‘Jesus said: I am the Good Shepherd, my sheep listen to my voice’.’ - John 10:27
Friends, today I want to talk about stress! There is always stress in the world—so I could pretty much talk about it whenever—but right now there are some particular stressors. If you have kids around the age of ten then right now they—and therefore you—may well be going through a period of stress. This coming week in our primary schools is SAT tests for all of our Year 6. In our high schools this week those in Year 11 are going through exams as well. For me, and my family, now is a period of stress, as we have one or two things to organise… like a house to be decorated, moving vans to sort, Amelie to move schools, planning to ensure that St George’s & All Saints’ continues on well… and that’s before I start not one but two new jobs. They say moving house and starting a new job are two of the most stressful things and priests have to do both at once! For our church—especially those on the PCC—this is also a period of stress. All of a sudden they have to start writing a Parish Profile, picking a lay-leader to chair the PCC, organising cover for every service, and working out what they want in a new Vicar. Even if none of these things apply to you nevertheless you may well be going through a stressful time at home or work and if not, you almost certainly will do at some point.
We turn now to our second reading from Revelation. It opens with this: ‘Then I, John, looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.’ What’s striking first about this scene is that it is relevant to every person. John, the author of Revelation, sees people from: ‘from every nation, tribe, people and language.’ The Church is not only for people 'like us’, the Church is not just for white people, or just for English people, the Church is for everyone. That’s why we say in the Creed we believe in the Catholic Church. Catholic just means universal, it means the Church for all peoples including those in Chorley. John sees all these people from all over the world and when He asks who they are he is told: ‘These are they who have come out of the great tribulation.’ Tribulation, or distress, could be a particular event, after all at John’s time lots of Christians were being killed for their faith including John’s brother James, but it’s relevant to all people everywhere because everyone goes through distress, everyone goes through tribulation. Now, if you’re anything like me you'd love to live without any stress at all. At times when I have gone through a particularly stressful period I’ve day-dreamed of moving to the country where there are more sheep than people. Maybe for you it’s going to the beach and sipping on a cocktail or your favourite tipple. It can be easy to want to escape, and we imagine that a stressless world is what would be best for us, but actually, if we think like that, then we’re wrong. Stress is unavoidable and stress is necessary. Berkley University in the States did some research into stress. They took rats and divided them into two groups. One group had no stress what-so-ever, they were provided with everything they could want the whenever they wanted it. The second group was deliberately stressed, and then they looked to the results. Turns out that the stressed group, learned quicker, got stronger, and became better rats; the challenge helped them. Now clearly some particularly acute situations can cause stress which kills, particularly with underlying medical conditions. However, for the rest of us—in the majority of situations—stress helps us to become our best selves. Now, you may be thinking that you have seen someone go through a stressful event and completely clam up, completely shut down… surely that is not good and you’d be right! So what's the difference, then, between people who stress and clam-up and those who stress and actually grow through it? Turns out the answer is how we choose to respond. Stress can purify us, show us what we value, and reveal our character.
Let’s look now at our first reading from the Book of Acts. The situation is—you might say—kinda stressful. The apostles, Paul and Barnabas, are preaching in the synagogues and their success leads to opposition, it leads to stress. We’re told that the Jewish leaders: ‘stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region.’ Being chased out of the region by an angry mob is—to say the least—stressful. Yet we’re told, almost immediately, that: ‘the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.’ How could they rejoice? How could they be filled with joy in the middle of stress? Because they knew that they were not abandoned, because they knew that they were not alone. What’s the difference between the apostles and us? It is not that they were spared pain - they were not! It is not that they were superheroes - they were not! It is not that they were gluttons for punishment - they were not! It is because of their worldview. It is because when they experienced stress they interpreted it differently. It is because they were living with God-given purpose. Back to Revelation, to those people in white robes, waving palm branches ‘the ones who have survived the great [distress].’ Where are they? In heaven! Why is Jesus showing this to John? Why does John record this for us? Because it is showing us this truth, this worldview, that, thankfully, there is more to this life than just this life. That’s the worldview! You might experience stress, or distress, or tribulation, or persecution, you might even experience death for the Faith. However, you are not abandoned, you are not alone, therefore, you do not have to be afraid. The worldview is that there is more to life than just this life, therefore, the interpretation of persecution, the interpretation of tribulation, the interpretation of stress, and failure, and death, does not mean that God is absent. It does not mean that God has abandoned you. Rather, because there is more to life than just this life God can take your stress, take your failure, take your tribulation and use it. Every moment of stress, every moment of failure even, given to God will not be wasted.
This is where our Gospel reading comes in. Jesus says: ‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me [and] no one will snatch them out of my hand.’ Nothing given to God is ever wasted! No one can take what belongs to Jesus out of His hands. Not persecution, not job stress, not relationship stress, not an anti-Christian culture, not even death can remove you from the hand of God. In fact, the only one who can remove you from the hand of God is you! The only way we can be moved from the hand of God is if we choose to move from His hand if we walk away! But we never have to walk a way, why? Because we know in the midst of stress, in the midst of persecution, in the midst of tribulation God is with us and He can use it all. We are not abandoned. We are not alone. Therefore, we need not be afraid! This world not only contains stress—stress is not only inevitable—we need stress; the only thing left is our response. And that response is informed by our worldview, by our understanding of what is real, by our understanding of what is true. Yes, we will all experience times of trial, times of tribulation, times of stress. But our worldview as Christians informs us that there is more to life than just this life. No one—except ourselves—can take us out of God’s hands. We are not abandoned. We are not alone. And therefore we are not afraid.
The Good Shepherd—the One who came to earth and chose to live through the most stressful of lives—walks with us and will never leave us. Therefore, we can walk forward and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Even when our next step is hard. Even when our next step is our last step. And we can say: I am not abandoned, I am not alone, and therefore I am not afraid. Amen (from Fr Mike).