Earth Sunday 2026 Sermon: “Sheepfold Earth”

Perhaps after hearing a passage from the Gospel of John you find yourself scratching your head. The way John uses language is not the way we typically use language.  Written about 60 years after the death of Jesus, rather than offering an eyewitness account (which none of the Gospels do), John’s Gospel presents the meaning of who Jesus is for his followers.  

More than any other gospel, John makes use of poetic imagery to open our spiritual consciousness. Chapter 10 is a prime example.  The images of sheepfold, gate, shepherd, sheep, thieves, bandits, and strangers are meant to tease our understanding of the difference between Jesus and other leaders of his time, especially his opponents: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

When we hear scripture, two questions often arise – what did these words mean for the people who wrote them and first heard them; and what might they mean for us? Because John uses symbolic language, there isn’t just one correct interpretation. Instead, symbolic language enables us to uncover different meanings over time. 

Let’s explore the image of “shepherd.” Since the time of Moses, both spiritual and political leaders were seen as shepherds. Though we are accustomed to seeing Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, he was not the only spiritual or political leader with a group of devoted followers.  He was one of many.  Political leaders of his time – similar to our own – tried to convince the people of their godlike qualities, that they were good shepherds too. 

The prophets, especially Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah and Ezekiel, recognized that sometimes the way political leaders try to present themselves are not true.  Sound familiar?

Listen to this from the prophet Ezekiel, “Woe, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat; you clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatted calves, but you do not feed the sheep.  You have not strengthened the weak; you have not healed the sick; you have not bound up the injured…I will make with (my people) a covenant of peace…I will provide for them a splendid vegetation so that they shall no longer be consumed with hunger in the land …  They shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them and that they,   the house of Israel, are my people….  You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture, and I am your God…”

Drawing on prophetic images, John wants the people of his time to understand that Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, offers a way of life, of abundant life, that stands in contrast to what other leaders are offering.  He wants the people of his time to be able to discern the difference between the life-giving ways of Jesus and the death-dealing ways of “thieves and bandits” – false shepherds who have only their own interests in mind. It is a concern that continues to this day.

Let’s look at another image, the image of the sheepfold. Two years ago, when I preached on the Good Shepherd, I shared this  image of the sheepfold.  Here’s a refresher: At the end of the day, when it is time to go to the sheepfold, the sheep will follow behind the shepherd in a line,  staying as close as they can. As night falls, the shepherd moves and stands in the middle of the flock,  close enough for every sheep to hear his voice. He begins to sing – like a lullaby – and they know he is near. This allows them to feel safe and comforted. 

After the sheep enter the sheepfold, the shepherd often will  lay across the opening, sometimes still singing… literally laying his life down to protect the sheep. 

Since offering that sermon two years ago, I have often thought about the image of the sheepfold as a symbol of the church… that we are held by God safely within these walls.

A few weeks ago, following the splashdown of Artemis II,  as I listened to astronaut Christina Koch speak, I began to see the symbol of the sheepfold more expansively.  She said this: “So when we saw Tiny Earth, people asked our crew what impressions we had. And honestly, what struck me wasn’t necessarily just Earth. It was all the blackness around it. Earth was just this lifeboat hanging undisturbingly in the universe.”

What if the sheepfold is more than an image of the church? (We might see our family homes as sheepfolds, schools as sheepfolds, the Grace Center and Open Door as sheepfolds.) But,  what if we could see the whole earth as the sheepfold?  How would seeing the earth as the sheepfold change how we see other people? Other nations?  How would it change how we see the earth? And who should lead us? How would it change our sense of responsibility to “sheepfold earth?” 

The abundant life that Jesus promises isn’t about an abundance of things – like advertisers or prosperity preachers claim (“those with the most toys win”); It isn’t about the abundance of power or rights – getting whatever I want when I want it; it isn’t even about the abundance of days  (there is a difference between simply being alive for a long time and actually living).  

If you play with the relationship between the Good Shepherd and the sheep, you begin to recognize that the abundant life Jesus is talking about is something else.  The abundant life is a life of closeness to God, of feeling safe and secure.  It is a life in community where all, not just the rich and powerful, have what is needed to live and thrive. It is a life of peace, harmony, and unity with God, with others, and with the creation. The abundant life is the flourishing of all creation. An abundant life is possible when good shepherds lead us.

Listen to Victor Glover on Easter Sunday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuT7iQC-yro

“You have this beautiful place we get to exist together.” 

Sheepfold Earth. 

The crew of Artemis II  (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen) showed themselves as good shepherds. They offer such a breath of fresh air, in part because they set out on their mission with a stated goal of benefitting not just this country, but humanity. Commander Wiseman said, “We wanted to go out and try to do something that would bring the world together, to unite the world.”

Friends, in 2026  we can no longer afford to see the earth and all of her creatures through the lens of division.  Instead, may we take to heart the messages of these modern day Good Shepherds to expand our consciousness, to see the abundant life offered to all on Sheepfold Earth.  Amen.