“The LORD is my shepherd.” “I am the Good Shepherd.” “I am Jesus’ little lamb, Ever glad at heart I am.” Generations of believers have loved those kinds of descriptions of God’s love for them and of their relationship to God through faith in Jesus. Shepherd and sheep. Sheep and shepherd. Through hymns like the three we have already sung in our service this morning, and through favorite Bible passages like Psalm 23, Christians have returned again and again to the thought of how Jesus is their compassionate shepherd, and they are his dearly loved sheep and lambs.
In no way doubting or challenging the truth that Jesus is the Good Shepherd what would you say to someone who asked you, “Well, how exactly does Jesus serve as your Good Shepherd? Explain to me what that looks like in your day-to-day life.” Of course we could point to Jesus’ attributes. The Bible tells us he is omnipotent—that is almighty. There are many Scripture passages where Christ is revealed as omnipresent—that is present everywhere. We know Jesus is omniscient—that means he knows all things. And finally, our Savior has been given all authority in heaven and on earth by God the Father. He rules all things in heaven and on earth for our eternal good. Those would all be great points to make. And our Good Shepherd has demonstrated his great love for us by living and dying in our place!
But still, someone might ask, “Okay, I understand what you are saying. But, how exactly does Jesus provide compassionate care for you?” Let’s think about how we might answer that question. First, we might point out how Jesus speaks to our hearts through his Word. As he said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” His promises give us hope, courage, and strength. He also comes to us in a personal way in the Lord’s Supper to strengthen us with his own body and blood, assuring us of the forgiveness of our sins. We also know from the Bible that our Good Shepherd has thousands and thousands of angels that he sends to protect his sheep and lambs. And last, but not least, as we have heard in all three of our Bible readings for this Sunday, our Shepherd sends people as spiritual shepherds into our lives.
Under the theme “Meaningful Ministry” we are focusing on very specific ways that Jesus provides compassionate care through others. During our sermon together let’s focus more closely on how Jesus does this and what he wants to accomplish among us. May the Holy Spirit work in us a deeper understanding of how our Good Shepherd provides compassionate care for us. We are going to direct our attention to our Second Reading from Hebrews 13. The message that I want you to take with you in your head and in your heart today is this:
“RECEIVE YOUR COMPASSIONATE SHEPHERD’S CARE”
I. Through the shepherds he sends to you
II. For the life of service he calls you to
Perhaps you recall that the Hebrews were Jews who had become followers of Christ. Reading this letter, we get a feeling for what they were going through as sheep of the Good Shepherd. It seems that these former Jews were under pressure to give up their newfound faith in Jesus as the Messiah. Now why would they even think about rejecting Jesus as the Christ? First of all, because of their belief that Jesus was the Promised Savior they would have been disowned by their fellow Jews. This might be similar to the way some groups “shun” those who were once members but have left the group. In addition to that rough reality, they were also suffering and being persecuted for being Christians at the hands of the Romans.
To encourage the Hebrews to remain faithful to Jesus the author of this letter made several strong points. He used the facts about Jesus and the Old Testament prophecies to prove once again that Jesus was the Promised Savior. He had given his life as the ransom price to set them free from their sins. And in spite of what they were experiencing he was living and reigning as the Lord of heaven and earth. To prevent these “Hebrews” from throwing away their confidence, the Holy Spirit directed them to cling to the promises God had made and to wait patiently for God to fulfill his promises. Then in the closing chapters of this Letter to the Hebrews the author gave his readers some final encouragement to remain faithful to Jesus.
I.
One key, closing thought that the author wanted the Hebrews to have in mind was that Jesus would care for them through flesh and blood shepherds. They would be spiritual leaders who brought God’s Word into their lives. We would call them “pastors” I suppose. “7 Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Although Jesus had ascended into heaven and was ruling all things for the good of his church, he would use human messengers to speak and model his Word for his followers.
You have probably heard that last Sunday afternoon one of our sister congregations—Hope Lutheran Church in Irmo, SC—installed their new pastor. He’s fresh out of our seminary! (I’ve met him already and I know I’ll have to up my pastor game so that he doesn’t make me look bad.) If you have been to an ordination and installation of a pastor, you know that all of the pastors who attend each speak a Bible passage to bless him and encourage him. As you might expect these Scriptures are mostly about what pastors do. Let me share a couple of examples. In the Book of Acts 20:28 the Apostle Paul instructed the “pastors” at Ephesus to, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” Or as the Apostle Paul would say to the a younger pastor named Timothy, “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” (2 Timothy 4:2) In then in his letter to Pastor Titus, “These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.” (Titus 2:15) All of these verses describe the compassionate Shepherd’s care that he gives through the shepherds he sends to you. I encourage you to receive that care from them.
Speaking of young pastors, I want to share a story with you from over 30 years ago when I was enrolled at our seminary. During the summer after my first year, I served two of our WELS churches in Upper Michigan. One church was in Iron Mountain, and one was in Houghton. I assisted with their ministries for about 6 weeks at each church. At the church in Houghton there was an elderly couple of Finnish descent. Art and Betty Matilla spoke with a strong accent (both “Youpper” and “Finnish.”) Every Sunday, on their way out of church Art would shake my hand and say, “Jesus spoke through you today. I know you were the pulpit but Jesus was talking.” All at the same time that truth is scary, and amazing, and comforting. The Good Shepherd was giving compassionate care to a small group of Christians through a young shepherd. As we look at the Bible it becomes clear that although it isn’t the only way it is one important way that Jesus’ does his work as the shepherd of his people.
Our reading about “Meaningful Ministry” continues with this thought. “17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.” Two thoughts jump out at us in these verses. We are to have confidence in the shepherds Jesus sends to us. We are to respect their authority and help them do their work. And Jesus sends us shepherds to benefit and bless us. Of course, submitting to the authority of the spiritual shepherds in our lives doesn’t mean we can’t disagree with our pastor. It doesn’t mean that pastors have the last word on everything at the church. So, what does this mean for us? It really comes down to what the pastors are sent to bring to God’s people—that is the Word of God. God’s people “defer” to them when it comes to preaching and teaching of the Bible. Support your shepherds. Encourage them. Be eager to hear the Word of God. Take care of as many things at your congregation as you can to help your pastors stay focused on their most important task—sharing God’s Word with you.
Two related reasons are given for this call for the congregation’s obedience to its spiritual leaders. On the one hand, since the pastors are responsible to God for the souls of their members, they will have to “give account” for them to God on Judgment Day. And they exercise pastoral care for their members as “they keep watch” over them. They don’t keep the members of the congregation under surveillance by spying on them to ensure that they stay in line. The picture here is of a soldier on sentry duty who stands on guard for a sleeping army or a night watchman who guards a building.
But is that how we view pastors and how we treat them? At times perhaps we take a more negative or sarcastice view of preachers. Do any of these thoughts from a list called the “perfect pastor” hit home with us. “The perfect pastor preaches exactly 20 minutes (or less!) and then sits down. / He condemns sin, but never steps on anybody’s toes. / He works from 7 in the morning until midnight every day of the week doing everything from preaching sermons to cleaning the church. / He is 30 years old and has been preaching for 40 years. / He is tall on the short side, heavy-set in a thin sort of way, and handsome. / He has eyes of blue, or green, or brown, (to fit the occasion) and wears his hair parted in the middle - left side, dark and straight, right side, brown and wavy. / He has a burning desire to work with the youth, and spends all his time taking care of the elderly. / He smiles all the time while keeping a straight face, because he has a keen sense of humor that finds him seriously dedicated. That list may make us laugh but it also makes us think about how we view the spiritual shepherds our Savior sends to us.
That leads us to what the author of Hebrews asked of his readers. “Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. 19 I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.” Yes, pray for us! Pray for me. Pray for Pastor Quinn. Pray for all of the shepherds Jesus sends to you. Uplift us in prayer. Ask that courage, strength, and wisdom be given to us. Ask your Good Shepherd to continue to give you his compassionate care through them.
II.
The next logical question that we might ask about our compassionate shepherd’s care is regarding the goal of ministry. What does Jesus want to work in you and through you by sending shepherds to you? The author of The Letter to the Hebrews gives us several goals for Gospel ministry. Of course, perhaps it goes without saying, that it is through the ministry—through the use of the Means of Grace (Word & Sacraments) that God the Holy Spirit creates and sustains faith in person’s heart. But let’s listen closely to the closing verses of our Second Reading. Here we are given one of the intended results of receiving our compassionate shepherd’s care. He gives you that care to equip and empower you for the life of service he calls you to live.
“Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” In addition to keeping us strong in the faith and on the straight and narrow path to heaven, Jesus sends us shepherds to equip us with everything we need to do God’s will and to work in us what he wants us to have.
By the end of this summer y’all are probably going to grow tired of me talking about our “Three for All” stewardship effort. At our “back to church Sunday” in August we are going to ask every member of our two congregations to make a commitment to participate in at least one opportunity in three areas of our lives as followers of Christ. One area is spiritual growth. The second is service. The third is fellowship. As I said we are calling it our “three for all.” Now, why are we doing this? These are some of the essential elements of the Christ life. We want each person to commit to one or more efforts at spiritual growth, fellowship, and service. Pastor Quinn and I and the leaders and both of our congregations are putting together lists of opportunities under all three categories.
Related to this let me give you a Scripture passage to consider and then a couple of examples of how you can participate. We are told in Peter’s Second Letter, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18) Of course, we’ll have our Sunday morning Bible class and Sunday school. We have midweek Bible study and Bible Information Classes. We are hoping to add some small group Bible studies as well. Over at Summerville it looks like we’ll be adding Christ Light for Adults where the adults will have the opportunity to study the same Bible Lesson that the young people will have. Of course, there will be questions and applications suited for adults. And what about service to others? In Galatians the Apostle Paul encouraged us to “…serve one another humbly in love.” (Galatians 5:13) The list is long of opportunities to serve your brothers and sisters in Christ. We need people to staff the nursery, provide and serve refreshments, and clean the church. Ushers…greeters…and on and on the list goes. And finally in the area of fellowship you’ll have many opportunities to choose from. Another verse from the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us of this. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” How are we doing in our public and private fellowship with one another? Have we forgiven our past conflicts with others, or are we still bearing grudges? Maybe somebody disagreed with you about some plans that we were making as a congregation. It’s time to renew our fellowship. We are going to spend eternity together in heaven we might as well start getting along now, don’t you think? Christian fellowship goes beyond having coffee and donuts and talking about the weather or football. It is encouraging one another in the faith. It is showing concern and compassion for your brothers and sisters in the faith. With that approach we will be living the life of service we are called to live.
Shepherd and sheep. Sheep and Shepherd. We love that image and what it means for us. Let me leave you with the words of a familiar hymn to remind us of our compassionate shepherd’s care. “I am Jesus' little lamb, Ever glad at heart I am; For my Shepherd gently guides me, Knows my need and well provides me, Loves me ev’ry day the same, Even calls me by my name. // Day by day, at home, away, Jesus is my staff and stay. When I hunger, Jesus feeds me, Into pleasant pastures leads me; When I thirst, He bids me go Where the quiet waters flow. // Who so happy as I am, Even now the Shepherd's lamb? And when my short life is ended, By His angel host attended, He shall fold me to His breast, There within His arms to rest.” And with that reminder let’s ask our Savior to continue to care for us. Let’s receive our compassionate shepherd’s care. Through the shepherds he sends to us. For the life service he calls us to. Amen.
