Adventurous Lectionary – Fourth Sunday of Easter – April 26, 2015

The Adventurous Lectionary – The Fourth Sunday of Easter – April 26, 2015

Acts 5:4-12
Psalm 23
I John 3:16-24
John 10:11-19

Today’s readings portray the interrelationship of theology, spirituality, and ethics. The Christian life is defined by God’s love for humankind and reflected in God’s suffering love in Jesus. Jesus’ suffering transforms the world and models our own relationships as sacrificial and interdependent.

John’s gospel proclaims God’s abundant love. To those who see God as punitive and as the source of pain and disaster, Jesus proclaims that he came that we might have abundant life. Out of his abundance, the good shepherd cares for the flock and is willing to sacrifice for their well-being. God is intimately related to the world. God feels our pain and has a stake in our safety and healing. The good shepherd calls out to the flock and in listening to the shepherd’s voice, they find wholeness and safety in life and death. Yet the good shepherd has other sheep. The good shepherd’s love embraces the stranger, the lost, the lonely, the outcast, and persons of other faiths. Being one of God’s own inspires us to welcome God’s other sheep. There is no room for parochialism in God’s pasture. Other sheep are also recipients of God’s saving grace.

The words of I John point again to risky, sacrificial love. Those who follow Jesus are called to sacrifice for others. You cannot claim to be a fully mature Christian if you see suffering and don’t respond. Love is more than a word; it is an action in which the self and other are one in the spirit and the well-being of others is as important as my own well-being. Opening to God means opening also to our full selves and discovering that God’s love is greater than our sin, shame, and self-condemnation. Knowing how much God loves us, we can boldly ask for what we need, trusting that God will provide for our deepest spiritual, emotional, relational, and economic needs.

The reading of Acts 4 roots healing in divine power. The name of Jesus can transform our lives. It conveys God’s authority and healing power. Its vibrations can change cells and souls. Acts 4 includes a tough passage that has been invoked to promote Christian exclusivism and exceptionalism. There is salvation, Peter says, in no one else. There is no other name by which we can be saved. At first glance, this suggests that only those who know Jesus can experience wholeness and salvation. However, this passage may also point to the abundance of God’s love in Christ that gives life to every path of salvation. Wherever wholeness is found, it comes through Christ regardless of its medium. The power belongs to God and not to our religious symbols and doctrines; by God’s grace the “other sheep” and ourselves find healing and salvation.

All four passages recognize that life is difficult and that we need a grace beyond ourselves. A shepherd may have to sacrifice for the flock. The poor are with us always and followers of Jesus need to let go of their largesse to respond to the needs of the vulnerable. Divine power is manifest to restore us physically and spiritually and liberate us from bondage of mind, body, spirit, and relationships.

Psalm 23 is equally concerned with life’s challenges. We may walk through the valley of death. Enemies may surround us. We may find ourselves at risk and seeking shelter from threat. In fact, it is only a matter of time that we will face tragedy, diminishment, loss, and death. The words of Psalm 23 tell us that threat is inevitable and they affirm that God is with us, providing for our deepest needs in every threatening situation. There are times when we might wish to go around the valley, but have no choice but to go through it trusting in a grace and protection from a wisdom and power greater than our own.

When I read Psalm 23, I am reminded of St. Patrick’s Prayer, written in a time of threat. Patrick sees God above, below, in front and behind. Moreover I think of the Celtic “caim” or “encircling prayer” in which you draw a circle around yourself as a sign that wherever you go, God is with you.

Presence leads to practice in today’s readings. Out of the abundance of divine blessing and protection, and God’s sacrifices for us, we bless and protect others. Confident in God’s care in life’s boundary situations, we are free to care for others, knowing that God’s resource for us is plentiful and that as we sacrifice, we experience even greater abundance.