The Lord is My I-Phone

Sermon: Psalm 23, John 10: 11-18 Easter 3, 2012 It is clear to me that we live in a very different culture from that out of which came the Bible, both old and new testaments. That culture was steeped in sheep and shepherd folklore. The ancient patriarchs all had huge flocks of sheep. God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush when he was tending his father-in-laws’ sheep. David was tending his father’ sheep when Samuel came to anoint him king. There were shepherds at the stable in Bethlehem, the angels announced Jesus’ birth to them. Jesus often used the imagery of sheep and shepherds in his parables. He will come at the end of time to separate the sheep from the goats. He described himself as the Good Shepherd, who left the 99 in search of the one that was lost. He told Peter to feed his lambs and his sheep. Clergy are referred to as pastor, which means shepherd. And so on... Hearing these stories over the years and the multitude of sermons based on them we have come to understand pretty well and to apply this imagery to our own lives. But the fact remains that it comes from a culture foreign to our lives. Let me ask you. When was the last time you saw a flock of sheep? Have you every shorn a sheep of his wool? Do you know a shepherd? Maybe a sheep dog? I rest my case. It’s time to express divine messages in language coming out of our contemporary culture in order to be more relevant to this 2012 generation. Here’s an example of right-between-the-eyes, third millenium, preaching the Word of God. The Lord is my I Phone; I shall not want. She finds me a Comfort Inn when I travel on the turnpike and recommends the best watering spots. She revives my soul with country music and leads me on right paths as well as any GPS. Though I drive through the valley of Rt. 23 I fear no state trooper or eighteen wheeler. for you are with me; my e-mail and my voice mail they comfort me. You spread many tables before me, Wendies, and Coneys and Paneras and Cracker Barrels. You have found my favorite shampoo and my diet coke runneth over. Surely Comcast and Verizon shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell with credit card debt in the house of Silicon Valley. Well, maybe the shepherd language wasn't so bad after all. May the Good Shepherd forgive me and King David or whoever was the human author of the 23rd psalm. I would like to leave you with a serious message and hope you will blot out from your memory any sacrilege I may have committed. The message is that we are all sheep. Good shepherds care for us by feeding and clothing and healing and visiting us in jail as THE Good Shepherd said. But we are all also called to be shepherds, good shepherds, who feed and clothe and house and heal and visit in jail and love, as Jesus said. Sometimes each one of us is a sheep needing to be cared for; sometimes we are the shepherd who provides the care, but all of the time we are one or the other and sometimes both at the same time. Peter the Apostle is a good example. Jesus fed and nurtured him. He mentored him to be the head of his church, but as we know Peter let him down through his denials. The Good Shepherd didn't give up. He came to him after the resurrection and gave him a chance to repent. Then he made him the chief shepherd. Peter and the others were still cowering, though, until the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. Then they went out and started preaching; Peter became the shepherd he was called to be. As we heard in the reading from Acts today, he was hauled before the very same people who had engineered Jesus crucifixion. When that happened he ran way, a lost sheep. This time he stood his ground as any good shepherd would. Everyone need to love and be loved. To care for and be cared for. And sometimes, sometimes, the I-phone can help that happen. V