“O God, whose Son Jesus is the good shepherd of your people: Grant that when we hear his voice we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”
-Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
I have a friend who’s read every self-help book. The Alchemist, The Four Agreements, The Power of Now, etc. he’s devoured them. By extension, I’ve read every self-help book. I don’t want to come across as unappreciative. I’ve learned much from having a living self-improvement Cliff Notes in my life. That said, reading today’s collect made me happy to be Christian. Why? Because we don’t need to be on constant lookout for The Secret.
On Good Shepherd Sunday, we pray that we might “know” and “follow” Jesus. The prayer proclaims that God is communicating with us and “calls us each by name.” It’s not a question of whether he speaks, it’s how and when he’s speaking to us.
Misunderstood, this truth can bring anxiety. We might get obsessed with the mechanics of “his voice.” Is it audible? Has it been voiced by the mentally unstable person who keeps telling me God’s plan for my life? Is it expressed through something I’ve been missing? Misinterpreted, what was meant as good news might instead bring fear.
I know Christians who’ve experienced these worries. Some are perpetually on the lookout for a panacea that will enable them to live their best life now. Others cycle through nature, activism, and meditation in search of ultimate enlightenment. Still more trade gurus in a gnostic quest for spiritual fulfillment.
Many of these journeys and practices are life-giving, and God uses all kinds of unexpected means to reveal himself. However, the good news that God is speaking to us is that it is a promise not a test. The sheep know the shepherd, because he calls them. We hear his voice, not because we’ve found him, but rather he’s laid down his life to find us.
There’s no hidden way to help us get more involved with God, and there’s no miracle drug to bypass the Cross. Jesus meets us in visible means: prayer, service, community, Scripture, and the sacraments. I’m happy to be Christian, because there’s no secret door; Christ is accessible to all.
Amen! Sending this on to a few self helpers out there! Thankful to be a hearer and a doer❤️
So comforting to know this in my life! Thank you, Ben!