Which Way?

John 10:1-10; May 3, 2020

Jesus the Good Shepherd

 

These days, it is hard to know what direction to take in our lives…

We are sheltering in place to keep ourselves and others safe, because it is the right thing to do!

However, even those of us who are most committed to Social Distancing, can find ourselves questioning…

“Is quarantining ourselves is really worth it?”

“Is it really helping?”

Like others, we may find ourselves wondering if the ‘cure’ is worse than the disease.

Many have been put out of work, and are struggling financially, relationships have suffered, both from too much distancing, or too little.

Educations have been disrupted, sports, concerts and family gatherings cancelled or postponed…including weddings and funerals.

Times when we most need to be together, to get a good hug, a warm hand…and we are advised to stay at least six feet apart.

We have many ways that we can connect remotely, through the internet and phone, but it is not the same, and in many ways we feel as if we are farther apart than ever before.

We wonder if it is okay to go to the store to buy food, clothes or other necessities?

When do we wear a mask?

Is it alright to go to the park, the lake, for a run, hike or bike ride?

Or just to walk the dog.

Can we go and visit a friend who is down, offer comfort to those who mourn? How do we take care of people who are sick, with virus or any other disease?

Are we doing enough?

And we can find ourselves asking “What will come next?”

It is easy to feel confused and a bit lost now, because it is so hard to know what to do.

Right now, we are truly in need of some guidance…but where will we find it?

We can look to today’s Gospel, when Jesus tells us that he is the good shepherd!

A shepherd leads the flock, feeds them, and cares for them…even when they do not want to be cared for, even when they want to go their own way.

As OUR good shepherd we can look to Jesus for guidance…to live in the answer of the old question: “What would Jesus do?”

We can do as Jesus taught us, by showing compassion, consideration, and care, for others.

We are following Jesus when we sacrifice our own comfort and convenience in order to keep others safe and protected.

When we act selflessly, putting the needs of others ahead of our own.

When we support those who are feeling brunt of this quarantine, through the kindness of a phone call or a text, connecting via Zoom or Skype…to help all of us feel less ‘isolated’.

When we offer comfort to those struggling, with money trouble, Depression, Addiction, or illness…even the virus, when we do all these things, we are following the lead of our good shepherd.

It is not always easy to follow Jesus, but then, his journey was not an easy one…but he is our best teacher and guide.

When we move forward despite our questions and doubts, and seek to do the next right thing…even if we are not sure what that is.

When we seek to unite rather than divide…

We can help each other find our way to healing, not just from the virus, but from all the ills and injustices that this pandemic has brought to the surface…where they can be treated.

For when we follow our good shepherd, we are acting as Christ in the world, sharing his message of hope…

The message of the Gospel, the message that God’s love is for all people, and is meant to be shared. This message has the power to reconcile and restore us.

And our world is very much in need of Christ’s message of hope, we are need of some good shepherding, because this health crisis has also become an economic and political struggle.

Causing us to become further divided at a time when we need to come together to face our common foe!

Yet, all is not lost, because while this pandemic can break us, it can also give us the opportunity face the faults that keep us apart, allowing us to move forward more connected and unified than ever before.

With our good shepherd leading the way, we too can become shepherds.

Amen

Peace Be With Us

 

April 19, 2020; Second Sunday of Easter

John 20:19-31

I have red hair, when I was young, it was really red…and I was often reminded of this fact, by strangers, old ladies at church, and bullies.

One day, when I was in second grade, I ran afoul of said bullies, and after letting them know that I did not appreciate their teasing, they offered to meet up with me after school to discuss the situation further: a classic set up, right out of the movies.

However, it was not quite as much fun in real life.

So, when school ended, I found myself sheltering in place. I was smart enough to stay near the office, but could see the bullies loitering just outside. I knew I was safe for the moment, but would not be able to stay there for long, and was thinking of an exit strategy, but not coming up with anything practical.

All I knew was that it was not safe to go outside.

I was thinking about my chances of taking another exit, thinking they could not be watching both the front and back doors at the same time…right? Then I saw a rattling old ’65 Valiant pull up to the curb!

It was my big brother Pete!

I was not expecting him, but my mother had asked him to pick me up after school, because there was big news!

When I walked out of the school, the bullies approached, but Pete saw them and told them to “get lost” and they backed away!

I was safe, at least for that afternoon!

When I got home, my mother told me I was changing schools!

(Yes, this really happened)

I would have to get used to a ‘new normal’ but at least those bullies wouldn’t bother me again!

And I knew that no matter what happened, that I would always have someone watching my back, always have someone to support me…just like Pete did, when he chased off the bullies.

In today’s Gospel, we find the disciples, also sheltering in place.

They were afraid to go out…because it was dangerous out there.

I remember hearing this Gospel in church, as a child, and thinking that they lacked faith in God, faith in the words of Jesus.

Wondering why they did not go out boldly and stand up their bullies…although I used caution with my own.

Looking down on them because they were afraid, and hiding.

However, these were thoughts of a child, and I was mistaken. For the disciples, going out WAS dangerous!

It would have put their lives, and the lives of those they loved, at risk because the same people who had executed Jesus wanted to kill them as well!

So, the disciples stayed hidden, and waited until it was safe to go outside; although they did not know when that would be.

While in hiding behind locked doors, they did their best to make sense of everything that had happened:

The arrest, torture and death of Jesus, the threats given by those in power, and now, the stories of his return! None of it made any sense, no wonder the disciples were afraid and confused.

They were facing an uncertain future. They knew it would be different, but had no idea what it would be like…yet.

But, for the moment, they knew it was better for them to play it safe, and stay in hiding.

There are some of us who may be able to relate to how the disciples were feeling on this evening.

Then, in the midst of their fear, sorrow and confusion, Jesus was with them!

And he appeared right when they needed him!

Just like my brother Pete did on that afternoon!

On this evening, the disciples needed hope, they needed to have something to give them peace, they needed Jesus!

He knew this, and so the first thing Jesus said to them was “Peace be with you”.

Usually, it is a simple greeting, but here, in the midst of their hiding place, these words became something more!

The last thing the disciples were feeling at that moment was peace.

Jesus’ greeting was also a sincere wish calm, a message of hope in the midst of a very difficult time.

Telling them, “Peace be with you” was a way of letting the disciples know that they were not alone, that God was still with them…that the promise of Christ, the promise of new life, was at hand…and this was reason for peace!

And this gift was given to them…and to all of us!

Then, Jesus asks us all to go out into the world, to tell others the good news, to share this gift of peace with a troubled world.

It is not an easy task, as our world is unsettled, and not everyone wants to hear this message of peace, nor does everyone want to hear the about God’s presence in our world.

The disciples would discover this for themselves, and that is why their road was not an easy one, but Jesus never promised that following him would be easy. There were plenty of reasons for them to have fear and uncertainty, but in the words of Jesus: “Peace be with you” there is hope, and strength.

Because with these words, Jesus is reminding the disciples that they are not alone, that they were part of the miracle of the Resurrection.

That faith can overcome fear.

Our lives are not easy either, even without a pandemic there are plenty of reasons to feel fear and uncertainty…

And at a time like this, it is even more important to be at peace, to seek out the faith that can quiet our fear, the hope that is found in knowing that God’s love surrounds always.

It is also important to remember that not only did Jesus wish us peace, but he also called upon us to be peace in our world…and to share this gift with our troubled world.

For the more we share God’s love and grace with each other the stronger it grows!

When we show compassion to those who are struggling, offer comfort to those who mourn, we are sharing our faith, faith that speaks to fear and uncertainty.

It is together that we will find the peace that we need to face the challenges of today, together that we will become the peace we need to move forward into our new normal…as we adjust to a new way of life in the wake of the virus.

In our new normal, it will be even more important for us to watch out for each other; not only to share this peace, but to be that peace!

May the peace of the Lord be with us all.

Easter Time

Easter Sunday – April 12, 2020

Matthew 28:1-10 

It was late fall when a company email was sent out, announcing a “Town-hall” meeting, that we were all supposed to attend.

The time given for the meeting was mis-typed as “Easter Time”, and while I thought it was slightly amusing, it got me thinking…that maybe it wasn’t all that wrong.

For in a very real way, it is always Easter time!

No matter the season of year, even during Advent or Lent…it is still Easter time.

No matter what is going on the world: feast, famine, war, injustice or celebration…

Even during a Pandemic, it is Easter time!

Whatever we are going through, wherever we are, it is always Easter time, because we are living in the light of the resurrection!

Christ has risen, and there nothing that can change this, no way for us to lose that light, for this gift was given to us freely… and this gives us a reason for hope, even when it may feel as if hope is out of reach!

Hope that we really need right now, because it has been a long Lent…

These last six weeks has felt more like six months, and our lives are in a far different place than they were on Ash Wednesday.

Now at last, it is Easter, and this morning’s Gospel has us standing in the garden with Mary, as the dawn is about to break…

Waiting for the miracle…waiting for the light of dawn.

Waiting for Easter.

When I was in seminary, I spent a summer as a Chaplain at Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia. Part of my duties required that I stay on-call one night a week, in case one of the patients or staff needed support during the night.

On one of these nights, I had just settled into the “On-call” room and was drifting off to sleep, when the beeper (it was 1994) went off!

I had been called to one of the units to help a patient who was dying of AIDS.

When I arrived, the nurse told me that the patient’s family had been called, but were three buses and several hours away, and may not arrive before dawn.

Unfortunately, the nurse was afraid that the man would not last that long, and asked me to stay with him, so that he wouldn’t be alone.

This was the first time I had been asked to spend time with someone as they died, and I was nervous, not only because he had AIDS and I had to take precautions, but also because I was not sure what I would say, or if I could help him.

But I put on a mask and gloves and was about to walk into the room, when the nurse asked me “Do you speak Spanish?”

I do not speak Spanish, and he did not speak English, but we found ways to communicate with each other during that long night.

And I quickly forgot about being anxious.

He understood that I was there to help him, knew the Lord’s prayer, and enjoyed it when I read him some of the Psalms…in any language, they offer comfort.

However, we spent most of that night just waiting…

When we had nothing to say to each other, I would put my hand on his shoulder and we’d look at each other in the silence, something I am not used to, but learned to accept.

While waiting, I found myself looking out to the hallway, hoping I would wee his family arriving, but it remained empty. I also looked out of the window at the night sky, beyond the Philadelphia skyline and seeking out the light of day…but the night lingered.

But, fortunately, so did my patient. I was afraid he would not survive long enough to see his family, but he stayed with us.

Then, after hours of waiting…the sky finally began to brighten.

I looked down at the man, who smiled and nodded at me, and at that moment the room was filled with people!

His family had arrived on time!

As they surrounded his hospital bed, as I stepped back, to give them time with their loved one.

However, before I left, we gathered in prayer and as we did the first rays of the Sun broke over the horizon, and the room was filled with light!

Dawn had come, my patient was surrounded by his loved ones, and would not be dying alone!

It was Easter time!

It is always Easter time…

Even during the longest nights…when fear threatens our faith, when we think the dawn may never come.

In many ways we are in the midst of our own long night, as we continue to keep Socially Distant. During this time the light of Easter can seem far away, especially since we are not able to go to church for worship, have egg hunts with our kids, or dinner with family and friends.

And we find ourselves separated from the people, places, and traditions that we love.

We are isolating, but for a good reason, to keep each other safe…as an act of care, and love.

Yet, being Socially Distant does not mean that we are alone.

We are still connected because we are all living in the light of the risen Christ, the light that broke over the garden that morning.

And this light binds us together…to the promise of new life given to us on that quiet morning.

When we are striving to help each other, showing compassion for those in need, and taking care of ourselves…

We are all living in Easter time…

When we offer comfort to those who are afraid, support to those who need help just getting the basic necessities and when we act selflessly, to ensure that we all have enough to get by…

When we think of others before ourselves…

It is Easter time, and this is what gives us hope…even during our long nights.

Hope that is found in knowing that nothing can separate us from God’s great love.

Hope in knowing that we are surrounded by that love, just as my patient was…when he was surrounded by his family as the Sun rose.

When we are supporting each other through these difficult days…

On this Easter Sunday, we are all waiting a miracle, waiting for the light of dawn to wash over us…

Yet, even though we still have a way to go until we get to the other side of our trial…it is good to remember that the miracle we are waiting for, has been with ever since that first Easter morning.

And as followers of Christ, we are called to do as Mary did, and share the news.

Where that news is shared, the darkness fades, and hope spreads out across the land.

So, go and tell the world, that the risen Christ is in our midst!

That it is always Easter time!