It seems that at a gathering of people there was included a famous actor, known for his wonderful speaking voice and dramatic presentation. It was somehow fitting that he recite the 23rd psalm which he did. It was a beautiful rendition, full of emption and vocal resonance. It also seems that there was a very hard of hearing, older woman in the group who was also asked to recite something, and not having heard the professional, recited the 23rd psalm. The room was hushed. At the end, there wasn't a dry eye in the place, so filled with love and feeling.

The actor was asked how it might be that the woman's rendition was so much more powerful than his own. He replied, "I know the psalm. She knows the shepherd."

She knows the shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. I am the Good Shepherd, I know my own and my own know me.

Do we know the shepherd? O, we certainly all know the psalm. We know the prayers. We know the ritual. We know, or may know, the bible. We know the story about the shepherd, but do we really know the shepherd?

Jesus uses a familiar example of his day. Sheep and shepherds. You don't think of sheep as being the brightest link on the food chain. But apparently they do have the ability to develop a bond of sorts with their caretakers. They come to recognize the voice or call of the shepherd. At least when kept in small groups with one shepherd. They come to know the shepherd.

They don't know anything about the shepherd. They don't know his name. They don't know what education he has in sheep tending. They know that he cares for them and they know who it is they must follow to be fed and protected. There is a dependency, an intimacy at least in sheep terms, with the shepherd.

Do we have that dependency. Do we have that intimacy with our shepherd, the good shepherd? Do we recognize his voice when he calls?

Just as in Jesus' day, there are a lot of voices calling us to follow them. Some reflect the voice of the shepherd, but most do not. They are hirelings, people working for the purpose of a profit, be it monetary, political, or just plain evil. They don't care about the sheep, they care about the wool and the lamb chops.

Do we recognize the difference between the voice of the shepherd and the voice of the hireling. The hireling promises us easy answers. Clear cut decisions. Happiness. Wealth. Popularity. Power.

The shepherd offers us life. Eternal life. But it's not as glitzy. Not as sexy. There's no power involved. No wealth. He doesn't even promise happiness and ease of living. What he promises us is presence. His presence with us when the promises of the hirelings fall through.

Do we recognize the voice of the shepherd. That can only come from knowing him. Really knowing him. Having a deep and abiding relationship with him. Hearing his voice over and over again. Depending on him. Listening to him. Loving him and allowing him to love us in return.

You know, we can go through our whole lives and never really know Jesus. We can come to church Sunday after Sunday. We can attend all of the social events. Come to all of the programs. Serve on the vestry, in the choir, at the altar and never really know Jesus.

Never really know what it's like to be lifted up in times of our sadness. Never know what it's like to feel his presence in moments of doubt, fear, sorrow and pain. Never know what it's like to feel his joy welling up inside us. Never know the peace of handing a heavy burden off to him.

It's not that Jesus hasn't been there for us, it's that we've not allowed him in. See, that's the difference between us and sheep. The sheep don't have an option. If they wander away from the shepherd, he'll grab him with that stick and pull him into line. Once a sheep is part of a flock, it's not allowed to wander away. We can. We can refuse to listen to the shepherd. We can refuse to go with him. We can reject his love.

And O too many of us do. We'd rather listen to the hireling. We'd rather listen to the voice inside us that says, we don't need any help. We can find happiness. We can find joy. We can find comfort and solace in our own selves. In our work. In our things. In our friends. In our alcohol, drugs, promiscuity, depression, or other self destructive behaviors. We don't need Jesus. That's the voice of the hireling. That's the message we get over and over again. Oh, very few people would say that out loud. No, the hireling is more subtle. But that's the message.

How many hospital shows on TV have a chaplain? How many sit-com families say grace before meals other than some smart-alecky parody of a grace. How many of those families go to church, unless the church service is a part of the comic plot? How many people on TV share their faith without looking like jack-booted thugs or wild eyed fanatics? How many people on TV are obscenely wealthy all because of their own hard work? We don't need Jesus. We need the hireling.

But answer me this. Will any of these voices of self actualization, human ingenuity, and fierce independence lay down their lives for you or me? Do the people selling self-image care about my self image? Or do they care about the sales of their instant success spray?

Jesus said, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gave his life for us. The good shepherd continues to live with and for us. The good shepherd knows us by name. So do we know the shepherd?

We're here. That's a good start to knowing Jesus. Being in the midst of a community of believers. Being in the company of people that do know the shepherd. Hearing their stories. Telling our stories. Sharing in the journey, in the struggles and in the joys.

But, that's not enough. One hour a week, no matter how sincere and heartfelt, is not enough to develop an intimate relationship with anyone, even the Son of God. It takes constant contact. It takes continuing a dialogue with Jesus in prayer. Regular, daily, prayer. Communication is the key to any relationship and our relationship with Jesus is no different. Talk to him. And listen to him. We need to close our eyes and our mouths and listen to the voice of the shepherd. Get to recognize it. Get to distinguish it from the hirelings. Hear what he has to say to us.

And as we get to know Jesus better, we are going to want to know more about Jesus. Know more about what makes him different from the other voices. Get to know how he's touched other people's lives. How we can get even closer to him. And so we study. We study the bible, our core document of faith which contains all things necessary for our salvation and is our primary source of authority on a relationship with Jesus. We study the teachings of the church, over the past 2000 years. We study accounts of people that have themselves come to rely on Jesus.

And then we put our relationship into practice. We try to live out our lives as we have heard Jesus tell us, as we have read he has done, and as we see others whom we trust live out their lives. We practice our faith. We put actions to our words. We reach out beyond ourselves in to the world, be it right next door or thousands of miles away. As John writes in his letter, "How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother of sister in need and yet refuses to help?" As we practice our faith, we deepen our relationship with Jesus because of all the contacts we have with him in the guise of the people we help.

Jesus is the good shepherd. He will and has laid down his life for his sheep. He knows us and wants us to be in an intimate relationship with him through fellowship, prayer, study and service. And as we grow in our faith, in our dependence on and love for him, we will come to know him. Know him in a relationship of divine intimacy. So that as we tell the story, we not only know the psalm, we also know the shepherd.