EASTER 4C - Acts 13:15-16, 26-39; Psalm 100; Revelation 7:8-17; John 10:22-30 - 29 April 2007 - A sermon preached by The Rev. Peter A. Munson for St. Ambrose Episcopal Church, Boulder, Colorado

 

Hearing the Shepherd’s Voice

 

A RISEN LORD WHO STILL GUIDES US

 

One of the things Jesus’ resurrection means is that the risen Lord is still available to guide us. If Jesus is alive and well, and cares about our welfare, then it stands to reason that we can seek out the One who referred to himself as the Good Shepherd, who calls each of us by name, and who referred to us as his sheep.

 

From today’s Gospel: “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” (John 10:27-30)

 

Do you wonder if you matter to God, if you are of value? Nothing is of greater value to God than the people who are the sheep of his pasture. “What my Father has given me is greater than all else.” Neither Jesus nor God the Father is going to let you out of his sight. God is deeply concerned about your welfare, and gives the sheep not just life, but also eternal life. And the Shepherd is all about guiding us into those abundant places, leading us to where we most need to go.

 

What is required of us, then, is to listen - to listen for God’s guidance, to act on what we hear, to believe that the Shepherd has our best interests - and even our eternal life - at the very center of his heart.

 

HOW DO YOU HEAR GOD’S VOICE?

 

The Shepherd is calling us. So the question remains: How do you hear God’s voice?

 

(Begin dialog - wait for answers - what follows is an anticipation of possible answers)

 

Is it through reading and meditating and praying through Holy Scripture?

 

Is it through the nudges or “holy 2x4's” (being knocked upside the head) of the Holy Spirit, who has been given to lead us into all truth?

 

Is it through times of silence, when you are still and know that God is God, and the Spirit inside helps you know what you need to do? These can be times of set-aside prayer (Centering Prayer, etc.), or times when you are outside enjoying a walk or enjoying nature. And in your openness, and in the slowing down and the quiet, you hear God speak.

 

Is it through circumstances and signs that align, and you know that all of these things point to God giving you a message? That is, you know that only God could bring these things together, so that you hear the same message from three or four sources that are independent of each other.

 

Is it through the words and counsel of other saints, other people of God in whom resides the Spirit of Christ? These could be modern-day people of faith, or saints of the past whose experience of God is made available through their writings. (This is the one way of hearing God’s voice that points most strongly to our need for community, and our need for each person to be present and showing up in the body of Christ. That is, without you showing up to be part of the Body, the rest of us may be missing some of the counsel and inspiration that God has for us.)

 

Is it through common sense... what seems sensible? God does give us our minds and reason (and our gut feelings) to use, and many decisions can and are made by God appealing to our senses.

 

These are some of the ways people of faith have heard the Shepherd’s voice over the centuries.

 

- in Holy Scripture

- through the nudging of the Holy Spirit

- in silence

- through signs and circumstances that line up

- through other people

- through our senses - common and not-so-common

 

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER WE HEAR?

 

There is a whole other question that comes into play after we hear God’s voice, of course, and that is “What do we do about it?”

 

That is probably a topic for another sermon, but let us return to today’s Gospel passage for just a moment.

 

Do we believe in the Good Shepherd?

 

Do we believe that He wants the very best for us, and that He is not going to let anyone or anything snatch us out of His hands?

 

If so, then what is holding us back from responding to the voice we hear?

 

Is our desire to hear God’s voice matched by the same degree of faith in God’s continual provision for us, as we act, based on what we have heard?

 

CONCLUSION

 

We are the people of God, the sheep of his pasture. He calls out to us still - thanks be to God. We can hear his voice - thanks be to God. I often hear his voice through those of you in this community. Thanks be to God, and thanks be to you for being here.

 

Let us continue to seek out the voice of the Good Shepherd. And let us act on what we hear. Our lives will be better for it, and others’ lives will be better for it. I’m sure of that.