4 Easter/Year A
Good Shepherd Sunday
May 3, 2020
Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23; John 10:1-10
Here we are…half way through the Easter season…gathered together for worship on Zoom, on our computers, or I-pads, or by phone…People online with us today, from Sitka and other places, far and wide… How strange all those tech words sound at times, in associating them with church and worship….Who among us this morning…had ever imagined that we would be gathering for church in such a way…Sure, there’s been other churches who have had an online presence, way before the COVID-19 pandemic was among us…but they were still offering in person services, and live-streaming from the service, in the church…where people gathered together each week..
Even though, we’ve been gathering this way, now…since the 4th Sunday in Lent…March 22nd …It’s still a daily struggle, at times…to want to be able to go back to worshipping the way we have always done it…gather together like we always have…move freely about the community, go to school, go shopping, go to concerts, travel, eat out at restaurants, gather with our friends and family, as often as our hearts desire…We want this Covid-19 pandemic to go away…we want the suffering of so many people to stop…we want it all to end…so we can go back to living our lives the way we were accustomed to…to go back in time, to the way things were…
But, we can’t go back. We’ve never been able to go back in time, to the way things were. Time, as we know it…is always moving forward…and in that time, as we understand it…things are always changing…always being transformed…into a new creation… We know that, in our minds, but not always, in our hearts.
In nature, we observe time moving forward, in the seasons of spring, summer, autumn, winter…and beginning again…year after year…season after season…
In the seasons of the church year, we observe time moving forward, as we observe the changes and transformations that happened to people in biblical times, in their times of suffering and joy, in their stories of their encounters with God, with Jesus.
We learn from all of this, in the hearing of the scriptures, in the singing of hymns, in the prayers, in the breaking of bread together, and in the fellowship of gathering together every week.
And we learn, too…how all of these stories, are very much…our own stories too. No matter how much time has passed.
In today’s scriptures, we are reminded of the hope we can hold onto in this present time of unsettling changes, unknowns, grief and sorrows… that are marking our days and passage of time now…
On this 4th Sunday of Easter that we observe as Good Shepherd Sunday, we have a gospel story from John…and every year, on this 4th Sunday of Easter, we hear a different part of the story about Jesus, being called the Good Shepherd…
In today’s gospel, the disciples are having a difficult time comprehending what Jesus is speaking to them about…with all the shepherd and sheep and pastures and gate talk…Even though references to shepherds and sheep was most likely familiar to them, they seemed to be getting stuck on listening to Jesus’ words literally…listening with their minds only…
But, Jesus was speaking to their hearts….
Jesus’ words for them today…were meant for their hearts to hear…and for our hearts to hear…
Jesus’ words for them (and us) today…were meant to remind us…to bend our ears toward our hearts for just a moment …that’s where we will listen for, and hear his voice calling to us…speaking words of encouragement and guidance and hope…
Jesus’ words for them (and us) today… invite us to enter through the gate, through Jesus’ words of love, and welcome, and compassion…for even when the world and all that is happening does not makes sense in our minds, and there seems to be relentless suffering in our midst…Jesus’ invitation to us to receive this gift of unconditional love, and welcome, and compassion is a balm for our soul and our hearts…
Jesus’ words for them (and us) today…are meant to point us towards life…to remind us of the abundant life intended for all of us…an abundant life marked with the joy of being in relationship with God, with one another, and all of creation…Even in times of uncertainty and worries…
Jesus’ words for them (and us) today…are meant to go straight to our hearts…to bring healing, comfort, peace and hope…in the midst of whatever is happening in our lives today.
A hope that transcends all time and all understanding…a hope that our minds cannot fully comprehend…a hope that speaks directly to our hearts…
Psalm 23 captures the essence of this hope and this assurance we can hold onto in Jesus, as our shepherd…
No matter what version you have heard growing up over the years…the one your parents, or grandparents taught you…the version you learned in Sunday school or the version you heard spoken at a funeral over the years…Psalm 23 is a timeless psalm…
Psalm 23….is a timeless psalm…that assures us throughout all times… and in all circumstances….We have a shepherd who is with us… speaking words of love, and compassion, and peace, and hope…directly to our hearts…
Yes, I am thankful that we have been given a mind to think and an imagination to envision new ideas…and the will to go out into the world to share all that we have learned with others…and to do all of this, for the good and well-being of our communities… but, my heart also rejoices…and I am filled with gratitude…in knowing, that in all of our days…and with all of the changes that come with the passage of time… we have something that does not change…We have a God who loves us and care for us….we have a shepherd who speaks words of love, and compassion, and peace and hope…directly to our hearts…on this day…and in all the days to come…
Rev Julie Platson, Rector
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, AK
Ali Hosford…sing solo after sermon…
The Hymnal 1982 - #663 The Lord my God my shepherd is