Sheep May Safely Graze

One of the most endearing biblical images is the shepherd and sheep. I feel confident that’s one image because sheep need a shepherd and a shepherd needs sheep, don’t they? Even the lost sheep was found by a shepherd eventually.

It can also be one of the most archaic for modern people and its understanding often hinges on a Sunday sermon here or there. Still, it’s much beloved and comforting for many. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” may be among the most familiar words in the bible.

In John’s gospel, “I am the Good Shepherd” is one of the key statements Jesus makes about his identity. It’s part of a passage in which Jesus talks about the sheep knowing the shepherd’s voice and the shepherd caring for the sheep. Jesus also describes himself as the gate for the sheepfold that protects the sheep and saves the sheep from the thief, because “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.” But I, says Jesus, I came that you may have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10).

As familiar and comforting as the shepherd image may be, I think it’s that promise of life that’s most important. It ought to be in the motto, mission and vision of every church, every faith community - any community.

There’s lots of other things that could be included, of course, to be more specific, but isn’t that a true description of the kind of community that we want to create? A place where we have life. Abundantly.

Abundantly. That’s a word we use to quantify something, something we can measure by volume, a large volume.  And in a materialistic world, it’s more often associated with want than need.

In a church context, you’ve probably heard it as part of a stewardship or financial campaign. As in, please remember to give - of your time or talents or finances - from a sense of abundance, not scarcity. That’s truly important, it is, in any context. Scarcity confines our thinking and limits our perception of the possibilities that a generous sense of abundance offers.

It’s a bit like life, don’t you think? We say that the only certainties of life are death and taxes, both things that take from us. If you live your life through the lens of death, what kind of life is that? Shouldn’t the true certainty of life be that it’s full of opportunities for living? So please, do remember to give from abundance, not just in church, but generally.  It’s important and necessary.  But it’s not what Jesus is talking about here.  There’s something that has to come first.

Jesus isn’t asking you to give abundantly, but to receive abundantly. Jesus wants you to receive this life he offers, to receive it abundantly in all the richness and fullness in which it is offered.

And what is this life that Jesus offers?  Maybe we’ve come to use sheep in a negative way, but look, as Jesus describes it, the sheep are provided care, safety and comfort in the community of the sheepfold. And when it’s time to go out into the world, the same shepherd leads them. This is the life that is offered by following the way that Jesus teaches, the life that the earliest Christians will mean when they call themselves The People of The Way.

Maybe our churches are a little dated and flawed, too. But surely the idea of a community that provides a safe place to be who you are, a community that cares for each other, a community that’s life giving, even giving life abundantly - isn’t that a way to go?