Calvary Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Debra May Cerra
April 25, 2010

Psalms 23:1-6 (NRSV) The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; 3 he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff— they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.

John 10:22-30 (NRSV) At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, 23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly." 25 Jesus answered, "I have told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand. 30 The Father and I are one."

What Does His Voice Sound Like?

How many of you have ever received a phone call and as soon as the person on the other end uttered one or two words, you knew who was on the line? Now, I’m not talking about seeing the name on caller ID; you knew who the person was because you recognized the voice. You knew what that person’s voice sounded like.
This morning our Gospel reading begins with a debate between Jesus and the religious leaders. They are in the portico of Solomon in the temple “during the feast of Dedication – what we know as the celebration of Hanukkah. This feast recalls God’s reclaiming of Jerusalem through the heroic faith of the Maccabees. Celebrated with lighted lamps, the feast is a joyous one for Israel. Ironically, however, the talk around Jesus in this passage is anything but joyous.”
          The religious leaders ask Jesus: “How long are you going to keep us guessing? If you’re the Messiah, tell us straight out.” (24) Jesus assures them that he already told them what they needed to know. The problem is the way Jesus told them – Jesus showed them who he was through his actions. Jesus is not about titles and labels; Jesus’ role and identity needs to be experienced.
          Jesus again uses the analogy of the shepherd and the sheep. He says to the leaders, “You don't believe because you're not my sheep. My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them real and eternal life. They are protected from the Destroyer for good. No one can steal them from out of my hand.” (26-28)
          In his short explanation, Jesus gives four significant facts. The first is found in His comment to the religious leaders, “You’re not my sheep.” These Jewish leaders had watched Jesus’ every move but Jesus did not fit their criteria for messiahship. In this declaration, “You’re not my sheep,” “Jesus is saying that an understanding of who he is cannot be simply a matter of deciding whether Jesus measured up to some preconceived notion of how a divine figure ought to act. No matter what the title: Messiah, Son of man, or Son of God; Lord, Savior, or Teacher, Superstar, Healer, or Peace-giver – Jesus transcends and transforms them all.”
          His next point is made when Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” (27) The Jewish leaders think that they know Jesus. They believe that to know someone is just a matter of processing information. But that is not the case. In order to “know the Messiah, we must have a radical conversion; we must move from one fold to another.”
Jesus points out the sheep of His fold “recognize His voice” and “follow Him.” It is in the being with Christ and the doing for Christ that binds people to Him. This leads to His third point, the promise of salvation. Jesus says, “I give them, that is His sheep, eternal life, and they will never perish.” (28a)
When we are united with Jesus, our relationship with Him models His relationship with the Father. The reward of faithfulness is eternal life. “As the Maccabean martyrs are immortal – evidenced by the feast of the Dedication celebrated by Jews in Jerusalem – so the disciples of Jesus’ flock will be immortal because of their dedication to Jesus.”
As his sheep, we are in Jesus’ care. Jesus says about the flock: “No one will snatch them out of my hand.  What my Father has given me is greater than all else, and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand.” (28b-29) This is an amazing image – being in the hands of the Messiah. These are the same hands that healed the sick and gave sight to the blind. These are the same hands that were pierced with the spike and nailed to the cross. These are the hands that call us to Christ and hold us safe.
Jesus concludes by saying: “The Father and I are one,” “Jesus is not saying that He and the Father are one person nor even one essence. What Jesus is stating that He and God are united in the work that they do. It is impossible to distinguish Jesus’ work from God’s work, because Jesus shares fully in God’s work.” When we accept Jesus into our lives, we experience the fullness of Almighty God.
          Anthony DeMello, a Jesuit priest, tells a parable entitled, ‘The Explorer,’ which illustrates the need to experience the living Lord. He begins: “There is a person who leaves his home village to explore the faraway and exotic Amazon. When he returns to his village, the villagers are captivated as the explorer tries to describe his many experiences, along with the incredible beauty of the place, with its thundering waterfalls, beautiful foliage, and extraordinary wildlife. How can he put into words, though, the feelings that flooded his heart when he heard the night sounds of the forest or sensed the dangers of the rapids? So he tells them they simply must go to the Amazon themselves. To help them with their journey, the explorer draws a map. Immediately the villagers pounce on the map. They copy the map, so that everyone can have their own copy. They frame the map for their town hall and their homes. Regularly they study the map and discuss it often, until the villagers consider themselves experts on the Amazon – for do they not know the location of every waterfall and rapids, every turn and bend?”
          These villagers understood the physical make-up of the Amazon but they could not appreciate nor comprehend the multi-sensory aspect of this exotic paradise. Knowing information about a location is not the same as experiencing the place.
           The same holds true with Jesus. In order to know our Savior’s voice, we must experience the fullness of God – God’s love and provision; God’s grace and peace; God’s goodness and justice. We need to place ourselves in God’s presence – through prayer and the reading of scripture, during worship and in times of solitude. Our faith needs to be nurtured. But that ‘s just part of knowing God. To round out our appreciation of the Lord, we need to put our faith into action – we are to do for the Lord. We need to serve in our churches and in our communities; we need to be involved in ministry and with mission; we need to share with others as we give to the Lord. To be able to recognize the voice of Jesus, we need to experience His fullness. Head knowledge and heart knowledge must be united. When we nurture our faith and then put into action, we will have opportunity to hear the Lord. We will have opportunity to know what His voice sounds like.
          Friends, without sounding presumptuous, let me try to describe how the Lord’s voice may sound. Sit back. Close your eyes. Listen: Hear the sound of a heartbeat and the purr of a kitten, the crash of the wave and the clap of thunder, the tapping of rain and the whisper of breeze, the hush of falling snow and the soft gurgle of a sleeping baby. Add the smell of rain and newly cut grass, the briskness of the winter air and the crispness of an autumn day. Include the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the evening, the tenderness of a hug and the intimacy of a lingering kiss. Take the moments that define birth and death, sense the impact of unity and justice, remember the need for righteousness and integrity. Embrace every moment of the past and the future, the here and the now. Draw all of this into one moment and then listen carefully for the still small voice of God that echoes of sheer silence and whispers with the brilliance of love. Could it be that this gives a sense of what The Lord’s voice sounds like?
          Remember the phone call and how you recognized the person on the other end after only one or two words were spoken. You knew the voice because you know the person. Let’s yearn to know Jesus for when we are in His presence, when we choose to work for His glory, we will hear the Lord. He will speak words of comfort and compassion, encouragement and guidance. He will call us friend even as we call Him Lord and Savior. Remember what Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” (27) Sisters and brothers, when we experience the fullness of God, we WILL know his voice.
          Amen and amen.