Our text for today is I John 3: 16.  “This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.   And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

In the liturgical churches, today is called “Good Shepherd Sunday.”  It’s a celebration of Jesus’ announcement in the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11, “I am the Good Shepherd.”  Today I want to talk first about “The Good Shepherd,” and then I want to talk about our response to him.

Jon Foreman is married to Emily and Emily is my son-in-law’s sister.  He is also the lead singer for a rock group called “Switchfoot” which I am told sells more records for the Sony Corporation in America than any other group. A few years ago, when the band was getting started, Peggy and I shared a Thanksgiving dinner with Jon at our son-in-law’s family home. He is a genuinely nice guy and I’ve made a point of listening to his albums as they are published.

Let me read from the lyrics of the first song on Switchfoot’s current CD. It’s called “Lonely Nation” and it was written by Jon and his brother Tim.

Desperate we are young.  Separate we are one.

I want more than my lonely nation, I want more than

My lonely nation

We are the target market. We are the corporate target.

We are slaves of what we want.

We’re just numb and amused and we’re just used to bad news and

We are slaves of what we want

Lonely, lonely

Don’t leave me hollow. I’m tired.

Don’t leave me hollow. I’m tired of feeling low, of feeling hollow.

(Copyright by Sony BMG Music Entertainment, 2005)

I can almost hear Jesus listen and think that Jon is writing about people who are like sheep without a shepherd. 

I suspect that they sell CDs because they give voice to the feelings and experiences of a lot of people; “my lonely nation… the target market…the corporate target…slaves of what we want… numb and amused…used to bad news… lonely, lonely….”

It was to folk feeling lost and lonely, different time and experiences but parallel needs, that Jesus announced in the Gospel of John (10:11), “I am the Good Shepherd.” He said that he knows his sheep and that he can call his sheep by name. In other words, he knows his people, each one personally, and each one is valuable to him.

I cannot help but wonder if he had the 23^rd Psalm in mind.  Please read it with me.

The Lord is my shepherd

I shall not want

He makes me to lie down in green pastures

He leads me besides the still waters

He restores my soul

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name sake

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil for you are with me

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies

You anoint my head with oil

My cup runs over

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life

And I will dwell in the house of the lord forever. (From memory)

Here is your assignment this week. Read this Psalm at least once each day. Marinate your soul in the wisdom and faith of this wonderful testimony.

Why? Frankly, too much of our religion is grounded in negative experiences. Have you been to a prayer meeting lately? No? That is because prayer meetings can make you feel bad!  We spend our time talking about all of the people who have terrible diseases and broken relationships and we talk about death and dying and we talk about war and murder and crime and by the time we are finished talking, we do not feel well at all!

Now, I am a firm believer and I regularly engage in intercessory prayer. But that kind of prayer is only one part of our faith and it is not the first part.

The first part of faith is wonderfully positive. The beginning of faith is recognition and celebration of all of the wonderful things that happen because of our faith.

Now look at the 23^rd Psalm. It is a series of strong affirmations. This is the good stuff of faith.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want

God himself is looking after me

He restores my soul

When the days and nights are tough and my soul has been broken, God restores my soul. God makes me whole.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name sake

When I make mistakes, God puts me back on the right path. God is my leader.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil for you are with me

When the night time of life is dark unto black, my courage comes from God who will not disappoint.

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

When spiritual and emotional pain are about to overwhelm me, God, my shepherd will bring comfort

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies

In the midst of conflict, you will bring peace

You anoint my head with oil

My cup runs over

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life

Even when I cannot see it, I will believe that God will bless me

And I will dwell in the house of the lord forever.

And when this journey has come to its end, God has another place for me.

This is what I believe. This Psalm, taken to heart, will change your attitude and that will change your life! This has the power to open your heart and soul to the presence of the Holy Spirit of God and He will make you whole!

Jesus said that he was the Good Shepherd. He brings to fulfillment the affirmations of this Psalm. And he was willing to die to do so.

So how are we to respond?  I John says that if Christ Jesus was willing to die for us, because he loved us, we ought to be willing to die for one another.

This week I listened to a story on National Public Radio about Sister Karen Klimcsak. Several years ago, in Buffalo, N.Y., she and Rev. Roy Herberger started a house for prisoners who were recently discharged from the prison. The goal was to provide a transitional haven, a place of love and hope.

This past Good Friday, about two weeks ago, Sister Karen returned to her home following the 7 PM mass. She walked in on a former prisoner who had become re-addicted to crack cocaine and was in her room, stealing her cell phone for money. He saw her and panicked and killed her. 

Sister Karen had been involved in that ministry for a long time and I have to believe that she knew the risks. But because she knew that Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, had died for her, she was willing to risk it to love those who most needed it. She was willing to die for her brother!

Most of us do not feel called to that kind of risky ministry.  But the call to love one another is no less binding on we who live in places that are physically safer.  For what it is worth, I have come to suspect that the places that are physically safest are spiritually the most dangerous. It is only when we feel safe from outside dangers that we feel the luxury to attack and belittle and slander one another on the inside. Even so, we are called to love one another to the point of dying for one another if necessary.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Our blessings are beyond counting. Let us give thanks to God by loving and caring for one another.

Amen