Sermon – The Sheepfold Rev. Sandy Lacey April 21, 2024
Today’s Scripture passages bring up a couple of interesting points for me. So, to begin, let’s talk sheep. I have heard conflicting reports about sheep over the years. In talking to a sheep farmer several years ago, I heard that the animals are not all that bright, that they will follow each other even if it is right off a cliff. I understand they like to stay in groups so that they can be better protected while they have their heads down chewing grass. I have also heard that sheep are actually kind of smart, that they will deviously find ways to go around a cattle grate that keeps them out of some pastures. (But I have also seen a video on YouTube that showed a group of sheep being herded by a bunny rabbit, seeming to be very frightened of it. ???) I am told they recognize group members even if they have not seen them for a while and I am told that sheep can recognize their herder’s voice even in the midst of many other voices and many other groups of sheep that have a different shepherd. A friend of mine from Oregon told me that she took a couple of young family members with her to visit a sheep farm a while back and they were delighted to find the sheepfold – a small pen next to the barn that housed the new lambs and their mothers. The girls oohed and awed as they watched the young lambs move about the pen that had thicker boards on it. The fencing around the lambs was more sturdy and had less holes in the walls in order to keep the predators out. The lambs all huddled together when they saw and heard the family approaching. One of the girls thought it would be so wonderful to hold one of the little lambs, so she climbed over the pen wall. The lambs became very nervous and huddled closer and tighter in their “pack.” As she approached the nervous group, the farmer yelled out, “stop! They will trample themselves and hurt one another trying to get away from you because they do not know you and do not know your voice. Climb back out and I will get one for you to hold and pet because they know me, trust me, and know my voice.” Apparently, the sheepfold is a safe, secure place for the little lambs as they bond together and become part of the group. But they will hurt each other if they perceive a threat. And they do not trust outsiders. They learn who to trust and who not to trust. Now, let’s talk about one aspect of human behavior. I’ve been hearing about this Psychologist who studies human behavior, Jonathan Haidt, who has been trying to disprove the idea that humans have at their core a sense of selfishness. He proposes something larger and more ingrained than that. In spite of our Western emphasis on individualism in this country, he is learning that even deeper than selfishness is this notion or tendency toward “groupishness” and tribalism that holds a particular group at such high regard that we will do just about anything to protect it from those whom we perceive to be on the outside.[1] It is all over our culture in one form or another, from team sports to favorite schools to book clubs and yoga classes to churches, to workplace environments. Many groups that are formed are fairly innocuous with playful competition and no real sense of danger involved. Sometimes the group identity is so strong that anyone outside of the group is considered toxic, dangerous. Sometimes there can be fierce competition for resources and with the messaging that resources are in short supply, the response becomes, “we have to get what is ours.” Those groups are more like a pack of wolves which cooperate for the kill but will fight each other for the meat. In contrast, some groups can take on a “one for all and all for one” kind of mentality in which there is shared cooperation within the group and even between groups. There is a sense in which we are all in the same boat and if we work together the ship will thrive, and you will get what you need and I will get what I need. Some healthy examples of these mostly healthy groups might be the U.S. military (at least in recent years.) They have an overall sense of cooperation and also have some competition on a squad or patrol level as well as between the different branches of service. But when one branch or one patrol is attacked, the hive/the tribe comes together, and it becomes one for all and all for one in spite of its diversity. There are different races, sexes, income levels, etc. in the military but they work hard to make sure that the tribe members cooperate with one another. Another similar group that may or may not be healthy is a local church community that cooperates with one another, has a shared purpose and mission, and works for the good of the community in which it serves. It is a group that can potentially build up each other within the group and at least cooperate with other groups. I am sure most of us can think of an unhealthy group or clan that insists on total denial of other groups and in fact, is toxic toward any other group. I am afraid politics on both sides of the aisle has devolved to this level. “We are not all in the same boat and no one can be trusted” is the messaging we hear from them. Well, we’ve talked about sheep and we’ve talked a little about human behavior. Now, let us talk Jesus. What we notice right away about Jesus in John’s passage today is that he is inclusive in including other sheep that are not from his sheepfold. Jesus is not so concerned about everyone being alike, just able to hear his voice. Jesus says he is the “good shepherd” meaning that he is ordered, sound, noble, ideal, true, competent, faithful, and trustworthy. Barbara Essex says he is not your “run-of-the-mill shepherd” because he embodies strength, power sympathy, kindness, and mercy.” She goes on to say that in Ezekiel 34:10-16, God assumes the duties of the shepherd – the one who leads, guides, feeds, protects, and seeks the lost sheep. So by Jesus’ declaration in this passage, he takes up God’s mission and links himself with God’s redemptive work in the world. He claims his very life and work is an act of obedience to God. No sacrifice is too great for the sheep.”[2] Jesus is not like the hired hand who do not know or protect the sheep when they are endangered. The hired hand, according to Jesus, will run at the first hint of danger and the sheep do not know his voice. Between our two texts today, we have a clear sense of the intimacy and care of the shepherd for the sheep. And we get a nice picture in our minds of the wonderful caring Jesus placing us, the sheep, on his shoulder as he keeps us from following one another over the cliff.
I have a few take-aways from today’s passages. * It is nice to feel part of a group, especially if it is a community of faith like this one that has a shared purpose and mission, is inclusive, and is welcoming of others. It may just give us a kind of protection, meaning, and purpose as the wolves or hired hands circle. And because Jesus said there are others that he is including in his sheepfold, we must be willing to do the same. We do not have to all look alive, vote alike, or believe exactly alike. We just have to be willing to listen for Jesus’ voice and follow where he leads. * Anytime someone in your group is stirring the pot to encourage you to see the “other” as somehow “less than” or not good enough – we are encouraged to call them out for their hired hand behavior. * We may not be all that bright sometimes, but we follow the one who knows all things and works all things together into something good. It just may be hard for us to see it at times. * In order to be able to recognize Jesus’ voice we have to be still, listen, and find that community that will help us discern Jesus’ voice from all the other voices that are out there. * Pay attention to your “groupish” behavior and notice when it is becoming toxic to you and to others. * And lastly, these wonderful pastoral images of Jesus being a shepherd reminds us that God, that Jesus, loves us even beyond our imagination, and that is the big idea. That truth alone will make you want to tell others so that they might join us in God’s wonderful sheepfold.
_____
[1] Jonathan Haidt, Internet talks on “Groupishness” to Google employees. [2] Barbara J. Essex, “Homiletical Perspective” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B, Vol 2. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008.) pp. 449, 451.
Today’s Scripture passages bring up a couple of interesting points for me. So, to begin, let’s talk sheep. I have heard conflicting reports about sheep over the years. In talking to a sheep farmer several years ago, I heard that the animals are not all that bright, that they will follow each other even if it is right off a cliff. I understand they like to stay in groups so that they can be better protected while they have their heads down chewing grass. I have also heard that sheep are actually kind of smart, that they will deviously find ways to go around a cattle grate that keeps them out of some pastures. (But I have also seen a video on YouTube that showed a group of sheep being herded by a bunny rabbit, seeming to be very frightened of it. ???) I am told they recognize group members even if they have not seen them for a while and I am told that sheep can recognize their herder’s voice even in the midst of many other voices and many other groups of sheep that have a different shepherd. A friend of mine from Oregon told me that she took a couple of young family members with her to visit a sheep farm a while back and they were delighted to find the sheepfold – a small pen next to the barn that housed the new lambs and their mothers. The girls oohed and awed as they watched the young lambs move about the pen that had thicker boards on it. The fencing around the lambs was more sturdy and had less holes in the walls in order to keep the predators out. The lambs all huddled together when they saw and heard the family approaching. One of the girls thought it would be so wonderful to hold one of the little lambs, so she climbed over the pen wall. The lambs became very nervous and huddled closer and tighter in their “pack.” As she approached the nervous group, the farmer yelled out, “stop! They will trample themselves and hurt one another trying to get away from you because they do not know you and do not know your voice. Climb back out and I will get one for you to hold and pet because they know me, trust me, and know my voice.” Apparently, the sheepfold is a safe, secure place for the little lambs as they bond together and become part of the group. But they will hurt each other if they perceive a threat. And they do not trust outsiders. They learn who to trust and who not to trust. Now, let’s talk about one aspect of human behavior. I’ve been hearing about this Psychologist who studies human behavior, Jonathan Haidt, who has been trying to disprove the idea that humans have at their core a sense of selfishness. He proposes something larger and more ingrained than that. In spite of our Western emphasis on individualism in this country, he is learning that even deeper than selfishness is this notion or tendency toward “groupishness” and tribalism that holds a particular group at such high regard that we will do just about anything to protect it from those whom we perceive to be on the outside.[1] It is all over our culture in one form or another, from team sports to favorite schools to book clubs and yoga classes to churches, to workplace environments. Many groups that are formed are fairly innocuous with playful competition and no real sense of danger involved. Sometimes the group identity is so strong that anyone outside of the group is considered toxic, dangerous. Sometimes there can be fierce competition for resources and with the messaging that resources are in short supply, the response becomes, “we have to get what is ours.” Those groups are more like a pack of wolves which cooperate for the kill but will fight each other for the meat. In contrast, some groups can take on a “one for all and all for one” kind of mentality in which there is shared cooperation within the group and even between groups. There is a sense in which we are all in the same boat and if we work together the ship will thrive, and you will get what you need and I will get what I need. Some healthy examples of these mostly healthy groups might be the U.S. military (at least in recent years.) They have an overall sense of cooperation and also have some competition on a squad or patrol level as well as between the different branches of service. But when one branch or one patrol is attacked, the hive/the tribe comes together, and it becomes one for all and all for one in spite of its diversity. There are different races, sexes, income levels, etc. in the military but they work hard to make sure that the tribe members cooperate with one another. Another similar group that may or may not be healthy is a local church community that cooperates with one another, has a shared purpose and mission, and works for the good of the community in which it serves. It is a group that can potentially build up each other within the group and at least cooperate with other groups. I am sure most of us can think of an unhealthy group or clan that insists on total denial of other groups and in fact, is toxic toward any other group. I am afraid politics on both sides of the aisle has devolved to this level. “We are not all in the same boat and no one can be trusted” is the messaging we hear from them. Well, we’ve talked about sheep and we’ve talked a little about human behavior. Now, let us talk Jesus. What we notice right away about Jesus in John’s passage today is that he is inclusive in including other sheep that are not from his sheepfold. Jesus is not so concerned about everyone being alike, just able to hear his voice. Jesus says he is the “good shepherd” meaning that he is ordered, sound, noble, ideal, true, competent, faithful, and trustworthy. Barbara Essex says he is not your “run-of-the-mill shepherd” because he embodies strength, power sympathy, kindness, and mercy.” She goes on to say that in Ezekiel 34:10-16, God assumes the duties of the shepherd – the one who leads, guides, feeds, protects, and seeks the lost sheep. So by Jesus’ declaration in this passage, he takes up God’s mission and links himself with God’s redemptive work in the world. He claims his very life and work is an act of obedience to God. No sacrifice is too great for the sheep.”[2] Jesus is not like the hired hand who do not know or protect the sheep when they are endangered. The hired hand, according to Jesus, will run at the first hint of danger and the sheep do not know his voice. Between our two texts today, we have a clear sense of the intimacy and care of the shepherd for the sheep. And we get a nice picture in our minds of the wonderful caring Jesus placing us, the sheep, on his shoulder as he keeps us from following one another over the cliff.
I have a few take-aways from today’s passages. * It is nice to feel part of a group, especially if it is a community of faith like this one that has a shared purpose and mission, is inclusive, and is welcoming of others. It may just give us a kind of protection, meaning, and purpose as the wolves or hired hands circle. And because Jesus said there are others that he is including in his sheepfold, we must be willing to do the same. We do not have to all look alive, vote alike, or believe exactly alike. We just have to be willing to listen for Jesus’ voice and follow where he leads. * Anytime someone in your group is stirring the pot to encourage you to see the “other” as somehow “less than” or not good enough – we are encouraged to call them out for their hired hand behavior. * We may not be all that bright sometimes, but we follow the one who knows all things and works all things together into something good. It just may be hard for us to see it at times. * In order to be able to recognize Jesus’ voice we have to be still, listen, and find that community that will help us discern Jesus’ voice from all the other voices that are out there. * Pay attention to your “groupish” behavior and notice when it is becoming toxic to you and to others. * And lastly, these wonderful pastoral images of Jesus being a shepherd reminds us that God, that Jesus, loves us even beyond our imagination, and that is the big idea. That truth alone will make you want to tell others so that they might join us in God’s wonderful sheepfold.
_____
[1] Jonathan Haidt, Internet talks on “Groupishness” to Google employees. [2] Barbara J. Essex, “Homiletical Perspective” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B, Vol 2. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008.) pp. 449, 451.