Easter 4A - The Rev. Kimberly A. Reinholz

Sunday ~ May 11, 2014

Easter 4A  - The Rev. Kimberly A. Reinholz
Cathedral Church of the Nativity

John 10:1-10

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Today’s gospel falls just short of Jesus explaining himself, in the next verse of chapter 10 Jesus tells his disciples in no uncertain terms that he is The Good Shepherd.  But in this Gospel lesson we merely get the job description of a good shepherd.   

A good shepherd knows his herd, protects them, and leads them where they need to go.

A good shepherd comforts his sheep and knows them by name.

A good shepherd invites them into the sheepfold in their own time.   

Jesus as The Good Shepherd knows his followers, protects us comforts us and leads us where we need to go.

We as the Church, the Body of Christ in the world, need to likewise know one another, protect one another and lead one another where we need to go. 

When I think of the Good Shepherd I have three distinct images which come to mind.  The Shepherd as the protector, a super hero type, who with great strength and patience carries the sheep who has gone astray back into the fold.  The Shepherd as comforter, the gentle farmer, who with grace and steadfastness caresses the lamb who has lost its way and the Shepherd as host, the upright guide who with direction and discernment leads the way for all who follow him toward the right path. 

I have accumulated these varied images of the Good Shepherd over the course of my life.  The first the protective shepherd was given to me by my nursery school teacher, literally she gave me a small block of wood with a picture of Jesus decopaged onto the one side.  Jesus was standing surrounded by sheep with one astride his shoulders.  I am sure you have seen the image or something close to it in a children’s picture bible.  I put such faith in that picture that I slept with this image under my pillow as a child and when I had nightmares or was frightened by a storm I would reach for it and instantly be calmed. 

Jesus as the comforting shepherd like the protective shepherd shows poise and strength in dealing with a sheep that has gone astray.  He does not necessarily throw the stray sheep over his shoulder, but he recognizes that the sheep is injured and in need of healing before it can be carried back to the herd. 

The inviting shepherd stands waiting for the sheep to return of their own will.  Jesus with open arms and a staff or crook corralling all who are in need to come to the table and receive their fill, reminding each sheep that so long as we drink at the well of life and eat at the table of the eternal sacrifice we will never be thirsty or hungry.    

But what does it mean to have Jesus be the protector, comforter and inviter?  

What it means is that through our baptism we have been incorporated into the Body of Christ and we are now asked to fulfill the same role as the Church in the world. 

What is it that the Cathedral Church of the Nativity does to be a protector?  We ask each of our leaders, vestry members, Sunday school teachers, nursery volunteers, camp staff to take special training to protect the safety of our children.  We acknowledge that there are members of our community who have special needs and we hope to respond to those needs so that everyone can know and find their place in the congregation.   We work together to provide a safe space to discover the love of God through Jesus and through one another in our daily life and work.

What is it that the Cathedral Church of the Nativity does to be a comforter?  We offer housing and hospitality to our homeless neighbors in the height of the winter season.  We have pastoral care team who visits our homebound members and brings them communion and flowers during the Christmas and Easter seasons.  We knit blankets and prayer shawls for the newly baptizes and for those in need of physical comfort when they recover from surgery or illness. 

What is it that the Cathedral Church of the Nativity does to be an inviting presence?  We offer new comer classes for new members.  We have ushers and greeters who welcome those who come to worship.  We greet one another with a sign of peace during the service.

Are we doing enough to emulate the Good Shepherd?  Are we being shepherds ourselves?

Today as we relive the past year in our Annual Meeting and elections I invite you to look forward.  Consider today if you have protected, comforted or invited anyone in this community?  Have you fulfilled your role in the body of Christ?  Or consider in this time of reflection if have you been protected, comforted or invited into this community by someone else?

Each one of us has at one time or another needed to be protected, comforted and invited into this world we call the Church.  Even if you are cradle Episcopalian you were invited into the body of Christ through baptism, affirmed in faith through confirmation and remembered in the Eucharistic feast.

We are a sacramental people because we need to be reminded of the grace of God which is invisible through symbols which are tangible.

Now not everyone participates in all of the sacraments, but they are available to all members of the church and because we have the need the community provides the service often times through the hands of a priest or bishop who is appointed to be the shepherd of an individual congregation or diocese.

Because we need healing we have unction (the laying on of hands) to provide solace in suffering

Because we need protection we have reconciliation (the rite of confession) to resolve issues of sin

Because we need invitation we have baptism (or Christening) when we are named and marked as Christ’s own forever so that we can come to the table and be adopted into the family of all believers.

We are the sheep, but in being Jesus’ sheep we are called to be shepherd like.  And so I invite you today to consider where we are being called to lead our community, the nation and the world- we go where Christ leads and we invite all those who will hear us to follow us into the Kingdom which he has promised.