Easter 4 April 13, 2008

ECS Sunday

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

In the Name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit! Amen.

Jesus said: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

One of the most endearing images we have of Jesus is that of the Good Shepherd with a lamb on his shoulder. Though today we may have some romantic notions about shepherds, during Jesus’ time shepherds were at the bottom rung of the social structure. They were marginalized, despised, and were kept away from the social milieu. However, according to the new Kingdom of God which Jesus came to usher into this world, things were reversed; social hierarchy was turned upside down. Thus, it is in keeping with the ethos of the reign of God that Jesus, the Son of God, likened himself to a lowly shepherd of his time. What does this image of Jesus as the good shepherd tell us about Jesus? The gospel reading provides us with some valuable lessons on what it means to be a shepherd. Just as Jesus taught his disciples lessons on servant leadership by washing their feet, through the image of a shepherd, he gave his disciples and us the nature of true leadership in the reign of God.

What is leadership? We are in the midst of a presidential campaign. The candidates are vying for our support to put them in the place of leadership of our country. What do we look for in a person we want to elect to that position of leadership? Leaders are expected to provide protection, sustenance, and direction. That is why we hear the candidates talk about national security, economy, and new direction. Isn’t that what Jesus said a good shepherd would do for his sheep? A good shepherd would protect his sheep from predators, lead and guide them through treacherous landscapes to places of green pastures and still waters. Jesus continues to remind us of his mission and mandate: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

It is interesting that our reading employs a mixed metaphor as well. First we see Jesus as the shepherd and then in the middle of the reading we see him as the gate. How can that be? Well friends, there is a reason for this mixed metaphor. Once all the sheep are in the tent for the night the shepherd would lie down at the entrance (the gate) where he would neither slumber nor sleep. No one would be able to come in or out without the shepherd being aware of it. Jesus as the gate would protect his sheep from predators, and Jesus as the shepherd would lead us into that place of abundant life.

Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

Friends, we live in a time of both extraordinary abundance and high anxiety. In a country that is so rich the average US citizen consumes as much as 32 people living in Kenya. (Jared, NY Times, January 7) “Globally, the 20% of the world’s richest people account for 86% of total private consumption — the poorest 20% a minuscule 1.3%.”(Behind Consumption and Consumerism By Anup Shah, Human Development Report, 1998 Overview, UNDP)

When Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly,” did Jesus mean only the richest 20% of the world population? Or, did he mean the whole world? Today, as a country, we are having anxious times due in part to a sluggish economy, our overseas commitment to finance, an open-ended war, a hike in the price of gasoline, and other consumer items. We are anxious that it might affect our lifestyle of unbridled consumption. In these uncertain and anxious economic times, how is the good shepherd leading us and protecting us? What is the responsibility of church, the institution that is empowered to do the work of the good shepherd? Is church assuming its leadership role in seeing to it that the abundant life Jesus promised is shared among all in the way the early Christian community practiced?

We live in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Is our wealth common only in name or is it shared? Perhaps it may be too idealistic, too Christian, and too challenging for us to live like the early Christians as we read in the book of Acts, “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

As Christians, we believe the abundant life flourishes in an atmosphere of love. To make sure everyone is included in that abundant life Jesus promised –the shelter, sustenance and a new way forward, the diocese founded Episcopal Community Services as an independent resource. Philadelphia has the highest rate of poverty among the nation’s 10 largest cities. One in four Philadelphians lives in poverty, including a third of all children. It takes extraordinary energy, determination and resources to break the cycle of poverty. Philadelphia’s rate of poverty is more than four times that of surrounding counties. The problem is daunting, but ECS is part of the solution. Although ECS operates separately from the Diocese of Pennsylvania, 90% of all contributions still come directly from local Episcopalians and their parishes. ECS is truly a grass-roots Episcopal organization. (ECS Resources for ECS Sunday)

The abundant life is not about riches any more than it is about moving your children into a homeless shelter. It’s not about accumulating and consuming but of giving. God knows that when we live for others, we find ourselves. What we give comes back to us ten-fold. In sharing our blessings with those in need, we all have life, and have it abundantly. (ECS Resources) Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, is our model for leadership. Jesus is our portal into abundant life and as a shepherd he leads us into living abundantly with all of God’s creation.

Let me close with the collect for ECS written by the Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold III. Almighty God, You have called us through your Son to be the willing servants of all: Bless and direct those who share in the ministry of Episcopal Community Services, making them living signs of your compassion and love, keeping them faithful in all that they do, and giving them vision and courage in the face of new opportunities and challenges. This we pray in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.