I am fascinated by the differences between the practice of medicine that arose in the East -- in China -- and medicine that has arisen here in the West -- first in Europe, then also here in the United States. Both practitioners are capable of being facilitators of great healing, but they come from distinctly different starting points. I may not know what I am talking about, but you can sort this out as I offer you my impression. My impression is that western medicine focuses on the parts of the system, looking at individual cells and organs and the symptoms that indicate something has gone wrong in these separate parts, and thereby treated for healing. The perspective as I understand it of Eastern medicine is quite different. Here the human being is looked at as a whole -- as one entire energy field. When someone is sick, the problem is understood to be a matter of a blockage in the energy field -- that the fundamental life force -- something often referred to as “chi” -- is not able to flow through the entire system the way it is supposed to. Eastern medicine looks at the human energy system as a whole to ask what needs to happen to bring the system back to that place of harmony where the energy flows freely throughout.

As I said before, each tradition of healing has made great contributions to our understanding of healing. The two traditions need not be seen as being at odds with one another, but rather as complementary paths to healing and wholeness.

When I listened to the scripture lessons this morning, however, it occurred to me that in a certain sense they are more in harmony with the language of Eastern medicine than with that of Western medicine. Jesus did not say, “I have come that you may have low blood pressure or low cholesterol.” He said, “I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly,” which conjures up for me that fundamental life energy -- that “chi” force that flows through us.

And in the 23rd psalm, it speaks of the Good Shepherd leading us to a place where a life or soul (both words have the same root) is restored. That the assumption here is that in the course of living in this world our life or soul force gets lost, and it needs to be restored, and that in the ministry of the Good Shepherd it is restored. It also talks about being led to a place where “our cup overflows”, where there is an abundance of that fundamental life energy flowing through us and out of us.

And finally those powerful images of the very first Church as is recorded in Acts 2 -- if you think of the church as “one body”, indeed, the “body of Christ”, what you see there is an abundance of life energy flowing through the body -- the community. Bringing about harmony, miracles, service, sharing, as well as a remarkable growth in numbers. Everybody’s on the same page, everybody’s making beautiful music together as God’s life force flows through it abundantly.
And life force is connected to what we call the “Holy Spirit” -- that the Holy Spirit is that life force that is in harmony with God’s will in this world.

When you look at the ministry of Jesus you can see this concept of life force at work. When he was engaged in his teaching and healing ministry, there was an abundance of life energy flowing through him, and if you came in contact to him, and were receptive to what he had to offer, you would receive an infusion of this overflow of life energy into your life. There is an intriguing story in which Jesus is walking through a large crowd of people who are pressing up against him. A woman who had been suffering from a disease for twelve years - whose chi has been leaking out of her for as long as she can remember -- gets hold of the idea if she could but touch the hymn of his garment, she would be made well. She does this, and immediately Jesus perceives that power has gone out of him, and the woman is spontaneously healed of her ailment.

And we also see that even Jesus’ life force could diminish, and he would need to take steps to replenish that life force, and so regularly we see him going off to be by himself and his “heavenly Father” to get reconnected to his source, so to speak.

So I want to invite you to think about the life force, the chi energy, the holy spirit -- all these different ways to talk about it -- and how it flows in your life. One of the things I became aware of in my sabbatical is how it is possible to live more consciously in regard to how the life energy is flowing. To pay attention, to ask ourselves, “where is my life energy right now?” Because at those moments, or perhaps those extended period of times in our lives, when we are functioning on a deficit of life energy, then we can be like “black holes” that suck the life force out of others without offering anything in return. You know what this looks like -- that chronic state of irritability and depletion that leads people to drive with such hostility on our roadways.

And the good news that Jesus speaks to us this morning is that the power behind the whole universe - that source that we call “God”, wants us to have life, and have it abundantly. It is so important to get your minds and hearts around this concept that God wants you to have abundant life, a creative life where the energy is just flowing in abundance. Because so often we function in this life with an image of God as Pharaoh, the harsh task master, who only cares about production quota, laying endless burdens upon us. This is wrong. Again, Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly.”

The bad news that is implied in the words of Jesus is that there are lots and lots of voices in this world, which he refers to as the “thief or the bandit”, who are out to diminish your life -- destroy your life. And you need to be able to distinguish between the voice of your true Shepherd -- the Good Shepherd -- and all those false shepherds out there who are out to steal your energy away.

Now there is another piece of good news in this passage, and that is that sheep -- that’s you and me -- DO know the voice of the Good Shepherd. Sheep may not be altogether bright -- but this we DO know -- deep inside we can recognize the voice of God calling us to abundant life. The false shepherds of this world may discourage us from tuning into that voice, but it is still there inside us to be heard if we can simply give ourselves space to listen.

Now what follows in this sermon is my own brainstorming about what sorts of things function as bandits and thieves, draining the life force out of us. I’m sure its an incomplete list, but I offer it to you for what its worth, in no particular order.

1) Overwork. When we get too stressed out, we may be running around accomplishing a lot of stuff, but if we are doing it all with a life force deficit, our presence will not be a blessing. If we listen to the Good Shepherd, we will be led at that point of overwork to walk beside the still waters and to lie down in the green meadows.

2) Saying “Yes” too often to claims on our time. Sometimes we fall into this mistaken belief that we’re supposed to accept every invitation, every request, every offer that comes our way. We do this and our life energy ends up being dissipated all over the place, and we lose our souls, and we have no real self to offer anymore because we’re spread too thin. The Good Shepherd, if we will listen, will teach us how to say, “No.” There are places where we need to say “no” so that in those places where we truly are called we can give a wholehearted “yes!” Jesus doesn’t ask us to do everything. Jesus asks us to do a few things lovingly, creatively, graciously.

3) Saying “Yes” too often to claims placed on us by stuff. We are bombarded in this culture to devote our life to things that are not worthy of our energy. Every time you buy something it makes a demand on your life energy. We don’t often think of this, but its true. Buy a brand new car, and then your life energy will be sucked up as your worry about every little dent and scratch -- as you worry about making your car payments. The choice to live a simpler life in the material realm is in part a choice to protect your life energy from dissipating over all our stuff. Many people work more hours than they really want to simply because they have said “yes” too often to the seductions of advertising and have to much debt.

4) Spiritual constipation. This great love is poured out upon us by our creator, and our creator assumes that this love, this life force, will flow through us to others. If you don’t have concrete ways to offer ourselves to others as vessels of love, we will become grumpy and irritable, just like the way the other kind of constipation makes us feel. If you don’t have a sense of a calling in your life -- that place where your gifts match up with a setting for service -- you don’t have a compelling reason to get out of bed in the morning and the life force won’t flow. Sarah and I watched the movie “Sideways” over the weekend, and the thing that struck me about the characters in the movie is that nobody really seems to have any sense of a higher purpose to their lives. It was all about them. They were suffering from spiritual constipation.

5) A guilty conscience. If there are places in our lives where we are not living in harmony with the light -- if we are doing things in darkness that we are ashamed to bring to the light -- then our guilt will quietly suck up our life force.

6) Fraudulence. Is the person I present to the world disconnected from the person I experience myself to be underneath? To some extent we all have roles to play in this life. Do we lose ourselves in these roles? This is a classic problem for clergy. We get this title that designates us as a holy person, and yet we are still these frail, flawed human being with passions and doubts and everything in between. And if the reality of our humanity finds no expression in our ministry, the ministry will become a death walk; our life force will get choked. And one of the reasons I have stayed here in Parsippany so long is because I feel like together we’ve forged this relationship in which I have permission not to just be that pedestal but to be a real person, both gifted and flawed, even as I carry the mantle of “the man of God”. I thank you for that.

7) Failure to face our fears. Fear is inevitable in life. Life is scary. Pretending we have no fears simply reduces the size of our life, leading us to avoid whatever will bring up our fears. When we find creative ways to engage -- or rise above -- our fears, we invariably experience a breakthrough of life force energy. When the shy single person finds the courage to ask somebody he or she is attracted to out on a date... when the employee finds the courage to speak to the boss about something that is oppressing them -- then the courage itself releases life energy in a big way.

8) Anger that isn’t creatively, lovingly expressed. Again anger is inevitable. Anger eats away inside us, devouring our life energy. Lashing out in anger tears down the relationships in which we live our lives and derive energy. Finding the third way enhances life.

9) Failure to care for the body as the temple of the holy spirit. Eating poorly. Not getting exercise. Our bodies were not designed to spend endless hours behind a computer console or the wheel of a car. We need to get out and encounter the beauty of the earth. For me, walking in the fresh air does wonders in restoring my life energy.

10) No creative outlets. We are made in the image and likeness of God, the great creator, and if we have no place in our life where we are able to be creative, our life energy will be blocked. I heard about a woman who was undergoing chemotherapy who made her practice to write a poem each day, not for publication, but simply to give creative expression to her inner life. Letting the words flow through her enabled the life to flow through her. I heard of another woman who had chronic fatigue syndrome who drew a picture each day as part of her daily therapy.

11) Living in conflict and hostility. Paul frequently says in his letters, “wherever possible, live in peace.” There are some conflicts that are unavoidable and we need to take a stand, but the majority of conflicts we have with other people are relatively petty. And whenever we are caught up in petty little conflicts, our energy is dissipated all over the place.

12) Failure to open ourselves to life giving intimacy and community. Remember that powerful picture from the book of Acts of the energy that was uncorked when people came together in loving community in a common connection to the Good Shepherd. As yourself, “Have I allowed people into my life, into my heart, into that intimate space who nourish my soul?” Too often in this world we live among strangers. There’s also a question of having let the right kind of people into our lives -- people who can nourish us and encourage us to grow in the directions we yearn for, and not just use us up. We know this about our teenagers -- we want to make sure the kids they connect up with won’t lead them in the wrong paths. The same is true for us.

13) Too much disorder. I know this personally, because I often allow too much chaos into my life, for instance, leaving my sermon notes in the office as I did this morning. Living in chaos, searching constantly for things you’ve misplaced, can dissipate the energy God has given you to use in this world. Be aware of how your surroundings are affecting your state of mind. On the other hand, becoming obsessive about order isn’t good either. Too much order is a bad thing as well, leaving no room for the something new to arise. As in so much of life, what we need here is a sense of balance.

Now having said all this, we can be sure that we WILL get lost, and this is another way the image of sheep can be instructive. I can talk about all these ways in which we can move into the abundant life God desires for us, and then I can go out this way and lose my way completely. But the scriptures remind us that its always possible to begin again. The Good Shepherd will seek out that lost sheep, no matter how long it takes, to take that lamb up into the everlasting arms and bring it back to the fold. Somebody precious to me once had an angel visit her and the angel spoke just two words to her: “Try again.” We can count on getting lost, but the secret is, each time we discover we have gotten lost, to try again.

In the kindness of Jesus,

Pastor Jeff