April 26, 2026 – The Fourth Sunday of Easter
The Rev. Mark Colbert
It seems that today’s lectionary readings have a particular words
that they want us to focus on. And if you haven’t noticed, those words
are sheep and shepherds. These two words go hand and hand. In the all
too familiar Psalm 23, though it does not mention the word sheep. It
talks about how “The Lord is my shepherd” and from the word shepherd
is someone who takes care of sheep. But we do hear the word sheep in
the first letter to Peter. “For you were going astray like sheep, but now
you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.” And
lastly in today’s Gospel reading these two words of sheep and shepherd
unite us into a beautiful world with Christ.
In today’s Gospel reading in John, Jesus speaks of sheepfolds,
gates, shepherds, strangers, thieves, and bandits. John even tells us that
those listening did not understand what Jesus was saying to them. But at
the heart of this passage is a deeply comforting truth. Jesus knows us,
calls us, leads us, protects us, and desires abundant life for us. But
before we get to the heart of this Gospel reading, Jesus uses these harsh
words of thief and bandit. These are harsh words, but they matter. Not
every voice that claims authority is worthy of trust. Not every leader is a
shepherd. Some exploit rather than serve. Some use religion to control
rather than to heal. Some promise life but leave people totally scared,
frightened, divided. The thief, Jesus says, “comes only to steal and kill
and destroy.” That warning is not only about false religious leaders. It is
also about all the forces in this world that rob people of life: hatred,
greed, addiction, violence, prejudice, despair, lies, and lovelessness.
These things steal joy, kill hope, and destroy community and divide our
society. Whenever people are dehumanized, the thief is at work.
Whenever fear is used to dominate, the thief is at work. Whenever
religion is twisted into a weapon, the thief is at work. Whenever souls
are burdened without mercy, the thief is at work. However, Jesus does
not come to take life from us. He comes to give life to us. That is an
important distinction. Christ does not erase our humanity; he restores it.
Christ does not imprison the soul; he frees it. Christ does not shrink life;
he enlarges it to know that he is the ultimate shepherd. The one who
opens the gate for his sheep.
Here’s where we get into the heart of today’s Gospel. Do yall
remember a somewhat decent priest preaching to you all Easter Sunday
and talking about how important it is that Jesus knows us by name.
Again, that same message applies here. “He calls his own sheep by
name.” I love that verse. Jesus does not love us as a faceless people. He
knows us by name. He knows who we are beneath our public image,
beneath our successes and failures, beneath what others assume about
us. He knows our griefs, our wounds, our fears, our longings, and our
hopes. There is something deeply healing about being known. Many
people move through life feeling unseen. Though we may be surrounded
by people and yet we can still feel lonely. And some of us might still
wonder, whether anyone truly knows who we are? Yet, Christ the
Shepherd says: I know you. I call you by name. That means your life is
not anonymous to God. Your tears are not invisible to God. Your prayers
are not lost in the air. Your heart is known. And because Jesus Christ the
shepherd knows us by name, he does not lead us as one more number in
the flock. He leads us with care, patience, and purpose. So, let this be a
challenge for us as a church. To know each other by name and also use
our correct pronoun to let people here know that I see you. That we are
all the same sheep in this flock with our shepherd who ultimately Jesus
Christ guiding us.
Now, I have to be honest. I am NOT a sheep expert. I did not take
a sheep theology class in Seminary that our very own Martha Terrell was
teaching. But one thing that I do know about sheep is that sheep are not
solitary animals. Jesus speaks of a flock. This means Christian life is not
meant to be lived alone. We are called together into a community that
learns the Shepherd’s voice together. The Church is not perfect. It never
has been. But it is meant to be a place where people are gathered,
named, nourished, protected, and sent. The Church should be a place
where people do not have to pretend. A place where the wounded are not
shamed. A place where the lost can be sought. A place where Christ is
heard above the noise. A place where abundant life is shared, not kept
away for and used for only certain people. As Psalm 23 reminds us,
“The Lord is my shepherd.” And as the Prayer Book teaches us through
word and sacrament, the risen Christ continues to feed and lead his
people. In worship, in Baptism, in Eucharist, in prayer, in mutual care,
we are being gathered by the Shepherd who knows us by name.
So what does today’s Gospel reading ask of us to do? First, it asks
us to listen. Whose voice is shaping your life? Whose voice do you trust
when fear rises? What voices have you mistaken for the voice of Christ?
Second, it asks us to trust. Jesus is not a stranger. He is the Shepherd. He
knows the way even when we do not. Third, it asks us to enter by the
gate. To come to Christ honestly, humbly, and daily. And lastly, it asks
us to receive abundant life. To hear the good news. The Shepherd (Jesus)
still calls your name. He calls you not to fear, but to trust. Not to be
alone, but to communion with each other and in Christ our shepherd.
And if you listen closely, beneath all the competing voices of this world,
you may hear him even now: calling, leading, opening the gate, and
inviting you into the wide pasture of God’s mercy. So, may we all be one
flock with our Shepherd Jesus Christ and walk into the gate of salvation
together. AMEN
Year A – The Fourth Sunday of Easter – April 26, 2026 – The Rev. Mark Colbert
