My sheep listen to my voice
Sermon for the 4th Sunday of Easter (Good Shepherd Sunday), year C
Bible reading: John 10:27-29
Several weeks after the previous Bethelehm pastor retired he gave me this book and encouraged me to read it. It’s called Quitting church – why the faithful are fleeing by an American journalist. Inspiring reading for a new District President – not! I put it on the shelf and left it there until this week. (I thought maybe he would be here today and ask if I’d read it!) It’s one of those books that you do but you don’t really want to read. You know it will say things that cut, infuriate, and irritate, but may have some truth in them too.
Why are the faithful fleeing? Good question isn’t it. One writer in the Advertiser calls her column “Straying from the flock” and regularly tells us what’s wrong with us and why people like her are leaving. The week after Easter the letters were full of atheists telling us why, and I’m sure you’ve got your own theories about it too. Every week I receive a phone call telling me how people are leaving because of their pastor. And the pastors tell me people are leaving because of their people!
Rather than blame each other and ask “why the faithful are fleeing” maybe we should ask the question: “Why should they stay?” “What will keep them? And why should anyone want to join in the first place?”
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
It’s not firstly about us, the church and keeping people in our walls, it’s about God and a relationship with God. And what keeps people close to God is hearing his voice, the voice of Jesus. Not just turning up at church but hearing Jesus. Listening to him. Trusting his words to us.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”
That’s where you come in Fraser. You don’t have to think up a new word to speak, you don’t have to be an entertainer, and MC, a story teller about yourself. You are not a CEO calling the shots on everything. You are not here to say anything that hasn’t been said – by Jesus. You are hear to speak the only word that can bring people to God and the only word that can keep them with God and therefore in his church, and the only word that can make people want to join him and us.
The word pastor means “feeder” and you are here to feed people with the words of Jesus, the word of God. Make sure it’s the Gospel that tells these people that God knows them and God has them safe in his hand because of Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep, who gives them eternal life. Do that with the gifts of speaking God has given you. Do that with who you are, your personality, quirks and charisma. But make sure it’s the word of God you are preaching and speaking and that they leave here with.
Jesus says the Father has given these people who believe to him, and Jesus today gives them to you to shepherd for him, to feed, to speak his words to, to set the table at communion for, to lead, to correct and guide, to walk with through the valley of the shadow of death, to remind that the cup of God’s blessings runs over for them, and to help them see God’s goodness and mercy following them throughout their lives, and to help them see the house of the Lord in the distance waiting for them.
As you, Fraser speak the word of the Good Shepherd to these people he gives them eternal life, he joins them to God, and keeps them safe in his hands and in his church.
As you faithfully proclaim to them the only words that can forgive and save them and give them eternal life, God not only keeps them safe with him, but God will add to them. That’s his promise. If they reject that word there is nothing else you can say or do to change that. If they hear that word there is nothing, and no one that can separate them from God and his love for them in Christ.
Quitting church. Maybe it’s not always that people quit Jesus and reject what Jesus says, but what the church is. Perhaps that hurts us most! Maybe we hear the voice of Jesus, we believe it but don’t always follow, and maybe the unbelieving world and some of those who leave our doors sense that. Maybe we think too much of ourselves and don’t consider other people like Jesus did.
Fraser you are called not just to comfort these people with the nice words of Jesus but challenge them with the hard words as well. The words that like this book get under our skin show us our hypocrisy and lack of love, our indifference to others, our trust in the comfort of our wealth, your task is to speak the words of Jesus that confront and lead us to repent and the word of grace that empowers us to change. What words does Jesus want to speak that shape us into a community that looks and sounds more like Him?
This morning some of you might have found it hard to get a car park here not because they were all coming to church but going down to the march. I wondered what is it about Anzac day that attracts people. Is there something about a life that truly sacrifices, the willingness to die for others if necessary, an earthy, bloody love, discipline and service of others that is attracting?
It sounds like what Jesus calls his church, his sheep to as the Good Shepherd says “follow me”.
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.”
Safe and secure in him we have nothing to lose, we have been given eternal life, we are safe in the Father’s hand because we are in Jesus’ hands. We are free to follow, to give, to sacrifice, not in token ways but ways that truly cost us for the sake of others, so they can share the life and freedom we enjoy in Jesus Christ.
“Follow me” says Jesus. “Follow him” will be the call of Pastor Pearce. The question is, will we listen, and will we follow? When we do sometimes our actions for Christ will speak louder than our words about Christ, and people may wonder “what’s’ going on in here?” “Why do these people love and give and serve and sacrifice the way they do? Who are they following and why?” And we can tell them we follow the voice of one who died for us but is alive, one who has given us eternal life when he give up his life for us.
In John 6 Jesus said to his disciples “do you want to leave too?”, “quit church?” Peter replied “where else can we go, you have the words of eternal life.” That’s why we stay, it’s why we persevere, and what is the only power ultimately to keep people together with God.
Fraser, your task and challenge as the new under-shepherd here at Adelaide Bethlehem is to hear the word of the Good Shepherd yourself, to believe and follow and to speak that word as clearly and as often as God enables you with your gifts and opportunities here. To do that well you need to know your sheep, Who are you speaking to? What is reality of life for them, how do the words of Jesus speak to them? As you speak the words of Jesus, especially word of forgiveness and grace, trust it will hold people together with God and add to that number!
Today God gives you people a new shepherd, hopefully a good shepherd after his own heart who will speak his word and lead you for to Christ and with Christ into the world. Will you listen to the voice of the Shepherd, and will you follow?