A week ago, I was at a retreat at Bon Secours Spiritual Center, when it seemed as though a whirlwind came up outside.
The trees swayed, and the wind tore the leaves off the trees until only one remained upon a branch in front of my window.
A few hours later I watched as it too fell, and joined its companions on the near-frozen ground.
Winter is on its way, as we have had evidence of this weekend.
I notice that the livestock in the fields have thicker coats,
just as my cats at home are adding fluff to keep out the cold.
With the change of weather comes a change in the seasons of the church as well.
Today is Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday after Pentecost,
the long green season known as Ordinary Time in the Catholic tradition.
This week on Thanksgiving we will remember the harvest gathered, and give thanks for the many blessings that have come our way in this last year -
And yet, this long green season has been one that has confounded us,
for while its greenery is often associated with the growth and abundance of life over the summer months,
we have found this season to be a different kind of experience,
- not found in abundance, but in shrinkage,
- as we continue to reel from the tumult of Wall Street.
- For some it means a reduction in their portfolio that time will eventually put right,
- but for others, they have seen their nest egg, carefully put away over the years, shrivel from a comfortable income to one which causes concern;
- There is fear for the future, and no indication that tomorrow will be better.
Years ago I used to wake up to a radio Bible program,
in which the teacher would begin each lesson with these words:
"God is still on the throne, and prayer changes things."
God is, indeed on the throne, as we celebrate today.
Christ ascended to the right hand of the throne of God, and there he dwells,
intereceding for us, his subjects, his brothers and sisters, his sheep.
Today's readings use the theme of the shepherd and the sheep to tell the story of God's continuing love for his people,
and his desire for both justice and mercy.
In the reading from Ezekiel, God tells his people that he will care for them,
bringing them to green pastures, and clear waters, making sure they are safe.
The imagery is similar to Psalm 23.
God's mercy prevails for those sheep who are weak, who are pushed out by the bigger sheep;
God's justice speaks to those who are bullies, who have forgotten to have compassion.
The reading in Matthew is a bit more difficult -
- showing Jesus as the Good Shepherd,
- rewarding each sheep or goat according to the compassion and mercy it has shown its brother.
Recently at the Children's Eucharist,
I was telling the Godly play parable of the Good Shepherd.
Many of you will recall that at the end of each Godly Play story there are wondering questions -
- questions that don't have a specific answer,
- but which are posed in order for the children to be able to deepen their understanding of the story.
That Sunday, one of the questions was "I wonder if the sheep have names."
There were five sheep in the sheepfold that day, and five of the children around the circle volunteered names for each sheep.
This one was Steve. That was Bob.
Over there was Katie, and Jack.
Then one young man looked me straight in the eye with his own twinkling gaze, and said, pointing to the last sheep,
"that's Juan Valdez."
God as the good shepherd has called each one of us by name because we are important to God,
and that is the message of today's readings.
In the Old Testament, the image of the Shepherd was often linked to kingship.
The shepherd/king David ruled over both flock and country,
and his counterpart in the new Testament, Jesus, called himself both shepherd and king.
He as shepherd/ruler desires a world filled with justice tempered by mercy, in which his sheep and goats - us - recognize his face in one another,
and look out for one another just as he has looked out for us.
For we are called to be both sheep and shepherd,
just as Jesus was both shepherd and pascal lamb,
giving his life in order that we might be saved.
We are called to the cross as he was,
called to give our lives for one another,
recognizing Christ in each person we meet.
Lately I've heard lots of discussions about making each dollar count.
And most of these discussions have had to do with our upcoming celebration of Christmas.
Less people seem interested in laying down oodles of money they may or may not have in order to make Christmas the yearly materialistic bacchanalia that it often is.
Instead I hear people talking about giving their Christmas budget to various charities,
where it is even more needed this year than usual.
I hear people talk about their concern for others.
I hear people being attentive to how to be shepherds,
watching out for those whom Jesus tenderly called "the least of these, my brethren."
I see people making lemonade out of the lemons of their shrinking portfolio,
finding purpose in giving.
It may seem odd, but this season of economic wilting may yield a great harvest of compassion,
which our country desperately needs.
And perhaps the lessons will stay with us for a while, so that the compassion may deepen.
Advent is around the corner - the beginning of a new church year,
and a season in which we wait in joyful hope for the coming of Christ,
both as a child, and at the end of all things, when Christ comes to reclaim this earth.
It is characterized by hope -
- hope that this Messiah will change things;
- hope for the future of humankind.
We can look toward advent with the same hope -
- that Christ will come to dwell among us in a new way -
- - that we might be made aware of his indwelling of our hearts, his continued presence with us,
- and his desire to give us a future characterized by hope and by faith.
- We can enter Advent attentively, asking God how we can find unexpected blessing and consolation in this season.
- It is a much more hopeful way to live than to focus on the desolation of our portfolios.
And the wonderful thing is, that Christ the King is still on the throne,
that prayer indeed changes things,
and that this Incarnational God is with us always.
Christ, our shepherd/king is looking out for all of us,
the least and the greatest, desiring only the best for his beloved.
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