SCRIPTURE

Our Scripture today comes from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verses 11-18. This metaphorical narrative story is a perfect example of “collective or historical memory.” This particular group of people--a small subgroup of first century Jerusalem--desperately needed this Jesus story to be told in the form of collective/social and historical memory. They needed to remember that the Shepherd stayed, endured, confronted the difficult terrains of shepherding.  This is one of those stories told over and over again.  To their children, their children’s children and ultimately to us. 

 “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.”

 

PREPARE THE PEOPLE

This scripture is about remembering important stories and it is about confronting the things in our life that may be uncomfortable. This is an example of our ancestors telling a hard story (collected in their memory) about confronting hard things…  Today we focus on verse 18 :  18No 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 God.”  Normally, I am jarred by verses like this because I don’t want anyone - even God - to control me, but as I examine this verse I realize that it is not actually about control, but rather this story gives me agency.  Moreover, as  God commands the power to pick up what was laid down -  I am reminded that Jesus stayed, endured and confronted the difficult terrain before him as he carried his cross. 

To be clear, Jesus carried that cross for his community that needed him to fight for them. Jesus’ hope was to bend the moral arc towards justice.  His hope was to change the laws of the Roman empire as well as the rites of religious systems so that people would be treated equally and justly.  And we know that hope falls empty without action. Jesus took action.  

We want to be clear that we are not asking anyone to carry that cross in the face of abuse - sometimes not dropping the cross means walking away from situations that are not healthy.  Sometimes you carry that cross away from a bad situation.  

God’s command that we take up the cross in the way that Jesus did on his last day and journey to death and resurrection sounds much like our work of racial reckoning this past year, following the murder of George Floyd and through the recent conviction of Derek Chauvin.  Like the good shepherd we are invited to stay, endure and confront difficult terrains like systemic racism and police brutality. The shepherd hung in there with the flock.  The shepherd could have peaced out at any moment and left the sheep to fend for themselves. But that’s not the story. 

We have some collective memory in this place.  Stories that we tell together.  Memories steeped in our own transformation as a church.  Some stories that are funny and span years and some stories that were told after hard work and are now the fabric of who we are as a community.  I mean, I am pretty sure that I am going to tell the story of our annual church garage sale with Cindy Halsey at the helm for many years to come.  Some of our stories required us to endure and confront difficult terrain, like how we decided to bear outward witness to our Open and Affirming designation.  We decided to publicize and evangelize and affirm who we were as a community.  This took courage and also meant confronting… 

Here is a story that we can remember and tell to our children, to our children’s children let this be a collective memory: Last summer, our communications intern Amelia Kemp (Beth’s daughter) took her position to the streets of Colorado Springs.  She may not say that she carried the cross of her faith into those marches, but Jesus probably would. In a post on our church’s blog,  she said “personally I’ve been so impressed by the amount of people who continue to show up to the protests and gathering day after day.  But the reality is, while protesting is ‘trendy’ right now, this is long-term work.  It will not be trendy forever.  This is a marathon not a sprint, and as any runner knows, you need to have “a lot” of determination to push yourself all the way through a marathon.  “But Amelia,” you say, “I have that determination! I’m ready for the marathon!” Okay, great! Can you articulate what fuels that determination? Because it has to be more than liking to go out and chant behind some organizers.  It has to be more than just reposting some stuff on your Facebook or Instagram story.  Because without a firm understanding of what exactly lights the fire within you to keep fighting, that fire is gonna die out, and we can’t have that.” 

The shepherd edures and remains and keeps showing up even when there is discomfort. 

Continuing to confront those things that are hard and fight for communal justice and equality is a struggle. 

Mandy, When have you had to confront a hard thing--when have you laid down the cross and then decided to pick it up again? 

Marta, When have you had to confront a hard thing--when have you laid down the cross and then decided to pick it up again?