Church of All Nations

Gozzoli's 15th-century portrait of Italian theologian Thomas Aquinas, proponent of just war theory

delivered 25 April 2010
by Rev. Dr John Evans

Acts 9:36-43
Psalm 23
Revelation 7:9-17
John 10:22-30

ANZAC Day is problematic for the preacher – especially when our regular Sunday worship falls on the actual day. All sorts of temptations arise. One is perhaps tempted to collapse the two events - our regular Sunday worship into being an ANZAC commemoration. Perhaps as our honour rolls say – For God King and Country. Our faith comes to undergird past and present military engagement - and so one is to fight for God on behalf of God. On the other hand one could use this day to be critical of ANZAC Day, stand apart from ANZAC Day. Certainly be critical of war. Since the earliest days of the Christian faith it has been perhaps the great social ethical question – what should be the Christian’s attitude to war? Was war acceptable – as with the Crusades of the middle ages – for the sake of contending for the faith; or was the appropriate attitude to be far more nuanced and only accept “just wars”; or was all war to be condemned and avoided – the pacifist’s stance.

As a baby boomer, I am amazed as to what has become of ANZAC Day. Through the 1960’s and 1970’s I think my generation would have thought this day’s observance was dying out. It was one of those points of difference between the generations: those who had experienced WWII and those who had come after. That naturally difficult relationship between the generations was exacerbated because at the time our nation was deeply involved in an unpopular war – the Vietnam war. ANZAC Day became sort of collateral damage amid these upheavals. All however, it seems has changed – ANZAC Day is big again. One just has to wander through any bookshop and see the array of titles that come out at this time of the year. It has almost become a right of passage now to visit ANZAC Cove, or walk Kokoda or go to the battlefields of the Western Front in France. Why this is now the case – we could all speculate - however, as I said it makes an interesting task for the preacher.

The point I wish to get to this morning however, is that we should separate quite clearly what is involved in the two activities. We do not come to church to celebrate ANZAC Day – although we appropriately we can remember all those who are affected and scarred by war, and pray that there indeed be peace. ANZAC Day is a civic thing, it goes to our national identity (even if there may be great debate as to what that may actually be). Later, I will say it is a community thing. We might feel it is appropriate or inappropriate – but it is not Christian worship. In the same way one does not attend a Dawn Service to worship God and reflect on and be challenged by the risen crucified Christ.

There are however, cross overs: out of our Christian faith and worship we can have a view about ANZAC Day. And like wise Christian men and women who served for their country, or feel affected in some way by war, will find ANZAC Day something of great significance.

What I wish to do today is have a conversation between ANZAC Day and this favourite of Christian images, metaphors – the good shepherd. So at the outset – Christian worship and ANZAC Day are different – but I wish to suggest that there are some significant conversation points: ANZAC Day and the Good Shepherd.

To begin with I want to dismiss the unhelpful linkage of some direct biblical quotes. John 15:13 will be quoted many times today around the country.

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”.

It will be quoted as truism of sacrifice, heroism and service of one’s colleagues.

Of course it has an echo in what Jesus himself says about being the good shepherd:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (10:11)

Devotion to duty, heroic action on behalf of one’s colleagues is to be lauded. However, I would suggest that Jesus’ action on the cross intensifies such action – he was innocent, like a lamb lead to the slaughter; however, his death on behalf of others has cosmic significance – and not just for a group of mates. There is after all just the one good shepherd, who lays down their life for the sheep.

However, there is a significant cross over.  ANZAC Day, when we take away the wars and the battles and the brutality of all that, it is about community values, even national values.  At one end of the scale we say it is about ‘mateship’ (that gloriously gender-specific term) at the other end it is somehow about national vision.  The real point is it is not about me as an individual, my needs, my wants and my petty selfishness. ANZAC Day is a day when communitarian ideals and values are recalled and honoured.  We may indeed have trouble with all the war bit. But if one excludes that, both the Good Shepherd and ANZAC Day have the dynamic about how you and I, somehow have our life thrown together - just like we are a mob of sheep with one shepherd. Community (and not individualism) undergirds our relationship with God; community similarly is a core value of ANZAC Day.

So what do we learn from the Good Shepherd and his teaching?

To begin with we need to know that the words of Jesus were not just simple words - they provoked great controversy with his hearers.

“Again the Jews were divided because of these words. Many of them were saying “he has demon and is out of his mind. Why listen to him?” (10:19-21)

In fact immediately following our passage it says “the Jews took up stones to stone him.” (10:31) What we have here then is more than just a great model of being pastoral; of assuring people the Lord is my shepherd. Gail O’Day, from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia contends we can gain insight into what the Church’s pastoral ministry might be from other references – like the command to Peter at the end of the gospel to feed and tend my sheep (21:15-19) The good shepherd here is not to be just seen as some sort of model for leaders in the Church – as we might use the image in ordination or induction services. This teaching is about the Christian community itself, or more generally the whole community. And that actually was the controversial part of the teaching.

Gail O’Day makes the point that the good shepherd language is intensely relational. The image of being the good shepherd, and also of being the gate or door of the sheepfold have no meaning without the presence of the sheep. Being the good shepherd is all about who Jesus is in relationship to those who follow him. In other words Jesus is saying that his own identity, and the identity of the community who follow him are inextricably linked. The identity of the community is determined by the shepherd’s relationship to it, and the community’s relationship to the shepherd.

All this suggests communal life. This is what offended his hearers – but also may be relevant to what happens on ANZAC day. So briefly some points about this community.

First, all in the community are equal because all have a direct relationship with the shepherd. The strong and week are all part of the same flock. Further more, there are no assistant shepherds; or to make a Protestant point, no vicar shepherds: no shepherds here who reclaim to represent the Good Shepherd. There is just the direct relationship with the Good Shepherd.

Secondly, the community that gathers around Jesus share in the mutual relationship between Jesus and the Father: So Jesus says

“I am the good shepherd, I know my own and my own know me just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.” (10: 15) And later “The Father and I are one.” (10:30)

The community has a deeply spiritual depth to it. . . as it were, the community becomes wrapped up into the very nature of God’s own self.

Next, there is a unity amid no doubt all of its diversity. A unity not because of a say a common enemy, but because from the different perceptions of the sheep, they are all listening to Jesus’ voice. The sheep hold together, indeed there is a flock, because they all will listen to the good shepherd’s voice. So “there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (10:16) They will do this because this one shepherd, this door to the sheepfold, provides access to life – as Jesus says here, abundant life. There is a purpose for this flock. The community gains its identity through Jesus’ gift of life. This community is about offering full life. This ties back into that quote about the good shepherd willing to die for the sheep. In other words, to be a member of Jesus’ flock, is to know oneself as being among those for whom Jesus is willing to die. In Jesus’ freely chosen death, Jesus shows the way to life and offers abundant life. The identity of this flock is one that receives and then gives life.

But then will this mean this flock – this community, be an inclusive flock? Or only an insiders flock? Jesus’ offer of life, however, is not just for his flock – say the Jews, or white middle class Australian males. Intriguingly Jesus says he has other sheep that do not belong to this fold. (10:16) There is a universal edge to this good shepherd and his flock – there are other sheep he must bring also, he must care for. Others – what do we say – who are not the usual suspects – may also hear his voice. They too may understand his offer of life. They are one of his sheep.

One image however that defines this Good Shepherd is that he is not like a hireling. This image perhaps does not capture all of what I have said, about the flock but it is an observation which I believe resonates well with how we understand ANZAC day. Our contemporary world is dominated by hireling mentality. Those who will only think of themselves in work or all aspects of life. Hirelings, the word even sounds dangerous, are at the other end of the continuum to community. The starting point is not relationships, nor even being a part of a flock or forming a flock – it is self. Is this why ANZAC Day again is significant in Australia? Not only are people now craving a bit of ritual, or ceremony – but they have also tired of our individualistic world. They appreciate tangible signs of great service and courage for others; even a striving for a higher good – other than what is good for me. The Good Shepherd is not like a hireling – profoundly not like a hireling. ANZAC Day is also not about hirelings.

The hope from a Christian perspective for ANZAC Day however, is that like the flock with the good shepherd –our mob – we Australians – may understand significant values – like equality, unity and perhaps even that what really is the basis of abundant life comes form God shown to us in Christ and Christ’s love.