The Good Shepherd || John 10:1-10

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Jesus by practicing His way at His pace. For

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among us, head to stfrancis .co .nz. Grace and

peace. Morning, everybody. Several years ago,

I went to Queenstown on the South Island, and

my most vivid memory was when I went to the other

side of the lake to see a shepherd rounding up

his sheep. And I've been a city boy all my life,

so I was intrigued by the special connection

that there was between the shepherd and the sheep

that he was caring for. In today's reading, Christ's

presentation of himself as the good shepherd

would have had a special resonance for him. He

was from the line of David, a shepherd. He would

have been told by his parents that among the

first people to greet his birth were the shepherds.

In describing himself as the good shepherd, Jesus

presented to his listeners and to us a model

of leadership. And Jesus contrasts with the person

for whom leading or shepherding is just a job,

who cares nothing for the sheep themselves. And

so Jesus points to the trap that we can fall

into, that leadership can become routine, detached.

and superficial. And Jesus presents two key qualities

of leadership. One is the leader as servant.

Jesus says, I came that they may have life and

have it abundantly. The good shepherd lays down

his life for the sheep. The second quality is

to recognize and cherish the individual worth

of everyone in our care. Jesus 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. I think it's unlikely that any of us here

today would actually be shepherds to real sheep

out in the countryside. But we are all called

to be shepherds in the symbolic sense of serving

and caring for others. We have a duty to shepherd

our individual lives so that the life can be

as best as it possibly could be. We're also called

to be shepherds to those, especially the vulnerable,

who are placed in our care. Could be our children,

our grandchildren, our friends, our neighbours,

classmates, pupils, parishioners, patients at

the hospital, clients, customers, work colleagues.

This ANZAC weekend, we remember all those good

shepherds who offered, and in too many cases,

sacrificed their lives for us, for our country,

the common good. One of the most memorable films

that I've seen is the film Hacksaw Ridge. It

tells the true story of the American Desmond

Doss. Desmond's mother raised him as a devout

Christian. In 1942, after Pearl Harbor, He entered

military service as he had to, but he refused

to carry a weapon into combat because of his

belief in the sanctity of human life. In 1945,

he served in Okinawa against the Japanese. Among

his many acts of bravery, he single -handedly

rescued around 75 men who would otherwise have

been left to die in the field. And when he reached

each of those men, he would call out his name,

and they would recognize his voice, even when

they couldn't see him. His faith drove him to

love them, each of them, without reserve. Having

rescued one after another, he kept praying, Lord,

help me get one more, just one more. In my own

far less heroic life, I think of the times when

I've had to exercise leadership. I reflect there

were times when in the face of competing pressures,

I simply wanted to get the task done. But I also

found that people responded best when I took

the time just to be there for them, to encourage

and support them. as individuals. And my job

was much more fulfilling and beneficial when

I did so. And I've been the beneficiary of good

shepherding from very dear people in my family,

in my workplace, and thank you, in this church.

Pope Francis said, all family life is a shepherding

in mercy. Each of us, by our love and care, leaves

a mark on the life of others. Each of those who

live with us merits complete attention, since

he or she possesses infinite dignity as an object

of the Father's immense love. And as we now listen

to a song about the Good Shepherd, let us rejoice

in the presence of Christ. the good shepherd,

and all those good shepherds that he has sent

in our way. And let us take heart for the times

when we have been good shepherds to others, serving

them and caring for them.