By the Rev Adolfo Moronta (8 am)

Intro: God as the shepherd and we as the sheep represents one of the Bible’s more beautiful images. Today Jesus brings us back to the Good Shepherd saying: “My sheep hear my voice.” Furthermore, todays readings from Acts reminds us that Faith is a central part of our day today lives and that we should be open to reach out to others in all circumstances.

Good morning brothers and sisters in Christ!

Today, like every Sunday, God through his words, gives us a message of hope and encouragement that he is and will remain by our side – always.

Today we are celebrating the feast of the Good Shepherd. God as the shepherd and we as the sheep represents one of the Bible’s more beautiful images, and it was one that was easily understood by the people of biblical Israel. As people who do not live around agriculture, we do not know as much about shepherds. The shepherd is responsible for his flock. In reality, being a shepherd is a very arduous job. Shepherds must live with, care for and lead their sheep. They must fend of attacks of wild animals. And leading sheep might mean knocking them in line from time to time. That is why a shepherd has a staff.

We like to use the image of a good shepherd and think of Jesus voice lovingly calling to his sheep—or even calling to us. A good shepherd does not walk behind the flock beating them with a stick to keep them moving. He walks in front of them, seeking out a safe path to food, water and shelter. The sheep gently follow him, because they recognize his voice, and they trust him.

I wonder if Jesus wanted to conjure up an image of him lovingly call his followers or if he really thought he need to take his staff to knock them into line on occasion. Did he think of them as foolish and just like sheep, in need of a lot of care and guidance?

Now, the shepherd and sheep metaphor has its limitations. Truth be known, sheep are not the smartest animals and they will blindly follow. They are also easily spooked and have been known to follow their leader almost anywhere, including off a cliff. However, if they are caroled and trained they can move together and be moved effectively.

Unlike sheep, we have intelligence and we make choices, sometimes good and sometimes bad. Make no mistake about it, following Jesus is a choice that we have to make daily in our lives. Nonetheless, I still think the image of the shepherd illuminate the reality that we must make the choice to follow. Like the shepherd, Jesus is always there if we seek him out. When we face difficult problems or a personal or family crisis, the presence of Jesus the Good Shepherd reassures us that we are not abandoned, that Jesus is supporting and holding us up.

I think this image of the good shepherd is why Psalm 23 is probably the most well- known and often read in the Bible. There’s the image again — “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”. I’m led to green pastures and still waters; my soul is restored. I’m comforted even in the face of danger or death. Then, there is the ultimate blessing – a life of righteousness and – in the end – a table is prepared for me to dwell forever with God. What is required of us sheep? – Faith.

Faith is central to our reading from Acts this morning about the disciple Peter and a woman named Tabitha. Now Tabitha was not just a follower of Christ, she also made an enormous impact on her community, always doing kind things for others and helping the poor by making coats and garments. In this story from Acts, Tabitha died but Peter came to her deathbed and brought her back to life. When the news of her rising became known, we are told that “many now believed in the Lord.”

This lesson is very special to me. Since my mother’s name is Tabitha and, like her namesake in the Bible, my mother is a devoted follower of Jesus. Two years ago my mother began to gradually loose her voice. Despite my pleas and those of my brothers, my mother resisted going to the doctor believing she would soon be her old self again. (little did she know that she was wrong). When she finally did seek medical advice, a biopsy revealed she had cancer in her vocal chords.

On hearing that news, I was terrified. I never cried as I much as I did on that day. For me, cancer was equal to a death sentence especially since my mother’s sister had died of the same illness. In front of my mother I remained strong, but the reality was that I was crying inside.

My mother was given two choices. One was to have her voice box and vocal chords removed and never speak again. My mother chose the other option which was treatment with radiation. My mother told the doctor “you do your job so that my father will give me my voice back.” The doctor asked is your father a doctor and she responded my father is more than a doctor he is God!

Just as Peter prayed for Tabitha, all three of my congregations prayed for my mother and I celebrated the Eucharist on her behalf. The reading tells us that Tabitha stood up and life came back into her through the power of faith and prayer, and that is exactly what happened a year later to my mother.

After the radiation sessions were over, the doctor examined my mother and declared her cancer free. In that moment, she fell on her knees and said “the Lord has fulfilled his promise to me.” Not only she was healed but also her voice was eventually fully restored.

Now the skeptic might attribute my mother’s recovery solely to science and medicine. I would certainly agree that we can be thankful for the technology and fine doctors who treated my mother. But we would be missing so much if we do not acknowledge God’s hand in all this.

During our time of trial, my mother and family chose the same path, we cried out to the Lord for help and at the same time we were putting her in the hands of the best possible doctors we could find in New York. The doctors told my mother that she was not going to be able to speak again but now she is talking more than ever since she is sharing with everyone the miracle Jesus – in his infinite mercy – did in her life.

At one time or another, each one of us here is going to walk through that valley of the shadow of death either for ourselves, a friend, or loved one. We can face it alone or we can face it with God. Only with God are we guaranteed, in the words of the psalm, “goodness and mercy … all the days of our lives”, and no matter the ultimate outcome – that we will “dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Our faith will make this possible.

Jesus in the scriptures says: “I will be with you every day until the end of the time”. This means you are not alone; we are not alone. No matter what you’re going through God will make you victorious. Faith is necessary to achieve all things. In his letter to the Hebrews, Paul says: “Faith is what makes real the things we hope for” and “without faith, it is impossible to please God”. Thus, you have the power in your hands to change any situation through prayer, through believing and trusting in the almighty.

This is a theology you can literally bet your life on. But I believe there are simple ways we can manifest our faith in our daily lives. We should continually ask ourselves and others: what can I do? How can I help? How can I make someone happy? How can I help change in a positive way someone’s life or situation? What can the Lord do through me?

In today’s gospel, Jesus brings us back to the Good Shepherd saying: “My sheep hear my voice” Today Jesus’s voice is saying it’s time to reach out to others. It was through Peter’s words of faith that a miracle happened in Tabitha’s life. This shows us the power of words. Words like “I love you”, “you are beautiful”, “you are important to me”, “I believe in you” always bring out the best in us.

What a tragedy and a missed opportunity if we fail to express our love and faith to those around us. Don’t wait until it is too late. Take a minute and think of the last time you told your spouse, child, friend or relative that you loved them and expressed how much they meant to you? Such feelings need to be spoken often and meaningfully.

As we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, let us pray to the Lord that we may be His good sheep, listening attentively to His voice, and following His example of self-giving love. Jesus our Shepherd is the Way, Truth and Life. He is the one who goes after the lost sheep leaving the ninety-nine to bring it back to the fold.  God our Father is the true Good Shepherd. He is present everywhere watching over all creatures! His care is for everyone and his Love has no limit.  He watches over each of his children with equal care! All that he desires is that we go to him, in Christ, in order that we too might be one with him.

To God be the glory now and forever.

By the  Rev.  Adolfo Moronta

Today’s lessons are filled with images of change. Paul, Peter and Jesus, three rocks of the church, all teach us about how, if we listen, we are invited to change. Change is a sometimes slow, sometime could be difficult task and other time could seem more natural. Although change happens all around and even happens to us, are we actively involved in the kind of change that Jesus wants for us?

In our short lives, we have experienced a lot of changes, from immobile babies, to crawling to walking. We saw changes in our school setting and in our bodies through growth and maturation. And then there is nature. Spring brings us many changes—growing flowers and green leaves.

What is change? Change is to undergo alteration, transformation, transition, to go for one phase to another. Change is entering the unknown, sometimes its uncomfortable, and perhaps can require of you to put things down that you love or really want.

Sometimes change comes by itself to our lives and other times when we need or want particular changes it requires a lot of effort from us as part of the process. Imagine wanting a vegetable garden. You could pray for years that God would make vegetables grow in your backyard. When nothing happens, you might even decide to be angry with God for not hearing your prayers. However, the reality is that while God can make vegetables grow, we must prepare the soil, plant the seeds, water and weed, and wait. This gives the best chance that there will be an abundance of vegetables to harvest. In the same way, individuals who want to experience changes in their lives must do a lot of work as part of the process.

Today’s lessons are filled with images of change. Paul, Peter and Jesus, three rocks of the church, all teach us about how, if we listen, we are invited to change, even this very day. In the story of Acts we hear about Saul. Saul is portrayed as a crusader. He determines himself to be a righteous man, but his righteousness put him in direct conflict with the followers of Jesus. You see, as a devout Jew, Saul, who would later change his name to Paul, believed that Jesus and his followers just did not get it. Jews were supposed to devote themselves to the faith, not dilute the faith by inviting non-Jews into their houses, which is what the early Christians were doing.

Before his change, Paul persecuted Christians. Why was he so angry at Christians? Because they refused to follow the Jewish faith. And as much as he disliked the Romans and others who became followers of Jesus he probably hated the Jews who turned away from the family and choose to water down the Jewish people even more.

After his encounter with Jesus He became a Christian and changed his name to Paul. He miraculously went from killing Christians to proclaiming that Jesus is Lord. We know about this change, and it must have been significant to Paul, because he mentions it more than once in his writings. There is at least one more mention of this conversion experience in his letter to the Galatians. He was changed and his change profound.

In our Gospel this morning Jesus appears to the disciples while they are fishing. Jesus calls to them from the shore, but they do not recognize him. So he tells them to cast their nets to other side and suddenly they are filled. Then the “disciple who Jesus loved” recognizes him and asks Simon Peter if this man is their Lord. Suddenly, almost as if his eyes were opened, Peter realizes this is Jesus and he dives out of the boat and swims ashore.

It begs the question. Had the resurrected Jesus changed so much that his own followers did not recognize him? Or had the disciples been so changed and traumatized by the recent events that they did not recognize him?

I think it is possible that Jesus might have wanted his disciples to have to rediscover who he was, so he put them into familiar situations. To some he broke bread in order to reveal himself. Others he showed his hands and side and in this instance he tells the disciples who are struggling to fish to recast their nets. This is a reenactment of a similar story in the beginning of the Gospel of John.

Maybe Jesus changed his appearance or maybe the disciples had scales on their eyes or were traumatized and couldn’t recognize Jesus, but these reenactments reminded His followers of who He was.

Once the disciples are on the beach Jesus feeds them and then he starts a conversation with Peter. Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. Three times. Sound familiar? Three times Peter denies Jesus as he suffers on the cross and now Jesus asks Peter 3 times, if he loves him. We know that this makes Peter feel hurt by the questioning, but I do not think that it was either a mistake or coincidence.

I believe Jesus wants to let Peter know that he is forgiven for his sins and so he asks him three times to mirror the 3 denials. No real act of change or turning of our hearts is complete without penance.

And so by asking him 3 times, Jesus lets him know that they are okay. Yes, Peter messed up, but he can change and still be a great leader in the church. We know Jesus still sent him out to be a cornerstone in the church. Jesus will send him out to lead the disciples.

In our texts this morning, we have examples of two great leaders who helped establish the early church. Even though they loved Jesus and Jesus loved them, they were not perfect. In fact, these two men were both in need of making major changes in their lives. Paul persecuted Christians before a visit from Jesus changed his heart and changed the direction of his life.

Peter denied Jesus and often allowed his own ego to get in the way of listening to or following Jesus. But Jesus knew that Peter could lead his disciples. Part of his change included being penitent and receiving God’s mercy and forgiveness. And after both of their inward changes, they also changed their names. After Saul was converted, he became Paul and Simon, became Peter.

Another interesting point—neither one of these were changed instantly. For some a conversion might happen in a single instant. Paul’s change seemed to happen more quickly. He encountered Jesus and then 3 days later scales came off of his eyes and he could see. But even Paul continued to struggle. Part of his struggle were contemporary issues of the day—slavery, sexual morality, how to treat others and deal with fighting in the early church. He even had something he referred to as a “thorn in his flesh”, which hounded him his whole life and reminded him of his human frailty. Peter also continued to bumble up until the crucifixion and beyond. Change usually happens more gradually. The same is true for us.

Just because they were Christians and made major changes in their lives, does not mean their lives were perfect. This is also true for us. So, although change is really natural. It happens all around and even happens to us, are we actively involved in the kind of change that Jesus wants for us? It’s an honest question.

Are you doing what God wants you to do in your life? And if not, are you working to change those parts of your life that you need to change?

It is easy to look at Peter and Paul and think that these great leaders of the church, who were called by God, had to undergo change and repentance. We are called to nothing less. Their stories are our stories. We are called to be leaders in this church. And we all need to change and repent. Only you know what challenges are getting in your way. God wants to remove the scales from your eyes. He wants to forgive you for denying three or even 300 hundred times. In short, God wants you to change.

Institutions also find themselves in need of change. Certainly, this church has seen and is called to make changes a good example of this is the search process that we have begun for a new rector.

Change is not easy. If we could ask Peter and Paul, they would tell you. Change is a sometimes slow, sometime could be difficult task and other time could seem more natural.

Some changes take a lifetime to complete. I encourage all of us to not wait until we are knocked down, like Paul, before we follow the way that Jesus intended for us. Instead, seek the metanoia–the change, that Jesus wants for each and every one of us this day!