Acts 9:36-43

 Psalm 23

 Revelation 7:9-17

 John 10:22-30

At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 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."

In your constant love, O Lord you have led the people whom you ransomed; you have guided them by your strength to you holy dwelling-place. Amen.

The fourth Sunday after Easter is widely referred to as “Good Shepherd Sunday”.  During the three-year cycle of our lectionary we always read the 23rd Psalm and each year we read part of the Gospel of John where Jesus uses the imagery of the shepherd and the sheep to try and explain the relationship between God and his followers. This year in the reading from John’s Gospel provides four verbs to describe the relationship between sheep and shepherd.  The Sheep hear and follow; the Shepherd knows and gives eternal life.  Jesus is talking to a group of people who refuse to hear.  They are trying to trap Jesus.  Even if Jesus answered their direct questions directly he says they will not hear.  So Jesus, as usual, answers with a metaphor.  One that in that agrarian society they might understand, if they are willing to open their hearts and hear.

Now I now many of us don’t like to be referred to as sheep.  We tend to automatically go to the negative aspects of a sheep.  We tend to think of a sheep blindly following.  But that is not really the case.  We don’t have sheep blindly following but instead, with open eyes and open hearts following the Good. The sheep are able to distinguish between the good shepherd and the interloper, the one that would harm them.  They won’t just following anyone.  We too need to listen for the Shepherds voice and to follow that voice.  In the church today we need to listen and ask what that voice is calling us to do.  In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles we hear that one of the flock, a woman named Tabitha listened to the shepherd and followed Jesus. Tabitha is described as one who “was devoted to good works and acts of charity”.  Tabitha was making clothes for the least in her society, the widows, she was heeding the command of Jesus to love her neighbor as Jesus loved her.

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles I love the part of narrative where the widows, the ones who are now taking care of the body of Tabitha after she took care of them, how they act when Peter arrives. When Peter comes into the room they stop grieving and caring for the body to show off the things that testified to the life of Tabitha. We still do that today.  When someone dies we frequently will point to the things they did to try and explain why we loved them and why others should too. It is just Human nature to point to the tangible signs but God knows both the tangible and the intangible.

Walter Brueggemann a contributor to a website called “Blogging toward Sunday” points out that It is interesting that the wonder of the raising of Tabitha is witnessed and attested only by saints and widows. What a pair! The saints are those who did not flee from the smell of death. The widows are those who live every day in their vulnerability, at the edge of death. They are the only witnesses. The non-saints, the ones who fear death, were gone and did not stay to see the miracle. The anti-widows, the ones who work death on the weak, were not there. It takes a certain kind of witness to see the newness! They stayed in the chamber of death and were there for the surprising gift of new life.

Clearly the narrative attests that Peter—the church—is entrusted with the resurrection power of Jesus who himself carries the force of the creator God. The church is entrusted with the power to create new life. . .bodily, concretely, locally. It is no wonder that in the Book of Acts, the church is always before imperial authority, for the capacity to bring life out of death threatens every status quo.

In the Gospel reading, the works of Christ testify that Jesus is the Messiah, the works of new life that Jesus enacts everywhere (John 10:25). But many do not believe the testimony, because they are inured to the old arrangements of death and despair. But “my sheep” are the ones who “follow me.” The church stays close to Jesus, and so follows Jesus, not only in being obedient, but also in dispensing the miraculous power for life. The church continues to do what Jesus has done in order to make the world new.

The ones who do that, the faithful, empowered church, have “eternal life,” a quality of bold freedom in the world (John 10:27). Perhaps that “eternal life” was already signified in the life of “Tabitha” (Dorcas) who was “devoted to good works and acts of charity” (Acts 9:36). She already knew, in her daily round, about “eternal life.” Now the whole body of saints and widows, attached to the narrative, is invited to live that life with her, close to Jesus, agents and recipients of new life!”

The promise of the gospel is that God knows our works. God knows our works even if we don’t leave behind physical signs of our acts of charity.  God knows and God gives. He gives us the gifts to be able to follow him and ultimately we are given the gift of eternal life.  The Gospel lesson also promises us that we can never be taken from God once we are his.  Look at the sheep that Jesus gathered around him during his time on earth.  Those that he will not allow to be taken from him.  Look at the followers today.  Then and now Jesus calls to the afflicted; the unfortunate; the orphan; the humble; and, the oppressed.  We can be assured that God will continue to give his ultimate gift of Love to us.

As we gather to be the people of God in this time and place we too need to listen.  Listen for what God is asking us to do.  Just hearing God is not enough.  After hearing we need to follow.  We need to act.  We need to use our spiritual gifts and do what God is asking us to do.  I believe that one of the things God is asking us to do here at St. Paul’s is to continue to bring the radical gift of hospitality and Love to our Hurting world.  We are called to be like Tabitha and take care of the others.