Fourth Sunday of Easter, Cycle A

JOHN 10:1-10

I HAD A PRETTY GOOD MOTHER.  I KNOW WE'RE SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT OUR MOTHERS WERE THE BEST MOTHERS IN THE WORLD, AND CERTAINLY WHEN I WAS A KID I THOUGHT THAT. AND WHEN I MAKE THE SIGN OF THE CROSS, I AM DOING SOMETHING MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME WHEN I WAS ABOUT THREE OR FOUR. BUT I LOOK BACK AND IT'S OBVIOUS THAT SHE COULD HAVE DONE SOME THINGS BETTER, AND MY TWO SISTERS AND I STILL BEAR A FEW SCARS. BUT I WOULD BET THAT ALL OF YOU COULD SAY THE SAME THING. AFTER ALL, MOTHERS ARE HUMAN BEINGS, AND THEY AREN'T PERFECT, AND THEY CARRY BAGGAGE FROM THEIR OWN UPBRINGING. MY WIFE IS A WONDERFUL MOTHER. I THINK SHE'S DONE A BETTER JOB OF BEING A MOTHER THAN MY OWN MOTHER DID. I'M PROUD OF MY CHILDREN, AND I SEE BITS OF HER REFLECTED IN THEM. AND CERTAINLY SHE HAD A LOT MORE TO DO WITH RAISING THEM THAN I DID. I'D GO OFF TO WORK IN THE MORNING AND COME HOME IN THE EVENING, AND SHE'D TAKE CARE OF ALL THE IN BETWEEN PARTS.

MY DAUGHTERS ARE GOOD MOTHERS AS WELL. I LOOK AT MY GRANDCHILDREN AND SEE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN SHAPED BY THEIR MOTHERS AND FATHERS, AND THEY'VE DONE A GOOD JOB AND CONTINUE TO DO SO. SO I DON'T HAVE ANY COMPLAINTS.

BUT YOU CAN GO ON YOU-TUBE AND WATCH A MOTHER HAVING AN ABORTION. SHE BECAME PREGNANT AND DECIDED THAT FOR HER IT WASN'T THE RIGHT TIME TO HAVE A CHILD. SHE WORKED FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD AND DECIDED THAT SHE WOULD RECORD THE WHOLE EVENT AND PUT IT ON LINE SO THAT WOMEN WHO HAD MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT ABORTION WOULD BE COMFORTED BY SEEING HOW EASY IT WAS. I WONDER HOW THE CHILD'S GRANDPARENTS FELT. I'M GLAD NONE OF MY GRANDCHILDREN WERE ABORTED.

JESUS GIVES US THREE IMAGES. THE FIRST IS THAT OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD. HE IS CLEARLY THINKING ABOUT THE PSALM WHICH STARTS OUT, “THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD...” AND TALKS ABOUT STILL WATERS AND GREEN PASTURES. THE GOOD SHEPHERD LEAVES 99 SHEEP AND GOES AFTER THE ONE WHICH HAS WANDERED OFF. WHEN HE FINDS HIM, HE PUTS HIM ON HIS SHOULDERS AND BRINGS HIM BACK TO THE FLOCK. THAT'S WHAT WE SEE IN THOSE HOLY CARDS, IN THOSE PICTURES. JESUS AS THE GOOD SHEPHERD.

BUT TODAY HE GIVES US TWO MORE IMAGES. THE SHEPHERD IS THE ONE THAT THE GATEKEEPER ALLOWS INTO THE SHEEPFOLD. ONCE THE SHEPHERD IS IN THE SHEEPFOLD, HE CAN SPEAK TO HIS SHEEP AND LEAD THEM OUT. THEY KNOW HIS VOICE AND FOLLOW HIM; HE KNOWS HIS SHEEP AND THEY KNOW HIM.

AND THE OTHER IMAGE IS THAT OF THE GATE TO THE SHEEPFOLD. IN THE DAYS OF JESUS, SHEPHERDS WOULD BRING THEIR SHEEP INTO A COMMON ENCLOSURE, A SHEEPFOLD. THERE WAS ONLY ONE ENTRANCE AND THE SHEEP HAD TO GO OUT SINGLE FILE. AT NIGHT THE SHEPHERDS WOULD TAKE TURNS SLEEPING IN THE ENTRANCE WAY. IF YOU WANTED TO GET INTO THE SHEEPFOLD, YOU'D HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE SHEPHERD.

BUT WE HEAR STILL ANOTHER INTERESTING IMAGE IN TODAY'S GOSPEL. THE SHEPHERD DRIVES HIS SHEEP OUT OF THE SHEEPFOLD. THAT'S THE SAME GREEK WORD THAT IS USED WHEN JESUS DRIVES THE MONEY CHANGERS OUT OF THE TEMPLE. IT'S THE SAME WORD THAT IS USED WHEN HE DRIVES THE DEMONS OUT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE POSSESSED. IT'S NOT A GENTLE WORD.

I THINK MOTHERS ARE VERY MUCH LIKE SHEPHERDS, AS JESUS DESCRIBED THEM. THEY FIRST OF ALL DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO MAKE SURE THEIR CHILDREN ARE FED AND CLOTHED AND PROTECTED. MOTHERS WHO LIVE IN PLACES WHERE THERE ISN'T ENOUGH FOOD MAKE SURE THEIR CHILDREN ARE FED BEFORE THEY EAT THEMSELVES. AND MOTHERS HAVE A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP TO THEIR CHILDREN; WHEN A CHILD IS YOUNG ONLY THE MOTHER CAN COMFORT HIM OR HER. ONLY THE MOTHER CAN GIVE THE CHILD A SENSE OF SECURITY, OF BEING LOVED, OF BELONGING. OF COURSE FATHERS HAVE A ROLE AS WELL, BUT WHEN THE CHILD GETS UPSET, THE FATHER HANDS THE CHILD BACK TO HIS MOTHER. EVEN AN INFANT KNOWS HER MOTHER'S VOICE. SHE HAS A SIGN ON HER DESK THAT SAYS, “THE BUCK STOPS HERE”.

AND MOTHERS ARE FIERCELY PROTECTIVE. SHEPHERDS IN JESUS' TIME WOULD BATTLE WILD ANIMALS AND THIEVES TO DEFEND THEIR SHEEP, AND SOMETIMES WOULD LOSE THEIR LIVES. EVERY TEACHER AND COACH HAS PROBABLY FELT THE WRATH OF A MOTHER WHO FELT THAT HER CHILD NEEDED DEFENDING. AND MOTHERS, AT LEAST GOOD MOTHERS, ARE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHO THEIR CHILDREN ASSOCIATE WITH, AND WHAT THEY READ AND WATCH ON TELEVISION, AND WHAT THEY EAT. MOTHERS ARE GATEKEEPERS.

AND GOOD MOTHERS DRIVE THEIR CHILDREN; THEY PUSH THEM OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE. WHEN I WAS A KID I LOVED TO READ COMIC BOOKS. BUT IF IT WAS A NICE DAY OUTSIDE, THE COMIC BOOK WOULD BE SNATCHED FROM MY HAND AND I WOULD BE USHERED TO THE DOOR AND TOLD TO GO OUTSIDE AND GET SOME EXERCISE. JESUS TALKS ABOUT THE SHEPHERD WHO DRIVES HIS SHEEP OUT OF THE COMFORT OF THE SHEEPFOLD. FOR A SHEEP TO FULFILL ITS ROLE, IT NEEDED EXERCISE, IT NEEDED TO FIND FRESH GRASS TO GRAZE; TO STAY IN THE SHEEPFOLD MIGHT BE COMFORTABLE, BUT IN THE LONG RUN WAS NOT IN THE SHEEP'S BEST INTEREST. A GOOD MOTHERS KEEP PUSHING HER CHILD BECAUSE SHE SEES HIS POTENTIAL EVEN WHEN HE DOESN'T. OF COURSE THE PUSHING DIES DOWN AS THE CHILD AGES, BUT AS ALL OF US KNOW, EVEN WHEN WE ARE FULL GROWN AND OUT ON OUR OWN, WE WILL GET LITTLE PUSHES FROM OUR MOTHERS. WHEN MY MOTHER WAS 90 AND HAD ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE, SHE TOLD ME I WAS WORKING TOO HARD AND NEEDED TO TAKE MORE TIME FOR MYSELF. A MOTHER STOPS BEING A MOTHER ON THE DAY SHE DIES. JESUS ALSO SEES THE POTENTIAL IN EACH OF US, AND WANTS NOTHING MORE FOR US THAN TO REALIZE THAT POTENTIAL, TO BE THE BEST VERSION OF OURSELVES THAT WE CAN BE. HE NEVER STOPS PUSHING US TO THAT GOAL.

SO TODAY WE CELEBRATE GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY, AND MOTHER'S DAY. GOOD SHEPHERDS AND GOOD MOTHERS HAVE A LOT IN COMMON, AND IT'S APPROPRIATE THAT WE HONOR THOSE WONDERFUL WOMEN WHO WERE OUR FIRST SHEPHERDS, WHO STOOD IN FOR OUR GOOD SHEPHERD WHEN WE WERE SMALL AND HELPLESS.