The Rev. Richard Lampert
Easter IV
Ps.23-J. 10-Hymn 645
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow
of death, I shall fear no evil: for thou art with me …..
Today, in churches all over the world is Good Shepherd Sunday! The 23rd Psalm, its companion story in The Gospel of John chapter 10, the beloved Hymn 645 may all well be among the most cherished biblical stories and musical scores found anywhere in our Christian liturgical tradition. Listen to the familiar comfortable words: “I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me,…(John); The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, he makes me lie down in green pastures, ….., he restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake; Yea, though ….(Psalm); The King of love my shepherd is, whose goodness fail–eth never… (hymn) Who amongst us here today when we hear these so treasured words does not feel our own very heart jump for joy? I think no one! I trust none of us!
Like so many of the Gospel stories, [1] the Good Shepherd theme is drawn from earlier Old Testament writings: notably Psalm 23; The Book of Jeremiah chapter 23 and The Book of Ezekiel chapter 34. In the two Prophetic writings, The Lord says that He will now replace former ineffective and evil kingly prophets with His own faithful and God fearing shepherds. In the Psalm of David, the psalmist rejoices that he shall now forever dwell in the goodness and the love and the strength of The Lord. [2] Also, it is well to know that The Good Shepherd story is one of seven famous I AM sayings found only in John’s Gospel: i.e. I AM the bread of life 6.35; I AM the Resurrection and the Life 11.25; I AM The Way, The Truth, and The Life 14.6; I AM the Vine and you are the Branches 15.5 and The Good Shepherd 10.11ff. Of course, in the broad biblical sense, the term shepherd (in all the I AM sayings) applies equally to pastors, lay people, dea-cons and bishops alike. Certainly, in the Church of the Redeemer this is true!
Listen with me to some timeless pastoring words taken from the classic book entitled, The Christian Pastor:“Two thousand plus years of Christian ministry have conditioned all Churches and Christians to expect their faithful pastors to be with them in times of need….. From birth to death and at every significant point in between, you as a Christian pastor(s) are commissioned by Christ and expected by the community of faith to bring the mind of Christ and the reality of the Holy Spirit to bear upon the crises which all people face….. Your security and strength as a pastor always arises out of your dependence upon the Chief Pastor,never the completeness of your know-ledge, nor the cleverness of your techniques, not even the power of your personality.”The Rev. Dr. Wayne E. Oates
Let me tell you a Dick Lampert vacation and Redeemer story. My wife Molly will tell you that in every vacation over all the years there’s a predictable pattern. First, I don’t want to talk to anyone. Then, I start to resurrect, exercise more, begin to socialize some. Finally, I feel a little refreshed, stronger, hopeful, the creative juices start to flow & I look for new books, new ideas, new visions.The two weeks past were the same. In downtown Charleston, S.C. at the St. Michael’s Episcopal Bookstore/Gift Shop I found a veritable gold mine: new books, great ideas, enough am-munition and provisions for at least one year, maybe two! Two days later, I walked back into a Pawleys Island bookstore to get a book which I had ordered before and almost fell over the display case for Karen Zecharias’new book, Will Jesus Buy Me A Double-Wide? (‘Cause I Need More Room for my Plasma TV) I couldn’t believe my eyes. I didn’t know whether to laugh out loud or just run out of the store. Guess what, I bought the book! Let me explain.
My first 2 years at Redeemer I ran the Hispanic Ministry. My office was across the street in “The Trailer”or as Jay Crouse constantly admonished me, “The Double-Wide”. With Jay, it was all a matter of principle; with me, mostly cultural and/or linguistic ignorance. Doris Schweppe and I and Jay Crouse and Dede Weber all became, still are, good friends. But, the battle between the trailer and the double-wide rages on! Hence, my disbelief and laughter and surprise when I discovered this book. I had never heard of Karen Zecharias; certainly never read her book; but, mostly in my wildest of imaginations I never dreamed that there could ever be a book entitled, Will Jesus Buy Me A Double-Wide?
Guess what? I bought the book and then I gave it to Jay! Whether I liked the book itself didn’t really matter! The title alone, was well worth the price. Actually, I do like it and I think (I hope) that Jay and Dede do too. Karen Zecharias is a “down home”Southern Christian writer who grew up poor in a beat up trailer with her mom and sisters and one who always thought that it was just those rich one’s who lived in “double-wides”. Her message is a humorous yet also a serious attack on “The Gospel of Entitlement” message which is now proclaimed and splashed all across our television sets. It says that God’s love for us is found and demonstrated in the square footage of our homes, the number of cars in our garages and the size of our bank accounts. This “Gospel of Prosperity” touts, If you’ve got it, you deserve it! God wants you to have it! If you don’t, you don’t! Karen Spears Zecharias calls this pure old fashioned “huckster hogwash”! She says that God’s love for us has never been found in our financial net worth, but always at the foot of the rough-hewn and bloodied cross, in our hearts and in our love and companionship for Jesus Christ and with one another. She’s right! Many people who are rich and people who are poor can, and do, deeply love Jesus Christ and One Another! It has nothing to do with how much money we have, but everything to do with how rich or poor we are in our hearts! Jay and I now toy some with the idea of a joint Bible study course called something like, Christ’s View From The Double-Wide.
Today is Good Shepherd Sunday. The message is the same for us all, all over the world: rich and poor; White or Asian or Black or Hispanic; living in a single trailer or a double-wide or a large condominium or house! Jesus Christ is The Good Shepherd! He knows His own and they know Him! He restores our souls and He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. You and I can have life with The Shepherd! We can receive comfort from this Shepherd! We may be restored through The Shepherd! When you and I dwell in Him and He in us, we too may be shepherds in and through His Spirit, reaching out to those who need Him and us, and leaning upon Our Lord. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; for thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff shall ever comfort and ever sustain me…..