Sermon by Father David Beresford
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
It is an understatement to say that Jesus was less than impressed with the Pharisees and other religious leaders of his day. This is why, when building a team to take over after he had gone, Jesus chose not from the ranks of Pharisees but from the common folk. The Pharisees, Jesus said, laid heavy burdens on the backs of the people, while choosing what was good for themselves. The people deserved better.
It wasn’t always like this. Moses was a faithful leader who led the Israelites from slavery to freedom. God entrusted Moses with the unenviable task of keeping the people faithful to their covenant with God. Moses was a shepherd, and he was called by God to be the shepherd of his people. God reveals the solemn responsibility he places on the nation as a whole, by saying that they are to be “a priestly kingdom and a holy nation."
Another shepherd whom God chose for leadership was David. For all his faults, he was a fearless warrior and capable leader who united the nation and made Jerusalem its capital. David was also a musician and poet, and is believed to have written some of the psalms, including this morning’s Psalm 100, which includes these lines.
“Be ye sure that the Lord he is God:
It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”
In the gospel of John, Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd, as one who knows his followers and calls them by name. They, in turn, listen to his voice and follow his commands. In one sense, we can say that God is like a shepherd and the world is God’s field and we are all his sheep. I like the contrast between the infinite universe and the more down to earth image of a herd of sheep. While we gaze at the stars, we are grounded and need to be guided toward the pastures of new life.
For the disciples, their shepherd on earth was Jesus. In today’s gospel he summons the Twelve and calls them to a special mission. He tells them, “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” In the gospel passage, each disciple is named: Simon, known as Peter, is the first, and then Andrew, his brother, and then James and John and so on and so on until we get to Judas Iscariot. Judas, as we know, made the mistake of thinking he knew better than Jesus.
Peter is the first—he will be the spokesman for the group. They will all be leaders of their people. But notice what has changed. The first four disciples called are not shepherds, which you would expect, but fishermen. This signifies a change in purpose. Whereas shepherds tend the flock, fishermen go out and bring back a haul of fish. They will become, as Jesus told them at the time of their first meeting, “fishers of men.”
Can you be both a shepherd and a fisherman? I suppose so—that is, effectively, what Jesus is calling them to be, a hybrid of the two, as those who catch fish and then turn them into sheep. That doesn’t quite sound right, does it? I think I need to step away from these metaphors in order to draw out the full meaning of God’s plan and purpose.
Let’s begin with authority. On whose authority do the disciples act? On the authority of Jesus Christ. That is the meaning of the word apostle - someone who is sent out under the authority of the sender. Without it, they will be tempted to act on their own authority and for their own benefit, rather than doing God’s will.
In those days there were no printing presses, newspapers, television or internet. The transmission of their message will depend upon their willingness to undertake journeys to foreign places. Generally speaking, this was how people received new philosophical and religious teachings, by gathering in a common area or forum to hear what a visiting preacher had to say.
How did the disciples do? They had a mixture of success and failure. However, their message stood out from the regular run of speakers for a particular reason. Not only did the gospel resonate in the hearts and minds of many people, but it was also received experientially. People were healed, demons were cast out and so forth. After all, Jesus had told them: “Cure the sick; raise the dead; cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.”
Cure. Raise. Cleanse. Cast out. The gospel is like a benign tornado sweeping across the landscape, clearing away the debris of human sin and suffering and restoring the world to resemble more closely the kingdom of heaven. The gospel is an action taking place in our lives, not purely an idea or a concept but a spiritual and physical revolution that restores broken lives to wholeness, turns sickness into health and raises the dead to life.
You and I would not be here today had not those first apostles been sent out under the authority of Jesus Christ. They went out as slaves effectively, having been told by Jesus to give freely of themselves without the thought of return. The message was true and good, and the Acts of the Apostles records many of the miracles done in Christ’s name.
And what of us, sitting here in our Pennsylvanian church, being inspired by the words of Scripture and uplifted by the heavenly music and prayerfulness of our communion? Aren’t we, too, called to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ? And, if so, where is your forum? Where is Jesus sending you? Is it the La Colombe coffee shop up the road? They are very busy on a Sunday, I discovered recently.
Or is your forum online? Maybe you could start a podcast? Podcasts can be a good thing, but Christianity operates most effectively as an embodied gathering, where people are in physical proximity to one another, whether it is in church or in Bible study or in an adult formation class or in a lunch taken together.
This is the challenge for you—to remain faithful in worship and fellowship but to seek out new followers. How do you do that, especially as society continues to atomize and people withdraw into their online cocoons? There are other challenges too. The other day I read about a man who went on a journey and took with him as a companion ChatGPT. AI can be so understanding, can’t it? And kind, and affirming, and at the same time so very unreal. One thing I am sure of is that real relationships, which sometimes get messy, are far better than virtual ones.
Don’t be discouraged. Every age has its challenges and in every age Christians have had the faith and ingenuity to surmount them. The word of God is eternal and for every generation. Listen to these words from the Bishop of Massachusetts, Charles Slattery, who died in 1930.
“Mission is the Church in love with the whole world.”
Be willing to go out into the world which is waiting to hear from you. Go out with love in your hearts. You cannot evangelize without love. You cannot see the world outside, as God sees it, without love. With love you will have the courage and confidence to give an honest witness of your faith. With love, you will be the people who cure, raise, cleanse and cast out. The love Jesus has for you is the same love he has for those who are outside. Listen to his call to you. He has prepared everything, but needs laborers for the harvest. In the coming weeks and months ahead, think about where Jesus is calling you to undertake this noble and sacred mission.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The Third Sunday after Pentecost
June 14, 2026