Shepherding Love

Psalm 23
1 John 3:16-24

If you’ve ever been to Israel or seen pictures, you know that their pastures are not bucolic scenes, but instetad hilly and rocky. The shepherds are not clean little children, but dirty and muscular. Their job is not a jaunt through the meadow or a nap under a tree. Instead, they toil long hours in the hot Mediterranean sun, chasing sheep and keeping them safe from predators and thieves.

Psalm 23 is one frequently memorized by our children, a Psalm that then resurfaces at many funerals. A psalm that guarantees safety for the soul of the deceased and comfort for those left behind to mourn. A good sending off and good care for the living—God walking with us through the valley of the shadow of death.


It’s a Psalm that has much to say about God: as a shepherd, one who is deeply involved and active in our lives: guiding and rescuing, providing food, shelter, comfort, and even rewarding us in front of our enemies—the relentless God who chases after us and hooks us by our necks, dragging us back into the fold.

It all has much to say about us, the human sheep: It’s not the most flattering comparison since sheep are not known to be clever, to say we are dimwitted and dumb, that we are not bright, and that we need a shepherd lest we wander aimlessly away and fall off a cliff or get eaten by wolves. We are in need of someone to guide us, to lead us, to even rescue and redeem us—for someone who can set this all right can fix all our brokenness.


The other evening, a couple of us had an interesting encounter, with a man, who must have taken solace knowing he was speaking to a pastor and a church-goer. The conversation started out simple enough, small-talk mostly, but quickly developed into something more as the man shared about his family and about his three children and the difficulty he had in raising them. He spoke of a son who he hasn’t seen in 17 years, his pain over this lost child, and his fervent hope that God will bring him back like the prodigal son, like the lost sheep. As a human parent, he’s pretty helpless.

Ours is a broken world—there is pain and sadness everywhere for everyone—no one is exempt.


Of course, there are other beautiful Psalms, but this one gets so much more attention: collectively we seem to like this one better. We may like it, because it’s simply God and us. It’s very self-vindicating, just God and me: God feeding me, giving me water, finding a place for me to take a nap, holding my hand, and guiding me safely. Maybe we like it, because we’re isolated, alone with God in the pasture. No other people are present, except for the enemies and they are finally getting to see, once and for all, that God was always on our side no other sheep to compete with: God finally saying, see, I always did like this sheep the best—as we secretly suspected all along. Not so fast.

In the gospel of John: Jesus says: I am the good shepherd: and we find a new layer in the image of God as Shepherd.

The Lord is now not only a shepherd as he guides and protects, but is also a good shepherd because he lays his life down.

In the epistle, we follow this sacrificial concept: and now the individualization of Psalm 23 explodes: because Jesus lays down his life for his sheep, we are to “lay down our lives for one another” to help others as we can—for those who “have” to assist those who “have not.”

We cannot waste this gift of the grace of God—we are not, afterall, alone in the pasture with God, but living in a world full of people, all of whom God loves and longs to include in the divine flock.

The writer of 1 John says “little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” Your words are nothing compared to what you can do.
As a faith community, we are struggling with how to pair our inward spiritual growth with the outward mission of the church, which is to transform the world in Jesus’ name.

Our preschool is but one small way that we can help care for the children in our community: by offering our resources, our building, our church, for a safe, faith-filled preschool experience: to offer hospitality to the children and their families. We are proud to be able to celebrate this ministry this morning.

As Christ offered himself unto death for oursakes, so we must offer ourselves unto death for others. Christ centered his life around other people, on their needs, on their bodies, on their souls, and so we must do the same: focus on the world around us, and we’ll discover that we’re taking care of ourselves in the process

We, who experience the love of God—who abide in God’s love, have a responsibility to the world (to go and do likewise), to not recline in the love of God, to not only concentrate on ourselves and what God is doing for us.
Our task is to believe in Christ and love one another. Love God, love neighbor—what else is there?

While Psalm 23 may be safely insular, John expands that concept

No longer merely a privatized God who is only concerned for our souls, nor a domesticated God who is only concerned for me, not a nationalized God who is only concerned for one group of people.

We have Christ: to show us what it means to be both sheep and shepherd: as both frail human and almighty god.

Jesus is our shepherd who guides and protects us, And the lamb of God symbol of salvation and obedience. Thanks be to God.