On the occasion of the celebration of 20 years of
ordained women in the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rt. Hon. Justin
Welby, said “Churches - the best
churches, churches as they should be, God's people in action - are not built
through victories and defeats in legislative assemblies, nor as a result only
of process and deliberation. Such things are necessary, even indispensable, but
they are not sufficient. A good church is forged through its transformation
into the likeness of Christ.” And such transformation into the likeness of
Christ is both the work of the Holy Spirit in us as individual members and
together as a community of faith, and our dedication to follow Christ in his
steps.
If
we agree with the premise – and I would suggest that we should agree, not
necessarily because it was the Archbishop who proposed it, but because it is deeply
rooted in the vision that Christ has for his own church, then, perhaps we
should take a few minutes to consider the issue.
Today
we celebrate “The Good Shepherd Sunday”,
so called because we read Psalm 23, the Gospel of John where our Savior
describes himself as the Good Shepherd, and the readings of the New Testament
also offers us images of a caring community – in the first reading from the
Book of Acts, and in the willingness to walk the talk as described by the
author of the letter of Peter in his writing to his fellow Christians.
For
Jesus, to describe himself being the Good Shepherd was just not a matter of
holding the approved doctrines or being a defender of past glories – for Jesus
it meant to be a door, a gateway to new pastures and new life. Jesus
remains as an open and inviting door into the soul of God and a door which will
remain open even if all other doors in life are shut on our faces. But it
is also a door with the inner strength
necessary to defend the flock – us – against self-serving and life-sucking
intruders. Among other qualities, let me suggest that being on the steps of the
Good Shepherd requires, a) Commitment to
a vision; and b) The willingness to
walk the talk.
Commitment to a Vision. Last week Elizabeth
and I were in Richmond driving on Broad Street, and we noticed a “Chipotle” eatery.
I remarked to Elizabeth that a lot of modern eateries are specifically geared
to a particular “target customer,”
and not worrying about anyone else. If others come, great, but not to sweat it
out if others don’t. Reading about the corporation, I learned that, “Chipotle has targeted millennials for its
primary customer segment. Its strategy was to win over millennials by
solidifying its reputation for freshness, and offering a healthier fare than
its competitors.” [1] That’s
it.
So
if you are craving for pizza or sushi, you are not going to find it in
Chipotle. Nor you will find chicken-fried steak or a seniors menu before 4 pm!
Elizabeth made the remark that she was not particularly keen on Chipotle. And I
said that quite probable the chain owners couldn’t care less. They are not after
people our age or with our tastes. And so be it.
In
this brave new world with super-segmentation, with shops training their sales
guns on particular groups of people, I wonder, what the future of the church is? Is still a
multicultural, multi-ethnic church a viable church?
Perhaps targeting sociological groups for unclear reasons (survival of the community, finances... ) is
not really what churches should be about. On the other hand, reaching out God's loving hands to those around us with a message of reconciliation, hope, and joy is what churches haven been called to do. Christ’s commitment to care for the
outcasts and the downtrodden never wavered, even in the face of criticism. He
had a clear vision. And He never wavered – “Not
my will, but yours!” (Luke 22:42). Jesus was questioned about the wisdom of
his plan of salvation. Peter himself tried to get the Savior out of harm’s way.
Yet, he did not change his mind; rather, “He
steeled himself for the journey to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). Jesus never
rejected anyone willing to join Him in his mission, and he clearly refused to
play class warfare. However, he was clear about one thing – He came to call not those who got it
everything right, but those who have found in their heart a God’s size hole,
(cf. Luke 5:32). And, my friends, such people, like all of us, come in all
ages, races, languages, income brackets, genders or sexual orientation, ability
or disability!
We
have heard that Jesus sent his disciples – us! – into the world to carry on his
mission. Today we learn about Jesus inspiring us to be caring individuals and a
caring community. It appears that Jesus is not so much concerned about having
rock bands or baroque orchestras in church, or reaching out to particular
groups, as long as we keep the door open to all, and “caring for all” is at the heart, and at the front and center of
our mission.
If
anything will kill a church is its failure to live to his mission – caring for
others and let the chips fall where they may. Archbishop Temple said it, “The Church is the only society on earth
that exists for the benefit of non-members.” And as another Archbishop,
William Ramsey, paraphrasing St Paul, put it as well, “The church that lives to itself will die to itself” (cf. Romans
14:7-9). Whenever our concern ceases to be those we are called to serve, and we
become self-obsessed with survival or self-preservation, and our priorities and
ourselves are at the center of
everything, we will fail. We should always remember that even if our religious
name is The Episcopal Church, or official corporate name is “The Domestic and
Foreign Missionary Society.” If it is mission, it is us.
Willingness to walk the talk. It took
thirty odd years for Christ to accomplish what he came to do – “The Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).
Taking the time it takes to accomplish a goal is not to give anyone a license
to twiddle the thumbs. But there are things that require time and may never be
completed or accomplished in our guard. There is no parent that at one time or
another laid hands on their teenage boy or girl and prayed, “In the name of Jesus, grow up!” But,
brothers and sisters, as the good Archbishop Justin hinted in his remarks,
transformation takes time.
Caring for people – as the Good Shepherd did –
requires us to surrender our schedules, and adopt those of whom we have been
called to serve. You cannot tell a sheep to calve while you are on duty, say
from 9 to 5! They calve whether one is ready or not. I do not mean to say that
there is no need for being organized or having priorities. Our Lord himself had
a schedule. But again, we need to keep in mind our Savior’s words, “I came
not to be served, but to serve.”
Theologian Sarah Dylan Breuer
comments in her blog that, “Shepherds had
a hard life, since they faced all of the hardships of the hostile landscape
through which they herded their sheep. Being with the flock, they faced all of
the dangers and difficulties that the flock faced, and they were just as
vulnerable -- to heat in the day, too cold at night, and to human and animal
predators at all times. They slept with their flocks on nights when there were
few enough predators for them to sleep at all; they were seen as poor prospects
as husbands and fathers, since they had to leave their families alone and
vulnerable at night as well. That's the kind of life Jesus lives for and with
us.”[2]
This is what we are called to be. If
we are willing to take care of the being part, the doing part will take care of
itself. We are called to being a church for others, to being shepherds to those
who have been ignored by society, to those who have become the “cannon fodder”
of consumer society, and being guards of those who need spiritual shelter. But
also, we have been called to open doors for Christ himself to make his presence
known among those whom He loves. This is the good news, the Gospel for
today – Jesus says, “I am the Good
Shepherd.” He still will be with us in the dark nights of our souls. He
will be leading us all the way, even when we face perils, uncertainties, and
whenever we may feel our strength sapping.
Being transformed into the likeness
of Christ is a life-long endeavor. As a church, we will always be on the
journey to become the Body of the Risen Christ. We have a calling, and we have given
the power to accomplish it. We have been given a mission, and we have been
given the resources to complete it. We have been given food for the road, a
staff to support us, and a holy fire in our bellies to warm us up against the
coldness that always wants to creep into our hearts. Come along and let us have
some fun together!
Let us pray, “O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that
when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow
where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God,
for ever and ever. Amen.”
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