The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B

What a Fine Mess!

Readings: Acts 4:8-12; Psalm 23; 1 John 3:18-24; John 10:11-18

Slap stick comedy like Laurel and Hardy was so predictably funny that you laughed before you even heard the lines. They would get themselves into a mess. Ollie would invariably blame Stan for the mess. “I thought you knew where you were going,” he would say.

“But, you told me to turn here,” Stan would say back.

It would always end with, “What a fine mess you’ve gotten us into, Stanley!”

What makes it so funny is that it is so true to life. Yet when it happens to us, when we are in the midst of such a situation, we don’t find it amusing at all. Like Ollie we are quick to declare it someone else’s “fine mess”!

The early followers of Jesus found themselves surrounded by people who stared blankly at their stories of the resurrection. They either greeted their enthusiasm with dumbfounded wonder at their stupidity. Or worse still they became hostile and suspicious. But they struggled on trying to make sense of their newfound faith. No doubt many of them simply shook their heads, saying to themselves, “What a fine mess you’ve gotten us into, Jesus!”

These faithful followers had been so certain of where this had all been heading. They had been with Jesus for three years. They had observed him in action, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, building community. Then with his crucifixion it all came crashing down around them. They found themselves in a very different place than they had ever imagined. When they realized where Jesus had brought them, they reacted as we so often do. They hid behind locked doors. Like lost sheep, they scattered in every direction.

In all of the post resurrection appearances of Jesus there is that recurring theme. “What a fine mess you’ve gotten us into!” And then Jesus comes, bringing peace, breaking bread, offering his hands to their touch, walking with them, until they see and understand that it is the resurrected Lord who is with them and will be with them. And yes! It is a fine mess! But there he is, the shepherd, caring for the flock, providing for its needs.

Put in the context of the struggle of the early church followers of Jesus, it is easy to imagine how the imagery of Jesus, the Good Shepherd became so beloved. It is beautiful, truly comforting. Even in our society, so far removed from our agrarian roots, it speaks of our yearnings to be in relationship with a loving God who truly cares for us. We picture Jesus defending the flock, laying down his life for the sheep. He walks with us through the darkest valley, leading us beside the still waters, restoring our souls.

It speaks to us of our call, not just of the call of the ordained, but our baptismal call. For the call of the Good Shepherd is a call first of all to loving. “Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action,” John says in his letter. Love needs to lead to action. If we truly live in obedience to God, then it requires that we lovingly and actively reach out to meet the needs of others. In that way we live in him, and he lives in us. We all have times in our lives when we are hurting or afraid. Someone is there for us. So when others are hurting, our call as Christians is to reach out to them.

Not that it is always easy! There are many who are lost, so lost that they cannot reach out. There are those who are addicted. There are people who can’t hold a job or finish a course of studies. There are those who cannot maintain a stable relationship. There are those who wander aimlessly through life. They may be lost in our very midst, even within our family unit. It can be frustrating to feel that we may not be able to reach them all. But it is even worse to think that we often simply ignore them. How do we reach out? What is our response when someone in the congregation is hurting, or goes missing? Do we even notice?

The call of the Good Shepherd is a call to lead. It is about allowing change to transform the lives of those to whom we minister. Transformational change is something that we avoid, but it is our mission. When we hear about the closing of churches, about declining attendance, about financial difficulties, it is easy to simply give up. It is time for us to stop blaming God for the fine mess we are in and start realizing that we have a mission.

During the Easter season we replace the Old Testament readings with the account of the early Church recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. It is not by accident. It is a powerful reminder of the effect of the resurrection on the lives of the disciples. These early Christians who had been living in great fear are proclaiming the kingdom in an effective way.

Take for example Peter and John. They were arrested, and brought before the Sanhedrin for questioning. They had been talking to whoever would listen about the risen Christ. These same disciples, who had run away following Jesus’ arrest, were speaking with power and authority. They were talking about the resurrection! Not a popular topic, I may point out, amongst Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection. But they chose to contest a healing, a good deed done to someone in need. They were not happy about the healing because they felt that God should work only through them.

“By whose authority are you healing,” the disciples are asked. And their clear answer is that it is in the name of the risen Lord. It is the presence of Jesus that has transformed their lives. In turn they are reaching out to others in real and tangible ways.

The proof of the resurrection is always the transformation that it causes in peoples’ lives. An awesome power has been released into the world. Can we see that power in our lives? Do we experience that kind of power at work in our parish?

That is what is behind Peter’s response to the authorities. “If we are questioned today because of a kindness done to someone, it is by the name of Jesus Christ,” he explains. It was in the presence of Jesus that something had happened to him. He was changed, transformed by being with Jesus. Jesus’ kindness became his kindness. Mother Teresa says, “It is the Lord, who fills us with God’s love!” We say as we reach out to others in Christian love, “It is God working in us.”
Recognizing the voice of the shepherd is a life-long, transformational process. It takes us from commenting, “What a fine mess you’ve gotten us into!” to being people who are truly alive in Christ. Like the early Christians we will be filled with enthusiasm and spiritual vitality. We will be applying our faith to our everyday life. We will know the power of the resurrection at work in our lives. We will reach out to others in real and tangible ways. We will be the Church.

The Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year A

Living Under the Blessing

Readings: Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers,” the writer of the Acts of the Apostles writes. It is a passage that typifies life in the early church with its exuberant mood, and spiritual vitality. These are people who applied their faith to their everyday lives. They were convinced that they were equipped with the Holy Spirit. They set about in their daily lives to live it out.

Not that it was an easy task! We need to remember that this was a persecuted church. Peter’s letter is obviously written to people under siege. “If you endure when you do right and suffer for it,” he writes, “you have God’s approval.” He is speaking to some early converts, servants, slaves in local households who have converted to Christianity. He is not saying that suffering is right. He is not saying that it is necessary. He is attempting to bring meaning to the persecution that they are going through. He relates their suffering to that of Jesus. They are suffering for their faith.

Henry Nouwen, a Roman Catholic priest who worked in the l’Arche community in Richmond Hill until his all too early death, writes in his book, Out of Solitude, "Many people don't think they are loved, or held safe, and so when suffering comes they see it as an affirmation of their worthlessness. The great question of ministry and the spiritual life is to learn to live our brokenness under the blessing and not the curse."

Those early Christians had learned to live under the blessing. They have given us a wonderful grounding for the faith. From that first community has emerged a world wide Church that has survived centuries of persecution. It survived and prospered because of the commitment that people made to one another and to the Risen Christ! What is more, it is a church that grew exponentially. Last week we heard that on hearing Peter’s sermon three thousand converts were baptized.

There is good reason for the growth that was experienced in the early Church. It is not rocket science. It grew and spread because those who believed prayed. They spent time together in the temple praying. And more than that, they put their prayer into action. They remembered God with grateful hearts. They shared what they had with others so that no one went without. They gave praise to God. Theirs was a radical spirituality that transformed not only their lives, but the lives of those around them.

Society mistrusts such people. We find labels for them, labels such as “hippie” or “communist”. But the label we should have for them is “Christian”, and it should be the label we strive for in our daily lives.

“Will you devote yourself to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers?” Bishop Colin asked that of eight members of our congregation last week as they were confirmed or reaffirmed their faith. He asked it of all of us who witnessed their commitment. It is asked of each of us every time there is a baptism in our church. It is part of our baptismal Covenant.

We have the same call as those early Christians. But many are not hearing that call. It is a blueprint for the modern church, an ideal, a vision. If we were following it, we would be a growing church. We need to ask ourselves why we are not growing exponentially.

This Sunday focuses on Jesus, the Good Shepherd. It is a wonderful image of our loving God. It is one that so many of us get wrapped up in. Even though we are far from our agrarian roots, it still speaks words of comfort to us through all the chaos and confusion of living in what seems to be an increasingly violent and troubling era.

Is that the message we are intended to hear? Should we be hearing it more as a wakeup call? Consider! The shepherd is the protector, a wall of strength and security for the sheep. Jesus as shepherd says that he is the gatekeeper, the one who provides access to God. How badly humanity needs those who can open the way against the gigantic burdens of inhumanity! The image of shepherd is one that demonstrates that God includes all those in society who are without power, the little ones, the lowly, the no account, the expendable, the least, the uncared for – these are all children of God. These are the ones that need access.

The question remains, do we let them in? Our view of a gate is something that limits access. Jesus is not the gatekeeper at a toll booth that we have to pass under in scrutiny. We do not have to have enough money or the right address or be wearing the right clothing. We simply have to come with open hearts and minds. We have to open ourselves up to the workings of the Holy Spirit. We have to make a commitment to pray and to act and to be open to God’s Spirit. We need a radical spirituality that transforms our lives.

How do we live out our brokenness under the blessing and not under the curse? It is something that I ask of myself all the time. It is something that I have been painfully aware of these last few days. It is not always easy to live in this ecumenical setting. Our shared mission and ministry is so easily forgotten. What should be a lively sharing of faith, an opportunity for prayer, a supporting of the mission of the church, becomes a scene of mistrust. We put up walls and barriers.

The current situation is not something that needs to become a burden to members of this congregation. You do need to know that it stems from the financial problems of the Lutheran congregation. It requires the active prayer of all of us. If we are to grow within this place, there needs to be amongst all of the congregations a sense of peace and unity. We need to have, not only our own vision, but a shared vision of what this community of faith could accomplish. It is on my heart right now that we need to pray for God to be at work in this place. We have not done that enough. We have been too concerned with our own survival.

My challenge to everyone in our parish is to put prayer into action. Pray every day for St. Francis and for the other two churches in our building. Pray for a spirit of reconciliation and unity. But also do something about it. Get to know someone from one of the other churches. Invite them to our coffee hour, not with any idea that they should become an Anglican. They are already people of faith. Simply invite them so that we can get to know them. Drop in on their coffee hour. This is about healing rifts. That needs to happen. This is a wonderful congregation that should be a dynamic and living entity in this community. Yet too much of our energy goes into survival. The Spirit can change that. Let us live under the blessing! Amen