Alleluia! He is Risen! He is risen indeed!
We are in the fourth Sunday of Easter, and we are still proclaiming our risen Lord with Alleluias! Today is a special Sunday during the Easter season because it is the Sunday we deem "Good Shepherd Sunday." Today's readings are filled with imagery of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the one who cares for the flock. Let's look at this imagery for a moment and see if we can imagine what Jesus means when He calls Himself the "Good Shepherd."
Sometimes, I think that we have a romantic notion of a shepherd's life. We picture rolling hills, green grass, shady trees, cool streams and docile sheep. We can imagine laying down on that grassy hill for a long afternoon nap or taking a leisurely stroll down to the stream for a drink of clear, fresh water, the sheep lazily following behind. We see David, gently playing and singing the psalms, lulling the sheep to sleep. It is a beautiful picture.
But the truth is that the shepherd had a difficult life. They were with the sheep 24-7. They never had a break. If there was trouble in the flock at night, the shepherd lost sleep, and they couldn't sleep late in the morning. The shepherd was out of doors in all kinds of weather, cold and hot, dry and wet. It was not always easy to find food for the sheep, and so the shepherd had to keep the sheep safe while they would scout out a new location
Of course, there were sometimes sheep that were hard to handle. They caused trouble in the flock, making noise or fighting with others-very stubborn. There were always sheep that wandered off, and no matter what time of day, the shepherd had to go and find them.
And always, the shepherd had to keep the sheep safe. There were always predatory animals; bigger and stronger, with faster reflexes. The shepherd was the protector, the one who looked out for danger and who fought when it was present. They risked their lives for their sheep. All in all, shepherds had to live on very little--little comfort, little safety, little pay, little food and little sleep.
Also, shepherds had little recognition. Shepherds were pretty low on society's ladder. Because they were out of doors all of the time, they became very dirty and therefore were unclean in the eyes of the religious leaders. They were necessary for society to function, but sort of cast aside because of their dirtiness.
All together, these things don't sound very appealing-so why would Jesus call Himself a shepherd? Scholar Beverly Gaventa says that the shepherd is defined by his care of the sheep. They are his reason for being. They belong to him. Let's think about that for a moment. The shepherd is who he is because he cares for the sheep. He feeds and waters them. He keeps them safe. He sacrifices his own safety and comfort for the well being of the flock. He searches for those who are lost. He treats them as if they are his own.
The same is true of our Savior. He cares for us, keeping us safe, searching for the lost, saving the wayward, providing for our needs. He sacrifices Himself for us. We belong to Him. The Father has placed us in His care. We are His vocation. He is our Shepherd. We are His sheep. He abides in us and we abide in Him.
The definition of the word 'abide' includes to rest or dwell in, to endure or to sustain. These all describe our relationship with our Savior, our Good Shepherd. Jesus abides in us, dwelling in our souls and resting there. He sustains our spirits and endures with us, never giving up.
According to 1 John, we are to do the same. Abiding is mutual. It is the word that John uses to describe our relationship with Christ. In this short letter, John uses the word 'abide' over and over. In chapters two through five it appears consistently. Sometimes it is spoken of in single terms, our abiding in God or God in us, but in chapters three and four, there are three references to mutual abiding. That is what we read today. Just what does abiding in God mean to John? How do we define it?
According to John, if we abide in God, we keep the commandments. We believe in the name of Jesus Christ and we love one another. These are the marks of a Christian who truly abides in God. Belief indicates that we confess Christ as Lord and Savior, having faith in the power of His name. Loving one another says that we are obedient to Christ and His message. It means that we care for one another as Christ cares for us, as a shepherd. The result of this belief and obedience is mutual abiding-us in God and God in us.
There are many Christians in this world that take the idea of abiding in God very seriously. They seek closeness to God by sharing in Christ's vocation of shepherding. They abide in God and God abides in them.
One such Christian was Oscar Romero. Archbishop of San Salvador in the 1970's, Romero's nomination for Archbishop was readily approved and even welcomed by both religious and political officials. It was felt that Romero, already a famous preacher and scholar, would play the game and not rock the boat in tumultuous El Salvador. He was a friend of government officials, attending political dinners and events. His educated conversation, quick wit and main line views fit right in with their way of doing things. Romero toed the line. And like the Pharisee's in Jesus' time, the religious officials just wanted someone who could get along with the oppressors. They didn't want any trouble with the political powers of the time. They just wanted to be left alone, to be safe from persecution. And so Romero, harmless to both sides, was made Archbishop.
But it wasn't long before things changed. Three weeks after his election, a new priest was ambushed and killed with two of his parishioners. He was targeted as an example to those who believed that peasants should be allowed to organize. As Romero met with the grieving and frightened peasants, he saw the need in the souls. They were asking him for a shepherd. And from that point on, Romero set out to stop the violence.
Week after week, Romero sought to uplift the people through radio homilies. He urged the nations of the world to speak out against oppression and injustice. He challenged those who fought in the army to stop the killing of their fellow countrymen. He appealed to them to obey only orders that were in concert with the law of God. Romero spoke with the pope. Despite Romero's efforts, thousands of Salvadorans were killed, a million were left homeless and thousands spent their days running from the army.
But, even though Romero's efforts did not stop the violence, something miraculous did occur. Romero changed. He began his tenure as Archbishop thinking that he could minister from afar, serving God and God's people through prayer and study. Even when he felt the people's need for a shepherd, Romero still thought that he could be their pastor, their shepherd, without getting too involved, too close. But in spite of his distant demeanor Romero wanted to do God's will and he listened to the leading of the Spirit. Soon Romero was not just abiding with the people, walking with them side by side, but he was a part of them. There was no separation to their beings. He was not an outsider looking in. He was truly abiding in them, sharing God's great love.
The result of Romero's outspoken support of the common people was his death. While offering up the bread and the cup for God's blessing during a mass, Romeo was gunned down standing behind the altar. A shepherd that gave us his life for the sheep. One who believed in the name of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. One who loved God's people. He died abiding in God, and God in him.
We are called to abide in God by loving our fellow human beings. We are called to meet their needs and keep them safe. We are called to a love that is more than just words. We are called to love that is action. Our actions proclaim that we are an Easter people. They speak of our relationship with our Lord. May we dwell and rest in our Lord. May our relationship with God and each other be one of mutual endurance and sustenance. May we abide in God and God in us. Amen.
Peace,
Rev. Cynthia Bacon
Minister
You may email at:
cbacon@heritagemadison.org
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This page was last updated on May 14, 2003.