Easter 4 (A) It’s About Life!
If someone were to ask you what the Bible is about, what would you say? Wow! Uh, let’s talk about it. One year at Camp Cross we invited the Jr. High campers to express their thoughts on that question with no holds barred. Keep in mind that Jr. High kids can be ruthlessly honest! We wrote down their thoughts on newsprint. We asked, “What do you think the Bible is all about?
Afterwards, our daughter Kathy (using their words), created a song which we learned and sang for the rest of the week.
The Bible Song
It’s a big, long, complicated, happy, interesting, dull, exciting, hard-to-understand, book.
(sing three times)
And maybe, just maybe, it’s the basis of our lives.
In John’s Gospel, the word “life” is used fifty times. In the entire Bible the word “life” is used approximately 600 (six hundred) times. If I wanted to get people thinking about the Bible’s primary message I would stand next to the guy holding the JOHN 3:16 sing: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that all who believe in Him should not parish, but have eternal life.”
And, along with my JOHN 3:16 sign, I would hang my JOHN 10:10 sign: “I came that they may have LIFE in abundance. (the last verse in today’s Gospel reading).
From his prison cell in Germany, before being executed by the Nazis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: “Time lost is time when we have not lived a full human life, times unenriched by experience, creative endeavor, enjoyment and suffering.”
This particular Sunday in the liturgical year is traditionally known as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” The 23rd Psalm is the obvious liturgical choice. “The Lord is my Shepard.” A good shepherd has life and death responsibility for his flock. Jesus presents himself “as the watchman of our lives, and as the guardian of our souls.”
John writes: “The Good Shepherd calls his sheep by name and leads them out.” The way I interpret that verse is that the Lord invites us into a personal relationship. I don’t know about you, but I have never met anyone who would say that their relationship with our shepherd Jesus turned out to be a bad idea. The Good Shepherd guides me along right pathways, He is with me in trouble, my cup is running over with God’s goodness.
What would it look like if this small congregation, St. James Milton-Freewater, were to put our souls and bodies where the love and guidance of the Good Shepherd could flow over us? What would it look like to our family and friends, if they could see in us the LIFE God intends for His children?
Let’s check it out… here at St. James, we calibrate God’s love at the alter in communion. We study the teaching of the church. We enjoy breaking bread and eating cake and ice cream together. We plant gardens and share food. We help make summer camp possible, we visit the sick and comfort the sorrowful. What does the LIFE God intends for His children look like….it would look like what I just said and more! It would look like us.
Our son Dave loves the simple direction from today’s lesson from Acts. [Acts 2:42-47]
Those who had been baptized devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.
Using this basic discipline the good news of God’s love comes to life.
Here is another test we can use when we are trying to discern the difference between the voice of the Good Shepherd and the voice of a stranger (one who does not enter by the gate). The voice of the Shepheard, Jesus, which we know in our hearts through a prayerful reading of the Gospel is the voice of acceptance. The Good Shepherd does not judge unfairly, and it does not leave people out. Jesus wants more sheep, not less. Jesus wants abundant life for all people, not just the ones we think should receive it.
Jesus is about abundant LIFE FOR ALL!
The Shepherd we know is Jesus. The table and cup we know is the eucharist. And the sheep we know are each other. God has set a table and welcomes all.
At the Lord’s table we will find a company of people who love us, teach us, comfort us, inspire us, and challenge us to take up our ministry of reconciliation and service. We are sitting next to them right now, and they are sitting next to us.
Dave (at the morning meeting) asks his staff this question, “How did God touch your life yesterday?” Each staff member is given an opportunity to respond. Dave encourages his staff to celebrate the gift by sharing it with the members of the camp community that they may encounter during the day.
Jesus said, “When I am lifted up people will be drawn to me, to my way of love.”
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