It's a Dog's Life... and a Sheep's Life too

John 10:11-18

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

I’ve been called lots of things.  Some I can even repeat in church!  Erik, Pastor, Father, Reverend… that one makes me feel like a televangelist, which as Bishop Jack pointed out last week, I guess is pretty accurate these days!  But every once in a while, someone will say that I’m a shepherd.  Now, you all might be sheep, but I’m no shepherd.  Sheepdog maybe... I do love naps and treats after all, but the sheep belong to the master, and that's not me.   

Thankfully all us, dog and sheep alike, have a deeply loving and committed master… The Good Shepherd... who is Jesus.  When we listen to the Good Shepherd, the flock, dog and Shepherd all move together as one toward life.  We’re a community... bound together… walking the Shepherd’s Way.  And we really are like sheep and dog, because neither sheep nor people nor dogs were created to go it alone.  We were created to live together... together is where we thrive… together keeps us safe when the nights get cold and the wolves start to prowl.  Together as a flock led by the Good Shepherd we have life!  Going off alone... we stop being a flock and become wolf chow.  

The funny things is though, even though we KNOW that without the Good Shepherd we’re wolf take out, we still always seem to want a say in where we’re going.  It’s funny really... a bunch of sheep and a drooling mutt wanting the Shepherd to consult with US about his plans for the flock!  The truth is, neither sheep nor dog has any say or any control over what tomorrow might bring.  I know… none of us like it… because, let’s face it, we KNOW there’s some dangerous and scary stuff out there!  But if we’re honest with ourselves, we really are just a bunch a sheep and a dog... we don't know the best way forward!  But still we keep asking, don't we?  “Are you sure that’s the best way?  That pasture looks more seafoam than truly green.  Are you sure it’s really the greener pasture?  I liked the old still waters better.  These waters look a bit too sparkling.  I really need still waters!”   

The promise of the Good Shepherd though is not that each of us will have our preferred shade of green grass or favorite brand of still waters.  The promise of the Good Shepherd is that he will be with us always through peaceful meadows and shadowy valleys… always.  To fulfill that promise means the Good Shepherd will be constantly calling us and coaxing us, sometimes even poking us with his staff or maybe sending a sheepdog to nip a stubborn sheep right in the tail!  

But if we're honest, that's what we sheep and dog really NEED in a Shepherd.  That’s what it takes to make sure that even the WORST sort of valley that we ever encounter is ONLY a valley of the SHADOW of death.  That we don't end up in a valley of Death.  That possibility of Death is gone when we follow the Good Shepherd because the GOOD Shepherd would NEVER lead sheep or dog to a place where death still resides!  And… here’s a little Good Shepherd inside information… since Easter, THERE ACTUALLY IS NO PLACE WHERE DEATH STILL RESIDES!  

The path ahead of us for sheep and dog out of this pandemic time and into whatever comes next is not very clear to dog or sheep.  And along the way the Good Shepherd will consult with neither dog nor sheep about which way WE think might be best.  BUT, the promise is that following the Jesus way will always lead to the best way forward.  It may look different.  It might very well feel scary. The path may feel cold and sometimes, as we all know too well, the shadow times, deep in the valleys can leave us without the warmth of the Sun for quite some time!  But as we walk this life in both shadow times and sunny times, the truth really is that death is no more and even though we still walk through shadowy parts of life, they just don’t stand a chance of lasting forever because we all know the Sun has risen!

Admitting we aren't in control and just following along is really hard, but we all dog and sheep alike need to remember that we’re not just led by any old shepherd.  We’re being led by the GOOD Shepherd so when those times arise, both for sheep and dog, and we all begin to worry about what is coming next… when those worries begin to happen… and I’m preaching both to sheep AND dog here… we all need to remind each one another that for a bunch of sheep and a drooling mutt, with not just an average shepherd but a GOOD shepherd, we really ought to worry less and follow more, confident that the Good Shepherd is leading us to a place where souls will be restored, where our heads are anointed with oil and our cups run over with abundance.  

When we can do that... when we stick together, reminding one another to just take one step and then another in the footsteps of the Good Shepherd, we will inevitable find that our storms are calmed, our hungers fed, our wounds bound up, and even at the bottom of the most shadowy valley… even THERE… the Good Shepherd will find for us all a little green pasture nestled beside still waters and even there… we will find that we're not just existing… but experiencing a real and abundant LIFE. Amen.