In the name of the Risen Lord. Amen.
Preaching
101- never tell people what they “ought” to do. At the leadership program I
attended last week, they told us that when we’re trying to influence people
that it is better to lead people to the answer rather than giving it to them,
so that they will think it was their own idea. The expression is “don’t should
all over other people.” Well, the authors of our readings from 1 John and the
gospel according to John never got this lesson- “We ought to lay down our life for one another,” “we should believe and love,” and “I must bring them.” So much for leading us
to the still waters of Psalm 23, these texts seem to be pushing us there.
In these two passages,
the word “command” shows up five times. And this really is un-American. Even if
you don’t identify with Rand Paul, our nation has certain Libertarian
tendencies built into our DNA. We pride ourselves on autonomy, free-will, and
the rights of the individual. We don’t want, nor do we need, anyone telling us what
we should be doing. No, we’ll worry about ourselves, thank you very much. I know
that being an American has afforded me with luxuries and advantages for which I
am very thankful. I appreciate the idea of a nation that is founded on liberty
and justice for all. But I also recognize that our nation, or any nation for
that matter, has a long way to go in moving closer to the Kingdom of God. What
is missing from our American sense of liberty and freedom is the language of
obligation or duty.
If you’re looking for a
fascinating way to spend some time on the internet, check out Google’s Ngram
Viewer. You type in whatever words you want to explore, and it graphs the usage
of those words over hundreds of years. So, as you might expect, the word “internet”
was virtually unused until 1990, then the usage of that word grew
exponentially. If you do a search for the words “should,” “must,” and “duty,”
you’ll see a clear decline in their usage since 1825.
Just a few weeks ago, New York Times columnist David Brooks had a great article called “The
Moral Bucket List.” He notes that there are two types of virtues: eulogy
virtues and résumé virtues. He writes “We all know that eulogy virtues are more
important than résumé ones. But our culture and our education systems spend
more time teaching the skills and strategies you need for career success than the
qualities you need to radiate inner light. Many of us are clearer on how to
build an external career than on how to build inner character.” What is lost in
our culture that is overly focused on self-esteem and personal freedom is the
sense of duty. In our Baptisms, it was promised that we would “seek and serve
Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourselves” and that we will “continue
in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.”
Our citizenship in the Kingdom of God calls us beyond the comforts and security
of staying within ourselves and beckons us accept our obligations.
As you might have
guessed, given the theme that runs through our readings, prayers, and hymns, today
is known as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” But what do we mean by calling Jesus the “Good
Shepherd.” “Good” is a rather difficult word to define. “Good” is subjective-
what’s good to me might be average to you. The Greek of that phrase is a word
that means “model, beautiful, noble.” So often we define good in opposition to
what is bad and find ourselves having to choose between a set of false
dichotomies. But instead of comparing Jesus to the less-than-good shepherds of
the world, let us consider how Jesus is good in his own right.
Jesus heals, he gives
abundant life, he knows our names, he seeks us out, he lays down his life, he
is persistent in calling us. But the aspect of Jesus’ “goodness” that I’d like
to focus our attention on this morning is the way in which he enables us to follow
him and empowers us to do what we must. Most of us have been taught that sheep
are dumb and lazy. But Episcopal priest and author Barbara Brown Taylor grew up
on a farm and writes “That sheep are dumb was a rumor started by cattle
ranchers. You can shout at and prod cows from behind, but sheep would only give
you a blank share if you shouted at them to ‘move.’ Instead, sheep follow. They
need the shepherd to go ahead of them to show them that the way forward is
safe. Then, they will follow.”
Later in John, after the
Resurrection, Jesus tells Peter to “feed my sheep.” Jesus, as the Good Shepherd,
has shown us the way. He has gone through the cross, through death, and through
his Resurrection, he gives us the model to follow. As Christians, we ought to
follow him. The Resurrection of Jesus is not an event stuck in the past that
gives us future hope, it is a reality which transforms the present. The
Resurrection commands a response. And so the question put to all of us this
morning is this- what must you do? The Good Shepherd is calling your name, where
are you being called? What energizes you? How are you a blessing to others?
What is your duty?
There is a modern-day
parable written by Rabbi Edwin Friedman called “The Bridge.” As the fable goes,
there was a person who had finally figured out what it is she must do. She was excited
to finally begin pursuing her purpose in life. And so she started her journey
to pursue the calling. As she was walking through town, she reached a bridge
and a stranger with a rope tied around
his waist approached her and politely asked “Could you please do me a favor and
hold this rope for a minute?” She thought it was important to help someone in
need, so she agreed. The man with rope told her “Hold on tight now; use both
hands,” and then he jumped off the bridge. She was pulled to the side of the
bridge, but was able to brace herself before she was dragged over the side as
well. She yelled at him, “What in the world are you doing? I must get going.”
He replied “I’m your responsibility now, just hang on to me.”
She tried to pull him up,
but it was no use. She said, “I didn’t ask for this responsibility.” He said to
her, “No matter; if you let go, I’m lost.” Frantically, she looked around the
bridge for another passerby who might be able to help, but there was no one in
sight. There was nowhere on the bridge to tie her end of the rope. She asked
him, “What do you want?” “I don’t need anything, just your help.” This woman
said “I can’t go get anyone to help us,” and he said back to her “I know; you’re
all the help I need. Why don’t you just tie the rope around your waist, it will
be easier to hold me up.” Her arms were starting to tire, so she did. “Why did
you do this?” she cried. “Just remember, my life is your hands now.”
This was turning into a
crisis. She knew that if she did not soon resume her journey, the opportunity
to follow her life’s purpose would be lost. But she couldn’t let this man die.
She knew it was the time to make a decision. She tried to convince him to
slowly try to climb up the rope and she would try to pull from her side, but he
was not interested in the plan. So she said to him, “Listen carefully, I mean
it, I will not accept the position of choice for your life; only my own. I must
follow my call. I give you the position of choice for your own life back to
you.” The man replied, “Surely you aren’t serious. You can’t be that selfish. I
am your responsibility. What is so important that you would let me die?” When
she saw that he was not going to try to climb the rope, she said “I accept your
choice,” and she untied and let go of the rope and continued her journey.
There are two questions
to ask ourselves after hearing this fable. The first is “what must you do?”
What has God called you to do? Where do your skills and passions align with the
needs of our church, community, and world? When you are in the final days of
your life, of what purpose will you say “thank God that I did that,” or to what
will you be referring when you say “I missed that opportunity to change my life
and the world?” What must you do? When you have your answer, do it.
And the second question: what
ropes do you need to let go of? There is a dark side to obligation and duty,
and it is shame, guilt, and compulsion. If you do that same Google search on
word usage, the word “busyness” has exploded in usage in recent years. Ask someone
on the street how they’re doing and you’ll likely hear them says “I’m good,
things are crazy busy right now, but I’m good.” We are under-rested and
over-committed. And deep down, we all know that this isn’t sustainable or
healthy. Life is a marathon, but we’re sprinting through it. And what happens
when you sprint a marathon? Either you collapse before the finish line or you
miss the beauty of the journey. Why have we accepted “busy” as the new normal?
Busyness has become the tyrant of our lives. Our obsession with productivity
has distracted us from the less tangible, but more valuable, goals of love and
joy.
So if you looked at your
calendar, it’s probably full of things. And some of those things are wonderful
things that you can’t wait to do. We took Ellie to the Transportation Museum
yesterday, and it was a lot of fun and I had been looking forward to it for a
while. But there also things on my calendar that I don’t as eagerly anticipate.
What do you do out of guilt? I’m not sure who the members of the “supposing
committee” are who tell us what we are supposed to do, but it may be time to
fire them. We worry about what other will think if we don’t show up to an
event. Or we’re afraid of getting passed over for a promotion if we don’t work
a 60 hour work week. But Jesus’ Resurrection is liberation from these fears and
shoulds.
Theologian Rob Bell has
said that “you have to say ‘yes’ before you can say ‘no.’” You can’t say “no”
to working at the homeless shelter until you have said “yes” to teaching
children to read. Until you have a clear sense of your mission, you are not
able to discern between what things would be nice to do and what things you
must do. It has been said that “good” is the enemy of “best.” In saying “yes”
to what is best in your life, you might have to say “no” to some really good
stuff. But that’s the beauty of the Body of Christ. We are all in this
together, and we all have a role. None of us are responsible for doing it all,
and by being together we are able to be greater than we could ever be if we
were not together. What if instead of saying “I’m just so busy,” we cut out the
clutter and did what was purpose driven? Then we could say, “I’m doing great, I
am fulfilled and joyful in my work.” Put aside the shoulds and ought tos that
are suffocating your life.
We are the stewards of
our lives. As with all of stewardship, it is important to remember that we are not
the owner, but rather the caretaker. All life belongs to God, but each of us
have been given a life, and, if we are lucky, 100 years to love and be a part
of the prayer that God’s Kingdom might come on earth as it is in heaven. The
universe has existed for billions of years without you, and will continue for
billions more without you. I point that out not to make you feel small, but to
make you aware of how precious the gift of life is. One of you recently shared
a wonderful quote with me- “Remember that life is short and we do not have much
time to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us. So be swift to love and
make haste to be kind.” In other words, do what you must, and don’t waste time
on what others say you ought to be doing.
Though we don’t like
being told what we should do, we do have a duty as a part of the Body of Christ.
The Gospel commands us to respond to the
love of God, but the Good News is that love is the only thing that we must do. Jesus
enables us to follow him, our Good Shepherd, by going on ahead of us. We are
able to do what we are called to do, and empowered to say “no” to all of the
ropes that distract us. I don’t know what the “must” of your life is. I know it
has something to do with love and I know that the Good Shepherd is calling your
voice to follow him into the abundant life that is waiting to be claimed. May
God grant you the discernment to know what it is that you must do. May the
Risen Lord give you the grace and courage to say “no” so that you can be free
to say “yes” to your call. And may Good Shepherd, who calls you by name, give
you the grace and power to fulfill your duty. Amen.
