Shepherds Good And Bad
Children's sermon
Illustration
Preaching
Sermon
Worship
Object:
As this week's material was being prepared and posted, we learned of the distressing bombings in Boston at the finish line of the annual marathon. Our thoughts and prayers are not only with those who have been injured and their families, but for everyone who has been touched in some way, however remote, by these heinous acts. We will deal with the issues raised by this incident more fully next week (after we have had some time to glean more information and to more fully collect our thoughts), but in the context of the "good shepherd" theme for this Fourth Sunday of Easter, it would be worthwhile to be cognizant of how we can all act as shepherds to our fellow citizens. There have already been numerous accounts of people responding to the immediate disaster in front of them yesterday, and in the context of a photo showing some of the various people ripping away security fencing to be able to access some of the injured, one perceptive person noted: All those people -- cops, firemen, emergency tech personnel, construction guys, union personnel, civil servants, other men and women in reflecting yellow vests -- lifting barricades, lifting bodies. It's the commonwealth in the Commonwealth. We are not safe here, but we are not alone. It seems to us here at The Immediate Word that this is also a great analogy for the way that God acts as our Good Shepherd in a dangerous world -- while he can't protect us from absolutely every big bad wolf that's out there ("we are not safe here"), he is always with us and as Psalm 23 so comfortingly tells us "leads us in right paths" ("we are not alone").
This Sunday, colloquially referred to in some quarters as "Good Shepherd Sunday," lifts up the concept of the shepherd/protector. In Jesus' time shepherds were so ubiquitous that everyone knew what characterized an effective shepherd -- they were firm leaders who always had the welfare of every member of their flock in mind, and who never shied away from the dirty work that was necessary to zealously protect their charges from predatory danger... and they were able to accomplish this while managing to keep from spooking the sheep. But as team member Dean Feldmeyer points out in this installment of The Immediate Word, that analogy has little direct meaning for people who may have never seen a shepherd in action. So how can we make it come alive for the people in our pews? Dean suggests that there are plenty of examples we can use from leaders in sports, politics, and other areas of public life -- even religion -- to illustrate the essential qualities that make up a good (and not so good) shepherd.
Team member Mary Austin offers some additional thoughts on this week's gospel text and the Jews who impatiently gather around Jesus demanding confirmation that he is indeed the Messiah. An exasperated Jesus wonders what more he has to do to convince them -- and yet, as Mary notes, often truly revealing ourselves can be a very risky and frightening process... but one we must engage in if we are to follow the voice of our shepherd.
Shepherds Good and Bad
by Dean Feldmeyer
Psalm 23; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30
The deadlines had come and gone for this week's The Immediate Word articles when word came of the bombings at the Boston Marathon. Hustling to find an appropriate theological reflection on that horrible tragedy before the smoke and dust had even begun to settle, we found ourselves nearly overwhelmed with compassion, confusion, grief, and anger. What to think? What to say? Is it too early? Should we take a little time to pray for the dead and injured and try to gather our thoughts? In short, we found ourselves like sheep without a shepherd -- confused and more than a little afraid.
But God, in that infinite wisdom and compassion that is God's alone, sent shepherds to us. Some wore yellow vests or uniforms and rushed into the dust and smoke to give aid and comfort to the victims. Some, still wearing their numbers pinned to their shirts, turned aside from the race and began pulling the injured from the tangled wreckage of the collapsed bleachers. Others, like our president (our shepherd-in-chief) stood before microphones, bringing order to chaos, calmly reassuring jangled nerves, striking the right tone of grief while acknowledging anger, lifting up first responders and those who serve, and firmly stating that the nation will be protected and that those responsible for this heinous act will eventually be identified and brought to justice.
Perhaps by next week we will have enough distance and perspective to speak more clearly on this topic --but for now, it is with this acknowledgement of our need for shepherds and our need to shepherd that we turn to the text at hand.
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A new moral principle is emerging which holds that the only authority deserving one's allegiance is that which is freely and knowingly granted by the led to the leader in response to, and in proportion to, the clearly evident servant stature of the leader. Those who choose to follow this principle will not casually accept the authority of existing institutions. Rather, they will freely respond only to individuals who are chosen as leaders because they are proven and trusted servants. To the extent that this principle prevails in the future, the only truly viable institutions will be those that are predominantly servant-led.
-- Robert K. Greenleaf
THE WORLD
Scripture extols those leaders who lead as a shepherd leads: kindly, gently, and with love. But our culture, with its emphasis on toughness and winning, isn't so sure.
Everyone thought Rutgers University basketball coach Mike Rice was a good shepherd to his players until video surfaced that showed him to be a tyrant and a bully -- hurling basketballs, insults, and homophobic slurs at his players while he kicked, pushed, and slapped them through their practice sessions. Even their stellar winning records couldn't protect legendary coaches Bobby Knight [Indiana University basketball] or Woody Hayes [Ohio State football] when their behavior toward players moved from shepherding to violence and abuse.
On the other side of the aisle, however, we find Pat Summitt, the former coach of women's basketball at the University of Tennessee. Pat had to step down from her position after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's-type dementia. But when she comes back to the gym to watch practice sessions, players still stop to offer welcoming hugs and words of encouragement to their former coach. Her "Pat's Definite Dozen", rules about sports and life, continue to guide her players on and off the basketball floor.
On the other side of the globe, we see examples of national leaders who might have chosen to lead with a soft voice, a loving hand, and a warm heart. But in Syria President Bashar al-Assad has closed his eyes to the will of his people, and when their voices were raised in protest, he ordered the Syrian army to fire upon them. As recently as last week he was accused by Human Rights Watch of ordering Syrian jets to bomb civilian targets.
And in North Korea, where international aid agencies estimate that nearly 2 million people have died in the last decade due to food shortages caused by natural disasters and poor planning, President Kim Jong-Un has chosen to treat his flock with suspicion and oppression. Over 200,000 political prisoners languish in prisons while the president focuses his energy on creating nuclear weapons with which to threaten North Korea's neighbors.
THE WORD
This week, three of the four lectionary passages use the shepherd as a metaphor for Jesus and God. It's often a tough metaphor for contemporary western Christians to get our minds around because our experience of shepherds and shepherding is fairly limited -- but with a little thought and study, the basic concepts can still shine through.
Probably the most popular of the three citations is the 23rd Psalm. The psalmist spends four of the six verses comparing God to a good shepherd. This poet uses the word "want," but in this case he means "need." The good shepherd is the one who takes care of the needs of his/her sheep. The shepherd leads the flock to where the grass is green and the water is calm and safe to drink. The shepherd is equipped and has the necessary tools (rod and staff) for protecting and defending the sheep.
In the Revelation text, John the Revelator uses a play on words to show the reversal in Jesus' roles. He was the Paschal lamb, slain for the salvation of the flock, but now he is the shepherd who leads the flock to not just drinkable water but to the "water of life."
And in John's gospel passage Jesus uses the sheep/shepherd relationship to emphasize the depth of intimacy we are to have in our relationship with him. The saving relationship with Jesus Christ has not so much to do with a perfectly formulated theology and Christology as it does with whether or not we follow him.
A shepherd leads from in front of the flock. The sheep hear the shepherd's voice and they follow. The shepherd knows each member of the flock. The sheep are numbered and named, and they know their master's voice. They follow that voice, knowing that in it is safety and the "right path" that the Psalmist has described.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
The passages at hand call us to be both good sheep and good shepherds.
We are to be those sheep who are so intimately connected to the Shepherd that we know his voice and are not fooled by the voices of those who would lead us astray. We know the difference between the voice of our Lord and the voice of popular culture that tells us that we are valued only according to what we own.
We are called to be those sheep who listen for the voice of the shepherd and for the voices of our flock so we do not stray too far afield.
At the same time, we are called to be good shepherds for those who have been placed in our care: our employees, our students, our children, our friends, and all those with whom we have contact and commerce. When we find ourselves in leadership positions, we are called upon to lead as a shepherd leads: diligently, calmly, gently, lovingly, faithfully.
We might launch this sermon by talking about those shepherds mentioned above (and others) who have failed at being the "good shepherd" that is described in scripture. Or we might share stories of those whom we have known personally who failed in this regard and those who succeeded.
For me it was Chet Flynn, Carlos Gowin, and Jim Shultz, all coaches who knew that their calling was to more than simply the teaching of basketball skills and football strategies. These men knew that they were shepherds and held the awesome responsibility of molding and shaping student-athletes. And it was Libby Smith, my first drama and theater teacher, who gave me a love for the arts. And it was Marvin Feldmeyer, my dad, who taught me that a man could love both sports and the arts.
These shepherds heard their calling and followed it -- sometimes to the green pastures and the still waters, and sometimes through the dark and shadowy place. But it was always as shepherds who knew and accepted their calling and took it seriously.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
John 10:22-30
Who are you anyway?
We've all had that moment of wondering that about a public figure or even a friend or partner. We think we know someone, and then they surprise us with something out of character. Other times, we don't want to believe what's right in front of us.
Recently, conservative Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio voiced his support for gay marriage, a surprise to many of his constituents -- and maybe even to himself. Portman says his change of heart came about because his son Will is gay. As Linda Feldmann writes in the Christian Science Monitor, "For politicians who have a change of heart about gay marriage -- see Obama, Barack -- figuring out how and when to 'come out' is a delicate task. But for the gay teenage child of a prominent Republican politician with national ambitions -- and a record of opposing any expansion of gay rights -- coming out may seem so risky, so emotionally fraught, as to be not worth it." Revealing who we really are can be risky.
Portman was considered as a possible vice-presidential candidate by Mitt Romney -- and he told the Romney campaign that his son was gay, and that he and his wife were supportive of their son. Portman said that he would be open about his son on the campaign trail if he were selected as Romney's running mate. Will (a junior at Yale University) writes about their shared journey: "We had decided that my dad would talk about having a gay son if he were to change his position on marriage equality. It would be the only honest way to explain his change of heart." He adds: "I'm proud of my dad, not necessarily because of where he is now on marriage equality (although I'm pretty psyched about that), but because he's been thoughtful and open-minded in how he's approached the issue, and because he's shown that he's willing to take a political risk in order to take a principled stand. He was a good man before he changed his position, and he's a good man now, just as there are good people on either side of this issue today."
Activist and author Jim Wallis recently announced a similar change of heart on marriage equality. As Sarah Posner of Religion Dispatches writes: "Two years ago this Mother's Day, Sojourners refused to run an ad produced by the group Believe Out Loud, 'a trans-denominational effort to promote LGBT equality in mainline Protestant congregations, focused on Mother's Day to launch its new campaign to invite one million believers to "sign up" for full LGBT equality in our churches and society-at-large.' The reaction from progressive Christians was swift and deafening." Now Wallis has changed his mind. Amusingly, the array of articles about his position had trouble pinning down who he is and descriptions included "evangelical," "conservative," liberal," and "progressive."
Perhaps all of us have surprises in who we are. Feldmann's Christian Science Monitor article notes that "the gay relative of another prominent conservative -- Chief Justice John Roberts -- made news... when the Los Angeles Times reported that Justice Roberts' lesbian cousin would be attending... Supreme Court arguments on gay marriage as his guest. That tells us exactly nothing about how Roberts might ultimately rule on gay marriage, but it does point to a simple fact: that many people have relatives and/or friends who are gay, a fact that can affect one's views of this fast-evolving social issue."
The Easter season stories all reveal who Jesus is.
Now that we're done with the resurrection appearances, the lectionary takes us back to places where Jesus said or showed who he was. Here in John's gospel, people who want to pin Jesus down ask him: "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly" (John 10:24). When pressed to define who he is, Jesus refuses to be limited by a word. He won't claim to be anyone else's idea of a messiah. No words are enough to convey who he is. Jesus points to all that he's done to show who he is.
The question can also be translated as "How long will you continue to vex us?" Or, as Gail O'Day writes in the New Interpreter's Bible, "Even though both the NIV and NRSV translate the phrase as 'keep us in suspense,' there is little evidence of the idiom's use with that meaning in other literature. In modern Greek, the idiom means, 'How long will you continue to annoy us?' and there are ancient examples of that meaning of the idiom as well. Because the idiom is difficult to translate precisely, scholars are divided on whether the question expresses suspense and a genuine desire to have the issue resolved or irritation and hostility. Since the idiom follows on the heels of John 8-9, irritation seems more likely." Not being able to pin down someone's identity to our own satisfaction is always vexing.
In the end, we can't know exactly who Jesus is. It's hard to pin each other down too. As F. Dean Lueking writes in the Christian Century, "We're all given to stereotyping people for purposes of exclusion. But when eyes are fixed on this Good Shepherd who knows that the other sheep are not lost sheep but his sheep, the blinders fall away and the church gets really interesting." None of us are as simple as we seem. Republicans have gay children too. Liberals have conservative views, and conservatives hold liberal opinions.
Who we are is never simple and is always changing, as we follow the risen Lord and continue to become new people. Surprises from our friends... changes of mind and heart from public figures... the elusive Jesus... all remind us to keep our own minds open, and our hearts along with them.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Will Portman isn't the only public figure who revealed something about himself that was quite different from what many had been led to believe -- an American professional athlete recently made news by coming out as a gay man. Soccer player Robbie Rogers, a former member of the U.S. national team who recently completed a couple of years plying his trade in England, suddenly announced his orientation and decision that it was "time to step away" from the game. For Rogers, this was the conclusion to a wrenching process -- he had spent years hiding his true identity from sometimes homophobic teammates and from his conservative Catholic family... and even from himself. As he wrote in his announcement post: "Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently."
An active gay athlete in traditional team sports is still almost non-existent, though there have been rumors that an active NFL player is considering the possibility of coming out and trying to continue his career. For his part, Rogers considered that to be unrealistic in the "macho, macho man" culture of English "football," which he elaborated on this week in his first media appearances since his announcement.
But like with Rob Portman's and Jim Wallis' evolving views, could it also be possible that the landscape is changing and that Rogers might not actually be subject to a vicious environment? Based on the reaction of his former teammates and an informal survey of players in Major League Soccer, it appears that Rogers would very likely be accepted by his peers in American professional soccer.
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From team member Ron Love:
People believe in the Bible, they are just not reading it. A recent report by the American Bible Society said that 77% of Americans think the nation's morality is declining. Of the respondents, 33% believe the moral decline is due to people not reading the Bible. While the average household has 4.4 Bibles, only 26% percent of Americans read the Bible "regularly," defined as four or more times a week. So a quarter of the population reads the Bible regularly, but 80% of the population thinks the book is sacred and 61% confess that they should read it more often.
Application: We are dismayed when we think that the Jews failed to listen to Jesus; but in effect, are we not doing the same as a nation today?
* * *
The Review of Religious Research recently published a report that stated the biggest competition churches have for Sunday morning worship and educational programs is children's sports, as both are simultaneously scheduled for the same time. Churches are adapting to this by offering alternate times of worship -- and they're discovering that the most effective church program to combat this competition is to integrate sports into the church with a sports and fitness program.
Application: It can be hard to hear the voice of the shepherd when the umpire is calling, "Play ball!"
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Inside Higher Education recently published an article by Libby Nelson titled "The Struggling Seminaries". At one time seminaries felt themselves exempt from the economic forces of society, but a sudden indebtedness among most schools has refocused this understanding. There are a number of factors involved, including less denominational support, fewer individual donors, and rising costs. But Nelson writes that "Among the biggest factors causing the crisis: declining interest in attending seminaries." According to the Association for Theological Schools, the medium enrollment for seminaries is 155 students. As seminaries are small institutions, even a small percentage in enrollment decline translates to a major financial crisis.
Application: It will be difficult to supply future leaders for the church if only a few individuals are willing to become shepherds of the flock.
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The evaluation of teachers and the most effective means to do this continues to be a news item. Timothy Daly, the president of The New Teacher Project (TNTP), a national nonprofit organization that consults with school districts and states to improve teacher effectiveness, recently wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Times noting that "A new generation of teacher evaluation systems has emerged since we published our 2009 report The Widget Effect." That report "documented how the old system labeled nearly all teachers 'satisfactory' and encouraged school districts to treat them like interchangeable parts." Daly then called for a change in cultural understanding, realizing that all teachers possess unique skills.
Application: When Peter took Tabitha by the hand, we question why we are unable to do the same. This is because Christians are not a part of the "widget effect." We are all endowed with special spiritual gifts that are not interchangeable. Peter had the gift of healing, which most of us do not share -- but we possess other equally important spiritual gifts.
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The National Academy of Sciences recently published a report that made a distinction between loneliness and social isolation. The report summarized that feeling lonely may not kill you, but social isolation will. In blunt terms the report stated: "Too much time without human contact can kill you." People need contact with others, even if it is a phone call or an e-mail, for encouragement, advance, and belonging. The report underlined the importance of visiting the elderly.
Application: Upon the death of Tabitha, those living in Joppa may have felt social isolation until Peter arrived. It is important for us as Christians to visit those who feel isolated from society.
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From the SermonSuite archives:
"If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly" (John 10:24). Emily Dickinson has a lovely line of poetry that goes "tell the truth but tell it to me slant." The deep truths of human life can never be told plainly. They are glanced at out of the corner of the eye when one sees a homeless child or smells the air full of honeysuckle on a June morning, when one hears Wynton Marsalis play the blues, touches a friend in pain, or tastes fresh lemonade. The strange truth of the mystery of the cross and the resurrection, the sorrow and the healing, the evil and the goodness of our lives: these truths can never be told plainly, only slant.
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In her book The Preaching Life, Barbara Brown Taylor tells of a conversation she had with a friend who grew up on a sheep farm in the Midwest. According to him, sheep are not dumb at all: "It is the cattle ranchers who are responsible for spreading that ugly rumor, and all because sheep do not behave like cows. Cows are herded from the rear by hooting cowboys with cracking whips, but that will not work with sheep at all. Stand behind them making loud noises and all they will do is run around behind you, because they prefer to be led. You push cows, but you lead sheep, and they will not go anywhere that someone else does not go first: their shepherd, who goes ahead of them to show them that everything is all right."
Sheep know their shepherd, and their shepherd knows them.
Her friend went on to say that "it never ceased to amaze him, growing up, that he could walk right through a sleeping flock without disturbing a single one of them, while a stranger could not step foot in the fold without causing pandemonium."
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A local sports reporter who was covering a high school swim meet for the first time kept hearing a high-pitched squeal coming from somewhere in the natatorium during each of the races -- but he couldn't quite figure out from where or from whom it was coming. He assumed it was an excited parent or a proud boyfriend or girlfriend cheering one of the swimmers... but he kept hearing the same noise during every race.
After the meet the reporter was interviewing a young man who had qualified for the state-level competition when he asked: "You don't happen to know whose parents were making that high-pitched squealing noise, do you?"
The young man laughed. "Oh that, no, that's not a parent. That's our coach! She gets real excited when we swim well and she starts to squeal. In fact, it's so loud we can hear her underwater. It's kind of cool because when we hear her, we know we're winning!"
Her sheep listen to her voice; they know her and they follow her.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: God is our shepherd, we shall not want.
People: God makes us lie down in green pastures;
Leader: God leads us beside still waters;
People: God restores our soul. God leads us in right paths.
Leader: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life,
People: and we shall dwell in the house of God our whole life long.
OR
Leader: Listen! For our shepherd calls us.
People: We hear so many voices that confuse us.
Leader: Listen carefully for the voice you know.
People: We hear the voice of Jesus calling!
Leader: Follow that voice and share it with others.
People: We will be true to who we are, members of God's flock.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"There's a Wideness in God's Mercy"
found in:
UMH: 121
H82: 469/470
PH: 298
NCH: 23
CH: 73
LBW: 290
ELA: 587/588
W&P: 61
AMEC: 78
STLT: 213
"The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want"
found in:
UMH: 136
NNBH: 237, 241
CH: 78
LBW: 451
ELA: 778
W&P: 86
AMEC: 208
"The King of Love My Shepherd Is"
found in:
UMH: 138
H82: 645/646
PH: 171
NCH: 248
LBW: 456
ELA: 502
Renew: 10
"Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us"
found in:
UMH: 381
H82: 708
PH: 387
AAHH: 424
NNBH: 54
NCH: 252
CH: 558
LBW: 481
ELA: 789
W&P: 440
AMEC: 379
"Dear Lord and Father of Mankind"
found in:
UMH: 358
H82: 652/653
PH: 345
NCH: 502
CH: 594
LBW: 506
W&P: 470
AMEC: 344
"Lord, Speak to Me"
found in:
UMH: 463
PH: 426
NCH: 531
ELA: 676
W&P: 593
"Draw Us in the Spirit's Tether"
found in:
UMH: 632
PH: 504
NCH: 337
CH: 392
ELA: 470
"Be Still, My Soul"
found in:
UMH: 534
AAHH: 135
NNBH: 263
NCH: 488
CH: 566
W&P: 451
AMEC: 426
"Walk with Me"
found in:
CCB: 88
"Seek Ye First"
found in:
CCB: 76
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is the Good Shepherd: Grant us the grace to follow you gladly and to act as wise shepherds to those around us; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
O God, we come to worship and adore you this day. We offer you our praise, for you are the Good Shepherd. As we praise you and listen for your voice, help us to be faithful members of your flock who look after those around us. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to follow the Good Shepherd.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are sheep who are apt to stray. There are so many things that attract us and lead us away from you and the nourishment that you offer us. We then find ourselves in barren and parched lands. Forgive us and call us back to following you that we may find green pastures and calm waters, and so that we may help others find you as well. Amen.
Leader: God is the Good Shepherd who calls us to a good life. God brings us back to the flock so that we may be fed and so that we may help one another.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
Praise and glory are yours, O God, for you are the Creator and Shepherd of all creation. You are the true and faithful one.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are sheep who are apt to stray. There are so many things that attract us and lead us away from you and the nourishment that you offer us. We then find ourselves in barren and parched lands. Forgive us and call us back to following you that we may find green pastures and calm waters, and so that we may help others find you as well.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you have led your people through the ages and for the ways you lead us now. We thank you for being our Good Shepherd and for giving us good shepherds who have watched over us in love and care.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who have strayed from the flock and find themselves in barren lands. We pray that as you call them and lead them back to you, we may be faithful members of the flock who assist them in finding you.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father ... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children's Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about how the sheep know how to follow the shepherd. First, they listen for his voice and they recognize it. Second, they listen for one another and then they know they are together traveling on the right path. We listen for Jesus' voice and we share together so we can be faithful members of Jesus' flock.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Knowing the Shepherd's Voice
John 10:22-30
Object: a picture of a shepherd and his sheep
Good morning, boys and girls! This is a picture (hold up picture) of a shepherd and his flock. The shepherd's job is to take care of all the sheep. He leads them to good water. He shows them where to find food. He keeps them away from danger. If the sheep get lost, he will help them find their way home.
A good shepherd will speak to his sheep so that they recognize his voice. How many of you have pets? Do your animals know the sound of your voice? Do you know the voices of the people who love you and take care of you? Of course you do. You recognize the voices of the people who will keep you safe.
Jesus said that those who love him will listen to his voice. They will know where he is and what he wants them to do. Just like sheep that follow the shepherd's voice when they get lost, people who love Jesus will listen for him when they get into trouble.
It isn't always easy to hear God's voice, and it does take some practice. The best way to learn what his voice sounds like is to spend time talking with him. Pray and tell him the things that are on your mind. Then listen. Be very quiet and see if you can hear what God is saying back to you. Keep on trying if you don't think you can hear him. He is speaking to you all the time, but it takes some work to learn to hear him. Once you know what he sounds like, though, you will always recognize the shepherd when he speaks to you.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us know the sound of your voice. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, April 21, 2013, issue.
Copyright 2013 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
This Sunday, colloquially referred to in some quarters as "Good Shepherd Sunday," lifts up the concept of the shepherd/protector. In Jesus' time shepherds were so ubiquitous that everyone knew what characterized an effective shepherd -- they were firm leaders who always had the welfare of every member of their flock in mind, and who never shied away from the dirty work that was necessary to zealously protect their charges from predatory danger... and they were able to accomplish this while managing to keep from spooking the sheep. But as team member Dean Feldmeyer points out in this installment of The Immediate Word, that analogy has little direct meaning for people who may have never seen a shepherd in action. So how can we make it come alive for the people in our pews? Dean suggests that there are plenty of examples we can use from leaders in sports, politics, and other areas of public life -- even religion -- to illustrate the essential qualities that make up a good (and not so good) shepherd.
Team member Mary Austin offers some additional thoughts on this week's gospel text and the Jews who impatiently gather around Jesus demanding confirmation that he is indeed the Messiah. An exasperated Jesus wonders what more he has to do to convince them -- and yet, as Mary notes, often truly revealing ourselves can be a very risky and frightening process... but one we must engage in if we are to follow the voice of our shepherd.
Shepherds Good and Bad
by Dean Feldmeyer
Psalm 23; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30
The deadlines had come and gone for this week's The Immediate Word articles when word came of the bombings at the Boston Marathon. Hustling to find an appropriate theological reflection on that horrible tragedy before the smoke and dust had even begun to settle, we found ourselves nearly overwhelmed with compassion, confusion, grief, and anger. What to think? What to say? Is it too early? Should we take a little time to pray for the dead and injured and try to gather our thoughts? In short, we found ourselves like sheep without a shepherd -- confused and more than a little afraid.
But God, in that infinite wisdom and compassion that is God's alone, sent shepherds to us. Some wore yellow vests or uniforms and rushed into the dust and smoke to give aid and comfort to the victims. Some, still wearing their numbers pinned to their shirts, turned aside from the race and began pulling the injured from the tangled wreckage of the collapsed bleachers. Others, like our president (our shepherd-in-chief) stood before microphones, bringing order to chaos, calmly reassuring jangled nerves, striking the right tone of grief while acknowledging anger, lifting up first responders and those who serve, and firmly stating that the nation will be protected and that those responsible for this heinous act will eventually be identified and brought to justice.
Perhaps by next week we will have enough distance and perspective to speak more clearly on this topic --but for now, it is with this acknowledgement of our need for shepherds and our need to shepherd that we turn to the text at hand.
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A new moral principle is emerging which holds that the only authority deserving one's allegiance is that which is freely and knowingly granted by the led to the leader in response to, and in proportion to, the clearly evident servant stature of the leader. Those who choose to follow this principle will not casually accept the authority of existing institutions. Rather, they will freely respond only to individuals who are chosen as leaders because they are proven and trusted servants. To the extent that this principle prevails in the future, the only truly viable institutions will be those that are predominantly servant-led.
-- Robert K. Greenleaf
THE WORLD
Scripture extols those leaders who lead as a shepherd leads: kindly, gently, and with love. But our culture, with its emphasis on toughness and winning, isn't so sure.
Everyone thought Rutgers University basketball coach Mike Rice was a good shepherd to his players until video surfaced that showed him to be a tyrant and a bully -- hurling basketballs, insults, and homophobic slurs at his players while he kicked, pushed, and slapped them through their practice sessions. Even their stellar winning records couldn't protect legendary coaches Bobby Knight [Indiana University basketball] or Woody Hayes [Ohio State football] when their behavior toward players moved from shepherding to violence and abuse.
On the other side of the aisle, however, we find Pat Summitt, the former coach of women's basketball at the University of Tennessee. Pat had to step down from her position after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's-type dementia. But when she comes back to the gym to watch practice sessions, players still stop to offer welcoming hugs and words of encouragement to their former coach. Her "Pat's Definite Dozen", rules about sports and life, continue to guide her players on and off the basketball floor.
On the other side of the globe, we see examples of national leaders who might have chosen to lead with a soft voice, a loving hand, and a warm heart. But in Syria President Bashar al-Assad has closed his eyes to the will of his people, and when their voices were raised in protest, he ordered the Syrian army to fire upon them. As recently as last week he was accused by Human Rights Watch of ordering Syrian jets to bomb civilian targets.
And in North Korea, where international aid agencies estimate that nearly 2 million people have died in the last decade due to food shortages caused by natural disasters and poor planning, President Kim Jong-Un has chosen to treat his flock with suspicion and oppression. Over 200,000 political prisoners languish in prisons while the president focuses his energy on creating nuclear weapons with which to threaten North Korea's neighbors.
THE WORD
This week, three of the four lectionary passages use the shepherd as a metaphor for Jesus and God. It's often a tough metaphor for contemporary western Christians to get our minds around because our experience of shepherds and shepherding is fairly limited -- but with a little thought and study, the basic concepts can still shine through.
Probably the most popular of the three citations is the 23rd Psalm. The psalmist spends four of the six verses comparing God to a good shepherd. This poet uses the word "want," but in this case he means "need." The good shepherd is the one who takes care of the needs of his/her sheep. The shepherd leads the flock to where the grass is green and the water is calm and safe to drink. The shepherd is equipped and has the necessary tools (rod and staff) for protecting and defending the sheep.
In the Revelation text, John the Revelator uses a play on words to show the reversal in Jesus' roles. He was the Paschal lamb, slain for the salvation of the flock, but now he is the shepherd who leads the flock to not just drinkable water but to the "water of life."
And in John's gospel passage Jesus uses the sheep/shepherd relationship to emphasize the depth of intimacy we are to have in our relationship with him. The saving relationship with Jesus Christ has not so much to do with a perfectly formulated theology and Christology as it does with whether or not we follow him.
A shepherd leads from in front of the flock. The sheep hear the shepherd's voice and they follow. The shepherd knows each member of the flock. The sheep are numbered and named, and they know their master's voice. They follow that voice, knowing that in it is safety and the "right path" that the Psalmist has described.
CRAFTING THE SERMON
The passages at hand call us to be both good sheep and good shepherds.
We are to be those sheep who are so intimately connected to the Shepherd that we know his voice and are not fooled by the voices of those who would lead us astray. We know the difference between the voice of our Lord and the voice of popular culture that tells us that we are valued only according to what we own.
We are called to be those sheep who listen for the voice of the shepherd and for the voices of our flock so we do not stray too far afield.
At the same time, we are called to be good shepherds for those who have been placed in our care: our employees, our students, our children, our friends, and all those with whom we have contact and commerce. When we find ourselves in leadership positions, we are called upon to lead as a shepherd leads: diligently, calmly, gently, lovingly, faithfully.
We might launch this sermon by talking about those shepherds mentioned above (and others) who have failed at being the "good shepherd" that is described in scripture. Or we might share stories of those whom we have known personally who failed in this regard and those who succeeded.
For me it was Chet Flynn, Carlos Gowin, and Jim Shultz, all coaches who knew that their calling was to more than simply the teaching of basketball skills and football strategies. These men knew that they were shepherds and held the awesome responsibility of molding and shaping student-athletes. And it was Libby Smith, my first drama and theater teacher, who gave me a love for the arts. And it was Marvin Feldmeyer, my dad, who taught me that a man could love both sports and the arts.
These shepherds heard their calling and followed it -- sometimes to the green pastures and the still waters, and sometimes through the dark and shadowy place. But it was always as shepherds who knew and accepted their calling and took it seriously.
SECOND THOUGHTS
by Mary Austin
John 10:22-30
Who are you anyway?
We've all had that moment of wondering that about a public figure or even a friend or partner. We think we know someone, and then they surprise us with something out of character. Other times, we don't want to believe what's right in front of us.
Recently, conservative Republican Senator Rob Portman of Ohio voiced his support for gay marriage, a surprise to many of his constituents -- and maybe even to himself. Portman says his change of heart came about because his son Will is gay. As Linda Feldmann writes in the Christian Science Monitor, "For politicians who have a change of heart about gay marriage -- see Obama, Barack -- figuring out how and when to 'come out' is a delicate task. But for the gay teenage child of a prominent Republican politician with national ambitions -- and a record of opposing any expansion of gay rights -- coming out may seem so risky, so emotionally fraught, as to be not worth it." Revealing who we really are can be risky.
Portman was considered as a possible vice-presidential candidate by Mitt Romney -- and he told the Romney campaign that his son was gay, and that he and his wife were supportive of their son. Portman said that he would be open about his son on the campaign trail if he were selected as Romney's running mate. Will (a junior at Yale University) writes about their shared journey: "We had decided that my dad would talk about having a gay son if he were to change his position on marriage equality. It would be the only honest way to explain his change of heart." He adds: "I'm proud of my dad, not necessarily because of where he is now on marriage equality (although I'm pretty psyched about that), but because he's been thoughtful and open-minded in how he's approached the issue, and because he's shown that he's willing to take a political risk in order to take a principled stand. He was a good man before he changed his position, and he's a good man now, just as there are good people on either side of this issue today."
Activist and author Jim Wallis recently announced a similar change of heart on marriage equality. As Sarah Posner of Religion Dispatches writes: "Two years ago this Mother's Day, Sojourners refused to run an ad produced by the group Believe Out Loud, 'a trans-denominational effort to promote LGBT equality in mainline Protestant congregations, focused on Mother's Day to launch its new campaign to invite one million believers to "sign up" for full LGBT equality in our churches and society-at-large.' The reaction from progressive Christians was swift and deafening." Now Wallis has changed his mind. Amusingly, the array of articles about his position had trouble pinning down who he is and descriptions included "evangelical," "conservative," liberal," and "progressive."
Perhaps all of us have surprises in who we are. Feldmann's Christian Science Monitor article notes that "the gay relative of another prominent conservative -- Chief Justice John Roberts -- made news... when the Los Angeles Times reported that Justice Roberts' lesbian cousin would be attending... Supreme Court arguments on gay marriage as his guest. That tells us exactly nothing about how Roberts might ultimately rule on gay marriage, but it does point to a simple fact: that many people have relatives and/or friends who are gay, a fact that can affect one's views of this fast-evolving social issue."
The Easter season stories all reveal who Jesus is.
Now that we're done with the resurrection appearances, the lectionary takes us back to places where Jesus said or showed who he was. Here in John's gospel, people who want to pin Jesus down ask him: "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly" (John 10:24). When pressed to define who he is, Jesus refuses to be limited by a word. He won't claim to be anyone else's idea of a messiah. No words are enough to convey who he is. Jesus points to all that he's done to show who he is.
The question can also be translated as "How long will you continue to vex us?" Or, as Gail O'Day writes in the New Interpreter's Bible, "Even though both the NIV and NRSV translate the phrase as 'keep us in suspense,' there is little evidence of the idiom's use with that meaning in other literature. In modern Greek, the idiom means, 'How long will you continue to annoy us?' and there are ancient examples of that meaning of the idiom as well. Because the idiom is difficult to translate precisely, scholars are divided on whether the question expresses suspense and a genuine desire to have the issue resolved or irritation and hostility. Since the idiom follows on the heels of John 8-9, irritation seems more likely." Not being able to pin down someone's identity to our own satisfaction is always vexing.
In the end, we can't know exactly who Jesus is. It's hard to pin each other down too. As F. Dean Lueking writes in the Christian Century, "We're all given to stereotyping people for purposes of exclusion. But when eyes are fixed on this Good Shepherd who knows that the other sheep are not lost sheep but his sheep, the blinders fall away and the church gets really interesting." None of us are as simple as we seem. Republicans have gay children too. Liberals have conservative views, and conservatives hold liberal opinions.
Who we are is never simple and is always changing, as we follow the risen Lord and continue to become new people. Surprises from our friends... changes of mind and heart from public figures... the elusive Jesus... all remind us to keep our own minds open, and our hearts along with them.
ILLUSTRATIONS
Will Portman isn't the only public figure who revealed something about himself that was quite different from what many had been led to believe -- an American professional athlete recently made news by coming out as a gay man. Soccer player Robbie Rogers, a former member of the U.S. national team who recently completed a couple of years plying his trade in England, suddenly announced his orientation and decision that it was "time to step away" from the game. For Rogers, this was the conclusion to a wrenching process -- he had spent years hiding his true identity from sometimes homophobic teammates and from his conservative Catholic family... and even from himself. As he wrote in his announcement post: "Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently."
An active gay athlete in traditional team sports is still almost non-existent, though there have been rumors that an active NFL player is considering the possibility of coming out and trying to continue his career. For his part, Rogers considered that to be unrealistic in the "macho, macho man" culture of English "football," which he elaborated on this week in his first media appearances since his announcement.
But like with Rob Portman's and Jim Wallis' evolving views, could it also be possible that the landscape is changing and that Rogers might not actually be subject to a vicious environment? Based on the reaction of his former teammates and an informal survey of players in Major League Soccer, it appears that Rogers would very likely be accepted by his peers in American professional soccer.
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From team member Ron Love:
People believe in the Bible, they are just not reading it. A recent report by the American Bible Society said that 77% of Americans think the nation's morality is declining. Of the respondents, 33% believe the moral decline is due to people not reading the Bible. While the average household has 4.4 Bibles, only 26% percent of Americans read the Bible "regularly," defined as four or more times a week. So a quarter of the population reads the Bible regularly, but 80% of the population thinks the book is sacred and 61% confess that they should read it more often.
Application: We are dismayed when we think that the Jews failed to listen to Jesus; but in effect, are we not doing the same as a nation today?
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The Review of Religious Research recently published a report that stated the biggest competition churches have for Sunday morning worship and educational programs is children's sports, as both are simultaneously scheduled for the same time. Churches are adapting to this by offering alternate times of worship -- and they're discovering that the most effective church program to combat this competition is to integrate sports into the church with a sports and fitness program.
Application: It can be hard to hear the voice of the shepherd when the umpire is calling, "Play ball!"
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Inside Higher Education recently published an article by Libby Nelson titled "The Struggling Seminaries". At one time seminaries felt themselves exempt from the economic forces of society, but a sudden indebtedness among most schools has refocused this understanding. There are a number of factors involved, including less denominational support, fewer individual donors, and rising costs. But Nelson writes that "Among the biggest factors causing the crisis: declining interest in attending seminaries." According to the Association for Theological Schools, the medium enrollment for seminaries is 155 students. As seminaries are small institutions, even a small percentage in enrollment decline translates to a major financial crisis.
Application: It will be difficult to supply future leaders for the church if only a few individuals are willing to become shepherds of the flock.
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The evaluation of teachers and the most effective means to do this continues to be a news item. Timothy Daly, the president of The New Teacher Project (TNTP), a national nonprofit organization that consults with school districts and states to improve teacher effectiveness, recently wrote a letter to the editor of the New York Times noting that "A new generation of teacher evaluation systems has emerged since we published our 2009 report The Widget Effect." That report "documented how the old system labeled nearly all teachers 'satisfactory' and encouraged school districts to treat them like interchangeable parts." Daly then called for a change in cultural understanding, realizing that all teachers possess unique skills.
Application: When Peter took Tabitha by the hand, we question why we are unable to do the same. This is because Christians are not a part of the "widget effect." We are all endowed with special spiritual gifts that are not interchangeable. Peter had the gift of healing, which most of us do not share -- but we possess other equally important spiritual gifts.
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The National Academy of Sciences recently published a report that made a distinction between loneliness and social isolation. The report summarized that feeling lonely may not kill you, but social isolation will. In blunt terms the report stated: "Too much time without human contact can kill you." People need contact with others, even if it is a phone call or an e-mail, for encouragement, advance, and belonging. The report underlined the importance of visiting the elderly.
Application: Upon the death of Tabitha, those living in Joppa may have felt social isolation until Peter arrived. It is important for us as Christians to visit those who feel isolated from society.
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From the SermonSuite archives:
"If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly" (John 10:24). Emily Dickinson has a lovely line of poetry that goes "tell the truth but tell it to me slant." The deep truths of human life can never be told plainly. They are glanced at out of the corner of the eye when one sees a homeless child or smells the air full of honeysuckle on a June morning, when one hears Wynton Marsalis play the blues, touches a friend in pain, or tastes fresh lemonade. The strange truth of the mystery of the cross and the resurrection, the sorrow and the healing, the evil and the goodness of our lives: these truths can never be told plainly, only slant.
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In her book The Preaching Life, Barbara Brown Taylor tells of a conversation she had with a friend who grew up on a sheep farm in the Midwest. According to him, sheep are not dumb at all: "It is the cattle ranchers who are responsible for spreading that ugly rumor, and all because sheep do not behave like cows. Cows are herded from the rear by hooting cowboys with cracking whips, but that will not work with sheep at all. Stand behind them making loud noises and all they will do is run around behind you, because they prefer to be led. You push cows, but you lead sheep, and they will not go anywhere that someone else does not go first: their shepherd, who goes ahead of them to show them that everything is all right."
Sheep know their shepherd, and their shepherd knows them.
Her friend went on to say that "it never ceased to amaze him, growing up, that he could walk right through a sleeping flock without disturbing a single one of them, while a stranger could not step foot in the fold without causing pandemonium."
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A local sports reporter who was covering a high school swim meet for the first time kept hearing a high-pitched squeal coming from somewhere in the natatorium during each of the races -- but he couldn't quite figure out from where or from whom it was coming. He assumed it was an excited parent or a proud boyfriend or girlfriend cheering one of the swimmers... but he kept hearing the same noise during every race.
After the meet the reporter was interviewing a young man who had qualified for the state-level competition when he asked: "You don't happen to know whose parents were making that high-pitched squealing noise, do you?"
The young man laughed. "Oh that, no, that's not a parent. That's our coach! She gets real excited when we swim well and she starts to squeal. In fact, it's so loud we can hear her underwater. It's kind of cool because when we hear her, we know we're winning!"
Her sheep listen to her voice; they know her and they follow her.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
by George Reed
Call to Worship
Leader: God is our shepherd, we shall not want.
People: God makes us lie down in green pastures;
Leader: God leads us beside still waters;
People: God restores our soul. God leads us in right paths.
Leader: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life,
People: and we shall dwell in the house of God our whole life long.
OR
Leader: Listen! For our shepherd calls us.
People: We hear so many voices that confuse us.
Leader: Listen carefully for the voice you know.
People: We hear the voice of Jesus calling!
Leader: Follow that voice and share it with others.
People: We will be true to who we are, members of God's flock.
Hymns and Sacred Songs
"There's a Wideness in God's Mercy"
found in:
UMH: 121
H82: 469/470
PH: 298
NCH: 23
CH: 73
LBW: 290
ELA: 587/588
W&P: 61
AMEC: 78
STLT: 213
"The Lord's My Shepherd, I'll Not Want"
found in:
UMH: 136
NNBH: 237, 241
CH: 78
LBW: 451
ELA: 778
W&P: 86
AMEC: 208
"The King of Love My Shepherd Is"
found in:
UMH: 138
H82: 645/646
PH: 171
NCH: 248
LBW: 456
ELA: 502
Renew: 10
"Savior, Like a Shepherd Lead Us"
found in:
UMH: 381
H82: 708
PH: 387
AAHH: 424
NNBH: 54
NCH: 252
CH: 558
LBW: 481
ELA: 789
W&P: 440
AMEC: 379
"Dear Lord and Father of Mankind"
found in:
UMH: 358
H82: 652/653
PH: 345
NCH: 502
CH: 594
LBW: 506
W&P: 470
AMEC: 344
"Lord, Speak to Me"
found in:
UMH: 463
PH: 426
NCH: 531
ELA: 676
W&P: 593
"Draw Us in the Spirit's Tether"
found in:
UMH: 632
PH: 504
NCH: 337
CH: 392
ELA: 470
"Be Still, My Soul"
found in:
UMH: 534
AAHH: 135
NNBH: 263
NCH: 488
CH: 566
W&P: 451
AMEC: 426
"Walk with Me"
found in:
CCB: 88
"Seek Ye First"
found in:
CCB: 76
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982 (The Episcopal Church)
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African-American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELA: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Prayer for the Day / Collect
O God who is the Good Shepherd: Grant us the grace to follow you gladly and to act as wise shepherds to those around us; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
O God, we come to worship and adore you this day. We offer you our praise, for you are the Good Shepherd. As we praise you and listen for your voice, help us to be faithful members of your flock who look after those around us. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
Leader: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially our failure to follow the Good Shepherd.
People: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are sheep who are apt to stray. There are so many things that attract us and lead us away from you and the nourishment that you offer us. We then find ourselves in barren and parched lands. Forgive us and call us back to following you that we may find green pastures and calm waters, and so that we may help others find you as well. Amen.
Leader: God is the Good Shepherd who calls us to a good life. God brings us back to the flock so that we may be fed and so that we may help one another.
Prayers of the People (and the Lord's Prayer)
Praise and glory are yours, O God, for you are the Creator and Shepherd of all creation. You are the true and faithful one.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. We are sheep who are apt to stray. There are so many things that attract us and lead us away from you and the nourishment that you offer us. We then find ourselves in barren and parched lands. Forgive us and call us back to following you that we may find green pastures and calm waters, and so that we may help others find you as well.
We give you thanks for all the ways in which you have led your people through the ages and for the ways you lead us now. We thank you for being our Good Shepherd and for giving us good shepherds who have watched over us in love and care.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for those who have strayed from the flock and find themselves in barren lands. We pray that as you call them and lead them back to you, we may be faithful members of the flock who assist them in finding you.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray together, saying:
Our Father ... Amen.
(or if the Lord's Prayer is not used at this point in the service)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children's Sermon Starter
Talk to the children about how the sheep know how to follow the shepherd. First, they listen for his voice and they recognize it. Second, they listen for one another and then they know they are together traveling on the right path. We listen for Jesus' voice and we share together so we can be faithful members of Jesus' flock.
CHILDREN'S SERMON
Knowing the Shepherd's Voice
John 10:22-30
Object: a picture of a shepherd and his sheep
Good morning, boys and girls! This is a picture (hold up picture) of a shepherd and his flock. The shepherd's job is to take care of all the sheep. He leads them to good water. He shows them where to find food. He keeps them away from danger. If the sheep get lost, he will help them find their way home.
A good shepherd will speak to his sheep so that they recognize his voice. How many of you have pets? Do your animals know the sound of your voice? Do you know the voices of the people who love you and take care of you? Of course you do. You recognize the voices of the people who will keep you safe.
Jesus said that those who love him will listen to his voice. They will know where he is and what he wants them to do. Just like sheep that follow the shepherd's voice when they get lost, people who love Jesus will listen for him when they get into trouble.
It isn't always easy to hear God's voice, and it does take some practice. The best way to learn what his voice sounds like is to spend time talking with him. Pray and tell him the things that are on your mind. Then listen. Be very quiet and see if you can hear what God is saying back to you. Keep on trying if you don't think you can hear him. He is speaking to you all the time, but it takes some work to learn to hear him. Once you know what he sounds like, though, you will always recognize the shepherd when he speaks to you.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, help us know the sound of your voice. Amen.
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The Immediate Word, April 21, 2013, issue.
Copyright 2013 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
