Year C 6th Epiphany WED 2022 Good Shepherd

Year C 6th Sunday of Epiphany WEDNESDAY, 16 February 2022

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Good Shepherd”

Collect: O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your grace, that in keeping your commandments we may please you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

John 10:1-18

1Jesus said: ‘Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.’ 6Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

7 So again Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

11 ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes* it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.’

Good morning, friends! It is good to be home. It would be impossible to keep the pace we have kept the last week for much longer. The official reason for our trip was to say goodbye and Thank You to our sponsoring Bishop of the Triangle of Hope ministry, the Right Reverend Paul Bayes lately of Liverpool. Bishop Paul has been a friend and a dear supporter of our work, and of me personally, and he will be sorely missed. The most moving portion of his Farewell Service was at the very end when he goes to the high altar and lays down his diocesan crozier (on the altar itself), is stripped of his ceremonial gear, and he walks from the cathedral in a simple alb and the doors close (they really slammed these 15 foot doors) behind him.

The whole crowd jumped when the doors slammed shut, first one, then the other. It reverberated throughout the cathedral, and echoed through this largest of Anglican Cathedrals in Europe.

But the Crozier, that symbol of Episcopal authority, comes directly from this chapter. While I am the pastor of this flock, the Bishop, literally from the word for overseer, is the Shepherd of the Diocese. But every Bishop lays down their Crozier in retirement or death. Every single one, even +Paul, and very soon our own +Susan will lay down her Crozier.

Thankfully, though, the Good Shepherd does not lay anything down, except his life when required, for his sheep. This idea of a Good Shepherd is so powerful even when we are so far removed from the pastoral profession in our lives today. 

Jesus very clearly says that he is the Gate and the Good Shepherd. And he states the actions which make him the Good Shepherd. They were true then, and they are true today.

• He knows our name, and he calls us by name. That very thought, that someone knows me by name. As Bishop Paul was walking to the Altar to lay down his staff, he made eye contact with me. I placed my hand on my heart and gave him a nod. He said aloud, “Thank you, Rock!” In that moment I felt such a connection and appreciation for this man I respect so much. And on top of that he knows me. He called me by name. And Jesus loves us even more than that moment I just shared.

• He leads us. He does not leave us wandering or clueless. He gives us direction and purpose. He sets our agenda and our pace. 

• He goes before us. He not only leads us where we are to go, but he goes out ahead to direct us and watch out for obstacles and hazards along the way. The most comforting thing is that he knows exactly what we are going through. He walks with us every step of the way.

• He provides for us life, and more than that, Abundance. It is the difference between surviving and thriving. We can live on bread and water, but a sumptuous feast is what we are given. Abundance needs to be our mindset, and humility is our attitude. We are sheep in this metaphor, not the one the shepherd works for, the Lord. We do not deserve our abundance, it is not a privilege. Our abundance is a gift, and that is the very definition of grace.

• He lays down his life for us. This is how much he loves us. He loves us to death, literally. If we ever questioned that, this proves it. He is the Ultimate Shepherd, and good to boot.

• He knows us and lets us know him, too. This is beyond a trite statement. Scripture promises that he numbers the hair on our heads. He knows us better than we know ourselves. This is love, love beyond measure. This is the love of the Good Shepherd. Thanks be to God!

Today, remember that. Feel the love, and let us be like him in our Following. Amen.