Listening For Love

May I speak in the name of the One God who is Speaker, Word and Breath. Amen.

I don't know if Anna and Laurie knew when they booked today for Matthew's baptism, but today is Good Shepherd Sunday - a perfect day to welcome one of the newest members of our flock. 

The shepherding imagery weaves through the readings and feels quite familiar and reassuring

In the reading from Acts we hear what life looks like for that first community of Christians when they have heard and followed Jesus. They live together, sharing everything, eating, worshipping and working alongside one another. 

If we read the psalm for today it would unsurprisingly be Psalm 23 - a reminder that we’re known by God, and that God wishes to keep us safe.

But when we listen closely things really aren’t that cosy at all. In the gospel, Jesus is talking about thieves and bandits, about danger and about voices that can’t be trusted. Jesus says sheep need to learn the difference between the voice of the shepherd and those who might wish them harm.

He seems to be implying that there are those who claim to love God, to follow God, and to know God’s will, but aren’t really recognising the true voice of God. Jesus was preaching this at the temple, surrounded by Pharisees and others who definitely didn’t recognise his voice as the voice of God.

Now, sheep get a bad press. Being called a sheep for us usually means being accused of not thinking for ourselves or blindly following the crowd. But we might not be as different from sheep as we’d like to think.

Sheep have actually been proven to be pretty intelligent – they can recognise different faces, they have impressive memories and they experience a wide range of emotions. But when sheep are scared they panic, they behave irrationally.

They cluster, or scatter, or run towards danger, basically losing all sense of direction. And that feels… uncomfortably familiar.

We Humans tend to make our worst decisions when we’re scared. Fear makes us reactive, narrows our judgement, and makes us more likely to listen to voices we’d ignore at other times - and there are always people willing to exploit our fear.

Jesus names them plainly: thieves and bandits — those who don’t enter by the gate, who don’t care for the sheep, who take and scatter and destroy. We don’t need to look very far all these centuries later to hear the voices still exploiting our fears.

They’re the voices that tell us to fear the poor who’ll take more than they deserve, the outsider whose differences from us make them a threat, and the foreigner who threatens and takes. These voices tell us generosity is weakness, that compassion is naïve yet proclaim faith while preaching exclusion.

And those voices can be incredibly loud – and that volume can be amplified by wealth, influence, certainty, and power. The danger is that our fear can make their voices start to sound like wisdom.

Jesus tells us about the Good Shepherd – who loves, protects and leads the flock: “The sheep follow him, because they know his voice.” They might not know the path, or the terrain could be tricky, but the sheep know it’s the right way to go. They put their faith in the one leading them.

The shepherd’s voice never leads by fear. It doesn’t cause the sheep to scatter, or trample the weak for the sake of the strong. The shepherd’s voice leads towards the abundant life Jesus wants for each of us.

Now I’m a massive fan of The Chosen – I’m sure I’ve mentioned it in sermons before, I’ve told Huw to watch it as well, but he’s probably forgot. It’s an incredibly well-made TV series which depicts Jesus’ life, beginning with leaving the wilderness to start his ministry and the 5th series that came out last year finished with Judas’ betrayal – I rewatched the whole thing through Lent.

During the 4th series we see the scene from today’s gospel taking place on the temple steps, and it results in Jesus and the disciples being the victims of an attempted stoning by the Pharisees who are calling Jesus out, appalled at what they call blasphemy. Big James is quite badly injured, and they’re forced to retreat to their lodging house. And they’re scared.

The reality of how dangerous their ministry is hits them.

They realise that whilst they all believe that Jesus is the Messiah, not everyone will believe, not everyone will hear and understand, and some may even be threatened to the point where they want to kill those bringing the message.

It’s a moment of hate and violence as a response to a message of love, and I think that’s still the way some people respond when confronted with the true message of Jesus’ teaching, where the poor, the orphaned, the widowed, the sick, the tax collectors, people with questionable pasts and those cast out through illness are all equally loved and held up in God’s eyes; and to do God’s work is to care for the sick, the prisoner, the marginalised. 

This message of love and inclusion will always threaten those who benefit from exploiting our fears.

Which brings us, uncomfortably, to leadership. Today being Good Shepherd Sunday, is a day we inevitably think about those who have leadership and pastoral responsibility – whether in churches, in communities, or in the public eye.

Like Pope Leo, who recently seemed to become a threat to some powerful people by simply preaching the gospel. It takes courage for our Christian leaders to speak so clearly about love, justice, human dignity, and truth - especially when that brings them into tension with those who the world sees as powerful.

And it takes courage to resist those voices that trade in fear, to refuse a rhetoric of exclusion, violence and dominance, and to declare that our faith can’t be used as a weapon.

It takes courage knowing there will be a backlash, and part of that may well come from within the church. But finding that courage, knowing you must speak up to the fear-mongers, sounds like someone listening for and responding to the shepherd’s voice.

But not all those in leadership have this courage. Sometimes leaders are the same people preying upon our fears.

Jesus tells us something else in the gospel; “I am the gate.” This is a reminder to everyone – those who lead with fear but also us, who may think we’ve got it right, that we’re following Jesus the right way, which might lead us to have strong feelings against, or even hate, those who we think are getting it wrong.

The sheep don’t get to decide who comes through the gate, nor do the shepherds who came after Jesus and neither does the church.

Jesus alone decides who’s in and who’s out. 

He is the gate. 

And whenever we forget that - whenever we start deciding whose lives matter, whose suffering can be ignored, whose dignity is conditional – we’ve stopped listening to the right voice and we’re no longer following the shepherd.

When there are so many voices competing to be heard - political voices, religious voices, media voices, voices of friends, family and colleagues - which voices sound most like love?

Which voices speak about mercy rather than suspicion?

Which voices gather us together rather than scattering us apart?

Which voices speak of lifting up the most vulnerable rather than asking who deserves our help?

As we baptise Matthew this morning, what voices do we want him and our church family to hear as they grow in love, faithfulness and discipleship?

That is how we discern the shepherd’s voice – it leads towards love and leaves fear behind. It guides us into living an abundant life.

So I pray we resist voices that trade in fear. And even if the path is a bit rocky, or unfamiliar, may we have the courage - like sheep who trust their shepherd - to follow where God’s love leads.

Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Easter

The Collect:

O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Acts 2:42-47

42They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. 44All who believed were together and had all things in common; 45they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Psalm: Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd; *

       I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *

       and leads me beside still waters.

3 He revives my soul *

       and guides me along right pathways for his Name’s sake.

4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

  I shall fear no evil; *

       for you are with me;

       your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *

       you have anointed my head with oil,

       and my cup is running over.

6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *

       and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Second Lesson: 1 Peter 2:19-25

19For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. 20If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. 21For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. 22“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” 23When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Gospel: John 10:1-10

1“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. 2The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. 7So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Surrender, Gratitude and the "Little Way"

So this week we’ve stepped once again into the holy season of Lent. And to be completely honest I love Lent – it’s probably my favourite party of the liturgical year. But this might not be the case for all of you - some of you may approach Lent with a sense of dread, thinking of it as weeks of misery, austerity and self‑denial.

But some of us see it very differently. We feel a kind of relief. A homecoming. A chance to finally exhale and let go. Lent can be a season of spiritual recharging, a time when we’re able to leave behind the noise of the world for just long enough for us to hear the whisper of God.

And today’s Gospel draws us into this

Matthew tells us that “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.” He wasn’t pushed or forced but led, guided and accompanied by the Spirit. The wilderness isn’t a place Jesus stumbles into by accident or is thrown into by force; it was a place of intention and purpose, a place of encounter. And if we choose to follow him there, it can for us become a place of transformation.

We might imagine the wilderness as a place that’s hostile. But what if it’s actually a place of growth? A place which allows the unnecessary things of life to fall away and those which are actually important to become clearer?

Jesus goes into the wilderness right after his baptism, right after hearing the words: “You are my beloved.” He doesn’t go there seeking God’s love or approval. He goes there already held by it. The wilderness becomes the space where he learns to trust that love more deeply.

And that’s the invitation of Lent—not to prove ourselves to God, but to remember who we already are, who God created us to be. The noise and busyness of life often causes our true self or purpose to become masked.

This is where St Thérèse of Lisieux becomes a wise companion – my devotion this Lent is a book of daily meditations which reflect upon her “little way”. Thérèse never travelled far, never preached, never founded anything. Her “Little Way” is simply the way of trusting love in the small, hidden places of life.

She once wrote, “Jesus does not demand great actions from us, but simply surrender and gratitude” which could be a great way for us to approach Lent.

Thérèse teaches us that holiness isn’t found in heroic feats or grand gestures but in small acts of courage, in tenderness, and in trust. She would tell us that the wilderness isn’t frightening when we walk it with Jesus. It becomes the place where we discover that God meets us in our smallness, and ordinariness, not in our seeking to be perfect or important.

And that’s good news for us - because it’s a reminder that God’s love isn’t conditional. The wilderness isn’t a test we have to pass, but a space where we learn to rest in the truth that we’re already beloved.

The three temptations Jesus faces aren’t random; they’re invitations to choose who he will be.

The first temptation is “Turn these stones into bread.” This is the temptation to define ourselves by what we produce. But Lent whispers: You are more than your output.

The second is “Throw yourself down from the temple.” This is the temptation to prove our worth. But Lent whispers: You don’t need to perform for God.

Finally Jesus is told “All these kingdoms I will give you.” This is the temptation to grasp for power. But Lent whispers: True strength is found in love.

Thérèse would smile at these temptations because she knew them well. She knew the pressure to be impressive, to be extraordinary. And she gently reminds us that Jesus chooses a different path—the path of humility, simplicity, and trust in God’s love.

I like to think of Lent like a spiritual retreat I didn’t have to book. It’s a season that gives us permission to slow down, to simplify, to just breathe. In its wilderness we can be honest about our hungers, our longing and our questions – our own temptations.

And Jesus meets us there - not with judgment, but with companionship.

The wilderness is where Jesus became more fully himself. And it’s where we can become more fully ourselves too.

Not by striving to be our best and most righteous self. Not by punishing ourselves for being human and often not living up to what we think God expects of us. But by letting go of what no longer serves us and holding fast to what does.

I hope that for us Lent isn’t about feeling shame for not being the perfect reflection of Jesus, or about what we’re denying ourselves. I hope it’s about how expansive the wilderness is, allowing us to make room for God’s voice amid the noise of our lives. I hope it’s about choosing love over fear, compassion over cynicism, and presence over distraction.

I hope it’s about remembering that we’re not alone in the wilderness. Jesus walks with us. The Spirit leads us. And I hope that even the angels – in those moments of unexpected grace - minister to us along the way.

Perhaps this Lent, inspired by St Thérèse, we might try a “little way” of our own, to help open our hearts and minds to what we might find or learn about ourselves in it’s wilderness:

We might do this by spending a few minutes in silence each day

Performing smalls act of kindness

Being gentle with the words we say to ourselves

Choosing sabbath rest instead of rush

And committing to justice that comes from a place of compassion

These are small, little things, but they might be tiny seeds of transformation.

I invite you to see Lent as I do, as a beautiful God-given gift. A gift where the Spirit leads us into a place where we can hear again the truth spoken at Jesus’ baptism which also is true for us: “You are my beloved.”

We join Jesus in the wilderness not with fear, but with anticipation. Not with heaviness, but with hope. Not to prove ourselves, but to rediscover the God who already delights in us.

May this Lent recharge our spirits. May it deepen our trust. And may it lead us, step by small step, to be encircled within God’s love.

Amen.

Matthew 4:1–11 

4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ 4 But he answered, ‘It is written,

“One does not live by bread alone,

    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,

“He will command his angels concerning you”,

    and “On their hands they will bear you up,

so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’

7 Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; 9 and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ 10 Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

“Worship the Lord your God,

    and serve only him.”’

11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Disruptive love

Today is the feast of the conversion of Saint Paul, and we heard the dramatic events of this in the reading from Acts, it was followed by a tiny gospel reading which feels deliberate to not overshadow the main event of today, which is Saul’s life-changing experience of the road to Damascus, after which he changes his name and his life’s purpose.

Without Paul who knows what we’d actually know of Jesus, because Paul’s role in evangelising and spreading the Gospel, through teaching, preaching and of course letter-writing, was central to getting the message out into the wider Roman Empire – which God knew would be the case, and eventually that message reached these isles, some 2000 miles away from these events.

The narrative of what led to Paul finding his true calling – the purpose which God had for his life, followed that amazing reading from Jeremiah which also talks about call – and there’s a thread of calling, change, and purpose through all our readings today.

Each passage shows God interrupting everyday life, changing its direction, and inviting people into something so much bigger than themselves. And that feels rather timely as we look ahead to our church planning day on the 14th of February. We’ll be asking big questions about who we are, what we’re called to do, and how God might be reshaping us for the future. And each and every one of you are invited to join us for that day.

Jeremiah’s story shows him protesting:

“sorry God! I can’t do this, I’m too young for all of this”. He feels he’s too young, too inexperienced, and too small for what God is calling him towards. God’s response isn’t stern, he doesn’t chastise Jeremiah, but reframes his protests

“Don’t say ‘I am only…’ how can you be ‘only’ anything with me beside you? I’ll give you the words you need, I’ll send you where you need to go”. Jeremiah’s calling isn’t based on his own ability but on God knowing he’ll be right beside him in that calling.

I think many Churches can fall into this “only” language:

We’re only a small congregation.

We’re only volunteers.

We only have so much time or resources.

But God says: Don’t say “only.”

God’s call begins not with our capacity, but with God’s, which is limitless.

As we anticipate our planning day, Jeremiah’s story invites us to leave behind the narrative of limitation and ask instead:

What might God be planting in us, collectively and as individuals, that we haven’t yet recognised or named?

Saul is a man on a mission, he has his purpose and his calling, and that means bad news for any Christians he encounters.

Yet when Saul encounters Jesus, he’s not punished, as you might have expected if we were in the Old Testament, but Saul experiences the disruption Jesus can bring into our lives when he enters in with generous, unending and undeserved love. For Saul this disruption comes as a light, a voice and a question:

“why do you persecute me?”

This question, directly from God, dismantles Saul’s worldview. It forces him to see that those people he’s hurt or harmed are, in fact, all part of God’s kingdom.

Paul’s conversion isn’t just about a change in belief but it’s also about recognition. He recognises that God is present in the very people he’d excluded.

For Paul this is both costly and liberating as his old life falls away and he allows himself to be changed by love, the love that God shows him.

Contemplating how changed Paul is by this experience invites us to open ourselves to what might be possible – what or who might God be asking us to see differently? What question might God be asking of us? How could God be calling us to be changed?

To go back to the purpose of our planning day, it’s an opportunity to allow God to interrupt us, to ask us uncomfortable questions, and to widen our imagination about who we’re called to be.

Peter’s question in the gospel reading is so very real, it’s probably what the others have been thinking but, of course, Peter is the one to open his mouth “We’ve left everything to follow you. What’s in it for us?”

They’ve sacrificed so much, and Peter wants to know it’s going to be worth it.

Jesus’ response could have been anything, we know he can be quick to chide or rebuke the disciples when they show self-interest, be here he offers a vision of renewal—a world made whole.

Building the kingdom isn’t about personal reward, it’s about making all things whole in God.

As we think about our future as a church - our mission, our priorities, our resources – we shouldn’t ask what’s in it for us, but rather: through the work of this community

Who can be lifted up?

Who can be welcomed?

Who can find healing, dignity, and belonging because we exist?

What do we need to do to join in God’s renewal of all things?

It can sometimes be a struggle to see how all our set readings fit together on any given Sunday, but it’s always good to remember that they always do –

a lot of thinking from clever theologians went into planning the 3-year cycles of readings. These three readings today are one story, and it’s also our story.

Through Jeremiah we see God calls us even when we feel inadequate.

Paul’s conversion demonstrates God transforms us, usually in ways we don’t expect.

And Jesus reminds us we’re being sent into a world that’s being renewed.

So, we invite you to be part of something next month where together we can imagine:

what’s possible for us with God alongside us?

What can be transformed in us?

where does change need to happen?

And what part might you have to play in all of this – where are we being called communally, but also where is the Spirit leading you?

It’s good to remember that whilst the conversion of Paul is big and dramatic, most transformation is much, much quieter. It happens in our conversations, in happens in our prayers, and in happens in our planning days, in moments of honesty and courage. It happens when we ask:

Where is God at work - and how can we join in? 

Amen,

Readings: 

Jeremiah 1:4-10 Jeremiah’s Call and Commission

4 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,

5 ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’

6 Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’ 7 But the Lord said to me,

‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”;

for you shall go to all to whom I send you,

and you shall speak whatever I command you.

8 Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

says the Lord.’

9 Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,

‘Now I have put my words in your mouth.

10 See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,

to pluck up and to pull down,

to destroy and to overthrow,

to build and to plant.’

Acts 9:1-22 The Conversion of Saul

9 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ 5 He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’ 7 The men who were travelling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ He answered, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ 11 The Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’ 13 But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.’ 15 But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; 16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’ 17 So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Saul Preaches in Damascus

For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ 21 All who heard him were amazed and said, ‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?’ 22 Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah.

Matthew 19:27-30

27 Then Peter said in reply, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?’ 28 Jesus said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.  29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[a] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.