This week, we are taking a break from Easter Stories to focus on Jesus
being our Good Shepherd. Each year, on
the forth Sunday after Easter, in the middle of the liturgical season of
Easter, we focus on Jesus being the Good Shepherd. Jesus is the Shepherd and we
are the sheep….The Lord is our Shepherd, we shall not want. Hear this reading
of the words of Jesus as they are found in John chapter 10 verses one through
ten:
Proclamation of the Scripture John 10: 1-10
“Very truly I tell you
Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in
by some other way, is a thief and a robber.
The one who enters by the gate
is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens the gate
for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name
and leads them out.
When he has brought out all
his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know
his voice.
But they will never follow a
stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a
stranger’s voice.”
Jesus used this figure of
speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.
Therefore Jesus said
again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the
sheep.
All who have come before
me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them.
I am the gate; whoever enters
through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that
they may have life, and have it to the full.
Here ends this reading of the Word of God for the People
of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of
your Holy Spirit, that as the Scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed,
we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen.
Message Powerful
Witness
Jesus
as the Good Shepherd is a very beloved image for our Savior. Many of the UCC
churches in Eastern Pennsylvania have stained glass images referring to this
well-known metaphor. Jesus stands in the
center of the glass, cradling a sheep in his arm and with a shepherd crook in
his other hand. In our window, Jesus is dressed very elegantly in robes – I
somehow doubt first century shepherds wore pristine robes. But, despite the
clothing being a little mismatched, Jesus is depicted as a shepherd caring for
his sheep – he seeks us when we are lost, he feeds us when we are hungry, he
protects us from robbers and predators.
Sheep are also pretty
bad at following directions. They are easily led astray by others. They get
lost. They get tangled in bushes. They aren’t good at protecting themselves.
We are also experts
at going astray when it comes to our faith. We have lots and lots of
distractions, all of the time: 18,000 activities to drive our kids to, the
external pressures on us to cook and eat healthy meals, and exercise, and read
challenging books, and clean our houses, and excel at our professional jobs,
and visit our relatives, and attend all of our meetings, and keep up with our friends.
And, we are not only victims of external pressures, but we distract ourselves –
we binge watch shows on our 18 streaming services, or play video games all
night long, or drink too much, or sleep through our doctor’s appointments.
Our distractions are
like the bandits and robbers in today’s reading – they steal our time, our
energy, and our attention.
The midst of all of
life’s distractions, we are invited to lean on Jesus. Jesus is the gate for the
sheep – us! Jesus is our entry point into the Christian faith and is the source
of our salvation. One of most important
aspects of the shepherd metaphor is that Jesus is the source of rest for us. God is watching over us and we can relax. We
don’t have to go it alone. Nothing in our lives happens in isolation because
God is with us.
Even though we walk
through the valley of the shadow of death – even though we are surrounded by
ugly and terrible and yucky situations and people – we should fear not because
God is with us. God uses God’s rod and staff to comfort us – God uses God’s
Holy Spirit and words of comfort in the Bible to comfort us. God listens to us when we pray and sends us
messages thorough the words of others and through the situations that occur in
our lives. We are not alone – God is with us.
The 23rd
Psalm may only be six verses long, and therefore short enough to easily
memorize. But, it is our best known section of scripture because of what is
tells us about God. Let’s say the words of the 23rd Psalm together
and remember that nothing we do is done without the notice and care of God, and
our loving Savior Jesus.
Say the words with
me:
The Lord is my
shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in
green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he
leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table
before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my
cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of
the Lord for ever.
Let us take heart
that we are not alone, God is always here to listen to us, support us, and care
for us. Amen.
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