Sunday, April 17, 2016

Fourth Sunday of Easter, cycle C

John 10:27-30
I'm getting hard of hearing in my old age.  Those of you who have talked with me know that sometimes I ask you to repeat what you said.  Or you may be talking to me and wondering why I have  blank expression on my face.  Or you may say hello in the grocery store and I will not hear you, so you will think I am ignoring you and that I'm stuck up.  Hearing aids help some, but not as much as you would think.  On my mother's side of the family, she and her brothers and sisters were all pretty deaf by the time they turned eighty.  It's not fun but there are a lot of things that are worse.  But I think the worst part of being deaf is when I call one of my daughters on the phone and a pre-teen grandson answers.  I say what I am calling about, and the grandson sounds confused, and then suddenly realizes that Grandpa  has confused him once again with his mother.  I can't always distinguish voices like I used to, and it's very hard when I can't see the person who is doing the speaking.
We have a sort of  a spiritual deafness, as well.  I  think many of us do not hear the voice of Jesus or aren't sure when we do.  And so one of the big challenges in life is to learn how to hear the voice of the shepherd.  After all, Jesus says that his sheep listen to his voice, and he knows them, and they follow him.  Real sheep do know their shepherd's voice.  Sheep aren't the smartest animals, but they get to the point where they will follow their shepherd, even if there are other voices calling them.  Out in the West where I grew up they have sheep rodeos sometimes, where sheepdogs can show off their skills, and shepherds can demonstrate how well they have their sheep trained.  It's amazing what people did to amuse themselves before television and the internet came along!
Maybe we can learn something from sheep.  A baby lamb is born with an instinct to stay close to it's mother.  The mother has already learned the shepherd's voice.  Where she goes, the lamb goes.  As the lamb grows, it has learned from its mother something about how to tell the shepherd's voice.  We Christians could certainly imitate those lambs.  If we have a problem hearing the voice of the shepherd, let us find someone who can hear better than we, and learn from him or her.  It's not easy in our society to admit that someone else might be more attuned to Christ than I am.  Even though spiritual direction is as old as Christianity, maybe older, we are a generation that doesn't see the value of it.  Even though we know we should do something about becoming disciples, we are reluctant to learn from people who are disciples.  Spiritual direction at it's best is learning how to hear the voice of Jesus.
Lambs learn about the shepherd's voice in other ways as well.  Sometimes a lamb will wander off and get lost.  Frightened and alone, it hears the voice coming closer and closer, and then the lamb is snatched up and put on the shoulders of the shepherd and brought back to the flock.  The next time he gets lost, he listens for the voice and runs toward it.  When you and I have problems, when we are suffering physically or mentally, when our life seems out of control, sometimes we are consoled by remembering that Jesus suffered as well, suffered and died, alone and crying out “My God, why have you forsaken me?”  But we believe God raised him up to eternal life, and Jesus promised that where he was  going we would follow.  In our pain and suffering, if we listen we will hear Jesus saying to us what he said to the good thief:  “Today you will be with me in paradise!”  We have an extremely long list of brothers and sisters who have heard the Master's voice most clearly in suffering; they are the saints and martyrs.  While none of us want to suffer, it isn't a stretch to say that when we are suffering Jesus is very close and especially then invites us to share in his cross and resurrection.
And lambs learn to hear the shepherd's voice during times of joy as well.  The lamb learns that following the shepherd means that she will find good places to graze and fresh water to drink.  And the best part, perhaps, is when after a long day she lies down, knowing she is safe and protected, and hears the shepherd sing.  Eventually she associates his voice with peace and joy and comfort.  And just as we find Jesus' voice in suffering, we find it in joy as well if we listen.  Saint Paul tells us that every good thing comes from God.  If we remind ourselves of that when we are enjoying something, when we are laughing with our friends or relaxing after a busy day – if we are enjoying a hike in the woods or a  drive in our new car, we can listen and hear the voice of the one who loves to see us enjoying what he has given us, and wants to give us so much more.
One thing about sheep is that they follow the shepherd not knowing where they are going to be led.  The shepherd has the plan and that's enough for the sheep.  You and I are often called by God to do something, but the whole plan is never revealed, and for some of us, we don't want to do anything unless we can see why, unless we can see the whole plan.  But God never reveals the whole plan; he only shows us the next step.  Jesus' sheep need to know this and trust that our shepherd will use us the way he sees fit.
The point is that the shepherd becomes the sheep's whole life.  Through it's own experiences, it learns that the shepherd is there all the time, leading it onward.  Modern sheep cannot survive for very long by themselves.  And we may think that we are strong and independent and don't have much need for a shepherd, but the truth is we can't thrive in our lives without our shepherd.  If we hear his voice and follow him, then we become one with him and he is one with the Father.  If we try to go it alone sooner or later both joy and sorrow lose their meaning and we ourselves are lost.