The Bucolic Vision
“The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
I love the way that this Byzantine icon of the Good Shepherd clears through the metaphorical language and gets right to the point. I am the sheep that needs rescuing. I am in need of deliverance from my misguidedness, from my foolishness, from my brokenness and the snares of my sins, from the lions and wolves and bears that stalk and prowl and prey, from the hireling who is self-serving and feeds himself rather than the flock under his care. To this effort, I can contribute nothing whatsoever. My hope rests in Christ, the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep. It is because he deigns to come to me, to enter my experience and encounter me; to not just lead me, but lift me up upon his shoulders, and drag me half willing and fully helpless, that I have any hope of entering that blessed pasture which he has promised and prepared.
See what kind of love the Father has shown to us!
— The Beloved Apostle John (1 Jn 3:1)
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Texts for This Week
Prayer
O God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd of your people: Grant that, when we hear his voice, we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever.
Jubilate - Shout for Joy!
On the old lectionaries, today was Jubilate Sunday, from the introit first word of the introit verse from Psalm 66:1, “Shout with joy to God, all the earth!” The Gospel lesson from John 16, meanwhile, gestures to the sorrow of the disciples that will be turned to joy (Jn 16:20). The emanant and unparalleled Baroque composer JS Bach wrote not less than four fine cantatas for this particular moment, musically tracing the pilgrimage through trouble, sorrow, and complexity to the hope and possibility of joy that we have in the promises of God.
Here is a performance of one of these lofty compositions: Wir müssen durch viel Trübsal (BWV 146) — “We must enter the Kingdom through much trouble.” The lyrics, as well the rich sequence of melodies and voices, lead us through struggle and longing to arrive at the great cohortative chorale at the end of the cantata: “Rejoice greatly, o my soul, and forget all stress and anguish, since now Christ, your Lord, calls you out of this valley of sorrow!” This is a credible joy, a robust call to rejoicing within this veil of tears that is made reasonable and imitable by its careful wrestling with the deep disquietude that is most frequently the leading tone within the human heart.
If you’re curious about the other Bach Cantatas for Jubilate Sunday, there’s a fine (if somewhat dense) essay up at bach-cantatas.com that you can access here.
