[ Proclamation for Good Shepherd Sunday - John 10 ]

I’ve been really interested in this question of “How do I hear God’s Voice?” because as Christians, we don’t follow a philosophy, or an ideal, or a moral or ethic… we follow a WHO not an IDEA.  Which makes things really interesting because this relationship is totally different than any other relationship.  Here’s a couple of the unique features that make it different than a relationship with your friends or family:

1. It’s with a GOD, (that’s pretty different!)

2. It’s with an INVISIBLE God (increasingly different!)

3. It’s with an invisible God, who primarily uses mysterious forms of communication to speak to you, which require your trust. (just plain weird)

Some forms of communication – like directly speaking in an audible voice, or through dreams, visions, messengers…  I believe these things happen, but they only make up about .001 percent of the Christian experience.  Last night Rosie Thomas read from a book called Miracle after Miracle at her concert… and it was funny because it was so contrived.  The author wanted so badly to command the power of miracles that he created them out of silly situations like the shapes of clouds and pulling out a splinter from his wife’s hand.  But in a way I don’t blame him.  You might look at the Bible and you start to think, “This stuff happens all the time for people… what’s wrong with me?”  Until you realize that our scriptures are a highlight reel of the last fourteen thousand years of God’s interactions with humanity.

If you remember, we’re in the Season of Easter now and up until today each Sunday’s Gospel story is about how the resurrected Jesus appeared to his disciples, but today’s story isn’t that.  In fact, we jumped backwards in the life of Christ to a story prior to the death and resurrection of Jesus.  So what’s with that? Why get out of order?  Well, the Ascension of our Lord is coming up, when the resurrected Jesus returns to the right hand of God.  It’s the second to last Sunday in the Season of Easter.  And Jesus is preparing the disciples & preparing us to follow him regardless of his physical presence… preparing us to remain in relationship with an invisible God who primarily uses mysterious forms of communication to speak with his followers.

So Jesus is in the temple and some people ask him, “Why wont you speak to us plainly…?”  And isn’t that our question today? “God, Just Be Direct with us!”  And Jesus’ answer is pretty direct,  “Well I have been, but you didn’t believe it – because you’re not my sheep.  Here’s a description of my sheep – here’s a description of a Christ follower:

1. When I speak – they know it’s my voice and not some other voice,

2. and they follow that voice, they obey that voice.

3. And that hearing and following is what real life looks like -I call it eternal life – which is being in relationship to me.  It’s not something you for being in relationship to me, it IS being in relationship to me.

4. And lastly, like any good shepherd, I’m going to see to it that my sheep don’t get snatched away.

Our hearts have a couple of different ways to respond to this.  We can say:

- “What do you mean you’ve spoken plainly to me? It’s as plain as mud.  You think I’m the problem? I’m not listening well enough?  You’re the problem. We need to get you some speech therapy God!”  Incensed and defensive.

We can say: “You’re probably right, I know I don’t hear you well and I really want to, and it kinda scares me that I’m not hearing you, and that makes it pretty difficult to follow you.”

If you feel this way I want to say to you, “Oh, you must be a follower of Christ.”  If you feel this way then you have just joined a long tradition of psalmist, who say, with you:

Psalm 83 “O God, do not keep silent; be not quiet, O God, be not still… I am in trouble.”

Psalm 109 “O God, you are the one that I praise, so please do not stay silent”

Psalm 10 “Why, O LORD, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?

This is probably the most frequent concern that people bring to me.  “I don’t hear God’s voice and I really need to hear from him.”  And when people talk like this they’re not having an existential conversation about the idea of God. It’s not theoretical, it’s practical…  When we talk like this we are right in the middle of it, and we just need a word – some kind of direction – something real… “God, just throw me a bone here! Because everyone is giving me advice, but I don’t want everyone’s advice anymore – I just want to hear the voice of the God who made me and holds my fragile future in your hands.”

I have a friend who could certainly use a word from God right now and he turned me on to chapter 45 of Isaiah… two verses that seem to say the opposite thing and they are only three verses in between them

Verse fifteen: Truly you are a God who hides himself

Isn’t that your experience of God? Pretty much hidden.

Verse nineteen: I have not said, “seek me in vain”

God is hidden, and yet seeking this hidden God is not a worthless pursuit. Listening for this silent God will not go unfulfilled.  And when you get even a whisper of his voice, believe it and act confidently on it.

I used to have disdain for that old song that goes, “Trust and Obey… for there’s no better way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.”  My mentor Jami was whistling it while I was working with him a number of years back and I made some sarcastic remark about the song.  And he asked, “Oh, well what don’t you like about it?”

‘It feels like the same uncritical dogma as that bumper sticker that says, “The Bible Says it, I believe it, that settles it.”  Which usually ends up using the Bible to say whatever you want.’  Jami thought about it for a year, a whole year, and then said to me, “Um remember that conversation about the song…  well, what if you don’t like it because you don’t want to trust and obey Jesus?”

Brother Roger says it this way, “Live what little of the Gospel you know.”  Whatever it is that Jesus has spoken to you, In the scriptures… in the voice of listening mentor… in the proclamation of the Law and the Gospel… in a springtime leaf… in the bread broken for you and the wine poured out for you… in the waters of baptism that say, “You belong to me and I’ll never let you go.”

Whatever little of the Gospel you have heard - trust it, live it and don’t wait!  Our hearts protest and say, “But I don’t hear your voice and I don’t know what to do.”  Jesus says, “I know you’re scared, but you’ve heard enough for you to follow. Perhaps you’ll hear more in that very act of obedience.”

“But I have a really specific question and I don’t hear your voice Jesus.”  Jesus says, “I know. That sounds really hard. You might have more freedom about this decision than you realize, and that can be terrifying.  But I wont let you. Even if you make a poor decision.  You can be certain of one thing, I’m going to be with you.  I’m not going to let you get snatched out of my hand.  Don’t worry. Still the noise of your worries and listen.  I’m going to speak to you now.”

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