Abundant Life
04/13/08
Easter 4
John 10:1-10
Dear friends in Christ,
The last couple weeks we’ve looked at the resurrection confidence expressed by Peter in the book of Acts and in I Peter. I’ve tried to make the point that, in a time when so many people lack confidence in the future, Christians, of all people, who believe the resurrection, ought have confidence in God’s presence and be a witness of that confidence to others. Remember last week how Peter said we have been born anew with an imperishable seed? That’s a great message of hope. We have within us the seed that grows to eternal life, which nothing, not even death, can destroy. Life is difficult for many right now, but because of the resurrection, we can look forward with confidence.
Again this morning we see this idea shine through. Only this time it comes from the words of Jesus himself in the gospel lesson. After talking about shepherds and sheep and thieves and the gate to the sheepfold, Jesus concludes, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” This is a wonderful verse of scripture, affirming the great gift of life we have been given. Much like John 3:16, this is a verse we should all commit to memory. “I came they may have life, and have it abundantly.” It’s a verse that I think of often as I live my life each day.
Don’t we all want an abundant life? I think we do. Whether things are going very well, or we’re going through a rough spot, I think we all want to feel like we’re living an abundant life. The question is, what is this abundant life that Jesus promises? And how do we live it? That’s what I’d like to talk about this morning.
Perhaps it’s best to begin by saying what the abundant life is not. It is not the so called “good life” defined by our culture that consists of wealth and possessions. Too often this verse is misused by prosperity preachers and others and read as an endorsement of their extravagant, materialistic lifestyle. They equate the abundant life to living in the lap of luxury. Since we all like to have nice things, it’s tempting to buy into this idea and get lured into thinking that the abundant life is all about having things, the accumulation of toys.
Someone once saw an epitaph on a tombstone that read like this: “ Mary Jones: She died of things.” The tombstone next to hers read, “Steven Jones: He died providing things for her.” That’s both kind of funny and sad. Life gets defined by what we have and what we use, rather than who we are and what we might become. Right now, for example, would you say Brittany Spears has an abundant life? She can have anything she wants. But she’s obviously not happy. She’s troubled and searching. The abundant life is not the “good life” of money and possessions we so often think about in our culture.
To understand what Jesus meant by the abundant life, we need to look back at the lesson. All of the lessons for the day have the imagery of sheep and shepherd. We are the sheep, God is the shepherd. Psalm 23 begins, “The Lord is my shepherd . . .” In John’s gospel, we are sheep herded into a pen for the night. Being compared to sheep isn’t all that complimentary, but it is probably a good description of the human condition. The point is, of course, that we have a Shepherd--One who looks after us and protects us. And this leads to some powerful insights about abundant life.
Let’s begin with this: The person who has abundant life hears and recognizes Jesus’ voice. John writes, “The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” Picture a large sheepfold, a place of safety for the night, with multiple flocks of sheep cared for by multiple shepherds. When a shepherd enters, the sheep know the voice of their shepherd, and follow only him. From this we learn that the key to an abundant life is not the accumulation of things, it is rather to recognize the voice of the Shepherd in your life. It is to listen and be guided by Jesus, the Good Shepherd, in all that we do.
The lesson says the sheep hear the voice of the shepherd. They trust it. They are familiar with it.
The only way to hear and follow the voice of Jesus is to become familiar with it. There are lots of voices, there is lots of noise, and lots of causes in the world seeking our attention. But if we want to be guided by the Good Shepherd, we have to become familiar with His voice.
We do so by listening for God in prayer, in the counsel of trusted friends, and especially where God speaks most clearly, which is in worship and His Word. Here we find his promises. In times of distress and pain, when we feel we cannot take another step along the pathway of suffering, we hear his voice, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. " (John 14:27). When our faith has faltered and the way forward seems dark, his voice says "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me" (John 14:1). When we are uncertain of life's purpose, confused about what makes life good and true, we hear his voice say: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:12). Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, full of grief for one we loved or aware our life will soon come to an end, his voice says, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet will they live ..." (John 11:25).
Abundant life begins with listening and knowing the voice of Jesus. When we know it, we trust it, and the shepherd’s voice becomes our guide. In the flurry of voices that fill the world, we listen for the sound of the voice we know best, the voice that speaks compassionately, mercifully, lovingly and hopefully. That is the voice of our shepherd, the voice we follow.
The lesson says the sheep hear and they follow in the footsteps of the shepherd. They go, the way he goes. Here we learn that the abundant life is found as we seek to follow the path of our savior.
You know, Jesus had it all. With the Father and Spirit in heaven, there was no greater position. No amount of earthly wealth or power could come close to what Jesus already had. But what does he do? He obediently gives it all up, taking the form of a servant, to become one of us. And as if becoming one of us wasn’t enough, he even gives himself over to the Father’s will to suffer and die a terrible death on the cross. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only son.” God and Jesus showed such love for us. We are now called to follow the Shepherd’s steps, the way of love and service for one another. That’s the way to an abundant life.
One day a man stopped in a convenience store to get a newspaper. He noticed that the owner of the store had tears in his eyes and kept looking out the window. He asked what was going on.
The store owner said, “Do you see that bus bench over there? There’s a woman who comes there every day around this time. She sits there for about an hour, knitting and waiting. Buses come and go, but she never gets on one and no one ever gets off for her to meet. The other day, I brought her a cup of coffee and sat with her for a while. I learned her only son lives a long way away. She last saw him two years ago, when he boarded one of the buses right there. He is married now, and she has never met her daughter in law or seen their new child. She told me, ‘It helps to come here and wait. I pray for them as I knit little things for the baby, and I imagine them in their tiny apartment, saving money to come home. I can’t wait to see them.’”
The reason the owner was looking out the window at that particular moment was that the three of them--the son, his wife and their small child--were just getting off the bus. The look on the woman’s face when this small family fell into her arms was one of pure joy. And this joy only increased when she looked into the face of her grandchild for the first time. The store owner commented, “I’ll never forget that look as long as I live.”
The next day the same man returned to the convenience store. The owner was again behind the counter. Before the store owner could say or do anything, the customer said, “You sent her son the money for the bus tickets, didn’t you?”
The store owner looked back with eyes full of love and a smile and replied, “Yes, I sent the money.” Then he repeated his statement from the day before, “I’ll never forget that look as long as I live.” This man had discovered a measure of the abundant life through his act of love and service.
And finally, Jesus says these words in the lesson. “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” This is a different image than the shepherd. Here Jesus is the way into life and salvation. To receive the abundant life, we trust this way, and no other. Thieves and bandits want to find other ways into the sheepfold. But believers trust this way, the way of Jesus, the gate to the abundant life.
Martha Beck, in her book, Expecting Adam, tells the story of the struggles, fears, and pain associated with giving birth and raising a Down’s Syndrome child. It also tells how the birth of Adam not only changed her and her husband’s understanding of what it means to be a ‘normal’ human being, but also transformed their lives. Near the end of the book Martha writes: “I have discovered that many of the things I thought priceless are as cheap as costume jewelry, and much of what I labeled worthless was, all the time, filled with the kind of beauty that directly nourishes my soul. Now I think that the vast majority of us ‘normal’ people spend our lives trashing our treasures and treasuring our trash.”
Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” It’s not about wealth or possessions. It’s about listening for the Shepherd’s voice, following the Shepherd’s path of love and service, and trusting the gate to life and salvation. In a world that says the good life is measured by wealth and possessions, may we know the abundant life that comes through following Jesus, our Good Shepherd. Amen
John 10:1-10
Dear friends in Christ,
The last couple weeks we’ve looked at the resurrection confidence expressed by Peter in the book of Acts and in I Peter. I’ve tried to make the point that, in a time when so many people lack confidence in the future, Christians, of all people, who believe the resurrection, ought have confidence in God’s presence and be a witness of that confidence to others. Remember last week how Peter said we have been born anew with an imperishable seed? That’s a great message of hope. We have within us the seed that grows to eternal life, which nothing, not even death, can destroy. Life is difficult for many right now, but because of the resurrection, we can look forward with confidence.
Again this morning we see this idea shine through. Only this time it comes from the words of Jesus himself in the gospel lesson. After talking about shepherds and sheep and thieves and the gate to the sheepfold, Jesus concludes, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” This is a wonderful verse of scripture, affirming the great gift of life we have been given. Much like John 3:16, this is a verse we should all commit to memory. “I came they may have life, and have it abundantly.” It’s a verse that I think of often as I live my life each day.
Don’t we all want an abundant life? I think we do. Whether things are going very well, or we’re going through a rough spot, I think we all want to feel like we’re living an abundant life. The question is, what is this abundant life that Jesus promises? And how do we live it? That’s what I’d like to talk about this morning.
Perhaps it’s best to begin by saying what the abundant life is not. It is not the so called “good life” defined by our culture that consists of wealth and possessions. Too often this verse is misused by prosperity preachers and others and read as an endorsement of their extravagant, materialistic lifestyle. They equate the abundant life to living in the lap of luxury. Since we all like to have nice things, it’s tempting to buy into this idea and get lured into thinking that the abundant life is all about having things, the accumulation of toys.
Someone once saw an epitaph on a tombstone that read like this: “ Mary Jones: She died of things.” The tombstone next to hers read, “Steven Jones: He died providing things for her.” That’s both kind of funny and sad. Life gets defined by what we have and what we use, rather than who we are and what we might become. Right now, for example, would you say Brittany Spears has an abundant life? She can have anything she wants. But she’s obviously not happy. She’s troubled and searching. The abundant life is not the “good life” of money and possessions we so often think about in our culture.
To understand what Jesus meant by the abundant life, we need to look back at the lesson. All of the lessons for the day have the imagery of sheep and shepherd. We are the sheep, God is the shepherd. Psalm 23 begins, “The Lord is my shepherd . . .” In John’s gospel, we are sheep herded into a pen for the night. Being compared to sheep isn’t all that complimentary, but it is probably a good description of the human condition. The point is, of course, that we have a Shepherd--One who looks after us and protects us. And this leads to some powerful insights about abundant life.
Let’s begin with this: The person who has abundant life hears and recognizes Jesus’ voice. John writes, “The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.” Picture a large sheepfold, a place of safety for the night, with multiple flocks of sheep cared for by multiple shepherds. When a shepherd enters, the sheep know the voice of their shepherd, and follow only him. From this we learn that the key to an abundant life is not the accumulation of things, it is rather to recognize the voice of the Shepherd in your life. It is to listen and be guided by Jesus, the Good Shepherd, in all that we do.
The lesson says the sheep hear the voice of the shepherd. They trust it. They are familiar with it.
The only way to hear and follow the voice of Jesus is to become familiar with it. There are lots of voices, there is lots of noise, and lots of causes in the world seeking our attention. But if we want to be guided by the Good Shepherd, we have to become familiar with His voice.
We do so by listening for God in prayer, in the counsel of trusted friends, and especially where God speaks most clearly, which is in worship and His Word. Here we find his promises. In times of distress and pain, when we feel we cannot take another step along the pathway of suffering, we hear his voice, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. " (John 14:27). When our faith has faltered and the way forward seems dark, his voice says "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me" (John 14:1). When we are uncertain of life's purpose, confused about what makes life good and true, we hear his voice say: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" (John 15:12). Even when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, full of grief for one we loved or aware our life will soon come to an end, his voice says, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, yet will they live ..." (John 11:25).
Abundant life begins with listening and knowing the voice of Jesus. When we know it, we trust it, and the shepherd’s voice becomes our guide. In the flurry of voices that fill the world, we listen for the sound of the voice we know best, the voice that speaks compassionately, mercifully, lovingly and hopefully. That is the voice of our shepherd, the voice we follow.
The lesson says the sheep hear and they follow in the footsteps of the shepherd. They go, the way he goes. Here we learn that the abundant life is found as we seek to follow the path of our savior.
You know, Jesus had it all. With the Father and Spirit in heaven, there was no greater position. No amount of earthly wealth or power could come close to what Jesus already had. But what does he do? He obediently gives it all up, taking the form of a servant, to become one of us. And as if becoming one of us wasn’t enough, he even gives himself over to the Father’s will to suffer and die a terrible death on the cross. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only son.” God and Jesus showed such love for us. We are now called to follow the Shepherd’s steps, the way of love and service for one another. That’s the way to an abundant life.
One day a man stopped in a convenience store to get a newspaper. He noticed that the owner of the store had tears in his eyes and kept looking out the window. He asked what was going on.
The store owner said, “Do you see that bus bench over there? There’s a woman who comes there every day around this time. She sits there for about an hour, knitting and waiting. Buses come and go, but she never gets on one and no one ever gets off for her to meet. The other day, I brought her a cup of coffee and sat with her for a while. I learned her only son lives a long way away. She last saw him two years ago, when he boarded one of the buses right there. He is married now, and she has never met her daughter in law or seen their new child. She told me, ‘It helps to come here and wait. I pray for them as I knit little things for the baby, and I imagine them in their tiny apartment, saving money to come home. I can’t wait to see them.’”
The reason the owner was looking out the window at that particular moment was that the three of them--the son, his wife and their small child--were just getting off the bus. The look on the woman’s face when this small family fell into her arms was one of pure joy. And this joy only increased when she looked into the face of her grandchild for the first time. The store owner commented, “I’ll never forget that look as long as I live.”
The next day the same man returned to the convenience store. The owner was again behind the counter. Before the store owner could say or do anything, the customer said, “You sent her son the money for the bus tickets, didn’t you?”
The store owner looked back with eyes full of love and a smile and replied, “Yes, I sent the money.” Then he repeated his statement from the day before, “I’ll never forget that look as long as I live.” This man had discovered a measure of the abundant life through his act of love and service.
And finally, Jesus says these words in the lesson. “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” This is a different image than the shepherd. Here Jesus is the way into life and salvation. To receive the abundant life, we trust this way, and no other. Thieves and bandits want to find other ways into the sheepfold. But believers trust this way, the way of Jesus, the gate to the abundant life.
Martha Beck, in her book, Expecting Adam, tells the story of the struggles, fears, and pain associated with giving birth and raising a Down’s Syndrome child. It also tells how the birth of Adam not only changed her and her husband’s understanding of what it means to be a ‘normal’ human being, but also transformed their lives. Near the end of the book Martha writes: “I have discovered that many of the things I thought priceless are as cheap as costume jewelry, and much of what I labeled worthless was, all the time, filled with the kind of beauty that directly nourishes my soul. Now I think that the vast majority of us ‘normal’ people spend our lives trashing our treasures and treasuring our trash.”
Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” It’s not about wealth or possessions. It’s about listening for the Shepherd’s voice, following the Shepherd’s path of love and service, and trusting the gate to life and salvation. In a world that says the good life is measured by wealth and possessions, may we know the abundant life that comes through following Jesus, our Good Shepherd. Amen