The Guardian Shepherd
“Wherever Jesus’ spirit appears, the oppressed gather fresh courage; for he announced the good news that fear, hypocrisy, and hatred, the three hounds of hell [see “wolves” in John 10] that track the trail of the disinherited, need have no dominion over them.” -Howard Thurman
When I was young, I hated saying the Nicene Creed during worship. I didn’t understand it, so the words stuck like ashes in my throat. Now it’s one of my favorite parts of Lenten worship - so I’m very sorry it was cut for time during our Lenten worship this year. While wordier than the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed contains my very favorite lines in Christian statements of faith:
God is the maker of all things visible and invisible...
Through Christ all things were made.
For us and for our salvation, he became human.
For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate...
in accordance with the Scriptures....
And his kingdom shall have no end.
This makes it clear that it was the Romans that killed Jesus, not the Jews. And that Jesus did it willingly for our sake - out of love for us - not because our sinfulness forced him to. A Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep out of love - because they are worth it to him. We are worthy.
How different would approaching Good Friday feel if we saw it as Christ’s act of loving protection? As Alan Crowley points out, the Good Shepherd is the Guardian Shepherd - stretching out his arms on the cross to protect us from the pain of sin. How sad that this amazing event - which was in accordance with Jewish scripture - has been twisted throughout history to blame the Jews for the pain of human sin. God does not blame us - any of us; nor should we scapegoat and blame each other. We are all worthy.
The great Howard Thurman explains: “A religion that was born of a people acquainted with persecution and suffering has become the cornerstone of a civilization and of nations whose very position in modern life has too often been secured by a ruthless use of power applied to weak and defenseless peoples... To those who need profound succor and strength to enable them to live in the present with dignity and creativity, Christianity often has been sterile and of little avail; [consequently] the conventional Christian word is muffled, confused, and vague.” Church, we can do better. Please join me on Sunday to discuss the lectionary’s proposed changes to ameliorate Antisemitism during Holy Week. We are worth it.
with love,
Pastor Chelsea
