as shepherd.  The old church was a paternal church of passive spectator watching the leaders; and the clergy did church on behalf of everyone.  Priests and bishops are called shepherds, pastors; bishops carry the crozier or the symbolic staff of a shepherd, but priests and bishops do not exhaust the roles of shepherding that the church needs to do. The entire church is to be a shepherding church; a group of people who care for one another because we first care for God and because we've come under the winsome influence of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.

Let us learn from the Good Shepherd discourse today.  When we are vulnerable and need care, I pray that God will bring a shepherd to each of us.  When we find ourselves with ability, knowledge, power and wealth, let us rise to be shepherds to those in need.  And now, let us regard the vulnerable situation of the parish church, an institution which seems to be in atrophy; let us rise to be shepherds to make the body of Christ alive and well and strong to be a witness for the good news of God's love.  Amen.

Billy Said, "I'm Not a Good Shepherd."

4 Easter B  April 22, 2018
Acts 4:5-12  Psalm 23
1 John 3:1-8     John 10:11-16
Lectionary Link

A boy named Billy went with his family to a petting zoo at a farm in the country and this petting zoo was very special place because on this day they had a sign up at the sheep pen.  Billy and his sister went into the sheep pen and were petting and playing with the little lambs.  They were so cute and nice.   Billy's sister Suzy could read and she saw a sign in the sheep pen.  It read, "Lambs for sale; please ask the owner."  Suzy said to her brother Billy, "Billy, the sign says the lambs are for sale."   And Suzy missed the gestures of mom and dad with their finger on their lips....meaning shush, "Don't tell Billy that the lambs are for sale."  But it was too late.  Once Billy found out that the lambs were for sale, he had to have one.  He bugged mom and dad and begged them.  "Please can we get a lamb.   Can I choose this cute little one?  Look, he likes me, he needs me and I think he wants to go home with me."

Mom and Dad said, "No, Billy, the lamb will be lots of work.  You have to take care of them and especially when it is so young. "   Billy insisted, "I can do it, I will do and we have a very big fenced back yard and we have shed in the back where the lamb can stay.  I want this lamb.  You don't have to get me a Christmas present or a birthday present.   This will be my next Christmas present and birthday present.  Please..please...please...and then pretty please and then pretty please with lots of sugar on it."

Mom and Dad rolled their eyes and finally they gave in.  So the farmer put the lamb in a box with some hay and some feed and a bottle and the lamb went home with Billy riding in the back seat.   Billy said, "I'm going to call him Fuzzy, because his wool is so fuzzy."  Billy was the happiest boy alive.  But did he stay that way?

For two days, Billy had fun feeding the Fuzzy with a bottle.  And he kept him in a big dog carrier with hay.

But after two days, the lamb would wake up bleating in morning.  Mom shouted, "Billy, have you fed Fuzzy this morning?"  Billy said, "I forgot."  "Billy, did you take Fuzzy outside to let him run in the yard."  Billy said, "No, because when I did that he got into your flowers and he made a mess and he chewed a hole in my basketball and popped it."

Mom said, "Billy I asked you to keep him in the fenced off area away from my flowers.  And you need to keep all of your toys away from Fuzzy or he will chew them."

Billy took Fuzzy outside to play with him.  But after about 10 minutes he came running into the house, shouting, "Fuzzy is gone; I can't find him."  Mom said, "Were you watching him?"  Billy said, "Not all of the time."  They went to look for Fuzzy.  The gate had been left open and he had gotten out of the yard.  Fortunately, Fuzzy was just in the neighbor's yard trying to knock over their garbage can.  Billy, corralled Fuzzy and put him back in the carrier.  And Billy was sad.

Billy remained sad and quiet and so his Dad asked him at dinner why he wasn't eating and why was he sad.  With tears in his eyes, Billy blurted out, "I'm not a good shepherd.  Fuzzy needs to be taken care of and watched all of the time and I don't have anytime to do anything else.  Fuzzy needs a good shepherd and I don't think that I am a good shepherd."

Mom and Dad said, "Billy, that's okay.  Little lambs are hard to take care of.  Do you want to take him back to the farm?"  Billy said, "Well no, but I think it would be better for Fuzzy.  Will the farmer take him back?"  Dad said, "Yes, he told us if it didn't work out that Fuzzy could come back."

What did Billy find out about taking care of a lamb?  It is very hard work to be a good shepherd.

Today we've read about Jesus being a good shepherd.  This world needs good shepherds.  It needs people who are strong, smart and generous to take care of the young, the poor, the sick, and those who are not smart enough or strong enough to take care of themselves.  Sometimes we are in need and we need good shepherds to help us.  And sometimes we are a strong and able to help people in need.

Our world needs a balance of having enough good shepherds to take care of all of the people in need.  And good news of Jesus as the good shepherd is a lesson for us to learn how to be good shepherd as we learn how to help people in need.  And like Billy, we will sometimes find out that we are not good shepherds, but we can never give up trying to be good shepherds.  Amen.