The Good Shepherd: Voice, Gate, and Abundant Life

Second, we're like the herding dog. In a sense, we're all the church together. And without all of us keeping accountability and loving care and kindness for one another, we continue to live in a space that can be reckless and harmful. To be like a herding dog is to care for one another and to keep us all on a safe trek to the one true shepherd. And third, we are like the shepherd. As we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ, may we be like Christ in our living and in our walk with others, looking after one another, sharing God's voice, calling one another into the fold that is not exclusive, but welcoming with true grace and care for everyone. [00:44:09] (64 seconds)  #HerdingTogether

I think we can leave here tonight as a combination of all three, and here's what I think. First, we are like the sheep, frolicking around aimlessly without a care in the world, maybe even reckless running away, and getting into situations of harm. Maybe we are in need of a shepherd, the good shepherd, Jesus, who awaits for us as the gatekeeper and the gate, the gatekeeper to slow us down and to look over all that we are to bring healing, and the gate to bring us in and guard over us, to care for us, to welcome, and keep us safe. [00:43:09] (60 seconds)  #FindTheGoodShepherd

Then Jesus goes on in the passage to say that he is the gate itself. There's two things about this. First, like what I just mentioned above, after all the sheep were in the fold, after the gatekeeper had the little thing down and they were going through, the shepherd then would literally become the gate, placing himself and the shepherd shepherd's hook across the opening of the fold to keep the sheep in and to keep the harm away. Meaning that if anything were on its way into the fold to cause harm, the shepherd, the literal gate, would know something's up. [00:36:22] (53 seconds)  #ShepherdIsTheGate

But scripture also tells us this, the gate and the gatekeeper never stray away from welcoming all stray sheep into the safety of the fold. It isn't exclusive. It is a welcoming place, a welcoming space. Our cultural gatekeeping is not. This gatekeeping in the name of Christ is welcome to all. God's grace, God's safety, God's care, God's shepherding is for all. [00:37:57] (48 seconds)  #WelcomeToTheFold

So as we go forth tonight, just a few things to remember, I think, from the scripture is one that Jesus is calling us. Be mindful of that. Jesus cares for you. And secondly, as the hands and feet of Christ, you can and could be used to call others. Who knows the actions and the ways that we interact with others, how Jesus will speak through us, calling others home. So let's be that. Let's do that. [00:54:45] (35 seconds)  #BeTheCall

Second, when the shepherd and the sheep may have been way out in the fields somewhere or on the mountainside and out in the pastures and they knew they may not make it all the way back home in order to call it a night, they would find these caves that probably would have been known to them that these are where we can set set up camp up for for the night, and it'd be okay for us. And in those unfamiliar though places, the shepherd would do the same thing, the literal gate to stop all harm from intruding upon the fold of the sheep. [00:37:15] (42 seconds)  #SafePastures

In The Middle East, sheep and goats learn their shepherd's voice so well that they will not respond to a stranger. Folks describe shepherds calling in these strange, almost musical like sounds, unique to them and and to the flock, and they will respond to this sound. When one shepherd called the sheep that has the bell around its neck runs to the leader, and when the leader moved and then the whole herd would follow in behind. [00:39:09] (47 seconds)  #KnowTheShepherdsVoice

So why did he why did the shepherd do this? It was so that he could care for the sheep. Specifically, this allowed the patient, caring, kind, and loving shepherd to inspect and look over the animal and see is there any injury, any hurt, any pain that needs to be taken care of? Otherwise, if he wasn't doing that, they would all just kind of merge together and he wouldn't be able to see each single one. [00:35:46] (35 seconds)  #TendEverySheep