April 28, 2010

Shepherds Among the Pews

A message by Scott Cooper,

Delivered at St. Andrews Episcopal Church

Prineville, Oregon, April 28, 2010

People who follow the news—even casual readers—have been aware in recent weeks of the growing scandal consuming the Roman Catholic Church. Our hearts go out to the victims of terrible crimes of abuse perpetuated against innocent youth, this time in schools and churches across Europe. It was not that long ago that this same storm was raging on our own shores.

Over Easter Week this year, the Archbishop of Canterbury managed to inject the Anglican Communion into the fray by observing that the Catholic Church in Ireland has lost its credibility. While he singled out the Roman Catholic Church, he might well have mentioned all churches. As the poet says, “No man is an island, entire of itself, every man is part of the main…Send Not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.”

For his part, the Pope, selected for his conservative views, has been strangely quiet on this issue. For the most part, he has had no “comment” on the issue which may well come to define his papacy.

Others have certainly been forthcoming. Prominent defends of atheism Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens are calling for the Pope to be arrested when he steps off the airplane at Heathrow in London this coming September. For them, this current scandal is further proof that God does not exist, that if he exists he does not care and that faith in Christ and his church and its leaders is foolishly placed.

But why should I care,” you might well ask? What does the uproar in Europe have to do with us in America? What does the misconduct of Roman Catholic brothers and fathers have to do with Episcopalians? Who cares what Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens think? Surely, they’ll get their comeuppance in the next life if not here?

Here’s why I care, and what I would invite you to think about:

First, “I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church”—catholic with a small “c”, meaning the single church that covers all believers across the globe wherever they happen to be. There is no European Church. There is no American Church. Christ’s death established one body having many limbs. As Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians, the foot cannot say, “Because I am not the hand, I am not a part of the body.” That the scandal of the moment is focused on the Roman Catholic Church in Europe, does not mean we are isolated from it. When any portion of Christ’s church bleeds, we all suffer with it.

My second thought in bringing this to you is more complex, and it relates to our readings today, which are themed around the concept of the shepherd--the shepherd who restores our souls, and who guides us down the pathways of righteousness; the shepherd whose voice the sheep follow.

In the abstract, we love the idea of the all-caring, all-knowing, all-seeing shepherd, but issues like the scandal in Europe raise troubling questions: What are we to make of shepherds who rather than protect and defend their flocks, are the instruments that abuse the flock? And more challengingly, in a congregation like ours without the benefit of full-time clergy, who is the shepherd?

To the first question—what happens when the shepherd abuses the flock—I don’t think there is a good answer.

That deep damage to the flock is being inflicted by the very shepherds who are intended to lead it, is beyond dispute. Much pain has been inflicted. Much sorrow is being borne. Many sheep once came upon hearing the shepherd’s voice because they knew—or thought they knew—that voice, now flee because they do not any longer recognize the voice of a faithful shepherd. And because of the infidelity of a few shepherds, the entire flock is diminished and many who in these troubled times need more than ever the love, the compassion, the comfort that is to be gained by being gathered into fold, will wander alone instead.

On the other hand, this is not the first time, the church has faced crisis. The church is not perfect, it is not infallible and things do not always work as they should. The early church fathers knew this. As St. Paul said to the Romans: Where sin increases, grace will all the more abound.

It is grace we turn to in these difficult circumstances: the grace to see that although grievous wounds have been inflicted, much good continues to be done. In the midst of these difficulties, Christ’s church is more relevant than ever. Because others have failed to show Christ’s love, it is left to the rest of us to bring that love back to the world. There has been injury; we must ask for pardon. There has been discord; we must promote union; Doubt has been raised; we must demonstrate our faith; we must restore hope to replace despair; to we must bring the light where darkness has fallen.

But who is to do that in a congregation like ours, where we lack a full-time, paid shepherd to keep eye on our little flock? In the absence of that shepherding figure, to whom do we look, to heal our wounds and to nourish our souls?

It is a situation not unlike that faced by the early Christians. Initially, the leaders of the churches were the apostles, who, following the crucifixion, spread out across the near East carrying with them the gospel and planting and tending churches. As the load increased, they ordained additional leaders, known as espiskopoos, which translates as “overseer” and whom we know today as “bishops.” But the work and growth of the church turned out to be far greater than any one man or woman could handle and additional roles quickly emerged. “Elders” were named to attend to local parish concerns. “Deacons” or “servants” were designated to carry out the charity work of the church, while presbyters—a term which translates as “shepherd” were appointed by bishops to oversee the spiritual well being of individual congregations.

Two thousand years later we see those same offices in place today, with bishops still carrying the weight of responsibility for the church’s forward momentum, wardens and vestry members carrying on the roles of elders, deacons continuing to serve the physical and emotional needs of the people and clergy and lay ministers sharing the responsibility to shepherd the souls of the congregation. The heavy weight of church building required participation from many people, and the breadth of offices created to sustain that work reflects the enormity of the task. I think it is safe to say that most early Christians if catapulted into the Twenty First Century would be astonished as the idea that each church has a single minister and that he or she and he or she along is responsible for performing the entire work of the church. It is instructive that the very first thing Jesus himself did was to form a committee, mostly of fisherman with the old tax collector thrown in and only then, supported by his committee, did he proceed to his miracles and ministry.

You see, the idea that the work of the church is vested in an ordained clergy and only in an ordained clergy is nothing more than a modern creation. For sure, it is convenient to lay the burden of shepherding the flock on a single individual, but is it not scriptural and is certainly not ideal for the growth and operation of the church. The ancient church didn’t have the luxury of a paid clergy to carry out its most important work. We don’t either. That doesn’t mean the work still doesn’t need to be done.

We are all called by God to be shepherds. We are all called to take responsibility for the furtherance of God’s Kingdom. And the ultimate solution to the problem of restoring the credibility of God’s church, which has in recent months been so damaged by the revelations now shaking the Foundations of Roman Catholicism and the European Church, is for all of us to take up our shepherd’s crooks and rededicate ourselves to the mission of caring for the flock.

To that, you might well respond, “I can’t. I don’t have the ability. I’m not good enough, young enough or smart enough to serve God. I don’t have good health. I don’t have time. I don’t have the patience.” And as you are making those excuses, you might want to consider God’s track record. It turns out that God can make a leader out of just about anybody:

Moses stuttered, but God told him to speak anyway, and he ended up standing before Pharaoh, the most powerful ruler in the Ancient World, and speaking for all of Israel.

David herded sheep and had only fought off wild animals before God told him to walk out before the army of the Philistines and sling rocks at the giant Goliath.

Jonah heard God’s call, and decided that he just didn’t have the time or the patience to undertake what God was asking of him. When God wouldn’t shut up, Jonah tried to run away, but God had bigger plans and eventually delivered him via the belly of a whale to preach God’s judgment to the mob in Nineveh.

God made something out of them. What makes you think he can’t make something out of you?

We see this in the modern world as well as in the stories of the Bible. Consider:

~Martin Luther was a lawyer before he was a priest.

~Mother Teresa was a teacher before she began to help the poor.

~John Paul II was a librarian before he entered the clergy.

~Desmond Tutu set out to be a physician but ended up an archbishop.

~Billy Graham was refused admission to a church youth group on the grounds that he was “too worldly.”

These folks were going about their ordinary lives just like you are. They didn’t necessarily plan to on a career as shepherds of the flock, but just because something isn’t in your plans, you shouldn’t fail to leave room for God’s plans.

All this is simply to point out that God has his own mysterious way of making extraordinary that which to the naked eye looks only ordinary. And part of my message today is tell you that even though you may not know it yet, God’s plans may well include you.

An author named Adam Hamilton has written a booked called, “Leading Beyond the Walls”. In it, he identifies the characteristics of a great congregational leader: The list contains no surprises.Great pastors, great leaders, great shepherds all have these traits in common:

~They have integrity—the ability to discern right and wrong and to act openly on that knowledge ability, even at personal cost.

~They have humility. That’s not to say it isn’t sometimes a struggle to maintain it, but ultimately, they put the interests of other ahead of their own.

~They have passion. They believe in something bigger than themselves and they can inspire others to support their cause.

~They have vision. They see opportunity where others see only barriers.

~They persevere. They don’t give up on critical things without a fight.

~They make decisions, and they take risks, accepting that sometimes they might fail.

~They are purpose-driven, meaning that they will align resources such as other people, money and physical facilities to accomplish their personal missions.

~They communicate effectively, listen carefully, encourage and motivate.

Take a minute and look around this sanctuary?

~Do you see people of integrity?

~Do you see people with humility?

~Do you see people with passion?

~Do you see people with a vision for the church?

~Do you see people who persevere?

~Do you see people who can make decisions?

~Do you see people who are purpose-driven?

~Do you see people who can communicate, listen, encourage and motivate?

~Do you see two eyes looking backing at you?

If you answered “yes” to any of these, congratulations. You have what it takes to be more than a sheep. You’re ready to take on a bigger role in God’s church and in this congregation as a shepherd.

It is a foundational principle of the Reformation and the protestant churches that came from that movement that God has ordained all his people to the priesthood. That is not to say that there is not a role for ordained leadership and for good order. In fact, the Bible says just the opposite.

But it does say that none of us is allowed the luxury of simply filling the pew on Sunday morning. We are all called to play a role in God’s church. We are all called to holiness, giving from our gifts and talents as we are able. We are all called to be shepherds of one another.

And God hasn’t left us unequipped for that work. As the Psalm reminds us today,

            Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I shall fear no evil;
for you are with me;

In these difficult times, it is easy to feel betrayed by those who are supposed to lead us whether they are Roman Catholic priests who failed to observe their vows or Anglican bishops who are heard from only when the assessment is overdue or by religious intellectuals who, in their quest to modernize the church, too often fail to even mention a role for God.

But it’s when the flock starts to wander that the shepherd is needed most. Like Tabitha who seemed to be dead, the church waits only for the good man or a good woman of deep faith to raise her up again.

And that good man or good woman might well be you.

Jesus is calling you and me today to serve his kingdom and in doing so to defend and serve his church. Your gifts are not too meager. You have something to offer to this congregation. With or without a designated pastoral leader, this congregation has something to offer this community.

I call on you today to hear the voice of God, to become a shepherd of God’s flock, in this parish, in this diocese, in this community, in this world.

In the prayer book is a short-service—not recently heard within these walls. Is the liturgy for New Ministry. It is used by the Bishop to appoint a new pastoral leader for a congregation. Near the start of the service, there is a prayer—a prayer which sums up the role for a new ministers and which can easily be modified to fit our roles as a ministry of all believers. Let us conclude today with that prayer by saying:

V. The Lord Be With You.

A. And also with you.

V. Everliving God, strengthen and sustain us, that with patience and understanding, we may love and care for your people; and grant that together we may follow Jesus Christ, offering to God our gifts and talents, through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Amen.