Tag Archives: radical love

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Inclusive shepherd

Click here to listen to the audio recording of this 12-minute message. Or watch the video here on Facebook (the message starts 26 minutes into the recording). Or read the text summary below.

In John 10:11-18, Jesus strives to convey to us the depth of his love for and connection with us, and his desire and expectation that we should love one another. This passage is part of a larger set of “I am” statements related to Jesus being a shepherd – the good shepherd. Central to this message is this:

Jesus knows you. Jesus loves you.

I encourage you to hear these words and to take them to heart. In our service, I gave each person a paperclip, and asked them hold and fiddle with it during the sermon. A paperclip is used to hold things together, and today’s message is about Jesus holding us to himself and to each other.

  • Twice, Jesus says that he is the good shepherd – not just a shepherd, but the good shepherd (vv 11 & 14)
  • Jesus emphasises, “I know my sheep”. We are not merely a mass of sheep in a large flock. He knows each one of us. Indeed, Jesus says that he knows us and we know him “just as the Father knows me and I know the Father” (vv 14-15).
  • Four times, Jesus says that he lays down his life for his sheep – for you (vv 11, 15, 17 & 18). This points to the extravagance and not-withholding nature of Jesus love. Indeed John says (in 1 John 3:16): “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.”

It is hard to ignore these words of affirmation and extravagant love from Jesus. His love for you is immeasurable.

In the middle of this passage, Jesus says something a little different (v16):

I have other sheep that are not of this sheepfold. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

Outside of this verse, there is a sense that Jesus loves only me. But v16 suggests not only that Jesus loves you, but also that he loves completely different groups from you. And the words, “I must bring them also”, are extremely strong in the Greek, conveying the sense that, “I absolutely have to bring them also”.

We should also note the sequence that Jesus presents: [In the present] I have other sheep [and now] I must bring them [and then in the future] they too will listen to my voice [and then after that] there shall be one flock with one shepherd. While these sheep do not yet know Jesus’ voice, Jesus still regards them as “his sheep” (“I have other sheep…”), and he loves them.

Who might these ‘other sheep’ be? The possibility that Jesus engages other groups outside of our group, outside of our congregation, outside of our denomination and even outside of the Christian faith, is tantalizing. But even if we do not go that far, think of those in your group, in your flock, that you dislike, those you think are not living an adequate Christian life, those you think are not adequately committed, those you think don’t believe correctly, those you think should rather leave your group.

Perhaps these people are sheep in Jesus’ other sheepfold. If so, Jesus loves them just as he loves you. And who are we not to love them, since Jesus loves them? Every sheep is loved by Jesus. And he is the Good Shepherd, who brings them into his fold. And so should we.

Featured image from https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1331924301/photo/stack-of-colorful-paper-clips.jpg

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A life of love

Click here to listen to the audio recording of this 12-minute message. Or watch the YouTube video. Or read the text summary below.

Today is surely a watershed moment for the world: 20 January 2021, the end of Donald Trump’s administration. Whether or not one is an American, this change of administration will surely impact the world in one way or another.

This is not a sermon about America or American politics, however. Rather it is a sermon about what defines a Christian. When we look at the American right and left, who are so profoundly divided at this time, and yet who both comprise large numbers of Christians who believe that their politics is aligned with their Christian faith, we must ask, What does it mean to be a Christian? How can Christians, who follow the same book of teachings, be so polarised when it comes to their beliefs, practices and policies?

Perhaps one of the reasons is the weight that different groups of Christians give to different parts of the Bible. While we (are exhorted to) believe that “all Scripture [that is, the whole of the Bible] is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16), if we base our Christian beliefs, practices and policies on the first Testament (the Old Testament) more than on the Gospels, or even on the rest of the second Testament more than on the Gospels, then something is wrong.

The Gospels present to us the very life, ministry and teaching of God the Son. These are not subsequent interpretations of Christ’s ministry, but Christ’s ministry itself. If we want to see God, we must look at his Son; and we get his Son in the Gospels. Jesus Christ’s life, as recorded in the Gospels, must be the template for Christian belief, practice and policy. And all the rest of the Bible must be interpreted through the Gospels.

Ironically, our reading today is not from the Gospels, but from Paul’s letter, where he writes about the central message we get from the Gospels: live a life of love.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 4:32-5:2)

The life of a Christian must be rooted in love. This passage is not about love for other Christians, but love for all humanity. Paul emphasises the love that God had for us before we were saved – the love that led to God’s forgiveness of us and of Christ’s offering of himself as a sacrifice to God – these are about God’s love for us before we were saved, and thus the example is for how we love the whole world.

Love is the foundation of Christian life. Indeed, these verses are part of a larger passage which opens as follows:

So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. (Ephesians 4:17-18)

In other words, Paul sees this ‘life of love’ as constituting a fundamental difference between Christian life and non-Christian life. Our love for others is what is supposed to define us as Christians and differentiate us from everyone else. Indeed, Christ himself gives us this great command:

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. (John 13:34-35)

This love for other people (and indeed for the whole of creation) is fundamental to what it means to be Christian. It is only after all this, that Paul then says, “But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality” (Ephesians 5:3) and then goes on to talk about morality. Morality is important, but the life of love is even more important. When we place morality above love, we are out of step with Christ, who consistently placed love above everything else. If you are placing morality above love, you must go back to the Gospels and see how Jesus lived, what he said and how he related to people.

What is most important and definitive in the life of Christ is the life of love, which is a love that is radical and inclusive. It is this kind of love that is supposed to inform our beliefs (how we understand God, ourselves and the world), our practices (how we life our life moment by moment) and our policies (or politics).

We pray for the people of America and their new president. We pray for a drawing closer together of the American people, a reduction in polarisation and anger, and a greater rooting of life in the Gospel message of love for one another. And we pray also for ourselves and our nation, which has its own challenges.

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