Sermon: April 30, 2023
Readings; Acts 2:42-47 / Psalm 23 / 1 Peter 2:19-25 / John 10:1-10
Jesus invites us to enter the sheepfold, saying, “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.” Jesus is not a gate that defines a boundary. This passage is not proof that Jesus won’t love or save people who don’t look, act, believe, pray, love, or worship the same way we do. This is about a gate that is always open, willing to accept anyone and everyone who hears Jesus’ voice calling to them to live in his love and compassion.
But our world is noisy, and it clamors for our attention. It is a world where thieves and bandits disguise themselves and try to steal our affection, loyalty, allegiance, and trust away from God. This can come in the form of organizations or political parties that demand our loyalty and allegiance to them comes before our devotion to God. They may even claim they represent Christian beliefs, but their actions can portray something far different.
The thieves and bandits can be much more subtle, like the integration of systemic racism within societal norms. Or they can be shrewd and slowly draw us in by first appearing innocent, like with alcohol, drugs, or gambling. “Awe, come on, try it. It won’t hurt to do it just once.” Soon these innocent things can become uncontrollable addictions drawing us away from the sheepfold, and we wander away from our Good Shepherd.
We can easily be drawn away from the flock, so we must listen for the shepherd’s voice and let him guide us. In our reading from Acts, we hear how a community listened and responded to the shepherd’s voice by devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. It was a community that followed the example of their shepherd by being a shepherd to one another by feeding, helping, and sacrificing for one another. They practiced Koinonia, a life of fellowship and love shared by Christians with Christ and with each other in Christ.
On this fourth Sunday after Easter, we gather as a community, not as just a bunch of people, but as a community joined together in the love of Christ, united as children of God who loves and cares for one another. May we devote ourselves to the apostle's teaching, to the breaking of bread and prayer, living together in the loving spirit of koinonia building each other up for the service of Christ, and shining the light of Jesus’ love into a world that desperately needs it. May we listen for the voice of our Good Shepherd and follow where he leads to lush green pastures, allowing us to find rest beside still waters. A shepherd who calls to our weary souls when we are weak and troubled, reassuring us that through God’s love, grace, and mercy we can all be restored to wholeness in his glory.
