Hearing Our Shepherd

Today's readings: Psalms 111; 149, Genesis 28:10-22, Hebrews 11:13-22, John 10:7-17

One of the most popular images of Jesus is that of The Good Shepherd. Sheep were an integral part of his culture and the traits and importance of shepherds would have been familiar to his audience. He contrasts the role of the shepherd – who would lay down his life for his sheep – to the role of hired hand, someone who was likely to flee when things got dangerous. He also speaks of the thief and the wolf, who scatter and harm the sheep out of greed and selfishness. Jesus is confident his own flock will hear and know him and be led to safety.

Sheep are not especially bright, but they know their own shepherd because he or she lives among them as a constant companion, protector and guide. They don’t have much choice but to become familiar. We, on the other hand, are free to follow our shepherd or not, to listen for or to ignore him. How can we come to know the call of our shepherd and to discern it from the hired hands and thieves who may be wolves in shepherd’s clothing?

We can know his words. Reading the Gospels for ourselves is very different from trusting others to interpret scripture for us. Many a thief has used it to bilk well-meaning sheep from their money and eventually their faith. Sitting down regularly with the Gospels and reliable sources of commentary to help us understand them in context will teach us to recognize the voice of our shepherd.

Our shepherd’s voice will lead us to abundant life. Any message that leaves us feeling diminished or unloved by God is being delivered by an inept hired hand. Of course our shepherd will challenge us and correct our path for our own good, but only in loving ways. Christ is always calling us out of the wilderness onto the path of life, not tangling us up in thorny condemnation.

We can pray. Not necessarily long, bleating prayers to fill up the silence, but quiet prayers that leave room for us to hear the divine voice always present to us. If we are out of practice it may take us a while to hear that voice, but we’ll know it when we do.

We may be smarter than sheep, but we still need our Good Shepherd.

Evening reading: Psalms 107; 15

Mavis Staples - Have a little Faith (Conan)

I've decided for the new year to add more to the blog than just my own musings, particularly things that are uplifting or tie into the theme of the day. Here's a video of one of my favorites from Mavis Staples.

Reasonable Faith

Today's readings: Psalms 48; 148, Genesis 12:1-7, Hebrews 11:1-12, John 6:35-42, 48-51

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” – Hebrews 11:1

“Faith” is a loaded term. We can’t quite agree on its meaning, not like we can agree on the definitions of “waffle” or “goldfish.” Even when we use it in the sense of “Christian faith” or “Muslim faith” we can disagree on the very foundations of those phrases. Instead we tend to pack it with our own assumptions and experiences, often so much so that conversation about it becomes practically impossible.

If we are comfortable with our own understanding of faith, is there any pressing need to define it per se? Perhaps not in a manner that we would use to persuade someone, but there is benefit to at least giving it some thought. If we don’t, we run the risk of letting others define it for us, possibly to the point of undermining it. Seminary pushes quite a few people from blind faith to abandonment of faith altogether. One reason is because they’ve allowed others to define their faith in terms of Biblical literalism, unexamined mythologies, or other beliefs that simply refute reality. When those beliefs are challenged, faith in them crumbles.

Critics of religious faith have used Hebrews 11:1 (“the conviction of things not seen”) to portray Christians as deniers of fact and believers in fairy tales. In some cases this may be true, but these are not the qualities and essence of faith. Faith is a surrender, not of reason, but of the need to build a sense of purpose on nothing but what we can prove. Even the scientific method requires faith that the laws of the universe are, on some level, reliable and predictable. This is not an argument for the existence of God, but for the truth that human beings can not function without faith in something.

Think about what your faith means to you. Does it hinge on something that could be disproved? Then it is not faith. Does it require you to deny reality? Then it is not faith. Does it provide you with the assurance that –  no matter what evidence you must accept, nor hardship you must endure – your life and all lives have meaning as part of a greater reality beyond immediate comprehension? Then it is faith. But don’t take my word for it.

Evening reading: Psalms 9; 29

What's In A Name?

Today's readings: Psalms 98; 147:12-20, Genesis 17:1-12a, 15-16, 1 Colossians 2:6-12, John 16:23b-30

Have you ever done something in someone else's name? Perhaps you've held power of attorney for someone. If you're a parent maybe you've signed official documents for a minor. Maybe you've forged love notes to Roxanne on behalf of your more attractive but less eloquent competition.

Has anyone ever done anything in your name? In cases of identity fraud, such an event can be disruptive and disastrous. Even in situations where we willingly hand this authority to someone, we know we are taking a risk with our reputation and possibly our livelihood.

Yet Jesus trusts us to beseech God in his name. In John 16 he tells the disciples anything they ask in his name will be granted. Some people interpret this as a magical formula, like children who think tacking "please" onto a request means it will automatically be fulfilled. It ends up on the end of every quick prayer for an open parking space.

The privilege of asking for something in Jesus' name is an honor we must treat with dignity. None of us would want someone to throw our name around in demeaning or disrespectful ways. When we use Jesus' name it should never be tacked on as an afterthought; rather, we should have already considered whether what we about to ask is worthy of the honor.

That goes double for any claims we make about acting in Jesus' name. It's tempting to invoke Jesus in unexamined support of our own behaviors and biases, so we need to be cautious about attaching his name to them. We should be particularly wary of using his name to condemn or exclude – would you be comfortable accounting to him personally for someone you rejected in his name? The gift he makes of his name to us is a responsibility to use wisely, not a blank check.

Jesus wants us to approach God in his name. He trusts us to understand that means representing him in thought and deed. How much would you have to love and trust someone to allow them to speak to God in your name? That's how much Jesus loves you.

Evening reading: Psalms 99; 8