John 15:9-17

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

I have previously mentioned several of issues that make the car I drive unique. One of the quirks I haven’t mentioned is that only one of the four speakers works; which means when I listen to the radio or the one CD that’s been stuck in there for seven years, I only hear what comes out of the right channel.

For anyone who isn’t sure what that means: an audio recording typically has two separate channels of sound: the right and left; when you listen to both channels it’s called “stereo.” Often these channels contain the same information, so you can listen to the right or left by itself and hear the entire song. But some songs have distinct right and left channels (which you’ve probably noticed if you’ve listened to headphones and heard a sound that was entering from one ear but not the other).

Any sound that comes out of my lonely car speaker carries only the right channel information. It makes for an interesting experience because even songs I know well sound completely different in my car...particularly anything by the Beatles, who loved to record different channels. Here’s an example:

The first time I heard this song in my car I thought I had accidentally stumbled a previously-unreleased acoustic version of the Beatles performing “Hey Bulldog.” It sounded incomplete; and it wasn’t until the song progressed that I actually realized what song it was. When the right and left channels are played together, it sounds like this:

You may not be a fan of the Beatles, but I think we can agree that it is much more interesting to hear this song in stereo. That distinctive guitar track certainly adds a necessary element to the song.

I see many similarities between the state of my car stereo system and the state of our world. Too often we go through life engaging only with one side of the story, one half of the picture, one ear full of sound.

Just ten years ago it was thought that we were entering an age of the flattening of the world, which had the power for free us from our isolated existences, break down cultural and economic walls of separation, and expose all people to diversity that would positively influence our behavior. But then came along social media platforms and political-leaning 24-hour “news” channels that allowed us to narrow and customize the news and opinions with which we actually wanted to engage.

In a recent study that examined how news passes through social media, “[Researchers] confirmed that as a bit of ‘news’… was passed from person to person, [the message became shorter and] the facts became distorted in large part due to biases of the people passing along the information"
(http://phys.org/news/2015-04-social-networks-exaggerating-news-events.html)

Anyone who has ever played the telephone game as a child already recognizes the truth of that statement.

And now that we find ourselves saturated with news sources on radio, 24-hour cable news, and social media feeds tailored to our biases, our understanding of the facts is as distorted as ever.

We create micro-cultures around ourselves; insulating our particular understanding of the world by choosing to only pay attention to the voices that reinforce our understanding of the world. Our opinions and biases go unchecked and we pass along filtered news and opinion that bears little actual resemblance to the complex issues of our world.

For example, if you get all your news from Fox News you heard the 2013 government shutdown described casually as a necessary “government slim-down;” whereas MSNBC was using language such as “needless and destructive” to describe the same event. Similarly, depending on how you’ve customized your news consumption, the recent events in Baltimore have either been reported to you as “riots” or a “revolution”
(http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/12/business/media/when-our-news-is-gerrymandered-too.html?_r=0)

The task before us is to admit our own biases and prejudice and listen to the voices we would otherwise ignore; which will allow for a more nuanced, more complete, and more beautiful understanding of our world.

The point of my message today is not to get Fox News fans to tune into MSNBC for an hour a day (or vice-versa). For many of us, the most important voice that is missing from our newsfeed isn’t the voice of the political right or political left; rather, what’s missing from our newsfeed is the truth of God’s love for us and for all of God’s good creation.

Prior to his betrayal and execution, Jesus gathered his disciples together one last time and gave them commands that they were to follow to ensure that they would love one another. These commands, as listed in the 15th chapter of John include:

have joy
love as Christ loved
lay down one’s life for one’s friends
see the “other” as an “equal”
go and bear fruit

Each of these commands is impossible to live out without the understanding that we are first and foremost loved by God with a love that makes all these commands possible. Jesus prefaces all these commands with the primary plea to “abide in my love.” Recognizing that God loves us is the truth that makes it possible for us to have joy, love as Christ loved, lay down our lives for our friends, see the “other” as an “equal” and to go and bear fruit.

So many people simply can’t hear this truth coming out of the speakers in their lives. Maybe they’ve had damaging experiences in church, or maybe they feel as though God has abandoned them in a time of personal need, or maybe they’ve been erroneously taught that faith cannot co-exist with science.

Others have deliberately eliminated any trace of the truth of God’s love from their newsfeed, perhaps by blindly following the talking points of political parties, unfriending those who challenge their prejudices, or filling their lives with commercial pursuits designed to make consumers feel like they are inadequate and unloveable unless they buy the next best thing.

The most powerful force on earth or in heaven is for you to believe that God loves you just as you are and to let that love propel you into a world full of people who either can’t hear or choose not to listen to this truth.

My prayer for you is that you listen to the voices in the world that challenge you; that you take time to immerse yourself in scripture and prayer and acts of selfless generosity, where God’s truth is revealed; and that you fall in love with the God who loves you more than life itself. That’s a song the world needs to hear from the right and the left.

Amen.

John 10:11-18 (NRSV)

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

My wife and I are privileged to own two vehicles. One is our good car – the one we bought when our first child was born. It safely and comfortably transports the kids around town and is our only option for long road trips.

And then there’s the other car. We try not to ask it to do much more than get me the 11/2 miles to and from church every day. It leaks oil; it has barely an inch of exterior that isn't’ dented, cracked, or missing paint; it has more pieces than I care to admit joined together with plastic zip ties; and seven years ago I put a CD into the car stereo system and to this day it has refused to eject it.

Sometimes life kind of works out like that – you have at least two options, but you only deem one of the options as “good.”

If I say, “Coke or Pepsi,” you know which one you think is good. Same thing if I say, “Democrat or Republican” or “IU or Purdue.” Anyone who grew up with brothers or sisters has probably thought that only one of you was the “good” sibling (or at least felt like one was treated by your parents as the “good” sibling).

In today’s scripture Jesus announces that he is good. Of all the voices pleading for us to follow them, it is Jesus’ voice alone is “good.” As the good shepherd, Jesus promises he will stick around when trouble comes, unite divided groups, die to protect us from the forces of darkness, and guide us in a voice we would recognize.

I believe this is true. I believe that of all the voices vying for my attention, Jesus alone is the good shepherd. I believe that Jesus sticks around when trouble comes. I believe Jesus will united what is divided. I believe Jesus died to protect me from the forces of darkness.

Where I struggle, however, is with Jesus’ promise that the flock will know and follow Jesus’ voice.

How many of us can say with absolute certainty that we hear (and follow) Jesus’ will in our lives? How many of us are confident that when we encounter the next big decision – the next fork in the road – Jesus’ voice will guide us to make the correct decision?

I hope I’m not the only one struggles with this daily!

How do we, as people who desire to be led by Christ, know if we are following the good shepherd as opposed to simply following our own desires, demons, or indigestion?

Reading and wrestling with scripture is certainly one way to hear the voice of Jesus. Another is by worshiping with and committing yourself to a faith community. Also, you can spend time in prayer and meditation, as I know many of you do.

But what about the times when scripture fails to speak to us, when faith communities fail to love and accept us, or when we can’t bring ourselves to pray because we we’re not sure anyone or anything is actually listening? Is there another way to hear the voice of the good shepherd?

Yes!

Another way to hear the voice of the good shepherd is by following the sheep that are already going the right way (to be clear, that’s metaphorical sheep!).

Often I have encounters with people and am struck by the feeling that these are people I ought to follow because they’re on the right path; they are people I could learn from, and they just “get it.” These are people who manage to embody the voice of the good shepherd through their faith, selfless actions, and peaceful presence.

Here’s an example: You remember my car situation – how I have one good car and one bad car? Well, last Friday I learned that one of my brake pads had fallen off the bad car. The mechanic assured me brake pads are very important for a vehicle and told me to leave the car there, although he was unsure if he could get to it that day or the next. I was solo parenting that entire weekend – the good car safely and dependably transporting my wife to Nashville, Tennessee – and I needed my car to transport the kids to/from school and ball games.

I drove back to the church and was weighing my options when a colleague I had just met a couple days earlier arrived for our scheduled lunch meeting. I told him about my predicament. He responded with a gentle chuckle, shook his head and said, “Believe it or not, we just bought a new car this morning. Why don’t you take my van until your car gets repaired?” He then said, “People have been very generous to us and I’d like to help out by helping pay for the car repair.”

It was clear this was no power-play or pity party on his part; and I accepted his generous offer. Later I called my wife with an update on the car and said, “The car’s broke again and in the shop, but don’t worry, I’m borrowing a minivan from someone I just met.”

We ended up spending the afternoon accompanying one another on errands and having holy conversation – an experience made possible because of his selfless generosity and grace.

I tell you that story to testify that the voice of the good shepherd can be heard all around us, often in unexpected places and people. I heard the voice of the good shepherd in one family’s unexpected, abundant, and selfless generosity – generosity made possible because others had been generous to them. I found sheep who were already following the voice of the good shepherd, and I made an effort to follow close behind.

When you look around at the sea of humanity, it’s tempting to think that we’re all just a bunch of stupid sheep who can’t get our act together. However, there is something faithful about seeking out the sheep who are being guided in the right direction and following closely behind.

This is the gift Christians are called and blessed to be in the world: we are called and blessed to bear the presence of Jesus for all people.

I have been privileged to have been led by faithful sheep my whole life. Honestly, it’s the primary reason why I chose to stay in the church and it is why I still believe that there is a good shepherd to follow.

Even when the words of scripture fail to comfort us, when the actions of a community hurt us, when we doubt that prayer is worth the effort, may we be open to the idea that there are people whom God will put in our lives who can teach us, inspire us, and lead us along the path. Only then can we hope to guide others toward the voice of the good shepherd.

And all God’s sheep say, "Baaaaa!"