“The Resurrected Jesus Is Our Good Shepherd”
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
In the name of the Father and of the X resurrected Son and of the
Holy Spirit. [Amen.]
Dear fellow lambs of the Good Shepherd, grace, mercy, and peace to
you from God our Father, and from our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
[Amen.]
“The Lord’s my Shepherd, I’ll not want;
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green; He leadeth me
The quiet waters by.”
(Lutheran Service Book, © 2006 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
710:1)
Gospel Reading..................................................... St. John
10:11-18 (Esp. 11a & 14a)
11a[Jesus said:] “I am the good shepherd. 14aI am the good shepherd.
Prologue: Today [is / was] a joyful occasion in the life of our
[congregation / neighbor congregation, St. Peter’s Lutheran Church]. In
[just a few minutes / their divine service] Ian Joseph Jolley [will confirm
/ confirmed] his baptismal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and
[will be / was] invited to partake of Christ’s body and blood in Holy
Communion for the certain assurance of the forgiveness of his sins, his
salvation, and his eternal life as well as the preservation and
strengthening of that faith the Holy Spirit planted in his heart when he was
baptized. It’s important for us to remember that confirmation is not a
sacrament. Rather, it’s “a public rite of the church preceded by a period
of instruction designed to help baptized Christians identify with the life
and mission of the Christian community.” As such, “The rite of confirmation
provides an opportunity for the individual Christian, relying on God’s
promise given in Holy Baptism, to make a personal public confession of the
faith and a lifelong pledge of fidelity to Christ.” (Lutheran’s Small
Catechism with Explanation. Copyright © 1986, 1991 Concordia Publishing
House, St. Louis, MO. Pages 244f.) At the same time, it’s important for us
to remember our responsibility to Ian (as well as to each other, for that
matter), namely (as stated in the old 1943 catechism book from which many of
us here today prepared for our confirmation): “On the day of confirmation
the congregation should pray for the catechumens that they may grow in
grace, be steadfast in the profession of their faith, become fruitful in
every good work, and in the end receive the crown of life.” (A Short
Explanation of Dr. Martin Luther’s Small Catechism: a handbook of Christian
doctrine. Copyright © 1943 by Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO.
Page 206.)
Today is also a significant liturgical occasion within the 50 days
and seven Sundays of our ongoing Easter celebration. Although not
“officially” designated as such, it has become nicknamed: “Good Shepherd
Sunday.” That nickname comes from today’s Gospel Reading, which emphasized
that …
“The Resurrected Jesus Is Our Good Shepherd.”
That “Good Shepherd” is none other than He about whom King David
wrote in today’s Introit: “The Lord [Yahweh, the covenant God who revealed
Himself in the person and work of Jesus, therefore, Jesus Himself] is my
shepherd; I shall not want. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all
the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
(Ps 23:1, 6 ESV) The apostle Peter underscored that message about Jesus
being the “Good Shepherd” when in today’s Epistle Reading Saint Luke
recorded the following: “As they [Peter and John] were speaking to the
people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came
upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and
proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. Then Peter, filled
with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‘… let it be known to all of you and to
all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom
you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing
before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the
builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no
one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which
we must be saved.’” (Acts 4:1-2, 8, 10-12 ESV) And that brings us to the
first point our Gospel Reading made about a Good Shepherd, namely, …
I. The Quality Qualification Is To Be Self-Sacrificial. (11b-13)
11bThe good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12He who is a hired
hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming
and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters
them. 13He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the
sheep.
In his devotion entitled “The Extent of Jesus’ Love” Reverend
Rudolph F. Norden wrote: “Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He is truly and
lovingly concerned for His sheep. He cared so much that He laid down His
life for our salvation. He emphatically declared that He had not come into
the world to deprive people of their life, liberty, or happiness, but to
give them life. To that end He, the Good Shepherd, met the ultimate test of
love: He gave up His life for us on [Calvary’s] cross, and this at a time
when we were still His enemies. Then, on the third day, that great Shepherd
of the sheep rose again from the dead, taking up again the life He had
voluntarily laid down. Because He lives, we too live, now and forever. Now
goodness and mercy will follow us all the days of our life, for Jesus was
[and still is and forever will be] … the Good Shepherd.” (Rudolph F. Norden
in Each Day with Jesus: Daily Devotions through the year. Copyright © 1994
Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, MO. Page 269.)
But why, why did Jesus do that for us sinful human beings who
daily disobediently rebel against our Creator-God? Hear again what we
confessed a few minutes ago about our depraved sinfulness: “… we confess
that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in
thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left
undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our
neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal
punishment.” (Lutheran Service Book. Page 151.) You see, our sinful
brokenness definitely does not merit God’s mercy and grace. Quite the
opposite! It merits damnation to the unquenchable fires of hell … forever!
So why did Jesus self-sacrificially atone for our sins? He did so
because He alone possessed the quality qualification of self-denying love
for us and perfect obedience of the Father whereby He took our sins and the
sins of all people of all time upon Himself, and bore them and the
death-separation from God that we deserve in our place. In exchange for our
sins the Father gives us His good and perfect gifts of forgiveness,
salvation, and eternal life. He not only forgives us but also renews us and
leads us so that we may delight in Him and walk in His ways to the glory of
His holy name. And, in fact, …
II. The Good Shepherd Knows and Is Known By His Sheep. (14b-18)
14bI know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I
know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16And I have other
sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will
listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this
reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up
again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I
have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again.
This charge I have received from my Father.”
The identifying names our parents gave us at our birth are
generally how we are known throughout our earthly lives. In much the same
way, the identifying name, “Saint,” that God gave us at our Baptism is how
He knows us not only throughout our earthly lives but into and throughout
eternity as well. We in turn know Jesus as our “Good Shepherd,” who, like
an earthly shepherd does for his sheep, cares for us, is always with us,
protects us, guides and directs us, and leads us to safe eating and drinking
places.
Of course, the best and most beneficial of all eating and drinking
places is His altar where we eat and drink His body and blood hidden in the
consecrated bread and wine—unleavened bread and actual wine because they are
the elements Jesus used when He instituted the blessed sacrament of Holy
Communion and using any substitutes for such opens the door of doubt about
whether or not we have the true sacrament. And just like we would rarely,
if ever, skip a daily meal for the welfare of our physical bodies, so also
it’s important that we not refuse the feeding of our spiritual souls
whenever the Holy Supper is offered.
As we frequently and faithfully partake of that blessed meal, we
do so knowing and riveting our attention on Jesus, whose body and blood we
receive from Him who focuses His loving attention on us, Him whom we know by
His holy name and who knows us as children of His and our heavenly Father.
After all, today’s Epistle Reading informed us: “By this we know love, that
he laid down his life for us … . Little children, let us not love in word
or talk but in deed and in truth. And this is his commandment, that we
believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he
has commanded us.” (1 John 3:16a, 18, 23 ESV) As we strive to love one
another “in deed and in truth,” let’s daily dine on God’s Holy Word by
reading, marking, studying, learning, and taking it to heart; let’s remember
our Baptism every morning when we rise to a new day and even throughout the
course of each day; and let’s acknowledge with gratitude and praise almighty
God’s declaration of Holy Absolution.
So, as Ian [will soon come forward to confirm / confirmed] his
baptismal faith in Jesus Christ and [be invited to partake / partook] of the
Good Shepherd’s true body and blood in Holy Communion, let’s do so together
ever remembering, focusing on, and never forgetting that …
“tHE rESURRECTED jESUS iS oUR gOOD sHEPHERD.”
In so doing, may we ever continually rejoice over the truth that He not only
embodied but also exemplified the fact that …
I. The Quality Qualification Is To Be Self-Sacrificial (11b-13)
Because of such, we continue to joyfully celebrate what the Easter Gradual
declares, namely, “Christ has risen from the dead. [God the Father] has
crowned him with glory and honor.” (St Matt 28:7; Heb 2:7)
In addition, let’s bask in the comfort, reassurance, and encouragement that
are ours when we realize that …
II. The Good Shepherd Knows and Is Known By His Sheep (14b-18) In
Spirit-guided response may we always keep in our hearts and on our minds the
words of today’s Collect: “Grant us Your Holy Spirit that when we hear the
voice of our Shepherd we may know Him who calls us each by name and follow
where He leads.”
God grant it all for the sake of the risen Jesus Christ, His
humble Son, our holy Savior. [Amen.]
In the name of the Father and of the X resurrected Son and of the
Holy Spirit. [Amen.]
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