St. Peter's April 26, 2026 - Good Shepherd Sunday

Devotional

Day 1: Washed Clothes and White Garments

Jesus took children in His arms, blessing them despite His disciples’ protests. He declared God’s kingdom belongs to such as these—those who come helpless, trusting, with nothing to offer. Later, Lewis received the sign of the cross in baptism, clothed in Christ’s righteousness. The water drowned his old Adam, and the pastor declared, “Jesus has washed your clothes and made them white by His blood.” [25:27]

Baptism isn’t a ritual. It’s death and resurrection. Jesus trades our filthy rags of sin for His spotless garment. He doesn’t wait for us to clean ourselves. He plunges us into His victory, making us heirs before we speak a word.

You wear Christ’s purity today. How might you live differently if you believed your stains are truly gone? Write the name of one shame you’ve carried. Then tear the paper, saying aloud: “Christ’s blood covers this.”

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”
(Romans 6:3–4, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for drowning your shame and clothing you in His righteousness.
Challenge: Write “I am baptized” on your mirror. Say it aloud each time you see it today.

Day 2: The Shepherd Finds the Cast-Out

Pharisees threw the healed blind man out of the synagogue, slamming doors Jesus had opened. But the Good Shepherd pursued him. Jesus asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man worshipped, seeing not just with healed eyes but with faith. Religious gatekeepers failed, but Christ never abandons His sheep. [48:25]

Jesus isn’t a passive shepherd. He fights for you. When others reject, exclude, or condemn, He seeks. The world’s doors may shut, but He remains the true Door—no one can override His welcome.

Who told you you’re unwelcome? Where have you believed lies that you’re too broken, too wrong, too far? Hear Jesus say, “I AM the Door.” Step through Him today. What locked room have you accepted as final?

“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.”
(John 10:9, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to reveal one lie you’ve believed about His rejection.
Challenge: Text someone who feels excluded: “Jesus sees you. He’s at your door.”

Day 3: Thieves Versus the Shepherd’s Voice

Ezekiel condemned false shepherds who starved sheep while gorging themselves. Jesus called Pharisees “thieves” who steal, kill, and destroy. They burdened people with laws but withheld mercy. Yet the true Shepherd’s voice cuts through the noise: “I lay down My life for the sheep.” [50:20]

False shepherds exploit. Jesus sacrifices. He doesn’t demand; He gives. His voice isn’t a whip but a lifeline—calling you by name, leading to green pastures, not dead religion.

Whose voice drains you? What messages leave you weary, guilty, or fearful? Test every voice: Does it align with Christ’s cross? Does it free or enslave? When did you last sit in silence to hear Him?

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd.”
(1 Peter 2:24–25, ESV)

Prayer: Confess one lie you’ve followed instead of Christ’s voice.
Challenge: Delete one app/media source that distracts you from Scripture today.

Day 4: Abundant Life in the Shepherd’s Fold

The early church devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer. They shared everything, ate with joy, and praised God. This wasn’t forced—it flowed from knowing the Shepherd who’d given them life. Abundance isn’t excess; it’s Christ’s presence filling lack. [36:35]

Jesus didn’t die to make you religious. He rose to give you His life—a feast in the wilderness, light in death’s valley. The disciples’ unity wasn’t manufactured; it was the Spirit’s work through surrendered hearts.

What scarcity rules your mind? Time? Money? Love? Jesus says, “I came that they may have life abundantly.” Where can you trade anxiety for trust today? What one thing can you share freely, knowing He provides?

“Day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people.”
(Acts 2:46–47, ESV)

Prayer: Thank Jesus for one specific gift He’s given you this week.
Challenge: Invite someone to share a meal—or a coffee—today.

Day 5: The Gatekeeper Who Kicked Down Death

Jesus didn’t just open the grave’s door—He shattered it. His resurrection guarantees yours. The Shepherd became the Lamb, bleeding to make you His. Now He leads you through death’s shadow into eternal pastures. Baptism seals this: you’ll rise as He did. [55:02]

Satan whispers, “The grave wins.” Jesus declares, “I AM the resurrection.” Every illness, loss, or sin is temporary. Your Shepherd holds eternity.

What “grave” frightens you? Failure? Sickness? Broken relationships? Write it down. Now write over it: “Christ conquered this.” How would hope change your next 24 hours?

“Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
(John 10:7, 9–10, ESV)

Prayer: Ask Jesus to replace one fear with bold hope in His resurrection.
Challenge: Share the story of your baptism (or faith) with one person today.

Sermon Summary

Good Shepherd imagery frames every moment, beginning with baptism as a visible sign that God claims sinners and clothes them in Christ’s righteousness. Baptism receives sinners into the flock, marks them with the cross, and joins them to the life Christ purchased by his blood. Scripture readings connect that new birth to the whole story: Acts portrays the early church devoted to apostolic teaching, fellowship, the supper, and prayer; Peter shows Christ bearing sins so that believers may die to sin and live to righteousness; John 10 insists that Jesus stands as both shepherd and gate, calling his sheep by name and opening the way to pasture and safety.

Prophetic critique in Ezekiel exposes false shepherds who feed themselves while neglecting the flock, and the gospel places Jesus in direct contrast. Jesus claims the titles of David’s promised shepherd and of the true door to eternal life, condemning religious gatekeepers who block access by rules and ranks. The healed blind man’s story illustrates the contrast: the crowd’s leaders exclude, while the shepherd seeks, finds, and restores.

The cross and the empty tomb secure the shepherd’s authority to give abundant life. Death cannot hold the one who died for sin and rose for righteousness, and that victory becomes the basis for baptismal promises, for God’s people to enter not by human merit but through Christ alone. The early church’s devotion models how believers live into that reality: they listen to the apostles’ teaching because it points to Christ, they gather for fellowship because the flock belongs together, they break bread because the table embodies the shepherd’s sacrifice, and they pray because the shepherd sustains the sheep.

The text ends with a sober but hopeful call: if devotion drifts, return. Repentance means turning back toward the shepherd who forgives, feeds, and leads. The shepherd’s care covers ordinary worries and final death alike. The risen Christ opens the gate; his voice calls; his flock follows; abundant life awaits those who enter through him.

Key Takeaways

1. Baptism initiates into Christ's fold Baptism does more than mark identity; it unites the baptized to Christ’s death and resurrection, drowning inherited sin and raising the baptized into newness of life. Sponsors and the congregation share responsibility to nurture that life, keeping the baptized within the church’s instruction, sacraments, and prayer so faith grows toward eternal hope. [25:10]
2. Jesus declares himself shepherd and gate Jesus claims both intimate care and exclusive access: he calls each sheep by name and stands as the only true door to safety and pasture. That claim forces a choice about authority—either follow the shepherd’s voice or submit to human gatekeepers whose rule betrays God’s intent. Recognizing this helps discard trust in religious posture and return to Christ’s personal summons. [51:38]
3. Entrance comes only through Christ The kingdom cannot be climbed into by human merit or rule-keeping; it requires entrance granted through Jesus. Attempts to earn belonging make one a thief and robber of grace because they try to seize a gift that flows only from Christ’s work. That truth roots baptismal life in gift, not achievement, and frees hearts from spiritual bargaining. [52:22]
4. Resurrection secures abundant eternal life Christ’s death removes sin’s penalty and his rising defeats the finality of the grave, so abundant life begins now and culminates in everlasting restoration. This victory reorients hope from temporal comfort to the promised inheritance, reshaping how suffering, loss, and obedience bear meaning. The church’s worship, table, and fellowship flow from this secured future. [55:02]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[12:46] - Announcements and notices
[19:37] - Good Shepherd Sunday and baptism theme
[25:10] - Baptism of Lewis Grant Hackman
[27:01] - Baptismal prayers and welcome
[29:45] - Confession and absolution
[36:35] - Readings from Acts and Psalm 23
[39:43] - Gospel reading John 10
[46:35] - Teaching: context and chapter break
[51:38] - Jesus as shepherd and gatekeeper
[55:02] - Cross, resurrection, and abundant life
[56:56] - Call to devotion and repentance
[63:04] - Prayers for the church and people
[68:08] - Blessing and dismissal

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 10:1-10 (ESV)
“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. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Observation Questions

In John 10, Jesus contrasts himself with “thieves and robbers.” Who do these thieves represent, and how do they harm the flock? ([49:42])
What specific actions does Jesus associate with being the “door” for the sheep (John 10:9)? How does this imagery connect to eternal safety and provision?
The sermon highlights Ezekiel 34’s critique of false shepherds. What failures does God condemn in these leaders, and how does Jesus fulfill what they lacked? ([50:20])
How does the early church in Acts 2 model devotion to Christ through their practices of teaching, fellowship, and prayer? ([36:35])

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus use both the metaphors of “shepherd” and “door” to describe himself? How do these roles work together to protect and provide for his people?
The sermon states, “Baptism unites believers with Christ’s death and resurrection.” How does this union shape a believer’s identity and daily life? ([25:10])
In John 10:10, Jesus promises “abundant life.” What does this abundance include, and how does his resurrection secure it beyond earthly circumstances? ([55:02])
The Pharisees excluded the healed blind man (John 9), while Jesus sought him out. What does this contrast reveal about the difference between human religious systems and Christ’s heart for his sheep? ([48:25])

Application Questions

Jesus calls his sheep by name and says they recognize his voice. What practical steps can you take to grow in familiarity with his voice through Scripture, prayer, or community?
The sermon warns against relying on “human merit or rule-keeping” to earn salvation. Where in your life do you struggle to trust Christ’s grace alone instead of your own efforts? ([52:22])
The early church devoted themselves to teaching, fellowship, and prayer. Which of these practices feels most challenging to prioritize? How could you take one small step this week to grow in that area?
Ezekiel 34 condemns leaders who neglect the weak. How can you actively support or encourage those in your community who feel spiritually “injured” or isolated?
The sermon urges repentance as “turning back to the shepherd.” Is there an area where you’ve drifted from Christ’s voice? What would it look like to return to him today? ([57:58])
Baptism marks believers as part of Christ’s flock. How does remembering your baptism help you face ordinary worries or temptations with hope?
Jesus promises “abundant life” now and eternally. How might this truth reshape your perspective on a current struggle or fear?

Sermon Clips

``But a good shepherd doesn't settle for temporary life. So, Jesus didn't just open the door of the grave. He kicked it down. He obliterated it. He went to the cross. He paid for every single filthy sin of yours and mine that we ever committed. He died your death so that you can have his life and then he rose victoriously so that you can rise from the grave too on the last day. Death has no more hold on anyone. By his wounds, you have been healed and as Saint Peter has told us, he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. [00:54:57] (50 seconds) #VictoryOverDeath

Face the other direction. Your good shepherd is right here for you. He washes you clean again. He forgives you completely. He feeds you with his word and with his supper. He speaks life into your soul. He is devoted to you even when your devotion waivers. He is truly good, truly life, and he is truly for you. Not partly, not sometimes, but always and completely. From the manger to the cross to the empty tomb and into eternity. What a joy good shepherd is. Good shepherd Sunday is. To hear all of this good of our shepherd watching over us, living and dying for us, for the sheep, the lamb has bled for you. Because Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Hallelujah. [00:57:58] (65 seconds) #AlwaysGoodShepherd

You have a chapter 10, my friends. You are not on your own. Even if the world tries to throw you out, the door is wide open through Jesus Christ. Enter, live the abundant life that Jesus died and rose to give to you. In the name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. [00:59:02] (29 seconds) #EnterAbundantLife

If we really knew who he is completely for us, always doing good for us, would we be living the way we do now? Would we keep chasing fulfillment in people or places, ideologies, shifting sands, things that can never satisfy us. Would we worry ourselves sick about stuff? That doesn't ultimately matter while neglecting what does matter. Would we be as devoted to his word, his people, his table, and prayer as those first Christians were. That describes you right now. Well, praise god. Keep on running to the shepherd. But if not, if you're wandering away, weighed down, distracted, or distant, repent, which simply means turn around. [00:57:00] (57 seconds) #TurnBackToTheShepherd

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