The Fourth Sunday of Easter is designated as Good Shepherd Sunday. Its Gospel reading is drawn from Jesus’ teaching on the subject. Most commentaries on the subject assert good shepherds lead from the front. Others consider the possibly they lead from behind. Perhaps we might also consider that a good shepherd leads from among. A good shepherd is one member of a whole unified flock who all live and move together. Jesus’ Good Shepherd is a leader who is with us, among us, caring deeply for a whole people and encouraging the same leadership from others.
There is a reason why most biblical commentators assert a good shepherd leads from the front. This is the image that usually comes to mind for a leader. Such a shepherd instructs people on the way they should go. In studies on leadership, this style is experienced as being most reassuring by most people. Most people trust such leaders as being in control, providing necessary order, and diminishing the average person’s feeling of stress. This is especially securing in times of chaos or change. This may be why Jesus sometimes likens people to sheep, trusting creatures willing to put our faith in leaders who take control, provide order, and diminish stress. But can it be said such leaders are encouraging leadership from us? Genuinely challenging ourselves with such questions about leadership means we will have to take charge of our personal and collective lives. We might experience some disorder while reconsidering leadership. It is possible we will feel some stress while accomplishing it. In other words, we will become leaders. It is not too difficult to do. We do it all the time; we take charge. We experience disorder and feel stress and take charge through it all. We are leaders in times that contain plenty of chaos and change, more than we may be aware. It is all the times we are taking care of ourselves and our loved ones. The question is, can we expand who are our loved ones? Can the flock we care for be more than a particular creed or race or party or nation and be instead all humanity? People across the world are undergoing this leadership shift; from one person in front of many others instructing them, to many people caring for each other as they live and move together.
The leadership shift is global seen in International Day of Peasants and Farmers from Brazil; Responsibility to Accompany (R2A) from U.S.; CANVAS from Serbia; Nuit Debout from France. This week in the U.S. there is a concentration of the shift in Washington D.C. Thousands of people are marching on D.C., hundreds are being arrested. They are doing so because they are asking questions about leadership in the U.S. They have found it deeply lacking. They have decided to consider the need for leaders by considering their own lives. The marchers mostly belong to Democracy Awakening and Black Lives Matter. They are leaders. They are taking charge of their personal and collective lives, experiencing some disorder, and feeling some stress. They are good shepherds as they can encourage us to be more deeply caring of each other and expand who are our loved ones.
Prayer: Spirit of Good Shepherds, help us take risks to lead.
Question: How is the feeling of security I have from someone else leading me diminishing my taking risks to lead?
April 17, 2016 Gospel John 10:27-30 Fourth Sunday Of Easter / Good Shepherd Sunday