Reflections on John 10: 1-18

Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  I try humbly to stand in Jesus’ sandals as the Assistant Shepherd of this church.  I stood beside another Assistant Shepherd this morning looking at the still smoking remains of his sheep-pen. 

You may have seen on the news this morning that the Church of St. Cyril and St. Methodius burned down overnight.  I knew the previous pastor in a clergy group we had going a few years ago.  I went down, as a Chaplain with the P.D. and as a fellow clergy-person to offer what I could.

By the grace of God, no one was hurt.  But how does an Assistant Shepherd go on when the church burns down?  Of all the things that they do not teach you in Seminary, managing a disaster like this may top the list. 

Verse 14 says, “I am the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me.”  The church goes on without a building because the Assistant Shepherd knows the people of the flock and the people of the flock know their Assistant Shepherd.  People create the church, the building is simply a convenient place to meet.

In this passage in John, Jesus is not only the good shepherd, he is also the gate for the sheep to come into the sheep pen, all to make sure the sheep come in safely.  But it takes the hard moments, like the loss of a church, to remind me of just how much Jesus really is in charge.

Verse 16 makes things clearer.  Jesus said, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.  I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.  So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”  Our church will take a step forward to help those other sheep not of this flock.  If that church needs a place to worship, I believe we can stand ready.  I believe we must stand ready.

They are probably very different from us.  They may have icons and make assumptions about how some things are sacred that we do not assume.  But they are of Jesus’ flock as surely as we are.  And we can help.

If Jesus has a vision statement about his ministry, “I am the Good Shepherd” is probably as good as any.  Now connect that to our vision, to be a Neighborhood in God’s Kingdom.  God’s Kingdom is filled with the sheep for whom Jesus is the Shepherd.  Each church gathers together some of those sheep together. 

Now we define what we do as a Neighborhood by what we do on behalf of our Neighbor.  Those definitions come out of our Anchor statements.  The fourth statement is to take time TO SERVE our neighbor so we may be Jesus’ minister.

If we can do that as individuals, we can do that church to church.  If the Lord calls upon us to help out our sister church after their fire, how much more opportunity will we have to be neighbors to them in their time of need?

Amen.