God’s grace, peace and mercy be with
you. … God visits us as a shepherd is my theme. My focus is John 10, with an emphasis
on verse 1: “Truly, truly, I say to you,
he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way,
that man is a thief and a robber.”
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, the
psalmist wrote, “I rejoiced when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the
Lord.’”[1]
Now that our feet are within your gates, we rejoice to hear your Word. As we
listen, may your Spirit enlighten our minds and move our hearts to love deeply
as Jesus loved. This we pray to you, Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
"Someone
to Watch Over Me" by George and Ira Gershwin has been
performed by numerous artists since its 1926 debut. It is a ballad and jazz
standard in the Great American Songbook.[2] Its memorable stanza goes:
There's
a somebody I'm longing to see
I
hope that she turns out to be
Someone
to watch over me.
I'm
a little lamb who's lost in a wood.
I
know I could always be good
To
one who'll watch over me.
The sentiments expressed by the Gershwin
Brothers stir our longing for someone to watch over us – little lambs lost in a
wood – especially when we are tempted to sin or enter the sheepfold by another
way. We need a shepherd to protect or correct us. On this Good Shepherd Sunday,
I offer an overview of Biblical Shepherds; explain the meaning and model of
Christian Shepherds; and finally, reflect on how God calls us to shepherd one
another.
First, Biblical Shepherds. Even if we
never met one, we know a shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds or guards
herds of sheep. Like many terms, the word shepherd stems from an amalgam of several
words – sheep herder.
The Good Shepherd illustrates God's care
for His people as we heard in Psalm 23, our morning psalm - The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. …
For millenniums Jews and Christians have taken to heart the words of the
psalmist as a way of saying that in our Judeo-Christian tradition, Shepherd is
a term used for God.
Those God appointed to watch over His
people started out as shepherds. Among God’s great leaders were Biblical
shepherds including Abraham, Moses, David and Amos. They protected and
corrected God’s people, like good Missouri Synod Lutherans who expertly applied
Law and Gospel as needed.
Of course, all Scripture points to
Jesus, who fulfilled the Law, Gospel and prophecy. Jesus is the Good Shepherd
who watches over us. In His earthly and risen life, Jesus is protector and
corrector. Before He ascended into heaven, He appointed others to protect and
correct us. My second point, Christian Shepherds.
In the Gospel of John, Jesus called
Peter to shepherd His sheep.[3] In his First Letter, we
read how Peter called wayward Christians to return to the Shepherd and Overseer
of souls.[4] His letter demonstrated
care and correct teaching for Christians.
Over time, the Church appointed men like
Timothy and Titus to shepherd and oversee multiple congregations. By the end of
the first century, the fluid terms of bishop, priest and deacon achieved fixed
forms to designate certain functions. The Church recognized Timothy and Titus
as bishops because they ordained and disciplined priests and deacons.[5]
Bishop comes from the Greek word,
episkopos, meaning overseer. Today,
not every Christian denomination recognizes the office of bishop in its
structure, however, most recognize those who oversee, protect and correct as
pastors. The term Pastor, the Latin word for shepherd, denotes clergy of most
Christian denominations.
Pastors perform three basic tasks. Remember
this the next time you are standing in line at the airport. Pastors teach,
sanctify and administer – TSA – but we will never search your luggage or take
away your knitting needles. Pastors teach the Faith in Sunday School, inquiry
and confirmation classes, and from the pulpit or over the internet. Pastors
form Christians through correct teaching and correct misinformed Christians and
catechists when, like in First Peter, false teaching appears under the guise of
Christian orthodoxy.
Pastors sanctify – or make holy – when they
lead worship and when Christians gather for any type of prayer. Lastly, pastors
administer the daily business of the church. However successful, every pastor knows
that through the Holy Spirit, Christ continues to oversee and shepherd His
Church.
That brings me to my third point: Christians
Shepherd One Another. Our reading from Acts is a snapshot of the Church immediately
after Pentecost when Peter and the apostles baptized 3,000 people. Today’s
passage illustrates their devotion to teaching, fellowship, communion and
prayer. Think of Peter and the apostles teaching, sanctifying and administering
the church as they tend to the needs of everyone.
Eventually, tending to the needs of
everyone overwhelmed the apostles, and the Church chose men like Stephen to
tend to duties apart from preaching and sanctifying. These were the original
deacons. Today, deacons serve some remote (LCMS) churches, while in most
congregations laymen known as elders are appointed to serve the congregation in
its temporal affairs and assist the pastor in his administrative tasks.
In his book Pastors and Elders, Reverend Timothy Mech, addresses issues that
often arise in congregations.[6] His book answers
frequently asked questions: Who is in charge? What are the expected and allowed
duties of elders? How should pastors and elders work together? How do members
hold elders accountable? How do elders challenge self-absorbed Christians?
The ultimate responsibility of
shepherding the Church, however, falls not to the pastor or the elders, but to the
parents. Parents bear responsibility for teaching their children God's Word so that
the Faith may remain alive and grow.
Godparents, pastors, elders and
catechists assist parents in their duty to shepherd their children. Together,
we ensure that everyone enters the sheepfold by the door and does not climb in some
other way.
This being Mother’s Day and Good
Shepherd Sunday, let me tell you how my mother taught me pastoral theology. Mom
taught me how to pastor by showing me how to grow tomatoes.
Every spring our family planted more
than 100 tomato plants, which sufficiently fed our family of five. When the
weather broke, we tilled the garden for tomatoes and many other vegetables.
We dug holes, planted, fertilized and
watered our plants. Through the summer, we weeded and watered; checked for bugs
and blight and discarded rotten tomatoes.
We harvested tomatoes for salad, sauce
and juice. We buried the discarded skin and seeds which produced a later crop. Since
we were 4-H members, we entered our prize tomatoes in exhibits at local fairs.
Growing tomatoes taught me three
practical necessities about pastoral ministry: nourish, reserve and share.
Parents, pastors, elders and all members need to nourish, reserve and share their
faith.
First, nourish. By exercising our faith
– by attending worship, reading God’s Word, taking Communion, seeking
forgiveness and attending religious education classes – we nourish ourselves.
Second, reserve. 25 years of ministry
taught me there are times when we cannot nourish ourselves adequately. There
will be times when troubles and temptations attack us. … We need a reserve.
There will be times when caring for sick children or frail parents exhaust us.
There will be times when completing projects, cramming for exams or meeting
deadlines consume us. There will be times when we do not have the luxury to
bathe ourselves in God’s Word or enjoy the feast of His banquet. We can only
birdbath and eat on the run. During difficult times, we need that reserved
Mason jar of tomatoes in the pantry. That is why my mother taught us how to can
tomatoes. That is why she taught us to memorize Scripture passages and prayers
because she knew we would someday need a reserve – of spiritual food that God
provides to nourish our bodies and our souls.
Third, share. When God blessed us with
plentiful tomatoes, we shared them with others. We shared tomatoes with
friends, neighbors, pastors and the less fortunate. Mom taught me to practice
charity by sharing God’s abundant blessing with others. How do we share God’s
abundant blessings with others?
Take a moment, look around and notice something
that you have never noticed. Notice who is missing. Who is not here today that
you normally see? Who was here on Easter but has not returned? Who has not been
here for a month, a year? Make a list of names of people you have not seen in
church, and when you go home, call those individuals.
You may be thinking that I am kidding. I
am not. … Do not protest by thinking, “That’s
not my job. That’s my elder’s duty.” … True, it is not your job. True, it
is your elder’s duty. … Sharing with a little lamb who's lost in a wood how God
abundantly blessed you today during this time of worship is not a duty or a
job, it is a privilege, your privilege, my privilege. … Sharing the Gospel of
Jesus Christ risen from the dead for the forgiveness of sins is not a job to be
completed, but a privilege shared by all.
In this liturgy, God nourishes us so
abundantly that we have enough reserved in our spiritual pantry not only for
those times when life tests us and Satan tempts us, but also enough to share
with others.
Lest thieves and robbers enter the
sheepfold and steal souls for Satan, we – pastors, elders, parents and members –
must nourish, reserve and share our faith. Through the power of the Holy
Spirit, God the Father and Christ His Son charge you to watch over one another
as good sheperds, to protect and correct one another.
By teaching me how to grow tomatoes, mom
taught me how to be a good shepherd. She taught me to nourish, reserve and
share. I am sure your mother taught you the same. On Mother’s Day, honor your
mother by sharing the Gospel with others. Share with others how God has blessed
you today and ask them the same. And when you listen to their blessed answer, may
the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds
in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:7). Amen.
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