Sunday Homily - May 12th, 2019 - Jesus, the Good Shepherd

Christ the Good Shepherd Icon

I.

Shepherds have a very interesting place in our Holy Scriptures.

Think of all the places where you hear about shepherds.

The great prophet Moses in the Old Testament kept his father-in-law's herds
 when God calls Moses to be a shepherd of the people of Israel.
  [c.f. Exodus 1-3]

King David was a shepherd of his father's flocks,
 defending them from the lion and the bear,
  before being anointed by Samuel as the King of Israel
   to shepherd the people as the Anointed of God Almighty.
   [c.f. I Samuel 16]

Shepherd who watched their flocks during the night that Jesus Christ was born
 see the angels announcing the coming of the Messiah, the Christ.
  [c.f. Luke 2]

We see shepherds all over the Bible!

But, as opposed to the wonderful, picturesque scene of our Lord carrying the lost sheep,
 shepherding is not as clean and pristine as we sometimes may be tempted to think.

Sheep are often dirty, dusty, and not the brightest light bulbs in the hardware store.
 They can get stuck in bushes,
  They stray pretty often if they aren't contained by a fence,
   and they are easy targets for larger predators.

Ask anyone who has kept sheep
 and they will tell you
  it is a LOT of work.

But if you are committed and you love your sheep,
 all of the dirt
  all of the work,
   all of the blood, sweat, and tears
    are definitely worth it.

And, thank God, that sheep are worth it.
 Because the central figure of Shepherd within the Bible
  is none other than God Almighty,
   and is personified most fully in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ
    the Good Shepherd,
     as is seen in our beautiful stained glass window in the back.

II.

And Jesus this morning,
 in our Gospel reading,
  speaks about being a part of God's flock
   and knowing the voice of the one who loves us.

At the beginning of our Gospel,
 the Festival of the Dedication,
  also known as Hanukkah,
   is occurring.

And Jesus is walking in the Temple,
 presumably participating in that festival
  when he is approached by some of his fellow Jews.

They begin to ask him is he is the Messiah,
 the Christ,
  and they seem to be wanting a clear answer from Jesus.

And Jesus responds by saying the following:
 "I have told you, and you do not believe.
  The works that I do in my Father's name testify to me;
   but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep.

My sheep hear my voice.
 I know them, and they follow me.
  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.
   No one will snatch them out of my hand.
    What my Father has given me is greater than all else,
     and no one can snatch it out of the Father's hand.
      The Father and I are one."
      [John 10:22-30 NRSV]

Notice two particular things about Jesus's response with me this morning.

First, Jesus points out that it is not only his words that testify to his Messiah-ship,
 but also what he does in His Father's name.

We, as the flock of Christ,
 are not only called to examine and understand His words in order to believe,
  but also to observe what He does and is doing.

When Jesus heals the broken,
 lifts up those who can't stand,
  opens the eyes of the blind,
   and ministers to the poor,
    we are being asked to believe in the Good Shepherd of the Sheep,
     God incarnate, Man divine,
      and to recognize our Good Shepherd who loves all of us.

And secondly, notice the security that comes from our Good Shepherd,
 the one who gives us life eternal,
  ultimate victory over death:
 
He says, "My sheep hear my voice...
 I give them eternal life...[and] no one will snatch them out of my hand...
  no one can snatch [them] out of my Father's hand.
   The Father and I are One."

For us today who hear God's voice,
 who hear Jesus's words of comfort,
  we can take deep solace in his words
   that there is nothing that we can do
    and nothing that anyone else can do
     to wrest you from the gentle hold of the God who loves you.

God, who has been our Shepherd even before we knew what a Shepherd was,
 who is Jesus Christ in unity with the Holy Spirit and the Father,
  holds you in that divine love with such compassion
   that nothing can separate us from that love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
   [c.f. Romans 8:39]

III.

That unconditional, unearned, divine Love
 is always being offered to you through Jesus Christ our Lord,
  the Great Shepherd of the Sheep.

And the evidence of that love can be seen in the love you yourselves have experienced
 through different aspects of your life.

Most of us here have a Mother-figure who has been essential to our lives.
 Whether they be your biological Mom,
  or someone who became your Mom through the compassion and love they showed you,
   you have experienced the kind of love that is stronger than anything in the world.

The love that that person had for you in your hardest times,
 and the acts of love and generosity that they have given you
  point to a bigger reality that is at work in all of our lives.

And it is this:
 that God is Love,
  and anyone who loves is born of God,
   and you will know that we are followers of Jesus by our love for each other.
   [c.f. 1 John 4 & John 13:35]

So, it isn't really a cliche to tell your Mom that you love her.
 Because in your reciprocal love:
  love for each other,
   you are actually participating in the very life of God Almighty
    who is sacrificial Love itself!

But we also have something else going on this weekend:
 we have (or are about to have) many high school and college graduates
  who are now getting ready to start a whole new chapter of their lives.

And this new part of life is often exciting,
 and confusing,
  and scary,
   and unknown.

But for those of you who have graduates that you know
 or are a graduate yourself,
  know this:
   when it feels like no one else is there for you,
    God's got you.

If you remember nothing else from my sermon this morning,
 know that God's got you
  and will never forsake you.

So, as you start walking this weird road of university,
 or trade school,
  or your first job,
   or traveling and living farther away than you've ever lived before,
    just know that you have a loving Father in Heaven
     who is always there for you.

Because, friends,
 we are all members of the flock of Jesus Christ,
  our Good Shepherd.

And we can rest assured,
 in the words of the great Psalm 23,
  that "the Lord is my Shepherd."
   and "surely [God's] goodness and mercy shall follow [you]
    all the days of [your] life."

Rest in the assurance of divine Love,
 a love that nothing in the world can break,
  a love that will always be near you.

Listen to the voice of your Good Shepherd.
 And go, now, in assurance of that love,
  that will never leave you, nor forsake you.

In the name of the +Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.