Good Shepherd Sunday - Redeemer Episcopal Church

John 10:1-10 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

Jesus the Good Shepherd

10 “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. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

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This sermon was preached by me for a certain context in a certain time. But I believe it can speak to others and I hope that it speaks to you by the power of the Holy Spirit. You can read the sermon below, listen to it at this link, or you can watch the video of my sermon being preached from University of North Florida's campus at this link. 

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday.

It is the day that we celebrate the beautiful analogy of Jesus being a shepherd, and us being his sheep. The image of Jesus holding, tending, or protecting his sheep is probably one of the most popular depictions of Jesus. I’m sure you can think of one of these images right away. 

There is a lot that can be expanded on in this analogy of the Good Shepherd— we heard about gates and thieves, bandits, and pastures. In other texts we hear about goats and sheep being separated, in the 23rd psalm we hear about green pastures and still waters, comfort and a cup that runneth over. 

I am so thankful to be a part of this community that cares deeply for Jesus’ sheep.

And especially the most vulnerable of the sheep among us.

Including our college students, who we don’t always realize are some of the most vulnerable. Young adults, in general, are often forgotten in congregations because it seems they have little to offer— they’re usually not great at tithing, they are often too busy to volunteer their time, perhaps they travel too much to be consistent in attending. But I’m thankful for you and our community who values them so much that you would be a partner with us in campus ministry. 

In this text and in others, there is a lot that is said about the sheep knowing the voice of the shepherd and I think a lot of us do know the shepherd’s voice— those of us who have grown up in the church or grown into the church, we do know the shepherd’s voice and even if we wandered for a while, we would still be able to hear the shepherd’s voice. It’s familiar to us, comforting, and something we could never forget. When you’ve lived your life so fully enveloped in the shepherd’s voice, it is almost a part of who you are, it’s wrapped up in your identity. 

That’s how I grew up. We were an every-Sunday, every volunteer activity, confirmation is required type of family. The church was very much a part of the rhythm of our family’s routine. And I valued having that foundation when I went to college and began wandering a bit in my faith. 

But many of our college students didn’t grow up that way. They weren’t born into the pasture of church community and they only started hearing about the shepherd once they were older. 

Or perhaps they did grow up in the church and began to wander as time went on. Perhaps the shepherd’s voice is only a distant memory to them by the time they came to college. 

We have a lot of students graduating right now— graduating from high school and college. There are students all across the United States finishing up exams this week, those who are missing graduation, and those who will begin online internship programs soon. Our high school students are beginning to gear up for those exams, receive scholarship news and are beginning to think about where they will go in the fall. Everyone is in a time of transition right now. 

The time period between high school and starting a family is often referred to as the lost years or the unreachable years to the church. But it’s not, really. It’s a time when God is doing really incredible things in young peoples’ lives. It’s a time of big questions, lots of doubting, and sometimes pushing back against what they have been taught for many years. It’s a time for wandering and wondering. And that’s why campus ministry is so vital to this transition time. Young people who are involved in campus ministry are twice as likely to become involved in a congregation once they graduate. 

And our students might not remember the sound of Jesus’ voice calling to them. But we hear from this text that Jesus knows each of them by name. When they wander, God pursues them. As they move away from their familiar circles and begin to ask big questions and have big doubts, Jesus is right there beside them, continuing to call them back to him. 

It was right in the middle of this time of wandering and wonder in my own life when God called me, through campus ministry, to seminary and lit a deep passion for God’s people inside my soul and gave me a desire to serve. 

I mention all of this about our students being in transition, because what they are feeling right now is also what we are feeling. We are facing a lot of transition right now too. Perhaps this time is one in which we can relate most fully to our young adults. Because just like them, many of us are asking big hard questions right now, we are doubting the goodness and sometimes even the presence of God. We are wondering and wandering. But the still waters that God promises to us are present in our baptism. We have already been named and claimed as God’s children. We can take comfort in knowing that Jesus continues to tend to us, creating a refuge for us in green pastures. Our good shepherd will never tire of looking for us, no matter how far we wander off. Our shepherd continues with us to revive our souls and guide us along right pathways. 

It is, of course, vitally important that we know Jesus’ voice, that we know the call of our savior. But it is even more important to remember that God knows us. God created us and calls us beloved. God adores us. And wants us to stay near. And as our students wander, and even as we wander, God is pursuing us and gathering us back into community with one another. And when we arrive here again, we will be even more full of joy for the reunion. Amen. 

Relationship Through Prayer - Redeemer Episcopal Church

Trinity icon by Andrei Rublev
There is a place at the table for you.

Luke 11:1-13

He was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” ²He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. ³Give us each day our daily bread. ⁴And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.” 

⁵And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶for a friend of mine has arrived, and I have nothing to set before him.’ ⁷And he answers from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ 

⁸I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, at least because of his persistence (shamelessness) he will get up and give him whatever he needs. 

⁹“So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. 

¹¹Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? ¹²Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? ¹³If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

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If you would like to listen to this sermon (with infusions from the Spirit), you can find it at the link here. This sermon was originally preached by me, Rev. Sarah Locke, on July 28, 2019 at Redeemer Episcopal Church. 

Grace and peace to you from God, our Father, who is so radical to invite us into relationship through prayer and allows us to be present in all of our human messiness. Amen. 

On Thursday evening this past week, I hosted a young adult gathering centered around the weird faith questions you sometimes feel too ashamed or silly to ask your priest.

In preparation for that gathering, I opened up my social media about a month ago to friends and my college students to ask me any religious or faith questions they’ve been wondering. It was anonymous and I was amazed by how many questions people had that they’ve never felt comfortable asking before!

I answered the questions as openly and honestly as I could and explained a little bit about why people might ask questions like that. Conversations like these are some of my favorites. It’s what we do with our college students in campus ministry every week— we ask big questions and we help one another sort them out. It is some of my favorite ministry.

After a few days, another question came in.  

“I don’t understand prayer,” it said, “I pray, but I feel like God already has a plan or answer so what’s the point? How am I supposed to pray?” 

And I let that question sit in my inbox for two days before I finally replied and said, “I promise to answer this question. But… I just don’t have a good answer. I don’t know.” 

And then I let that question sit there for a month. And I never replied to my friend. But I’ve been thinking about that question for an entire month until I opened up the gospel reading for this Sunday and I sighed with frustration, thinking, “Well great, now I’m going to have to try to answer this question.”

So that’s what I’ll do this morning with you all. I’ll attempt to answer this question about prayer that has been asked since the beginning of time, and a couple of other burning questions about prayer, like the ones the disciples had for Jesus in the gospel text this morning: How do we pray? Why do we pray? What’s the point? 

Do you ever think that the disciples got tired of Jesus never giving them a straight answer for anything? They ask him seemingly important and direct questions and he says, “let me tell you a story…” I imagine the disciples turning to one another after most of Jesus’ stories and going, “did you understand any of that? No? Okay great, me either.” 

Jesus does answer the disciples at the very beginning of this passage though. They say, “teach us to pray” and he recites a prayer for them to use each time they talk to God. And it’s the same prayer, more or less, that the church has been using for thousands of years. 

So, good for Jesus for finally giving them a straight answer. But then, because of course he can’t just stop with a simple answer, Jesus goes on to tell this story of a man and his sleeping neighbor. And the reason Jesus tells this story is that when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, they weren’t really asking for a prayer they could recite. What they wanted to know was about their relationship with God. 

Before then, if a person had the good fortune to encounter God, they were known to drop dead immediately. But somehow Jesus had this sort of normal, casual relationship with God and the disciples were curious about it. And as Jesus tells this story, he invites the disciples into an intimate relationship with their creator— that must have sounded blasphemous at best and downright ridiculous at worst.  

In this text, Jesus tells the story of a visitor has just arrived at a man’s house and he has nothing to feed him. So this man walks over to his neighbor’s house in the middle of the night, wake him up, and asks him for some bread. The text we read says that because of his persistence, the man gets up and gives him whatever he needs. But a better translation would be shamelessness. Because this man is so shameless in coming to ask for bread in the middle of the night, the neighbor gets up and gives him whatever he needs. 

And it *is* shameless isn’t it? Imagine the kind of relationship you must have with your neighbor to go pounding on their door in the middle of the night? I know people who have been living in the same house their entire lives and they don’t have that kind of relationship with their neighbors. It’s shameless and vulnerable to go to a person in the middle of the night and ask for bread. 

You see, I don’t think Jesus is teaching his disciples about what kind of prayers to pray, or even the frequency or urgency with which to pray. Jesus is telling a story about the kind of relationship we are invited into by the Holy Spirit. Unlike ever before, the disciples were invited to be vulnerable and shameless before God. 

When the disciples say, “Lord, teach us to pray,” what they are really saying it, “tell us about our relationship with God.” And Jesus gives them the most well-known prayer in all of Christianity, a prayer that begins with “Father.” Not “Lord,” or “Almighty” or any other number of names for the our most holy and ever gracious God, but Jesus invites his disciples and invites us to call God “Father,” “Abba,” “Dad.”  

We are called into a relationship with God that is more than an almighty ruler and servants. Even more than creator and created. We are invited into a relationship so intimate that Jesus says we can ask anything of God. And God says that this relationship is so good and wonderful that God will not only gives us everything we need in this life, our daily bread, but God will also give to us the Holy Spirit. 

You see, prayer is not about how, or why, or when we pray. The invitation to prayer is an invitation into a relationship with the Trinity, an invitation into a relationship with God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

It is the same invitation that allows us to come to this table and eat the body and blood of Christ Jesus. It is the same invitation that dips us into the waters of baptism and renews our spirit. And God in Christ has already accepted this invitation for us, we don’t even *have* to respond. 

But we get to. We have the incredible privilege of reaching out to our creator, the one who was, and is, and will be forever more, the one who created the interstellar workings of the entire universe. And more than that, God listens. God wants to be in relationship with us and even more, the only reason we are able to reach out to God and be in this relationship is because God first began this relationship with us. In the very beginning. And continued that relationship despite our nonsense, when God sent God’s very self in Christ Jesus to be with us, journey with us, die on the cross, and be raised again for the forgiveness of our sins. That God— our God— as ridiculous as it sounds, wants us to be in relationship, to talk, and listen, and converse with us. That’s wild and full of grace and mercy and it truly doesn’t make much sense, but it is true. 

God created you and adores you and wants to be in relationship with you. 

So I’m sure I didn’t answer the question of prayer any better or more clearly than Jesus did, but I hope that you hear prayer as an invitation into a vulnerable, shameless, and holy relationship with our God, who created the entire expanse of the universe and cares enough about you to call you beloved and be present with you in all things through the Holy Spirit. Amen. 

Strive for justice and peace in all the earth

"To strive for justice and peace in all the earth is a kind of crescendo at the end of our baptismal commitments. To paraphrase the Gospel according to John, when 'people love darkness more than the light' (3:19), we don’t respond with condemnation but instead by shining Christ’s light to expose the weakness of the shadows." 

This is how Rev. Drew Tucker, the University Pastor at Capital University describes the final baptismal promise. 

Finding time to care about-- let along do anything about-- justice and peace while we are in college can feel incredibly overwhelming. I have heard a lot of critiques of my generation (millennials) and the generations after mine. Whether we are snowflakes, self-absorbed, social media crazed, obsessed with avocado toast, or killing various restaurant chains and industries, there seem to be many reasons to complain about college students these days. Many older people assert that things should just go back to the "good old days" before complications like smart phones and empathy. 

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't critical of my own and younger generations at times, but I find so much hope in young adults today as well. It is probably the reason I have a passion for young adult and campus ministry. Not a day goes by that the deep convictions and empathy of people younger than myself teach me to be more like Jesus. 

Indeed, campus ministry is often where the journey in pursuit of justice and peace begin for many people. Josh Hayes, a previous student at Jacob's Porch puts it this way: 

"Campus ministry was where I first heard the term social justice. Nearly everyone I know from JP (Jacob's Porch) is still extremely active in the realm of justice and the pursuit of peace. Though it can be difficult to work toward justice, the knowledge of what it means to those who have been treated unjustly is the most compelling call to action."

Pastor Tucker confirms this idea that sometimes campus ministry is where the roots of justice and peace take hold of God's children and refuse to be pulled up.  

"In my various experience in Lutheran campus ministry, I’ve seen students take the lead on including people who identify as LGBTQ+ fully in the life of the church. I’ve seen campus communities open their empty housing to refugee families in need. I’ve seen white, straight, cisgendered, male students use their privilege to center the voices of people of color, women, immigrants, and others typically marginalized in our society. Most recently, I’ve been invited to celebrate the transition of a student in worship with an affirmation of baptism that honors God's grace offered long before the transition and is now experienced anew in the fullness of his life. For me, campus ministry is where the light of God’s call for justice and peace pierces the shadowy veils of judgment with God’s expansive, inclusive love."

As busy as college students often are, I and others have witnessed over and over again the drive and passion that students have for seeking justice and peace in the places and times they live in today. I have never heard a student say, "I know there is a lot of suffering in the world, but I can't do anything about it now. Let me wait until I graduate." Rather, I more often hear students say things like, "I know there is suffering and injustice in the world, and right here on this campus. How can I be a part of the change right now?"

Although campus ministry doesn't always get it right and we have a long way to go to look like the Kin-dom of God, I love being able to reply, "by joining in what we are doing at campus ministry, you can help us change not only this community but this campus and the world."  

Serve all people following the example of Jesus

As we approach the last few weeks of this Lenten season, we continue to reflect on what it might look like to strive toward our baptismal promises in the context of campus ministry. 

The second to last promise (or, really, only part of the final promise) is to "serve all people following the example of Jesus." 

What a hefty promise. I don't know about you, but I have described myself in many different ways-- none of those ways has been "Jesus-like." We understand Jesus to be the incarnation of our one true God, so how in the world are we supposed to follow Jesus (God's) example? 

Not to mention, this promise also says, "serve all people."

Not "serve people on days you are rested and happy."

Not "serve just the people who look like you." 

Not "serve people who are nice to you and serve you." 

Not "serve people who live near you." 

We are called to serve all people, all the time. Talk about a tall order. 

I have never been so encouraged about this promise as when I worked with the students at Jacob's Porch, the campus ministry at Ohio State. OSU is in the capitol city of Ohio and as such, it has a lot of people and a large homeless population. The area around campus didn't have as many homeless people as downtown, but we still saw them pretty frequently on the city bus, walking to classes, and in the parking lots behind our favorite restaurants. Some of them made a meager living by selling newspapers, others pulled cans and bottles from the dumpsters to sell them. 

The students at Jacob's Porch began to create relationships with some of the homeless men in the area. Somehow, despite all of the other things college students had to worry about on a daily basis, these students thought they should be doing more. We had a free meal with worship every Sunday night (and sometimes other days of the week, too), so they invited the men to come and enjoy the warmth and have a bit of food. The only requirement is that they had to be sober if they wanted to eat and stay. Some just came for dinner, some enjoyed a nap on the couches while we worshiped amidst their snoring. I imagine Jesus really enjoyed these gatherings of misfits and weirdness. (Wouldn't Jesus love coming to worship with a couple of homeless men snoring on couches among young energetic college students singing and stomping praises to God?) 

Some of the more committed students started helping the homeless men find better employment or get counseling for mental illness. It wasn't always easy, but they continue to work hard to serve all people following the example of Jesus. 

Josh Hayes, a student during these interesting years describes it this way: 

"JP (Jacob's Porch) had outreach programs for those struggling in our direct vicinity. we endured numerous setbacks from exposing ourselves in that way, but these did not deter us and made us more convicted in our service. I still see a few of those we assisted thriving when I go back to that area with good jobs and healthy lives we helped spark. Beyond that, we welcomed people into our space and provided comfort, healing, and advice to not only our fellow students, but any individuals we were capable of serving. not only this, but if we were unable to serve them appropriately they were referred directly and clearly to those institutions that could."

To be clear, it wasn't the university asking Jacob's Porch to "fix the homeless problem" or even serve these folks. The pastors in the area didn't even ask the students to participate in the Kin-dom in this way. The students saw people in need around them and served them to the best of their ability. At one point, they were able to provide food to anyone who knocked on the door, any day of the week. It was a wonder to behold, and undeniably humbling.

Hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper

I don't remember the first time I visited Jacob's Porch, the Lutheran campus ministry at Ohio State, but my first memory of the service was the Lord's supper. I had grown up in church my entire life and I knew of about three different ways you can partake in communion: dip, sip, or tiny cups. We always went up to the altar, and the pastor always gave us the bread. I figured every single congregation in the whole world did communion like this.

So imagine my surprise when we were asked to stand in a circle for communion that Sunday evening. The pastor handed the bread to the person next to him, "body of Christ, given for you," and she dipped the bread into the wine in the pastor's other hand, "blood of Christ, shed for you." Then the student took the bread and repeated the process to the next person in the circle. Around we went in this organically played out dance together until the final person serviced the pastor.

It changed everything for me.

I remember going back to my seat on the couch and crying through the next two songs. Suddenly, communion wasn't something performed in front of the congregation or something done "for" the lay people by the pastor. It was an act of God in the community, literally being in communion with one another. I still have never experienced anything that could so fully reveal a new eucharistic theology so profoundly. And we simply served each other Christ in a circle.

Somehow, without even meaning to (or maybe fully meaning to), campus ministry brought me into more full communion with God and with my siblings. 

Vicar Ellen Clough, campus ministry leader at Furman University, tells about how campus ministry brings students into more full communion with God in other surprising ways:

"When I was in college, I very rarely wanted to wake up for worship on Sunday mornings. I was a religion major, and one of my professors would jokingly call out those of us who didn’t make it to worship on Sunday mornings by asking us on Monday if we’d worshipped “St. Mattress” the day before. I’d feel guilty for a few hours before promptly forgetting about it until the next Sunday when I’d choose to eat a late brunch in the cafeteria with my friends, sharing laughs and stories from our eventful Saturday nights. 

For this reason, when I started working with college students as their campus minister, I half-heartedly invited them to join us for worship as I’d been told to do, and didn’t expect any of them to show up. I absolutely believe that it is good for the people of God to gather together for worship and to share in the Lord’s supper, I just knew that while I was in college, I didn’t make this a priority at all.  

But my students surprised me. One girl told me she was attending the Catholic mass held on campus because she knew she needed communion every week and was taking it without telling the Priest she wasn’t actually catholic. Others didn’t have cars but asked if I would be willing to coordinate a carpool to worship. Now, halfway into the year, about half of the students who are regularly participating in our weekly gatherings are also attending worship. It’s beautiful, it’s humbling, and their desire to come to worship so diligently is truly a sign that the Kingdom of God really is present when we gather together around even the simplest of things, word, wine, wheat, and water."

I believe that campus ministry has the opportunity to not only be a place for students to hear the word of God and share in the Lord's supper, but do these things in new, exciting, personal, and transformative ways. One of the incredible blessings (and sometimes hardships) of campus ministry is that we are often freed from worship committees and congregational traditions. I've very rarely (if ever) heard anyone within campus ministry say, "because that's the way we've always done it." Campus ministry can be transforming and renewing with every year and every new student.

In an age where we must continue to adapt to the changing and constantly-moving lives of young adults, campus ministry has a unique opportunity to be an anchoring point, a sanctuary of the old old story and the deeply nourishing meal. In this way, campus ministry is more than a club or gathering place, but a true and sacred worshiping community meant to bring students into a more full communion with God and with one another through the word and meal.

Baptism & Campus Ministry

Lent is a season for many different things depending on your tradition, your background, and whether or not you're a pastor.

Growing up, I remember that everyone in our family "gave something up for Lent." My parents might "give up" carbs one year and, for as long I can remember, I "gave up" chocolate (a real sacrifice considering my birthday always fell within Lent). It is for that reason I always associated Lent with a sort of "second New Year's resolution" time in the church calendar.

Others may take on other spiritual disciplines that have nothing to do with food or physical health. Others (pastors) may try to get through the season as quickly as possible, jump right over Easter, and enjoy the Ordinary Time while it lasts (I see you, pastors, and I totally get it).

This year I am doing something completely different during the season of Lent. For me, it will be a time of reflection and a time of celebration for two of my favorite facets of the church-- baptism and campus ministry.

In baptism, no matter what tradition we hail from, we make promises (or promises are made on our behalf) that look something like this:

You have made public profession of your faith. 
Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in holy baptism: 
    to live among God’s faithful people, 
    to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper, 
    to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, 
    to serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and 
    to strive for justice and peace in all the earth? 

Each person responds: I do, and I ask God to help and guide me.

I love these promises. The ELCA asks some vital questions about these promises in their The Baptismal Covenant and the ELCA Faith Practices document.

"Then the question arises, 'How do we live out this lifelong journey with God?' In other words, what are the behaviors, disciplines, signposts, tools, activities, paths, or practices that demonstrate in our words and in our deeds our intention to live out this lifelong journey with God?"

For me, and for millions of students, campus ministry is one of the many ways we were and are empowered to demonstrate our intention to live out this journey with God. Yet, our congregations and the church as a whole often overlooks campus ministry as, at best supplementary, and at worse unnecessary for faith formation in young adults. By the end of Lent, I hope I will have a firmer grasp on how vital campus ministry is for students' faith formation during some of the most tumultuous years of their lives.

But campus ministry is not just important for students. In campus ministry, congregations have the opportunity to uphold the promises they made on a child's behalf in baptism. As Sarah Bowers of Columbia, South Carolina puts it:

"Those sitting in the pews are a part of those promises too and they can't go to college with each of the students, so campus ministry offers for our young adults, in some way, where the congregations have left off when they graduate high school. If you don't value campus ministry and the place it holds for those 4-6 years of a young adult's life, then what was all the work of faith formation when they were in 1st-12th grade for?"

This Lenten season, I will be reflecting a bit about each of these five promises that are made in baptism and expounding on how campus ministry can help us in the lifelong journey with God. I'll be engaging the experiences of some campus ministry leaders and students to help weave a story of how campus ministry truly is a vital part of faith formation for millions of students across the country.

I hope you will join me.