I'm on a Boat!
On new beginnings and following our Good Shepherd through them.
This sermon was offered on my first Sunday leading worship at St. Brendan’s Episcopal Church. The texts for the day can be found here.
As a going away present my previous parish bought me this stole. I took a long time trying to pick a design that felt personal, and I chose this one not only because it is stunning but because the imagery on it was meaningful to me and my ministry. This stole has a boat on one side and sheep on the other. These two images tell a story about my ministry and the church. We are sheep who belong to Christ, the Good Shepherd, and because we belong to him, we are sent out in the boat to share his love with the world.
The boat on this stole has a net that is thrown out into the water. Some really amazing Bible stories take place on boats, and Jesus spends some significant time on boats as well. But he also invites us to be fishers of people, to throw our nets out sharing the Gospel with others. This boat hits closer to home to us here at St. Brendan’s. I will admit, when I saw the parish profile come up for “St. Brendan’s Episcopal Church” I wondered to myself… ‘WHO!?’ I did not know of Saint Brendan! I have a lot more to learn but in my limited research, I have learned that he traveled by boat. And so this boat has multiple meanings for me.
On the other side of the stole there is a peaceful green pasture that shows fuzzy sheep grazing in a field. This beautiful scene is very Biblical. Scripture calls the Israelites sheep without a shepherd and Jesus is introduced as the shepherd.
We come across some sheep in today’s Gospel too. Jesus is traveling and encounters a large crowd. I imagine people came to him with all sorts of hopes and needs. Some were seeking healing, others were burdened by worry and longing for peace, and still others were simply trying to figure out who this Jesus was. When Jesus sees them, his response is compassion and care as he sees them as sheep without a shepherd. Sheep are flocking animals, created to live in community where they find companionship and protection, but they still need a shepherd- a skilled guide who watches over them, leads them, and keeps them safe. Jesus offers exactly that. He provides direction, protection, and deep care for his sheep. He knows them, understands what they need, and tends to them with love. I love this image of Christ as the Good Shepherd because I am one of those sheep. I do not always know what I need, but Jesus does. I need God’s love and care in my life, and it is Good ews that Christ offers it so freely.
Before I am a priest, I am a sheep. I need Christ’s guidance, forgiveness, and care just as much as anyone else. The comforting thing about this image is that the Church never ultimately belongs to its priests or any of the people in it. It belongs to Christ. He is the true shepherd of this flock. He is the one who knows each of us by name, who seeks us when we wander, and who gathers us together. Whatever the future holds for St. Brendan’s and for me, our confidence rests not in ourselves but in the faithfulness of the Good Shepherd who leads us.
I am surprised by how much I have been thinking about sheep since I arrived at St. Brendan’s. After the Wednesday 6pm service I popped my head in the Sticks and Strings group and Maria was spinning yarn with wool from her very own sheep! This is not something I encounter every day and she shared that she cuts and washes the wool and then spins yarn with it. She offered a lesson to the children on this on Good Shepherd Sunday a few weeks ago and after she explained this, she reached into her bag and gave me a handful of the wool.
This was such a thoughtful gesture, but it was one that feels particularly poignant in this current moment of our ministry together. In the life of the church, there are many theological understandings of the priesthood. One interpretation of a priest is that they are to be a pastor. Pastor is a Latin word “shepherd” which comes from the word that means “to lead to pasture, set to grazing, cause to eat.” Pastors are invited to lead a flock, to build community, to offer protection, to bring us to the feast at this table.
Through the work of your Discernment Committee and Vestry and God’s guidance, I have been called as your new priest. Together we follow the same shepherd. My role is not to replace Christ’s leadership but to help point us toward him.
The symbolism of a parishioner, a sheep, handing over her wool to me, your new shepherd, is not lost on me. This is a beautiful image of ministry. The shepherd may guide the flock, and the shepherd’s life is wrapped up with the sheep. We belong to one another. We learn from one another. We care for one another. Ministry is never something done for people, it is something shared together. It is an honor and privilege to be invited to serve here and I am grateful for this opportunity, and I look to Jesus as my guide for this work.
Jesus does not mention a boat in today’s scripture, but I think his discussion of the harvest connects to it. Jesus sends his disciples out to gather the harvest. Other times in his ministry Jesus uses the analogy of a boat to deliver the same message. In the boat, he casts his net out to catch fish and invites his disciples to be fishers of people and to harvest fish. It would be a lot easier for all of us if Jesus would just gather his followers into a safe pasture or boat, but he does not do this. Jesus gathers the sheep and then, he sends the disciples. The disciples who are a random group of ordinary people are now charged with proclaiming Jesus’ love, to heal and serve others. Jesus’ love isn’t just something for their benefit, it is to be shared with everyone. As recipients of God’s love, we are now invited to share it with others.
St. Brendan’s is our pasture and our boat. The place we will be nurtured and grow in God’s love. We will invite other sheep into this space, and bring this love out to those who are further away from it.
So here we are today! What an exciting, hopeful, and wonderful day. My prayer is that we would recognize the voice of our Good Shepherd together. That we would continue to follow God’s voice wherever it leads us, through seasons of safety and seasons of uncertainty. That we would be known as people of love, and we would scatter it widely. Jesus has brought us together for a reason, and I am excited to discover where he will lead us next. Amen.