4 Easter.A.26
Luke 10:1-10
The Rev. Melanie McCarley
There’s a lot of noise out there. Our world is comprised of a multiplicity of voices constantly vying for our attention—so much so that it is difficult, at times, to know what we are listening to. Technology has only exasperated what has always been a challenging situation. Twenty years ago we had to discern amongst voices coming at us from Television, Newspapers, Books Magazines and Radio. Today, take your pick: YouTube channels, Blogs, X feeds, Facebook, News websites, Podcasts, Magazines, Papers. And it’s not just that there is an ever-increasing amount of platforms from which people may speak (without a filter), it’s that they have access to us via our smartphones, push notifications, laptops, emails, text messages, radio and podcasts, at all hours of the day and night. It’s a noisy world, and it keeps getting louder—and the voices speaking at us have more access to us than ever before.
In fact, we’ve even come up with a new profession—Influencers. These are athletes, celebrities, commentators, and even ordinary people who gain massive online followings, with profits that follow. You can find an Influencer to follow for just about anything: fitness, cooking, beauty advice, investing, decorating, parenting. There’s an abundance of people ready to tell you how to live better. There are even influencers out there teaching you how to slow down, live simply, can your own food and get off the grid—rather amazing, if you pause to think about it. And, here’s the thing—we don’t just watch and listen to these folks—we follow them. Just click “follow”. Many of us take their advice seriously. Over time, they begin to shape what we think is important—what we spend our time, money and energy on? Why do we do this? Well, because they promise us something we can’t resist—a better life, better health, better relationships, better homes, better habits. Something fuller, more satisfying. And so we follow. Which leads me to wonder, how do you choose which voice to listen to? Who do you follow?
In today’s gospel Jesus says: The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep….and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out…. he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
Here’s something to think about: the difference between an Influencer and a Shepherd. Both have a voice—but there is a difference. The only interest an Influencer has in you is whether or not you tune in and follow. You are a number and a consumer of whatever they happen to be hawking. But a Shepherd, that’s qualitatively different from an Influencer. A shepherd is invested in you and your welfare. A shepherd walks alongside you. A good shepherd is prepared to lay down his life for you.
A few weeks ago, on Tuesday, April seventh, a twenty year old former student entered Paul’s Valley High School in Oklahoma and opened fire. Kirk Moore, the principal, could have slammed his door shut, reach for the phone, dial 911 and look for someplace to hide. He had a split second to act, and he did—with absolutely no hesitation whatsoever. Video footage shows the remarkable scene of a pudgy, 60 year old man, several inches shorter than the shooter flying out of his office and running straight toward the gunman and tackling him. Moore was shot in the leg. He didn’t slow down. You can see him struggling until someone else arrives to help. That is an example of a shepherd. There’s no telling how many lives he saved. Later, his students would vote him Prom King in gratitude. The lesson he taught them is profoundly important. A lesson not about kindness—but about sacrificial love. A good shepherd, indeed.
In the time in which our Savior lived, Shepherds would round up their sheep calling to them. Because the sheep knew the shepherds voice, and trusted him, they would follow and the shepherd would place them in pens where they would be safe for the night. Oftentimes these pens would be made of stone, with large thorny brambles or sharp stones placed strategically along the top to dissuade predators from leaping into the pen. And then, when all of the sheep were finally gathered in, the Shepherd would set down his staff and lay down in front of the entryway, forming a human gate. If anything bad were to get into the sheepfold, it would have to get through the shepherd first. Jesus is our Good Shepherd—willing to lay down his life for us, so that we might live.
The Fourth Sunday of Easter has the same theme in all three years of our lectionary cycle. It is known as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Unlike some stories and themes, which come round only once in three years, this theme is so important in the church that it is repeated every year. It is that significant—it is a reminder to us not only of who we are, but also of who God is. We are the sheep and God is our Good Shepherd.
In the tradition of the Church, the world doesn’t originate with a bang—but with a word. In the book of Genesis, in the third verse of the first chapter God speaks: “Let there be light” and creation begins. In John’s Gospel, this theme is echoed in the first line of the first chapter: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
What if, amid the vast chorus of chaos that rages in the world as various voices clamor to be heard, what if there is one voice, discernable among the rest, of the one who has been speaking since before all voices spoke. A voice calling your name and offering a way through the noise. This is a voice that has remained constant amid the varied changes of cultures and contexts. This is a voice offering us a peace that passes all understanding if we allow ourselves to tune in and follow where it leads.
The message of today’s Gospel is that there is just such a voice, and we can both hear it and know it. It is the same voice which called the world into being, and tells us of its love. It is a voice calling us to follow and promising us, in return, not just a life, but an abundant life, one filled with the promises and love of God. Follow, tune out the chaos and tune into the voice of the Lord and see where he leads. In Jesus’ name. Amen.