What images do you have...
Illustration
Object:
What images do you have of a shepherd and a flock? Does the shepherd stand in front of the flock, leading the sheep? Does the shepherd stand behind the flock, prodding the sheep down a path? Or does the shepherd stand in the very midst of the flock, looking over each lamb, tending to ewes due to give birth, and healing the rough sores on the ram’s back? What sort of shepherd do you picture? What sort of shepherd do you need? Jesus looked out on the congregation by the seaside and had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He saw that these people needed a shepherd willing to move among them with tender care for the wounds the world had given. They needed a shepherd who knew what it was like to be one of them, for he stood in the very midst of the flock, the human family. Do we need any less? God, rich in mercy, has sent us a shepherd who brings us together as a community of God’s people. We are redeemed and cared for by the Savior who has come into our midst to give us life.
