Homily at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

Sunday, May 7^th, 2006

The Fourth Sunday of Easter

Ezekiel 34:1-10

Acts 4:23-37

John 10:11-16

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.” The psalmist prayed, “The Lord is my shepherd.” May we too know that, “The Lord is our shepherd.”

On this Good Shepherd Sunday – the fourth Sunday of Easter, we have the opportunity to reflect on two fundamental questions of faith: who is God and who are we? There is no beating around the bush in John’s Gospel. Jesus says over and over again who he is: I am the bread; I am the light; I am the way; I am the resurrection; I am the way; I am the gate; I am the good shepherd. Jesus does not come right out and say, “I am God” – because that is the equivalent of dividing 1 by 0; confining the infinite to the finite; robbing the incarnation of its humanity.

When Moses first encounters God at the burning bush, God reveals his name as “I will be what I will be” and commands him to tell the Israelites that “I am has sent you.” You can understand why Moses was nervous about how this would go over with the slaves in Egypt, and also why they ended up thinking that Moses has a speech problem. Imagine that first conversation back in Egypt. “Who has sent you?” ask the Israelites. “I am...” responds Moses. “You are what? – we don’t want to know about you…What is this god’s name?” insist the Israelites. “I am…” stutters Moses. Long before baseball, this was the original “who’s on first?” We should never forget how much humor is implied in our Scriptures.

The point is that God is revealed in this enigmatic, mysterious, active and wonderful description: I am. God as man, who is both human and divine, cannot nor wants to escape the use of direct objects, including light, way, bread, gate and shepherd. As metaphors for God are only of limited value, the use of so many descriptors helps us remember the mystery, complexity and freedom of God to be what God will be. But of all the descriptors, “shepherd,” is the most poignant, memorable, and utilized. There are Good Shepherd churches. There are Christian formation programs for children called “catechesis of the Good Shepherd.” Jesus is often depicted with a lamb around his neck – as caring, pastoral and gentle. This is a powerful image that has shaped many if not all of us in our understanding from an early age of who Jesus is. Moreover, Jesus isn’t just any shepherd – he is the good shepherd, unlike the selfish, indulgent, arrogant, blind, deceitful and cowardly shepherds we hear about in the reading from Ezekiel. These bad shepherds are the leaders of the people, the elite, the rulers - who have led the people astray and allowed them to stray. Who is God? As revealed in Jesus – a good shepherd.

There are both joyous and dark implications of what it means for Jesus to be the good shepherd. But first, we must remember that we are the sheep – not in terms of being stupid, herding animals – but as what sheep have always been in our scriptures – the quintessential sacrificial animal. It was through the great gate in Jerusalem through which the sheep passed for the rite of sacrifice. As the good shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep, Jesus has been sacrificed once and for always – so that the sheep are no longer needed for a sacrifice to God. With Jesus leading them, the sheep enter through the gate – not for slaughter but to be fed. This is the joyous and good news of what God has done for us in Jesus. The darker implication looks at the shepherd / sheep analogy differently. As the good shepherd, Jesus stays with the flock and guides them with complete dedication. It is more than just a job, as it is to the hired hand. Shepherding is a way of life. When the shepherd lays down his life for the sheep, it is a time of complete calamity. The shepherd dies defending the flock and the flock is scattered and destroyed. This is indeed dark - but ultimately a triumph of revelation – in that our God, the God made known in Jesus, is a God who stays with us and dies with us in our death. We are fed and we do not die alone. And we know who God is on this Good Shepherd Sunday.

As wonderful as the Good Shepherd image is in both darkness and joy, there has been a subtle but pernicious and dangerous transference of the Shepherd image to the ordained leaders of the church. We call our ministers “pastors” and “shepherds of the flock.” The bishop carries his staff to symbolize his responsibility as shepherd of a diocese. Today, we are called to remember that there is one shepherd and one flock. Yes, the reality is that on Thursday night, through the presentations, readings, processions, incense, loud crashing bells and flowing chocolate fountain, you installed nothing more than a cloved-hoofed, ruminant, sheared sheep as your rector – one who prays as you do, “The Lord is my shepherd.” At the same time, it is true, that I am a sheep that has been called to represent Christ and his church – to proclaim the Gospel, to administer the sacraments and to bless and declare pardon in the name of God, here at St. Mark’s. It is in this capacity as well that I call us to reflect on the second question of the day: who are we? What type of flock are we to be in the coming months and years?

How many of you know the mission statement of St. Mark’s? I know that if I read it to you now, you would say, “yes, that’s right – sounds reasonable, nothing objectionable about that.” It is not my intent to critique the current mission statement or to call for us to come up with a new one. Mission statements help organizations reflect on who they are and what they do. It is the process of coming up with one that is the most beneficial, rather than the finished product that goes on letter heads and annual reports. As your newly installed rector, and as Charles has observed, free trial period ended, I would like to begin to make several claims about what type of flock – what type of congregation we are and hope to become. I will do so with a list of words that we might be able to remember, tell to each other and others and live into with our actions, decisions, time and resources.

Welcoming: to welcome means to want to share our “wellness,” new health and joy as a congregation with each other, those who stumble on us in their faith journey, those who are former parishioners, those who come to us seeking assistance, our guests, tenants, our mail carrier and lawn service providers. I see welcoming as part of our worship, where our younger parishioners are active in acolyting, ushering, reading the lessons. I see this being lived out now in our coffee hours, in our greeter program, and in our warmness and hospitality toward newcomers and visitors.

Giving: to give means to live into the very essence of who we are as creatures made in the image of God. In the reading from Acts, we hear of the power of the resurrection among those who first believed – who gave of themselves so that there was not a needy person among them. This example inspires us to examine how we give of our time, our God-given talents, and our money to our ministries and mission. It is in giving and generosity that we not only transform the world but are transformed into the likeness of Christ. The practice and scope of giving at St. Mark’s is impressive – there are no fewer than 50 beneficiaries of St. Mark’s generosity – that’s one per week.

Transparency: Jesus tells us plainly who he is - the one who reflects in perfect form, the will and being of the Father. As a congregation, we are called away from secrets, gossip and private agendas to a culture and community of openness, disclosure and clarity. With this stance, conflict is seen as a healthy part of our common life – something to be expected and respected. Difficult challenges, such as our mortgages and debt, or smaller matters, such as painting the doors of the church, are visible and accessible through discussion, regular communications and presentations. To this end, you have received a letter about the status of the parish’s debt in the April issue of the PostMark. The next step will be a presentation and opportunity to ask questions on May 28^th.

Respect: being nice is only a part of what it means to respect others – whether they are our neighbors around St. Mark’s, those who come to the parish seeking assistance, newcomers, those of other faiths or those who have left St. Mark’s in the recent past. The “re” in respect points to its foundation in relationship – where true respect is grounded in listening, curiosity and a willingness to be side-tracked or thrown off course. I see this happening on Sunday morning when the choice is made to drive another block to find a parking space rather than partially blocking a driveway on Philips or Hillside, hoping that the homeowner can squeeze by if they have to drive away. I see a culture of respect at St. Mark’s as we observe, discuss and respond to the General Convention of the Episcopal Church in June, as the volatile and emotional issues of sexuality, race, justice and the authority of scripture are once again key topics.

Focus: to be focused means to be disciplined and reflective about our limitations and weaknesses. We can’t do everything, but we can do some things well – with good procedures, communications and planning. This also means claiming, developing and celebrating our core ministries – whether they are music, worship, education, outreach or pastoral care. Being focused means having good administrative procedures, a well-maintained building and grounds, and a plan for keeping it that way.

Mission: unlike Mission Impossible III, Christian mission is possible – even without Tom Cruise – and more believable because it is a natural and innate desire to respond to the hurts and hopes of our congregation, community and world. Mission means responding locally, regionally and internationally – in ways that are challenging and reflective of the interests, talents and desires of our congregation. From being a vibrant, active participant in the Glen Ellyn community, to supporting St. Gregory’s School in Chicago, to making long-term connections to congregations in Baghdad or Southeast Mexico – this is mission. The strongest missional identity will be inclusive of the parish, not only of all of its age groups, from children to seniors, but in its life – in worship, prayers, education and allocation of resources.

Vulnerable: being vulnerable means having courage to try new things and take risks. Vulnerability means overcoming the fear of failure and being rejected as possible consequences of reaching out to others. Many of you have said that you would volunteer more if only you were asked. Plan to be asked. Those who follow up with you – who call you on the phone or ask in person to help with a project or ministry will need to be vulnerable to break the 80/20 rule that governs not only St. Mark’s but most churches and organizations.

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we remember that we have one Shepherd – a good Shepherd – who leads us into all goodness and never abandons us, even in our death. We respond to this good news and good shepherd by claiming our identity as a good flock. And as a good flock, may we find our identity in our welcome, giving, vulnerability, mission, focus, transparency and respect.

Amen.