Rev. Cecil VanNiejenhuis
Apr 26, 2026
Ezekiel 34, Ps 23, John 10, I Peter 2:19-25
It’s become a pretty regular thing these days—that when you hear your phone ringing or vibrating—you check first to see who it is…do you recognize that number?
Do you want to speak to that organization…that person?
Or just let it go to voicemail which you can review later?
We’ve become adept at screening our calls.
Before call display---it was always a mystery who might be on the other end of a telephone call.
Hard to imagine for younger folks…
Maybe even hard to remember for older folks!
-- every call was a surprise---who’s on the other end???
But one thing for sure: the sound of a voice—is unique. Distinct.
Hear the sound of a particular voice and instantly—you know.
You know whose voice it is.
You react with recognition…and sometimes, delight…
Or, because you recognize the voice, more guardedly, careful.
It’s possible that a voice can trigger stress…trauma…awaken unwelcome memories, feelings…
And so, in some ways—we’ve become quite choosy about which voices we will engage…
We try to exercise some control…maybe even imagine we have control
But…we are learning more and more that our cellphones and devices make use of these things called algorithms…funnelling articles and opinions and humor and video reels which reinforce our preferences…we are not so much in control…as we are being controlled…managed
We don’t hear all the voices out there…
We just hear the voices which sound like our own.
Each of us live in stronger and stronger, more isolated cocoons…silos…a little by our own choosing, and a little—a lot, by being steered…
Those who are on the left are fed all things left…
And those who are on the right, are fed all things right…
What is more—we can’t always be sure if what we are reading is actually true,
...or if it is a partial, incomplete version of reality…
…a twisted, distorted version of reality or…
Maybe even completely false.
Yikes.
Though I walk through the valley…of the shadow of death…
Maybe we should hear the psalm saying—though I walk through a silicone valley…
Voices. So many voices.
Which voices…
Whose voices…are to be trusted?
The Scripture readings for today all include reference to sheep
And shepherds.
In Ezekiel, we read about shepherds who should not be trusted…
Shepherds who are more interested in fleecing their sheep than caring for them…
In Ezekiel we hear God speaking in the voice of a good shepherd…
Who will search for all the sheep who have scattered…
And pasture them, tend them, allow them to lie down safely
I will bind up the injured, and strengthen the weak
And justice will be done against those who have fleeced the ones under their care…
And then psalm 23…picks up that same image doesn’t it…of God as good Shepherd…
But what’s so interesting is that psalm 23 doesn’t actually speak in the voice of a good shepherd…it speaks in the voice of a sheep…
And we’ll come back to that in a moment.
But first—our gospel reading, from John…describing something about a shepherd…
A shepherd enters the sheepfold---by way of the gate.
He doesn’t hop the fence or find some other way to gain entrance…
There’s nothing backdoor, sidedoor, behind closed doors about the shepherd…
No—the shepherd actually has the gate opened up…
And then this: the sheep listen to the shepherd’s voice.
It’s a community pen---and there are the sheep of many farmers who share that pen…
The shepherd calls her sheep by name
And leads them out…
The sheep follow because they know this voice…
---and once the shepherd’s sheep have gotten behind him…the gate will be closed again…
The sheep won’t follow a stranger…because if they don’t know the voice…
If they don’t hear the tones, the tenor, the pitch of the person they trust---forget it.
The Scripture readings all speak of sheep…
Of shepherds…
And---the utterly essential ingredient in this relationship between sheep and shepherd---trust.
When David says those familiar words: The Lord is my Shepherd…
David is imagining himself as a sheep.
Which is an interesting thing for this Warrior King to imagine!
If David would have been asked about an animal spirit which resonated for him…
You might expect him to think of an animal noted for bravery and force and maybe some fierce teeth or sharp claws…
But David identifies as a sheep.
Notably, sheep do not have powerful, sharp claws.
Sheep do not have horns, antlers, tusks
Sheep are not noted for their speed or agility…
They are not nimble, nor do they roar
Sheep are vulnerable…dependent…
In need of provision, protection: I hear a sheep singing a variation of Freddy Mercury’s song:
“Can anybody find me---somebody to trust???”
And in that way—David’s identifying as a sheep is still as relevant as ever…
A voice I can trust.
A trusted voice…
In a church choir, there are lead singers
Voices the others trust…listen for…
A trusted voice…
There used to be longstanding, well known news anchors…
Before Dawna Friesen and Ian Hanamansing…
There was Lloyd Robertson/Harvey Kirk north of the border…
Walter Cronkite south of the border…
A hybrid: Peter Jennings…
Trusted voices…
Imagine: voices trusted by people across a wide spectrum
More personally….
When you need to debrief
To vent
To ask advice
To steady yourself…to gain some perspective
To have someone listen deeply and speak truthfully--the words you need to hear, not just what you want to hear…
You want, you need—a trusted voice.
A teacher perhaps.
A friend.
Maybe a grandparent…an uncle, an aunt,
A mentor.
You are unsure of yourself…needing financial advice…
A trusted voice is a God-send.
Perhaps music is instrumental in your wellbeing…
The voice of a particular instrument can speak to you…
Can speak for you…
A string, an oboe…a Cassavant organ…
Or perhaps it’s a particular human voice which soothes your soul…
It might be a singing voice…
It might be a speaking voice…
Perhaps even a pastor’s voice…
---the key thing is---it needs be a trusted voice.
A trusted voice is a gift from God.
You and I—we know about the concept—the reality of listening for, and being blessed by a voice we trust.
There is security there. Freedom there. A sense of not being alone, but living in a space shared by someone we trust. A hint of shalom.
We know it in countless circumstances and relationships. And what our Scripture readings this week all say in their own way, but coming together in a beautiful four-part harmony, they say with a sense of calm...
Whatever it is that you are dealing with in a given moment…
Whether its lovely and good
Or unsettling, stressful, painful…
There is One whose voice you can trust…
Whose love you can count on
Whose integrity is intact.
Says Peter in his letter…we know Jesus can be trusted, because on the one hand, Jesus speaks as the shepherd:
---the good shepherd who gives his life for his sheep….
On the other hand, Jesus, the shepherd, becomes a sheep.
Vulnerable, dependent---without antlers or claws or fangs…
A little sheep.
Shepherd became lamb.
He joined us. Walked with us…present
And he suffered…a great injustice…enduring it all in this way:
he entrusted himself to a Shepherd who judges justly.
That’s how Christmas leads into Good Friday and through Easter…
The shepherd becomes a lamb, and then the lamb becomes a lion!!
--not through violence, fear,
force, shaming…
But through grace,
walking with,
suffering with…suffering for…
This story that the Bible tells…is a story which asks us, calls us---to trust that Jesus is the most wonderful, authentic image of who God was and is and will be.
And then---out of all the voices coming at us…
Whether they sound confident and loud
Whether they whisper confidentially or ooze with charm
To filter…
To listen for the voice…the voices which sound most like the Jesus voice. To listen for them…to listen to them.
…to revel in the wonder that trusted voices in our lives…are some of the ways we know that Jesus is with us…