Feed My Sheep

“Feed my Sheep”

Rev. Stephen Milton

Lawrence Park Community Church

May 4th, 2025

Last week, I was on vacation. My wife and I travelled up to Algonquin Park to do some spring hiking. We walked a bunch of trails we had done before, and each one of them was more challenging. The trails were a mess. The spring thaw had begun, so streams and creeks were washing out the trail at regular intervals. Often, there was no clear way to get across to the other side. We learnt to take a deep breath, and simply assume there was a way across. When we did that, we would see the path ahead of us in a different way. What seemed to be a total wash out became a subtle path of rocks and roots that were barely sticking out above the rushing water. Those became our trail, as we said out loud, “ rock, rock, root, rock, root, ice, rock, root, ground!” A path appeared where there seemed to be no path at all. We got to other side without ever falling into the water - it helped a lot that we had poles, too.

In today’s gospel reading, the disciples have lost the path, too. They thought they knew what they were doing by following Jesus. He was the messiah, he had powers from God, he was going to lead a revolution to rescue the Jews from the Romans. But his death washed away that path. Now, they are living in the time of his resurrection. Last week, he appeared to the disciples as himself, holes and wounds and all. Doubting Thomas poked him in the side. But what should they do now with Jesus back? What’s the plan? Where do they go next? They have no idea.

So, they go back to doing what they did before they followed Jesus - they go fishing. This is how they made a living before. But in ordinary life, fishing isn’t easy. Some nights you get lucky, other nights you don’t. This has been one of those unlucky nights. Until Jesus shows up. He tells them to try casting their nets on the other side of the boat. Bingo. 

Peter is the first to recognize that this stranger is the resurrected Jesus, even though Jesus looks different. Peter runs through the water to greet Jesus.  But, Jesus and Peter have some unfinished business. On the night of Jesus’ arrest, Jesus had asked Peter and the others to stay awake while he prayed, but they fell asleep. When Jesus was taken into the court, Peter followed, staying in the courtyard. But when he was asked if he knew Jesus, he denied it, three times. Jesus had told his followers he would make Peter the foundation of the movement, but under pressure, he abandoned Jesus, and wasn’t even present at the cross. So, Jesus has every reason to be mad at Peter, and even take away his role as leader. 

But that’s not what happens. Instead, Jesus asks Peter if he loves him. He asks this not once, but three times. By the third time, Peter is annoyed. But this questioning by Jesus is to make sure that Peter loves Jesus enough to wipe away the denials. Jesus, being without ego, is not offended by Peter’s denials. There is no ego to bruise, no hurt feelings to heal. Instead, what matters most is that Peter recommit himself to following Jesus. 

And note what Jesus wants from Peter. Three times he says, “feed my sheep.” Feed those who follow me. Jesus is presenting a model of what leadership looks like. He says if you want to love me, then take care of those who follow me. Feed them. True leadership means being a servant to others. Peter will be expected to tell the stories of Jesus to everyone who will listen. He should serve Christ’s followers by feeding them with stories and teachings of Jesus to people who did not know Jesus, or only knew him a little. And we know that Peter did do this. In the Book of Acts, we are told that Peter becomes the first leader of the Jesus movement after Jesus leaves. Peter, like Paul, writes letters, some of which are in the New Testament. And Peter becomes the first Bishop of Rome. 

We are living at a time when many world leaders claim to be shepherds who will serve their people, but have other plans in mind. All over the world, authoritarian leaders come to power claiming that they will help the working class. In Poland, in Hungary, in Russia, in South America, and now in the United States, leaders seek office claiming they will help solve the economic struggles of the working and middle classes. But once in power, they set about amassing power and wealth for themselves. They pursue  policies designed to benefit the rich and rob from the poor. We are witnessing the most serious threat to democracy since the Second World War. It is a time when we must be very clear about what leadership means.

It used to be obvious that political leaders were meant to be public servants. They were expected to serve the people who elected them. In our most recent Canadian election, Prime Minister Mark Carney promised to serve all Canadians, not just the ones who voted for his party. 

However, in recent years, other would be-kings and dictators have chosen to divide their populations into real and fake citizens. In the United States, the current president wants to find a way to deport people who were born in the United States, but have foreign-born parents. He wants to declare that just because someone was born in the United States, there are not actually a citizen, a policy that recalls the status of slaves in the 19th century.

Birthright Citizenship Headline

 The government wants to make a distinction between “real” Americans, who have been present for generations, and “fake” Americans, who are newcomers, and cannot be trusted, and should be deported. 

 This divide and conquer tactic is simply a way to create a state of constant civil unrest which will generate paranoia, fear and division. The government will present itself as the only way to protect the country from these invaders, these fake citizens. In other countries, this has lead to a police state, and the end of real elections. That was considered impossible in America, but now seems more plausible than ever. 

Fascism Scholars

 American experts on fascism have been moving to Toronto, to take up teaching positions at U of T, because they know where this is headed. 

 When the government chooses to serve only some of the people, not all of the people, everyone is in trouble, and democracy crumbles. 

The resurrected Jesus presents a different model of leadership. He was killed by the Roman government, but he does not seek revenge. He doesn’t draw up a list of people who betrayed him and seek to punish them. Instead, he appears to his followers, and he makes peace with them. He offers them food, and a better haul of fish. He offers them bread and fish, an obvious allusion to the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. Where there is love, there is always more than enough for everyone. Jesus does not berate Peter, he simply asks him to recommit to the mission, to love and compassion. Then Jesus asks Peter not to gather power for himself, but to feed Christ’s sheep. A form of selfless leadership. 

But what does it mean to feed Christ’s sheep? The way Jesus puts it, it is clear that the sheep belong to Jesus, not to Peter. So, Peter will be saved from thinking that he is the new messiah. He will share the stories and teachings of Jesus. Secondly, Peter is not to serve himself or his best friends. He is to serve Christ’s sheep. This will be a selfless form of leadership.

But how should they feed Christ’s sheep? Well, in the beginning, a big part of it was literally feeding them. We know from early records that Christians used to meet in houses, often before or after work hours, and they came to worship with food. These were known as agape meals - love feasts - where everyone brought food. During what we would call communion, everyone who had food would come up the front table. Raw meat, chickens, vegetables, fruit, loaves of bread would be brought forward. It would be blessed and eaten in Christ’s name. Some of it was put aside to be distributed to the poor - widows and orphans, as well as Christians in prison. Even when the first basilicas were built, people would bring food forward for the poor before communion was celebrated. It would be like having you bring up cans or food and cuts of meat, vegetables and fruit up here at the beginning of the service. 

This was the start of the Christian practice of providing food for the poor. To this day, many churches run food banks and soup kitchens when they are near the poor. Our church is in a wealthy neighbourhood, so instead of providing food here, we participate in out of the Cold programs where food is taken downtown to serve the homeless. When we have leftovers, we take it to a youth shelter, Eva’s place. Your donations have helped the food bank across the street at Glendon College, and we have helped African refugees in Toronto with food, rice cookers and baby supplies. The spirit of serving others continues. This all started with Christ’s instruction to Peter: feed my sheep.

Peter became known as the first bishop of Rome. Today we call that position the Pope. Two weeks ago, Pope Francis died. Pope Francis was devoted to serving the poor in a way other Popes had not been. He chose not to live in the grand papal apartment, but to live in the guest house. When I was in Rome last summer, a guide told me that before Pope Francis was installed, Saint Peter’s square used to be full of homeless people. When he became Pope, he instructed Vatican officials to bring them food and water to help them. Then they got to know the homeless and found them places to live. He had a shelter opened within the Vatican grounds.The Pope also supported creating a medical clinic for the homeless in Saint Peter’s Square, replacing what was then the Vatican post office. 

Saint Peter’s sculpture 1

 Six years ago, he commissioned this artwork from the Canadian artist Timothy P. Schmaltz. It depicts refugees, migrants and indigenous people a in a boat seeking safety, 

Saint Peter’s Sculpture 2

 with  an angel’s wings sticking out from inside the group. When critics said the modern art didn’t match the renaissance style of the rest of Saint Peter’s Square, the artist replied, that doesn’t matter, it matches the message of the gospel. 

This week, the Catholic Church will choose a new Pope. There are fears that the cardinals will choose a more conservative and less pastoral Pope. I hope they will remember Christ’s instruction to Peter, “feed my sheep.” As Christians, we all need to remember that Jesus expects us to look after each other in his name. To feed each other with love, with kindness, with spiritual education, and with physical help. True leadership serves others, especially the most vulnerable. For when the weak are taken care of, all will prosper in body and soul. It is in this way that we, like Peter, show that really love Christ, and that we will feed his sheep. If we do this, we will always find a path , even when it seems the path has washed away.  Amen.