I Am The Good Shepherd
A Sermon for the Second Sunday After Easter
Based Upon John 10:11-16
April 6, AD 2008
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He knows you. And you know Him. You
know Him as the One Who owns you, for He created you in your Mother’s
womb through the seed of your Father, and blessed you with His gift of
life.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He knows you. And you know Him. You
know Him as the One Who guided you safely through your birth by the
caring hands of birth care providers, and blessed you with His gift of
life in this world.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He knows you. And you know Him. You
know Him as the One Who provides you with pasture, first at your
parents’ table and later at your own table, feeding you the food that
nourishes and strengthens your body for all the days of your life.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He knows you. And you know Him. You
know Him as the One Who provides you with clothing for your body, at
the first first when your parents bundled you up in love and now by
your dressing of yourself in the wrap that covers you in modesty,
protects you from the weather, and displays to the world the blessing
of such clothing that The Lord Himself provides to you throughout your
life.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He knows you. And you know Him. You
know Him as the One Who provides you with shelter, first within your
family’s household and later providing you with one of your own, which
protects you from the heat and the cold, keeps you safe from wild
beasts and wild men, and gives you a place that you can call your home
throughout the days of your life.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He knows you. And you know Him. You
know Him as the One Who teaches you through your parents and your
teachers to understand the universe He has created and to recognize
your place in it, as a sheep living among goats. He teaches you how to
serve both those in your own sheepfold and all who are outside of it,
with your skills and your intellect, your body and your mind, working
love toward your family members, your friends, the stranger--all of the
many people whom God Himself brings into your life.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He knows you. And you know Him. You
know Him as the One Who owns you, His lamb, for He created you by the
gracious work of Your Heavenly Father through the seed of His Word by
the power of The Holy Spirit in the womb of Mother Church, and blessed
you with His gift of everlasting life.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and he knows you. And you know Him. You
know Him as the One Who led you to the quiet waters of Baptism at the
hand of your shepherd, your pastor, graciously and gently washing your
wool in those grace-filled waters to remove the stain of your sin, and
giving you the gift of eternal life.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and he knows you. And you know Him. You
know Him as the One Who comes to rescue you when you wander away from
Him, calling you gently back into His fold, that you might enjoy the
life He has in store for you--life under God’s blessing now, and life
with God forever.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He knows you. And you know Him. You
know Him as the One Who has the Voice Who speaks to you, “I forgive you
all of your sins,” and by His gracious proclamation to you all of your
sins are forgiven, and to you new life is given--even life in the world
to come.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and He knows you. And you know Him. You
know Him as the One Who guides you by the rod of His Law and the staff
of His Gospel, prodding you and pointing the way for you along the
paths of righteousness--His righteousness--for the sake of His Saving
Name. He provides the only way to God--He is The Way--for it is solely
by faith in The One Whose Name is Jesus that we are guided safely
through the valley of sin and death sin not unto evil, but unto life
everlasting.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and he knows you. And you know Him. You
know Him as the One Who makes you kneel down at at His altar so that He
may feed you with the very Flesh and Blood of the Lamb of God, Who
takes away the sin of the world and your sin, and becomes one with your
flesh and blood, strengthening you for your walk through this life into
eternal life.
“I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and he knows you. And you know Him. You
know Him as the One Who goes before you, beckoning you onward by the
Word of invitation that He speaks to you, and in whose wake follows
goodness and mercy. That goodness and mercy of His shall follow
you--even pursue you--to further encourage you to follow the Shepherd
all the days of your life, that you--even you--may dwell in the house
of the Lord forever.
For truly He says, “I am the good shepherd.”
Amen.
The Reverend Jeffrey A. Ahonen
Deacon, Salem Lutheran Church, Malone, Texas
Mission Pastor, Saint Henry Lutheran Mission, Montreal, Wisconsin
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
www.sainthenry.info
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