The Lord Is My Shepherd

A sermon preached by the Rev. Roger Scott Powers at Light Street Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, on Sunday, April 29, 2007

Psalm 23; Revelation 7:9-17; John 10:22-30

"The Lord is my shepherd." So begins the twenty-third psalm, probably the most memorized passage in the Bible after the Lord's Prayer. We find the words comforting in times of distress, which is why, I suppose, it is so often included in funeral and memorial services. The twenty-third psalm speaks metaphorically of the relationship between God and God's people being like that of a shepherd and his sheep. God nurtures us and gives us sustenance, just as the shepherd provides green pastures and still waters to sustain his sheep. God knows each of us as a shepherd knows each of his sheep. God guides us as a shepherd guides his flock. God offers us care and support in a threatening world, as a shepherd watches over his sheep endangered by wolves and thieves. God is our shepherd and we are the sheep of God's pasture.

The other two scripture readings for this morning use the same metaphor to refer to Jesus and his followers. The passage from Revelation offers us a vision of Jesus as the Lamb seated upon God's throne, surrounded by a multitude of worshipers. These worshipers will no longer be hungry or thirsty, nor will they be left to languish under the hot sun, because Jesus, the Lamb, will also serve as their shepherd. He will provide for them and watch over them. "He will guide them to springs of water of life, and God will wipe every tear from their eyes." Similarly, in the gospel of John, Jesus speaks of his followers as his sheep: "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me."

Sheep and goats were the most important animals in Palestine. They provided milk and meat for food, and hides for clothing. Their horns could be used as containers for oil or musical instruments. Sheep were also a source of wool, which could be spun and woven into fabric. They were, and are, valuable animals.

But sheep also require a great deal of supervision. They need to be led to green pastures where they can graze on the vegetation. They need to be guided to fresh water that is still, where they will not be in danger of falling in and being swept away. Sheep become lost easily, so they need to be watched, lest they stray and get separated from the flock. They are also defenseless animals so they need to be protected from predators.

That's why sheep need a shepherd. Most of the shepherd's work each day consists of leading the sheep to food and water and then, before nightfall, returning them to the safety of the fold, a walled enclosure made of fieldstone or brush. As the sheep return to the fold, the shepherd counts them. And if any are missing, it is the shepherd's responsibility to find and rescue them. If any get sick or injured, the shepherd cares for them.

A shepherd carries very little with him: a heavy cloak to protect him from the elements, a staff to control the movement of the flock, a rod and a sling shot to defend against predators, a bag for food, and perhaps a reed flute to calm the sheep and help pass the time.

It was a rugged life. Sometimes the search for pasture and water could take a shepherd and his flock far from home. He had to exist on simple food. He had to deal with harsh weather. He might have to seek shelter for himself and his flock in a cave. And he had to be alert to the danger of wild animals (lions, bears, and wolves).

Sheep are mentioned in the Bible more than 500 times. And many important figures in the Bible tended sheep at one time or another: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jacob's sons, Moses, and David. So it should be no surprise that the metaphor of shepherd and sheep would be used to describe the relationship between God and God's people, and between Jesus and Jesus' followers.

Today, however, the imagery is problematic. Our twenty-first century, urban lives are far removed from the practice of shepherding, so the metaphor does not resonate with us in the same way that it must have for first-century Palestinian Christians. Indeed, for us the metaphor has taken on negative connotations. To describe someone as a sheep in this day and age is to insult them. We think of sheep as submissive. Sheep are those who follow the crowd without question. Sheep don't have minds of their own. Sheep expect someone else to take care of them. We don't want to think of ourselves as sheep.

And yet, as much as we don't want to admit it, we are dependent upon God much as sheep are dependent upon their shepherd. All that we have comes from God and is sustained by God. We did not make the earth. God did! We did not bring forth life from the earth. God did! God is the Creator and Sustainer. We are merely creatures.

And like sheep, we get lost easily. In spite of having minds of our own, or maybe because we have minds of our own, we easily go astray and get into trouble. That's why we need a savior. That's why we need Jesus to seek us out and save us when we are lost. We need Jesus to lead us back to the right path.

Jesus says: "My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me." To be a Christian is to listen for the voice of Jesus, to hear it, and to follow where it leads. Where do we find Jesus' voice? In the Bible. His words are preserved for us in the gospels. That is where we must go to hear Jesus' voice.

Once we hear Jesus' voice, we are called to follow it. Jesus is our guide. He is the Good Shepherd.

Many people feel like they have to believe the right things first before they can follow Jesus. They get hung up on Christian doctrine. They struggle intellectually with Jesus' miracles, his resurrection, and whether he was divine or not. But they never have the experience of actually following Jesus.

I would suggest to you that it is not necessary to believe in all the right things before following Jesus. Jesus doesn't say, "hear my voice and believe in what I say." Jesus says, "Hear my voice and follow me." Don't get stuck on having the right beliefs. Christianity is something to be lived into. Follow Jesus and belief will come. It is by living out Jesus' teachings that we grow in faith. It is by following in his footsteps that we come to believe. He is our shepherd and we are the sheep of his pasture.

Amen.