Sheep of Another Fold
Rev. Mark Schaefer
Kay Spiritual Life Center
May 3, 2009
Acts 4:5-12; 1 John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18

Acts 4:5-12 The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, "By what power or by what name did you do this?" Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is 'the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.' There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved."

1 John 3:16-24 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us--and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?
Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.
And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

John 10:11-18 "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. BEGINNING

In all the gospels, Jesus spends a fair amount of time preparing his disciples for his leaving. In Mark's gospel, he makes predictions about his death. In John's gospel he says things like "I go to prepare a place for you" and " A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me" and "Where I am going you cannot follow". Do you think that Jesus talking about leaving caused as much anxiety in his disciples as talk of graduation causes in our seniors? Do you think they started to wonder if Jesus left what they would do without him? Where they would work? What they would say? What their lives would look like?

We're only given fleeting glimpses at the disciples' reactions. We know that Peter reacts badly to Jesus' prediction in Mark about his own death. In John, the disciples occasionally ask a follow up question, but are not generally portrayed as fully understanding what Jesus is saying.

The lesson in John's gospel tonight all takes place after Jesus has healed a man born blind. The religious leaders do not react well to this situation and Jesus begins an extended discourse to his disciples on how he is the true path to salvation. He describes himself as both the shepherd and the gate for the sheep, the one who gives access to the fold. Then he continues on with the passage that we just heard read:

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.

It is a beautiful passage and one from which this Sunday derives its name, for today is Good Shepherd Sunday. The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is one of the most familiar and moving images of Jesus found in scripture. You can almost see the painting in your head--you know, the one with the blue-eyed, fair-skinned Jesus in long flowing robes carrying a little baby lamb in his arms. It's a very common image of Jesus.

Given the agrarian nature of Israelite society, I am sure that it was a familiar enough image for the disciples to understand without much difficulty. The shepherd was one who cared for and tended the flock. The one who, unlike the hired hand who does not own the sheep and flees, remains to protect the sheep from the wolves.

Even though we don't have a lot of experience with shepherds, we still understand this image very well. I imagine the disciples were with him on that. They understood that image.

But what would they have made of the next thing he said?

I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.

What other sheep are there? The disciples must have been wondering who Jesus was talking about. In John's gospel, the disciples have been with Jesus for three years of ministry. What other sheep is he talking about? Did he have another ministry on the side? Who on earth is he talking about?

It's a curious thing to find in John's gospel because of the nature of John's community. The community that produced the Gospel of John (and the three epistles of John) was something of a sectarian community, probably composed of Jewish-Christians who had been expelled from the synagogue. They had a particular theology that emphasized the spiritual realities over the material.

One of the by-products of that theology was that it placed a high wall of separation between those who were inside the community and those who were without. If fact, while Mark's theological perspective saw no real difference between insiders and outsiders--in fact, the outsiders tended to understand better than the insiders--John's theological perspective sees tremendous difference. The way John's theological perspective is shaped, insiders are one thing, and those outside--whether Jews or pagans--are lumped in together under the category of non-believers. A pretty stark view on many levels.

So it is surprising that Jesus should talk of "sheep who do not belong to this fold"--people beyond the boundaries of the Johannine community. Something that is not often contemplated in the Johannine literature.

II. Leaving

I confess, I have been thinking a lot about community in the past week. And about the boundaries of community. Particularly at this time of year when we stop to reflect and celebrate as yet another class crosses the boundary and heads out.

Katie asked me if we could cancel services tonight. Not because it's finals. Not because people have papers to write. She asked me if we could cancel services tonight so that we wouldn't have to say goodbye to our graduates.

I didn't say so at the time, but the exact same thought had occurred to me as well. I don't like having to give this sermon every year. It's like my fingers rebel while I'm writing it and don't want to type. My brain freezes up and has a harder time formulating the words to say. Perhaps using Katie's logic, if I never give this sermon, the seniors can't actually leave. (Miriam posted as much on the Facebook page for services: "If I don't come, does that mean I won't graduate?" Would that it were that easy, Miriam.)

Goodbyes are never easy.

It's a hard thing to spend four years of your life doing something with a group of people and then have to cope with them leaving.

It's especially hard when you've been with a group of people while you've been learning a lot about yourselves. While learning how to plan worship services. How to run bible studies. How to plan social justice events and hospitality ministries. While learning a lot about what it means to be an active Christian. You and this fellowship have learned together how to live lives that give testimony to their shepherd.

III. Other Folds

We wish that we could stay together forever, but there are sheep who do not belong to this fold and we, as the body of Christ, must see to them.

When Jesus speaks of sheep who belong to another fold, he does so to remind us that there are always people beyond our community to whom we are nevertheless connected.

A. Those before you

There's a whole wide world full of people who need you. There are people in need of community. There are people in need of justice. There are people in need of a message of hope. There are people who need to hear the Gospel of Christ that you have heard and lived for the last four years. They are sheep who do not belong to this fold who need you to be the messengers of the Good Shepherd.

Whatever you set out to do in this world, is a Christian vocation. In whatever work you go into--journalism, business, international development, science, art, government--whatever work you do, you can do it in a way that will share this Gospel of love and peace. That will reach out to those sheep who are not of this fold, who are in need of the hope you have become agents for.

For you have been exceedingly well trained for the work that is ahead of you. Not only in your studies and internships, but in your discipleship. You have been formed in Christian leadership that I would put up against anyone in the broader church. You are the Body of Christ, sent out to the sheep not of this fold. It is for this purpose you came to college, it is for this purpose you are now sent out.

B. Those behind you

And there are those beyond the fold that will come into your place. Behind you comes the class of 2013, new students who will be looking to find authentic Christian community during their time in college. And they will have found the community that you will have left to them. They will find a place of welcome and hospitality. They will find a place of love and caring. Of service and justice. And that will be your legacy.

They will find a place that has all the imprints you have left, just as you found a place with the imprints of those who came before you.

We are not meant to be an inward looking community. We are meant to look outward. Beyond ourselves. And that means not just to people separated from us by distance, but also by time. We look to the ones who have gone before us. The ones who await us. And the ones who come after us.

IV. END

We wish we could stay together, and we are saddened by times of transition. But in many ways, in many real ways, we will stay together.

You will never really leave us. The community you have helped to build, like all the alumni who came before you, will be a living monument to your time here. Years and years of students after you will find this community a special place, because of what you have done.

Your names will be added to the list of those who have left such a legacy for us: Taylor Walters. Chrissy Lindstrom, Chris Slatt, Bradford Cheney, Lou Belsito, Stuart Denyer, Erin Trouth, Erin Taylor, Amber Pezan, Kate Moore, Kate Boustead, Katie Schroepfer, Dennis Rowe, Nathan Brownback, Holly Masters, Roza Guillaume, Danielle Dickey, Sidney Traynham, Ariel Schwarz, Gussie Abrahmse, Laura Peck, Kim McClain, Bryan Colombo, Jason Reimer, Velda Jones, Sarah Anderson, Allen Hays, Patrick Elliott, Eileen Barber, Eileen Hassett, Emily Randle, Erica Benjamin, Jessica Dillon, Jennifer Arver, Kate von Richthofen, Colin Mattoon, Laura Goodman, Shawna Perko, Thaddina Wiley, Adrienne Arey, Steven Bielinski, Marlon Brown, Jessica Davis, Brandy Dillingham, Kathryn Fekete, Marjorie Jeansonne, Lindsey Kerr, Jeff McAleer, Jason Shippy, Corrine Thompson, Lindsey Triplett, Lennea Bower, Bonnie Crouch, Meredith Herbert, Patty Herold, Lara Hogan, Ruth Kemmish, Jesse Marsden, Vajaah Parker, Lisa Rothman, Molly Thomas, Ali Clark, Luke Pepper, Laura Goodwin, Michael Wagner, Alex Bruce, Lia Comerford, Rachel Birkhahn-Rommelfanger, Danielle Mahaffy, Sarah and Kyle Ashworth, Sarah Simpson, Chris Smith, Justin Peck, Anna Finn, Marc Tomik, Mark Meyer, Casey McNeill, Alissa Tombaugh, Amy Robandt, Charlie Kilby, Ali Shott, Nicholas Grainger, and so many others.

And one day, you will come back to visit us, as a number of our alums are doing tonight, and you will get to see the fruit of your labors. You will get to see how the community will have thrived and grown. You will see that the sheep who did not belong to this fold have been brought in and have come to know the love and grace you knew.

And in many ways, we will never leave you. This time here will have shaped you in ways that you will only begin to discover over the next few years. Friendships made here will endure. Lessons learned. Understandings of yourself and God formed. This place will continue to be a part of you for years to come. You don't get rid of us that easily.

This is a difficult sermon to give. It is a bittersweet thing to have to do on such a regular basis. But as much as I lament having to say these good-byes; as much as I would rather we could build that UMSA alumni apartment building across the way where you could all live after graduation; as much as this constant turnover of parishioners takes a lot out of me, it fills me with enormous pride to be able to count you among my partners in the Gospel. For I know that you are being sent out to those sheep who are not of this fold. And you will go forth and share the love of God and the gospel of the Good Shepherd with a world in need.