Easter 4 A

John 10: 1-10

Psalm 23

A long time ago, someone gave me an icon of Jesus as the Good he!herd" #t is
one that # have treasured, $ecause, li%e man& icons, it acts as $oth a !icture and a mirror" #n m& case it
has taught me a great deal a$out 'hat it means to $e a she!herd, to $e !astoral under all circumstances,
$ecause those of us 'ho have given our lives to this vocation do so under the guidance of the she!herd
'ho is the guardian of our souls, 'ho calls us to return 'hen all of us go astra&" # have $een es!eciall&
grateful for this icon since # heard a tal% from (esmond )utu a$out ho' 'e com!letel& misunderstand
this image of Jesus* in m& icon, 'hich is a co!& of one man& of &ou ma& have seen, the shee! lies
across the shoulders of the she!herd, a $eatific e+!ression on his face, the 'hiteness of his 'ool
immaculate" #n truth, )utu sa&s, that shee! ought to $e covered in mud, $loodied $e the scra!es he has
$een through, 'hich is ho' # feel on da&s 'hen # have haven,t $een es!eciall& attentive to the voice #
should have $een hearing, calling me $ac% to the life # %no' # need" And &et Jesus has a claim on this
shee!, one he loves, one 'ho %no's his voice and sim!l& has to decide 'hether it is more alluring than
those of the $andits and thieves 'ho are after his life"
#t is this claim on us that Jesus tal%s a$out as the gate for the shee! that 'e all
are this da&, and it is $oth a$out invitation and !romise" All of us ta%e comfort in the !salm 'e have
said together this morning, a$out the God 'ho sees us through our o'n dar%est valle&s, 'hose
goodness and merc& shall follo' us all the da&s of our lives" # 'ould $e 'illing to $et that man& of us
have it committed to memor&, or at least the !arts that s!ea% most dee!l& to us, and # am -uite sure that
# have heard it in more hos!ital rooms than an& other single !iece of scri!ture" .ut to hear of Jesus as
gate is a$out the a$iding, !rotective love of God, es!eciall& 'hen 'e are l&ing in $ed, $eing eaten
alive $& 'orries or guilt a$out the messes 'e have made of our lives" #t is an invitation to recogni/e the
voice of the one 'ho is calling us, as%ing us to ma%e a decision a$out 'hose voice is the one 'e are
going to follo', a!art from the other voices that tear at us" #t is, in the end, a$out relationshi!, the
relationshi! 'e are 'illing to cultivate 'ith each other and the living God instead of the 'histling in
the dar% 'e often do 'hen the 'orld encroaches on us"
After all, 'e %no' the thieves and $andits in our lives and their voices are legion"
)he& are the voices 'e hear in ans'er to the des!ondenc& and fear 'e carr&, the things to 'hich 'e
cling to $u& us a sense of !eace" 0e 'ant to $elieve that the shareholder letter, the reassuring note
a$out our !ension !lan, gives us the %ind of securit& that %ee!s our lives from $eing ta%en a'a&, little
$& little" .ut 'hen 'e use language li%e 1m& famil&2, ma&$e 1m& s!ouse2, 1m& !artner2 or even 1m&
shee!2, 'e are using the language of relationshi!, one for 'hich 'e 'ould give u! an&thing else in our
lives" #t is a$out the God and !eo!le to 'hom 'e are $ound to so tightl& that 'e are a !art of them and
the& are a !art of us, a God 'ho offers 'hat saves us through the !erson of Jesus" #t is not a$out the
fluff&, immaculate !eo!le 'e often 'ish 'e 'ere $ut a$out a relationshi! that defines 'ho 'e are in
!ro+imit& to the love of God" #t is that relationshi! that means life to us, so much so that 'e 'ould not
recogni/e ourselves 'ithout it"
#t ma& $e easier to see this relationshi! in others than it is in ourselves" 0hen #
'as in m& earl& t'enties, another lifetime ago, # remem$er the e+!erience of !la&ing .ach,s $-minor
mass 'ith 3o$ert ha'" # 'as &oung enough that # didn,t reall& understand 'hat it 'as in 'hich # 'as
!artici!ating, $ut # do remem$er 'hat he loo%ed li%e 'hen 'e got to the Agnus (ei, the 4am$ of God,
almost at the end of the !iece" # don,t even remem$er 'ho the alto soloist 'as" # sim!l& remem$er 5r"
ha', utterl& s!ent, a man in his mid-eighties 'ho had done this a thousand times $efore, $ut for
'hom there 'as onl& this moment, im$ued $& the love of God, this fusion of this most haunting music
'ith ever&thing that he 'as" itting there on that stage, 'atching the s'eat !ooling on his face and
shirt, tears starting do'n his chee%s, it 'as im!ossi$le for an& of us to %no' 'here he sto!!ed and the
love of God $egan"
#t is the claim of that relationshi! that remains 'ith us all our lives" omeone #
%no' has descri$ed an e+!erience of sitting 'ith a friend 'hen she 'as d&ing, someone 'ho %e!t
tr&ing to give a'a& 'hat she o'ned $ut 'ho %e!t receiving gifts from 'ell-meaning friends" 6ne da&
someone gave her a !olished stone 'ith a hole in it to 'ear around her nec%, and she didn,t %no' 'hat
to do 'ith it" 1, 0hat is it72, she $reathed, turning it around and around in front of her face" )hen she
$rought it close to one e&e so that she could loo% straight through the middle of the stone" ,Ah,, she
said, ,no' # see" )his is the 'a& through"8
)he !romise of the Good he!herd is nothing that an& of us can -uantif&, !ut
on a $alance sheet or loc% in a safet&-de!osit $o+" #t is 9ust that, a !romise, and there is $lessedl&
nothing 'e can do a$out it" #t is made $& someone 'ho %no's us $etter than 'e %no' ourselves, 'ho
is indeed a !art of ourselves, and the invitation is sim!l& to sto! 'hat 'e are doing, forget the things
that are eating at us and to listen for a ver& faint voice, the voice 'e do our $est to dro'n-out $&
agoni/ing over the messes and fears of our lives" #t is then that 'e can count on the !resence of the
she!herd, the one 'hose goodness and merc& 'ill follo' us no matter 'hat 'e do, so that all of us,
'onderful and fla'ed as 'e are, 'ill find a 'a& through"