Acts 9:36-43                            Psalm 23                     Revelation 7:9-17                    John 10:22-30

            At the end of our two week vacation, Cathy and I spent three nights in Little Rock staying with our oldest daughter.  After running an errand we were driving back to her house when I spied a heavy-gauge steel smoker at a yard sale.  Now, I’ve had a smoker made of thin metal ever since our children were young.  When they were in High School, I hauled it to marching band competitions and used it as a grill to cook hamburgers for the entire band, and I’ve moved it four times now.  But I’ve always wanted a heavy duty smoker that would hold the heat – something more substantial.  The problem has been, however, that I’ve never been willing to pay the $400 to $500 to purchase one.  So when I saw one at a yard sale, I pulled to the side of the road to price it.  The price was right, I bought it, and made arrangements to come back later with a truck to pick it up.  When I returned with a friend, we were contemplating just how the two of us could lift it into the back of his truck when a person pulls in behind us and offers assistance.  In my younger days I would not have needed his help, but I must say I was grateful he stopped. 

            On Easter Sunday I reminded you that the risen Christ has called each of us as members of the church to be Christ’s body in the world.  Christ has called us to stop what we are doing and help others in need.  I reminded you of the times you have helped each other – the times you have been with each other in the midst of illnesses and grief.  Mission is both internal and external.  It involves caring for the people who sit beside you in church and helping strangers in the community.  Now I had never met the young man who stopped to help me lift the smoker into the back of the truck – and I’m ashamed to say I didn’t even ask his name.  Although I thanked him and I was extremely grateful, I had all but forgotten him until I read today’s gospel. 

            People approach Jesus and ask, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”  The prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of the Messiah, saying a man would come who would open the eyes of the blind, open the ears of the deaf, make the lame leap, and the dumb to sing for joy – so Jesus answered, “The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me.”   St. Francis said – “preach the gospel always, use words when necessary.”  The young man who stopped to help was preaching the gospel – and words were not necessary.   When our actions communicate love and concern for others, we are the face of Christ in the world.  I was too busy thinking about what I needed to do next, so I didn’t get a good look at Christ that day. 

            On Friday, I drove to Little Rock to attend a funeral and visit a friend in the hospital who is critically ill.  On the way there and back, I listened to the book, Living A Life That Matters, by Harold Kushner – a book on CD I own and have listened to many times.  In this book, Rabbi Kushner tells of a person who was asked, “Where is God?”  The person responded, “God is in relationships.”  Relationships are what unite us – to God and to each other.  Rabbi Kushner points out that we are social beings and not intended to be alone.  He suggests that to be human, truly human, we must live in relationship with others – for that is what God intended for us. 

            I would take this a step further and say that to be Christians we must join together in fellowship and worship.  God did not call us to live in relationship with Christ ignoring all others.  We come together in fellowship, prayer, and worship and go forth to love and serve the Lord in everyone we meet.  The survival of the church depends on Christians helping each other AND helping others.  I am a firm believer that actions DO speak louder than words – yet Jesus did more than perform miracles.  And to those who wanted to know if he was the messiah, he said, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.” 

Jesus speaks of what is important in life, he speaks of faithfulness to God, loving our neighbors – doing what is right rather than what is easy.  Those that take his words to heart know he is the anointed one – they understand by his words and his deeds that he is the one who leads them down right pathways, and they are his followers.  To them, he says, he gives life.  The theologian, William Barclay, says, that to become members of Jesus’ flock means to let go of “all the littleness of earthly life . . . and . . . know the splendor and magnificence of the life of God.”  It is to let go of what others have said that have hurt us, it is to let go of our worries about tomorrow and it is to live in the present – to live in God’s presence.

            Remember, “God is in relationships;” God is in the love that binds us to each other and the love that gives us life in Christ.  Jesus said, “What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand.”  This is a claim that we can all make if we will but slow down and pay attention.  God’s love is everywhere, though we are often too self-absorbed to recognize Christ, even when he is standing in our midst – just as I was worried about getting the grill off the truck and failed to see that Christ was appearing to me in the person of that young man who stopped to lend a hand.  The love that binds us in not limited to our friends or family, it is the love that unites us with all of humanity – it is the love that seeks to help others.  It is the love that I was offered that afternoon by a stranger. 

Christ has risen and what he has given us no one can take away – but in order for us to be among his flock, we must listen to what he has taught us, we must care for each other and we must see everyone we met as our neighbor and share Christ’s love with them, using words when necessary.

Let us pray,

Help us, O God, to see the risen Lord – to be counted among his flock and to follow him in mission.  Let us be for others as you are for us – a light to guide them into the safety of your loving embrace.  All this we ask in the name of one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen.