I’m not the best at DIY but, in the garage at the Vicarage, I have a suitable collection of basic tools and, in a cronky old chest of drawers I have, down the years, collected boxes of screws and nails, metal bits and pieces that might just ‘come in handy’, rawl plugs and curtain hooks, electric plugs, picture hooks and bicycle parts, ikea dowels and allan keys. When push comes to shove I’ve probably got what you might need for a simple DIY task …somewhere….but it would take a bit of sorting to find the right tool for the right job, the right screw or nail for the task at hand. Message to self: the garage needs sorting!
Here we are, with our freshly minted curate (Ana), gathered to welcome her to the parish and to celebrate her ordination as a deacon in the church of God and yet this service is as much about us as it is about her, and (as with any act of worship) it is more about God then any of us. Why? Because the bible readings set for Petertide are for the whole people of God to hear, not just those getting used to wearing a clerical collar.
The first reading shows us God having a ‘good old sort’. Not in a garage, but amongst the nations of the world, who are described as being like ‘scattered sheep’. The image is a bit like the ‘sheep gatherings’ here in the North of England where sheep from many different flocks are sorted out. God, like a shepherd, is seeking out his sheep; seeking out his own flock just as other shepherds are seeking theirs. In this Old Testament reading the sheep to be gathered were the ancient people of God. Israel had been scattered by war and slavery across the middle east: ‘I’m coming to find you’, says God. (What a wonderful thought…God comes to find us) Why does He do this? Because He has a purpose for His people. As a community, the way they will conduct their common life is to be a light to the nations that will point all people to Him. They are called in order to serve, to serve God and the whole of creation. And now, in the purposes of God that is now our calling. We’re certainly not better than anyone else, not more suited to the task, we sometimes don’t feel we have the right gifts or abilities…, no, we’re just called and we have heard His voice.
Sheep and shepherding appears in our New Testament reading. At the lakeside, after the resurrection, Peter’s relationship with Jesus is restored and he is commissioned to ‘feed my sheep’. Again, it is Jesus who makes the first move towards people. It is Jesus who starts this awkward conversation with the disciple who had promised to be with him to the end…and then failed so miserably. Jesus could have looked for someone else: James, John perhaps, Matthew, Philip, Andrew…any one of the twelve. But, bless them, they (just like us) had all failed him. Instead, Jesus restored His relationship with Peter and gave him a job to do. What was needed here? What was the qualification for this task? Jesus’ call and Peter’s love. ‘Do you love me?’ asks Jesus, three times.
Again, each one of us here has heard in some shape or form the call of Jesus upon our lives. We answer it as best we can. We, like Peter, don’t feel qualified, we don’t feel good enough to serve but all Jesus looks for is our love. ‘Do you love me?’.Ana’s vocation is a reminder of our own vocation. Her response to God’s call on her life is a challenge to each one of us. Where does God want me to step forward? how does Jesus want me to serve Him? When Peter wonders about one of his friends (‘What about him?’) Jesus’ response is ‘don’t change the subject, let’s talk about you: Follow me!’.
So we are called, we are chosen, each one of us. The Good Shepherd has sought us out, restored our relationship with Him, assured us of His loving kindness and has work for us to do. What does He most look for from us? Love: ‘do you love me?’
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