May 11th,
2014 “A
Mother’s Love” Rev. Heather Jepsen
John 10:1-10 with
Psalm 23
Today, the fourth Sunday after Easter,
is commonly called “Shepherd Sunday” in the life of the church. This is the Sunday when we read the 23rd
Psalm, paired with another shepherd themed reading from the scriptures. This morning’s pairing is with one of Jesus’
shepherd teachings in the gospel of John.
Today, of course, is also Mother’s Day and as I was thinking about the
theme of shepherds and the work of a mother, I found some pretty neat pairings.
We will begin with the reading from
John. As always when studying the
scriptures, context is important. This
reading follows directly after a reading we studied during Lent. Jesus had healed a man born blind on the
Sabbath and was in trouble with the religious authorities for doing so. You might remember that there was a lot of
talk about who could see and who was blind, as well as threats of being kicked
out of the synagogue. In response to his
conflict with the religious authorities, Jesus offers his teachings about the shepherd
and the sheep.
He begins by talking about the way the
sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd.
I have heard it said that this is actually true in ancient sheep
herding. If more than one herd were kept
in the same pen, all mixing together, the shepherd would be able to call his
specific call to his herd, the sheep would recognize his voice, and his own
herd would separate from the mass in the pen.
Jesus is the shepherd, and his own recognize and follow his voice.
Doesn’t this sound like moms? Remember when you were a kid playing outside
in the neighborhood? When your mother
would call for you, you would recognize her voice. It’s pretty rare that a kid gets confused and
responds to the wrong mom’s call. Just
as the sheep know the voice of the shepherd, so too children know the voice of
their mother. Nothing pulls a kid out of
a crowd like the call of a mother.
Continuing in John, Jesus follows this
teaching by talking about how he is the gate.
Jesus likes to use a lot of metaphors, especially in the gospel of
John. I don’t want to get all bogged
down in how he could be the shepherd and the gate at the same time, so let’s
just say now he’s the gate. Jesus is the
gate, and you need to pass through him to get into the sheep pen. Those who enter by him come in and go
out. The sheep find pasture. In one of the best lines in this gospel,
Jesus says “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
In many ways, mothers are like
gates. Nothing happens in the house
unless it passes through mom first.
Especially when kids are little, like mine are, it is through the mother
that they go and come. It is through the
mother that they receive. It is through
the mother that they have abundant life.
And what does this abundant life that
Jesus offers look like? This is where we
jump to the 23rd psalm. In
the 23rd psalm we find all the pieces of that abundant life that
Jesus was talking about. Food and drink,
shelter and rest, a presence when in trouble and afraid, a sure path to walk
upon; all these things are provided by the shepherd to the sheep. All these things God longs to give to us, as
part of that abundant life. The shepherd
provides for us everything we need, which should give us freedom from worry and
stress.
So too a mother gives these
things. I know not every mother does
this, but it seems to be the case in most families that the mother is the
primary care giver. When I was growing
up it was mom who usually prepared food for the table, mom who provided clean
clothes to wear, mom who cleaned the house offering a pleasant place to live, and
mom who provided comfort when feeling lost and afraid. Like the shepherd in the 23rd
psalm, it was mom who took care of my needs.
As I have grown into a mother myself,
I have taken on those roles. I work hard
to provide an abundant life for my children.
And like many women here, the only way I can do it is by relying on the
Lord to provide for me. The family leans
on me, I lean on God, and somehow we all make it through together.
We love to read and think about the 23rd
psalm at funerals, but sometimes I think we need to hear it more on regular
days. Sure, when we are right smack in
the middle of that valley of the shadow of death we need to hear these
words. But in that moment, we are less
able to hear the whole message of this psalm.
On regular days we need to hear the other parts, like that difficult
first line, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
The 23rd psalm asks us to
let go of desire, to let go of stress and worry. Not an easy task in our modern day and
age. In our super busy, super plugged in
lives, we can hardly even sit still, let alone lie down in green pastures. The psalm asks us to receive, and for some of
us, for the givers in here like me, for the mothers, this can be a difficult
thing. One of the messages of the psalm
is that God wants to give to us. Our
call is to be still and receive. It can
be hard.
In my own life, the one person I am
really good at receiving from is my mother.
When I am at my mother’s house I actually rest. That’s why I go there as a vacation
destination. That is the one place where
I can easily sit and receive. I let
someone else cook, someone else clean up, someone else give, and I am able to
receive. It’s a reciprocal relationship,
for when my mother visits my house, than I am able to do those things for
her. This chance to sit and rest, to
simply receive, is the gift of mothers to us.
And this is the way God longs to give to us as well.
Today we are gathering at the
communion table, and this is a wonderful opportunity to receive from our
God. Jumping back to John, we remember
that Jesus says he is that gate, that we pass through him to receive abundant
life. Some traditions have placed a gate
around this table. Only certain people
can touch this, only certain people can share in this meal, only those who have
met the mark can celebrate here. Not so
in our tradition, not so in our church.
Jesus is the gate, and all who believe in him, all who are even just
curious and wondering, all are welcome at this table in his name. This is for everyone.
This table is a lot like mom’s
table. Everybody is welcome. You have a friend over to play? Sure, they can stay for dinner. There is plenty of food and maybe even some
leftovers. The feeling of abundance that
you find at the table at home, is the feeling of abundance that you find
here. Sit back, relax, enjoy, be
fed. This is the gift that God longs to
give us. As Jesus said, “I came that
they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
It can be freeing sometimes to think
of God in new ways. To consider God as a
mother can open up to us new understandings and new wonderings about our
relationship with the divine. I am also
aware that it can be threatening for some.
Not everyone has a good relationship with their mother, any more than
everyone has a good relationship with their father, a term we are much more
comfortable using with God. My point
today has been to consider the ways that the shepherd metaphor Jesus offers,
can be compared to our ideas of motherhood.
In line with that reimagining, I would
like to share my own version of the 23rd psalm inspired by this Mother’s
Day:
The Lord is my mother, I have all I need.
She offers me a
clean and warm place to sleep,
she pours me a cool
glass of water,
she provides me a
place and time to rest.
She tells me to sit
still.
She teaches me the
right paths to take
to honor my family
and my God.
Even when I am
depressed and threatened,
she helps me not to
fear:
because she is
always by my side.
She offers me
correction and comfort as I need them.
My mother prepares an
abundant table for me
and invites all to
share the meal.
She gives me sweet
smelling lotions,
and always refills
my wine glass.
Surely the love and
joy she planted
will follow behind
in my wake,
and I shall be
welcome in her home
from my first breath
to my last.
Amen.
