The Gospel:  John 10:11-18
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The 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. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I 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. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No 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.”

Prayer: Lord, you have promised that when two or three gather in your name you will be present with them. We depend on that promise today and pray that you will move among us. Lord, we pray that have you inspired Mike's preparation, that you will enliven his presentation and that you will empower our application.  Amen

Message: Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. Our Scriptures this morning are all interconnected with the imagery of "the Good Shepherd. They each refer to or consider, the difference between the role and purpose of the Good Shepherd and all other shepherds.

So, that raises an interesting question for us as we hear these very familiar passages again this morning. After all, these are not new passages are they? If we have spent any time at all in church in our lifetime we certainly have heard these Scriptures. We certainly know that Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the one who is willing to lay down his life for or on behalf of those the Father has given him. I believe that most of us are more than happy to accept and believe that Jesus is our Good Shepherd.

So, you may be wondering what is the question that we need to consider? Well, one possible question is: "if Jesus is the Good Shepherd then who are the sheep?"

It may seem easy for us to answer that question. Because we all know that we are supposed to recognize that we are the sheep right? That we understand our relationship with Jesus as one of caring shepherd and that we are members of the flock of Christ. That he has come to gather us unto himself and to guard against all the evil that seeks to harm or devour us.

There is such comfort and security in that image isn't there? If we hold on to that image we can link it to other concepts and images that encourage us in our walk with Christ.

I think one of the best examples of that imagery is the poem or prayer that many of us are familiar with. The Footprints in the Sand poem or prayer goes something like this. 

The Footprints Prayer:
One night I had a dream…
I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord, and
Across the sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; One belonged to me, and the other to the Lord. When the last scene of my life flashed before us, I looked back at the footprints in the sand. I noticed that many times along the path of my life, There was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life
This really bothered me, and I questioned the Lord about it.
“Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
You would walk with me all the way;
But I have noticed that during the
most troublesome times in my life,
There is only one set of footprints.
I don’t understand why in times when I
needed you the most, you should leave me.
The Lord replied, “My precious, precious
child. I love you, and I would never,
never leave you during your times of
trial and suffering.
When you saw only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you.
 
Knowing that Jesus wants to be engaged in our lives and to walk with us through our adversities and challenges is certainly a wonderful concept. We are truly blessed if we see our relationship with Christ as one where he sits with us and listens to us and counsels us in our struggles.

I certainly don't want to tarnish that image for any of us this morning. I want you to hold on to that understanding. I want you to seek to develop your conversation and interaction with the Lord. It will bring rich and powerful results in your life if you bring all your questions, doubts, and struggles to him.
But I would remiss in my role as a shepherd this morning if I were to leave us seeing that as the only question that we may need to deal with in these passages.

So I have a second question for us to wrestle with this morning. If we see Jesus as the Good Shepherd and we are the sheep then what does that tell us about our nature and character? Now, I have to admit that I am not too keen to examine this question too deeply.

I can't say that I have had a lot to do with sheep in my life. But I have read about them and they are not the best example of intelligence and cooperation.

Sheep, have a tendency, to wander off, they constantly need to be watched, they don't seem to have a great capacity for memory. They will go ahead and do something they have done before even when it put them in danger. They often get tangled up in briars and bushes. They are just as likely to walk off the edge of a cliff and fall into ravines. They have no way to protect themselves from predators. They are just as likely to follow another sheep into danger or into a situation that will threaten their well-being. Often they will fight against the shepherd when they have got themselves into difficulty. They will stubbornly ignore or fight against the directions of those who can see danger or a threat that they are unaware of.

All in all, sheep are one of the best illustrations of the meaning of the word recalcitrant. I looked that up in the dictionary and this is what it said: as an adjective: "having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline." Or as a noun: "a person with an obstinately uncooperative attitude."

Have you noticed how much of the New Testament is written about people that we might well describe as recalcitrant? Why does the author of our reading from 1 John this morning need to address the community he is writing to about love the way he does? "We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us-- and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action." "And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us."

I would suggest that left to their own devices and their own understanding of right the people in the community that is addressed in 1 John would not necessarily put the needs of others before their own. Now I am not saying that they were purposefully obstinate, they just needed to be reminded of where their attitude should be focused.

Now, how do you think the people responded to what is written to them? I would guess or suggest that perhaps they were not pleased to have their attitudes and actions questioned in a public way. Perhaps they reacted in anger, perhaps they got defensive.

Of course, we are not likely to act that way, are we? When we have things brought to attention that we need to correct or work on we are always ready to hear and to correct our behavior aren't we!

"You will remember I began my Sermon last week by saying "there is it that familiar phrase: "Peace be with you."

Jesus is seeking to reassure and encourage the disciples. I went on to say that I believe that Jesus was and is seeking to reassure and encourage us.

Because we may be faced with the same issue as the disciples, or the people in the community that 1 John is written to.

Perhaps Jesus is faced with the same issue with us as he was with the disciples. Before Jesus can get to the point with us he has to deal with our attitudes. He has to help us deal with what we are upset about. He has to help us deal with our emotions.

Jesus understands this about us. Jesus understands that until we are calm we will not hear. Until we are at peace we will not understand. Until we have dealt with our anxiety we will not accept what he has to say. Until we have put aside our doubt we will not be able to do what he needs us to do.

Jesus needed the disciples to be witnesses, he also needs us to be witnesses. Last week, I talked about how a witness speaks to the "truth of what they know." They are called on to proclaim, in deed and action, what they know and what they believe. Perhaps this week we need to think about how we are allowing the Good Shepherd to be our shepherd. How can we be a little less sheep-like this week? How can we be a little less recalcitrant?

Last week I encouraged us all, as we move through this "Season of Easter" in 2021, to consider what you know and what you believe? Are we be willing to say to the Lord: "I want to know what the disciples knew, I want to believe what the disciples believed." Lord open my mind and help me put aside my selfishness and my angry reactions and to accept your word.

Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

The Gospel:  Luke 24:36b-48
Jesus himself stood among the disciples and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

Prayer:  Lord, you have promised that when two or three gather in your name you will be present with them. We depend on that promise today and pray that you will move among us. Lord, we pray that have you inspired Mike's preparation, that you will enliven his presentation and that you will empower our application.  Amen

Message:  So, there is it that familiar phrase: "Peace be with you." This time it is Jesus and he is seeking to reassure and encourage the disciples. Jesus even goes as far as to say to them “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?"

Jesus then goes on to seek to prove that it is actually him. He offers his hands and his feet as evidence of who he is. Apparently, this did not satisfy them because our scripture this morning goes on to say: "While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence.

The disciples are obviously struggling to comprehend just who Jesus is. Jesus patiently seeks a variety of ways to assure them and tries to allow his presence to bring calm and peace into the situation.

He does not attempt to teach them or to impart to them the information he wants to pass on until he is sure that they are over their initial anxiety. Jesus understands that until they are calm they will not hear. Until they are at peace they will not understand. Until they have dealt with their anxiety they will not accept what he has to say. Until they have put aside their doubt they will not be able to do what he needs them to do.

Unless the disciples have had the opportunity to process their emotions and to reconcile themselves to the fact that this is Jesus they will not be able to move forward. What Jesus shares with the disciples in this encounter is important. In fact, it has been used throughout the centuries following this encounter to shape and influence the very fabric of the community which we have come to know as the church. The work that the disciples were called to, and which they passed on to their fellow believers, the community that they developed based on these words are evident in our world today."

Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you - that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things."

Jesus confirms the prophecies from throughout the Old Testament which proclaimed the role and work of the Messiah. He then declares to them that he has done all that has been written in "the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms." That it has been fulfilled in him.

His death, and resurrection, are the fulfillment of all the expectations, the hopes, and all the dreams of the people of Israel. Not just that but it also fulfills all the hopes, expectations, and dreams of all humankind. He goes on to tell them that this miraculous event is to be proclaimed to the whole world - to all nations. He says this work is to begin in Jerusalem. But he expects that the word will be spread throughout the whole world. He says to the disciples that he expects them to be witnesses. So that raises the question: "what is the role of a witness?" Well, we all understand that a witness speaks to the "truth of what they know." A witness in our modern court system is called to speak about what they know. They are called on to proclaim, to anyone who will listen, what they know and what they believe.

So here we are hearing this Gospel this morning and we may well ask: "so what am I supposed to get out of this Scripture?" I do not claim to have the complete answer to that question but let me share some thoughts about what it might have to say to us.

First of all, I would suggest that we need to spend some time considering what emotions a story like this stirs up in us?

The disciples were dealing with their fear and their uncertainty. We may not have that same reaction. Quite possibly we may hear this story and be rather perplexed by the events, and the disciple's reactions. We may well think it odd or disconcerting that the disciples needed to be reassured and encouraged. Or we may find ourselves being rather "off-hand" about this story. This may well be what we put in the category of "one of those: hard to believe Bible stories about Jesus." We have to listen to them because they come up in the lectionary, but, honestly, we don't put much credit in them. We are dealing with a different set of emotions, from the disciples aren't we,  when we hear this story. The disciples were there, and if we accept the story that has been passed down, they were fearful and doubtful. We have our own doubts, but our doubts are around the credibility of the account. We are no sure it is even true. We are not sure we want to be seen as people who believe these kinds of stories. We are not sure we want our friends and our neighbors to know us as "those kind of people." Those who are a little gullible or a little naïve.

But we are faced with the same issue. Or perhaps Jesus is faced with the same issue. Before Jesus can get to the point of this story with us he has to deal with our doubts. He has to deal with what we are afraid of. He has to help us deal with our anxiety.

He has to confront us and ask the question, as he did with the disciples at the time "What are you afraid of?"

Remember what I said earlier: The disciples are obviously struggling to comprehend just who Jesus is. Jesus patiently seeks a variety of ways to assure them and tries to allow his presence to bring calm and peace into the situation.

He does not attempt to teach them or to impart to them the information he wants to pass on until he is sure that they are over their initial anxiety. Jesus understands that until they are calm they will not hear. Until they are at peace they will not understand. Until they have dealt with their anxiety they will not accept what he has to say. Until they have put aside their doubt they will not be able to do what he needs them to do.

Unless the disciples have had the opportunity to process their emotions and to reconcile themselves to the fact that this is Jesus they will not be able to move forward. Jesus understands that about us as well.

Jesus understands that until we are calm we will not hear. Until we are at peace we will not understand. Until we have dealt with our anxiety we will not accept what he has to say. Until we have put aside our doubt we will not be able to do what he needs us to do.

Unless we have had the opportunity to process our emotions and to reconcile ourselves to the fact that this is Jesus we will not be able to move forward. How can we be a witness until we know for ourselves what we know and what we believe? Remember what I said about a witness earlier: "A witness speaks to the "truth of what they know." A witness is called to speak about what they know. They are called on to proclaim, to anyone who will listen, what they know and what they believe.

As we move through this "Season of Easter" in 2021 can I encourage you to consider what you know and what you believe? Perhaps you may have to spend some time examining what you are afraid of? What is it that blocks you from being at peace, without anxiety, and confident to witness to what you know and believe?

Would we be willing to say to the Lord: "I want to know what the disciples knew, I want to believe what the disciples believed." Lord open my mind and help me put aside my doubts and my fears and to accept your word.

Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.