My sheep hear my voice

Even with all the advances in phone technology, picking up a landline telephone is still an exercise in anticipation. Among all those who might be calling, it is still a joy to recognize the voice of a friend over the phone. It is a statement of relationship to recognize someone’s voice and say, “Hi Chris” when all that they had said on the other end of the line was a simple “Hello, can I speak with John?” I hear Jesus describing this kind of relational recognition in our Gospel for this Sunday:
 
“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.” (John 10:27-28)
 
As we look ahead to Mother’s Day, I’m reminded also of how Jesus spoke to Jerusalem, offering the protective maternal image of a mother hen, guarding her little ones:
 
“How often I’ve longed to gather your children, gather your children like a hen, Her brood safe under her wings” (Luke 13.34, The Message)
 
This week, I’m grateful for my mother and the ways that she cared for me. I’m also aware that, in adulthood, I can’t exclusively rely on what I learned from my earthly mother—recognizing and listening to the voice and teachings of our collective spiritual Mother is something that we have to learn to do, in church and beyond.
 
I look forward to us gathering together—to appreciate our mothers and to hear and heed the Voice that seeks to protect us as a mother hen protects her brood.
 
Blessings,
John+