They Know His Voice
By The Rev’d Dawn
M. Frankfurt
Glory
to the Holy and Undivided Trinity; God who is Three in One and One in Three;
Who is beyond us, among us, within us; Who was, and is, and is to come, world
without end. Amen.
One of the things I
love to do during the week is randomly mention to people what the topic of
Sunday’s sermon is going to be. I’ll
tell them what the gospel reading is about, share an idea I have, or talk about
the point I’d like to make. Preparing
for today, I was thinking about the voices we listen to and how we recognize
the one which belongs to God. After
all, you remember what we learned from Elijah.
Elijah could hot hear God in the wind, earthquake or fire. Elijah heard the voice of God in sheer
silence. You know, most of the time,
God doesn’t yell. To hear God, we are
required to slow down, to stop talking, stop listening, and stop thinking
before we can be in a place to connect with what God is saying to us.
Some of you may have
heard that a retired bishop of this diocese, Frank Vest, died a week ago. His funeral was Thursday at St. John’s in
Lynchburg. Before Thursday, I’d been to
Lynchburg a grand total of two times. Both of the times I’d gone, I’d been with
Kim Webster, the rector of St. John’s Waynesboro. He knows the route to and from Lynchburg like the back of his
hand, so it has been very convenient for me to carpool with him to
Lynchburg. Thursday it was my turn to
drive and I was supposed to pick Kim up at 10:00. He is an extremely punctual person. I’m usually on time too, but somehow his super-punctuality has a
negative effect on me and I’m perpetually 5 or 10 minutes late whenever we
meet.
When I left Trinity
Thursday morning, I was rushing out the door a few minutes late, but I thought
I would still make it right about on time to get Kim. I was almost there. I was
traveling east on 64 and needed to get off at exit 94 in Waynesboro. I was approaching the exit right before
that, exit 91, when a thought occurred to me: “Oh my gosh! I forgot my vestments!” I couldn’t believe it.
Immediately, I got
off the highway at exit 91 to turn around and start back to Staunton to get my
vestments. I was on the overpass
waiting at the light to turn onto the 64West on-ramp. While I was sitting there, I called Kim from my mobile
phone. I told him what had happened and
that I was having to go back and get my vestments. Obviously, I was going to be really late picking him up, so I
said that he had the option to wait for me or go ahead and leave now to drive down
on his own.
The punctual
perfectionist, without a moment’s hesitation, before I really even finished my
sentence, said he would drive himself and meet me there. “O.K.,” I said, “I’ll see you there.” Now heading west, away from my final
destination, I started to think about the route I needed to take once I was
headed in the right direction again.
And then I realized. I never
paid attention when Kim drove to Lynchburg.
I didn’t know how to get there!
I called Kim on his mobile phone.
I said, “Wait! How do I get to
Lynchburg?”
There was a
pause. I heard the words “Oh no,” in
the tone of his voice. “O.K.,” he said,
“Here’s what you do. Take 64East all of
the way to Charlottesville. At exit
118, go south on 29. Then, I THINK you
get off at the second Lynchburg exit.”
My mind stuck for a few seconds on those words, “I think,” and I started
to feel less and less confident as he told me to go left and right, over a
bridge and to a “T” intersection, more left and right turns, something about the
Presbyterian Church and then it’ll be right there in front of you.” After two or three lefts and rights I
started to lose track of what he was talking about. “Don’t worry, he said, you’ll find it. Call me back if you have any problems.” Great.
So I did what he
said, I went east on 64, took 29South and drove for what seemed like
FOREVER. FINALLY, I came to what seemed
to be the 2nd Lynchburg exit.
I looked. My phone had no
signal. It seemed like I was getting
off in the middle of nowhere onto a 2-lane road winding through undeveloped
countryside and leading no place in particular. I was nervous about being on time for the service and a little
anxious about getting completely lost.
Eventually, there were signs of civilization, but I still wasn’t convinced
that I was on the right road or that I was headed in the right direction. There was a sedan on the road not too far in
front of me. We came to the first stop light and pulled up right behind that
car. At first, I noticed how full it was. There were five adults in it. The
next thing I noticed was everyone in the car appeared to have a clerical collar
on. Then it occurred to me that a car
full of five priests on a road like this HAS to be going to the bishop’s
funeral. I decided to follow them. The light turned green. The driver in front of me slowly crossed the
intersection and I realized, I was hearing the voice of God: “Don’t worry. I’m here to guide you.
Relax. Trust me. I’ll lead you where you need to go.”
From that moment on,
I knew I was fine – and I was. My palms
started to quit sweating and my heart-rate slowed. Another thing I knew
was that though I’d found my way to the funeral, God wasn’t talking to me about
driving directions or navigation. God
was talking to me about something bigger.
God was talking about showing me the way to go. This was a reminder. I only needed to relax and let God lead.
As I think about it,
there’s a plethora of voices for us to pay attention to. We hear the voice of parents guiding us;
teachers instructing us about what we need to know; bosses telling us what to
do; the author of the latest diet book informing us what to eat; and financial
planners advising us what to do with our money. Among the many voices we hear, there are also the voices of our
peers, experts, Hollywood, commercials, the internet, FOX News, Lou Dobbs and
“Mad Money”.
In the midst of all
of this, how are we supposed to hear God?
What if we don’t think we’ve heard God’s voice in a long time? We may wonder if we’d recognize it if we
heard it. That’s the question I was
asking one of you when we talked on Friday afternoon. “Sunday is Good Shepherd
Sunday,” I said, “I want to talk about recognizing God’s voice. Tell me, what do you think of when you hear
the good shepherd story that Jesus told his disciples?” There was silence. I said, “Do you actually think about sheep?” “Yeah, definitely,” he responded. Zero doubt.
More silence. Then he said, “You
want to know the honest truth?” “Yes!”
I said. He said, “Honestly, I think
about sheep being led to the slaughter.”
“Oh no! That’s not the point of the story at all!” I thought to
myself. He said something like, “But
you probably don’t want to say that in your sermon.” Immediately, I agreed, “No, probably not.”
But that got me
thinking. “All we like sheep have gone
astray … like a lamb that is led to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:6-7). I think God was saying something to me in the
voice of this friend on Friday. If
that’s what somebody hears when they hear the story of the Good Shepherd, if
being led to the slaughter is what happens to you when you listen to the wrong
voice, then that’s exactly what we need to talk about today! The challenge of understanding Scripture is
very rewarding when we take it on. We
shouldn’t ignore the parts of Scripture which are hard for us to hear. We’re supposed to listen to all of it.
So. Back to thinking about listening to the
wrong voice. What are some which lead
us astray? A confident and determined
politician who promises world peace? A
self-help guru with the formula for happiness?
The voice of temptation, the one that holds a special lure for us? Some of these voices can get pretty
loud. Now, when you’ve got a voice
speaking above all of the other sounds in your head, that’s the time to be
careful. At times like that, we need to
remember that every one of us is vulnerable to being led off by the silky
smooth voice of a thief or a bandit.
Some of us play with and build a dangerous familiarity with strangers
whose voices we don’t know.
If I stop and listen
to the voice of God, if I am still, then I know. It’s not an audible voice.
But God’s voice is one I can feel.
I feel it. I know
deep in my heart what God wants me to do.
But knowing is not
enough. Jesus promises that his voice
will guide us away from things which sound good and look really tempting yet
lead to destruction and death. Jesus
also says that those who listen to his voice and follow him will be
saved. These sheep will come in and go
out. They will have freedom, they’ll
find pasture. And not only good and
pleasant pasture, but Life, abundant Life!
It’s so easy to
ignore or overlook what we don’t want to hear.
You can get really good at blocking out the voice of God. Don’t trade eternal and abundant life for
temporary pleasures. If you don’t pay
attention to the path you’re on – where you’re walking – then like your feet,
your heart becomes either more sensitive or more calloused to the Word of God. Turn from the stranger and follow God’s
Word.
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the
cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds
you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have
returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls” (1 Peter 2:24-25).
AMEN!
The lessons appointed for use on the Fourth Sunday
of Easter
(Good Shepherd
Sunday)
Year A, Revised Common Lectionary
O
God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we
hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he
leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen.
Acts 2:42-47
Those who had been
baptized devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the
breaking of bread and the prayers.
Awe came upon
everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All
who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their
possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day
by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at
home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having
the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number
those who were being saved.
Psalm 23
The LORD is my
shepherd; *
I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie
down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.
3 He revives my soul
*
and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake.
4 Though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil; *
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You spread a table
before me in the presence of those
who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.
6 Surely your
goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days
of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
1 Peter 2:19-25
It is a credit to
you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. If you
endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you
endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval. For to
this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an
example, so that you should follow in his steps.
"He committed
no sin,
and no deceit was
found in his mouth."
When he was abused,
he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he
entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his
body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by
his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now
you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
John 10:1-10
Jesus said, “Very
truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but
climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the
gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and
the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep
follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but
they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus
used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was
saying to them.
So again Jesus said
to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came
before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am
the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and
find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that
they may have life, and have it abundantly.”