The fourth Sunday of Easter this year
is Mother’s Day and also Good Shepherd Sunday.
The Psalm for this Sunday is Psalm 23 and the Gospel reading is John 10
where Jesus tells us He is the Good Shepherd.
All of us have a mother (there is no other way to be born into this world) and all of us
have a Good Shepherd (there is no other way to be born again, into the new world that God is creating right now). I was blessed to
have a Mom who was also a good shepherd......but I know that many don’t have “good
shepherd” Moms. I would hope that all
Moms (Dads, it’s our turn next month)……in fact that all parents long to be
“good shepherd” parents. But it’s Mom’s
Day, so I'm focusing on Moms, and I am going to read Psalm 23 but I’ll substitute “My Mom” (and invite you to substitute your Mom) for “the
Lord” and with some poetic license encourage us to let this be our Prayer of
Thanksgiving today for our Moms, our Prayer of Intercession for ourselves as
parents, perhaps even let it lead us to confession if convicted by the Spirit
that we haven’t been the Moms (parents) we should be:
My
Mom is (perhaps was, or tried to be) my Shepherd, she tries her best to provide for me so that I have
everything I need.
She
makes me lie down and tucks me in, in green pastures.
She
leads me beside quiet waters.
She
refreshes my soul.
She
guides me along the right paths, for His name’s sake.
Even
though I walk through the darkest valley, I need not be afraid,
Because
she is (somehow always) with me;
Her
presence……comforts me.
She
prepares a feast for me, especially when I've had a hard time from my enemies;
She
anoints my head with the oil of her love.
Her goodness and love follow me (in the form of her hopes and prayers for me) all the
days of my life
And
I will dwell in her heart forever.
I hope that none of you have found
this blasphemous or disrespectful to the Word of God and if I have offended you
by my adaptation of the Word……please forgive me.
Some Moms (parents) are good
shepherds of the flocks entrusted to them, some aren't. Thank God if yours was or is...forgive if yours wasn't or isn't.
It was like this in Israel with the
shepherds – the prophets, priests and kings – that God called to care for His
flock – some were good, some were bad.
It was like this at the time of Jesus; the shepherds – the Temple
priests, the scribes, the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law – that God called
to care for His flock – some were good, some were bad. It has been like this through the history of
the Church up to the present day; the shepherds – popes, priests, bishops,
ministers, preachers – some are good, some are bad.
And throughout the Scriptures, but
especially Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Hosea; the promise of a Good Shepherd is
held before the people, and judgement on bad shepherds is threatened and promised.
Jeremiah 23 gives a good description
of bad shepherds – under them the sheep are scattered.
“Woe to you shepherds who are destroying and
scattering the sheep of my pasture.”
and
“Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away……I will
bestow punishment on you for the
evil you have done.”
And later in Ezekiel 34, the promise:
“I will place over them one shepherd”
and
then …… Jesus speaks (and we don’t have time, but chapter 9 of John tells us
why Jesus chose this moment) and says:
“I
am the Good Shepherd……and I am also the gate to the sheep pen. “Whoever enters by me will be saved; they
will come in and go out.”
Coming in and going out was a Jewish
idiom: to be able to come and go out was the Jewish way of describing a life that
is absolutely secure and safe. When a
person can go in and out without fear, it means that the kingdom is at peace;
there is safety and security, abundance and blessing. Now, much as our Moms (and Dads) wish this
for us, and try and provide this for us – they can’t, can they?
But hear this:
Jesus can and
does……here and now!
Whoever enters by me will be saved; they will come in and go out.”
“I
have come that you may have life, and have it to the full.”
Some translations say abundant
life. The original word is περισσός “perissos”
which means “exceedingly superior.”
Cup
runneth over life is God’s Promise to you when the Lord is your Shepherd.
That’s God’s promise here and now – not
sometime in the future ......this is Life in the Flock of the Good Shepherd now……not when you’re a better person……not when you die…….but
here and now:....Abundant life to the full.
How’s your life?
I've got four glasses here. One is empty, one is half (you can decide if
it’s half full or half empty), one is full to the brim, and there’s this one
which I’m pouring into and it’s overflowing.
Which one describes your life today?
“The thief comes only to steal, kill
and destroy.”
“I have come that you may have life,
life in abundance.”
Sometimes our lives are not abundant/overflowing because we give too much freedom to the thief and we let him kill, steal and
destroy.
Sometimes we kill, steal and
destroy ourselves without the help of the thief. You all know people
who..........perhaps stay in destructive relationships, destructive work situations, and rob themselves of the abundance God is pouring onto them, we sometimes stay in places that God has made it clear are killing us, which God
wants the to leave – perhaps you’re in such a place – but we stay because we’re
afraid of leaving, or, perhaps we feel better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know
…… but one thing you do know if you're in such a place is that you’re drained……the situation is sucking
you dry, no matter how much God pours.
Sometimes feel undeserving, unworthy
and we hear the thief saying, “clean your act up first.” Friends, this is our God (I will now pour water wastefully into a small glass). Don't listen to the thief.
Our God lets His rain fall on good and bad
alike. Our God scatters seed NOT just
on good soil, cleaned up soil…….NO! He scatters seed, pours His grace on good and bad, on clean and dirty, on hard soil, on rocks, on shallow soil and on weedy
soil.
He pours His grace on your and my
hardness of heart, onto the shallowness of our belief, and into the very
weediness of our sin. That is the
Gospel and the Gospel promise is, come to me and I will give you life……life in
all its fullness.
Now this will mean a 100 different things
for a 100 different people – as a symbol that we have or want to have this
cup-overflowing life……I am going to stand here and pour, and I invite any who
want to, to come forward, take a communion glass, let it overflow as I fill it,
let God’s Grace wash over you as you drink it, and hear this, grasp this, believe this:
“I
have come that you may have life in all its fullness……now.”
How's your life?
Draw near in faith and may the cup which is your life overflow.
