The Good Shepherd

Cheryl Gulley

commented on May 2, 2017

This is a great sermon starter. The thoughts, while conveyed by the preacher with his own flock in mind, are easily transferred to my own flock. I think more could have been developed on listening for the voice of the shepherd as a necessity for not only following the right shepherd but listening to the voice of the shepherd as we travel through various pastures (a metaphor for the phases of our life, individually and collectively), which helps us through providing for our needs, including feeding, watering, shelter, and protecting us from danger. Obviously, everything begins and ends with our intimate relationship with The Good Shepherd and our willingness to follow and trust Him. I also think more could be said about the nature of sheep and why they need a shepherd, although comparing humans to sheep may be offensive, particularly to some who like to think they are more enlightened and the masters of their own destiny. Nevertheless, we humans need to understand that we are absolutely dependent upon God, The Good Shepherd, for everything, just as sheep are totally dependent upon a shepherd. For example, sheep are inherently defenseless (no fangs, no claws, no horns, unless you're talking about big horn sheep), and they are innately directionless, aimlessly wondering without guidance, which often leads to dangerous situations like falling off cliffs or drowning in water due to the sheep's heavy wool, which, when wet, becomes even heavier and can lead to drowning. Finally, comparing what Jesus says here about Himself and what King David said about the LORD being his shepherd, would add even more depth to the sermon as we learn not only about our own needs, based upon our created nature, but also the nature of The Lord who is our Good Shepherd. Finally, as a shepherd of a flock, we as pastors need to follow The Good Shepherd, Jesus, and realize that the shepherds crook is still a viable symbol for our own work with our congregation, reaching down with the crook to rescue those sheep who have stayed away into danger and fallen and can't help themselves, and then using the other end of our staff as a weapon to fight for our sheep against Satan, his false prophets, and all the spiritual forces of evil in this world. I see the necessity of learning from The Good Shepherd as our example in order to develop the characteristics and qualities that we need as pastors to properly lead, care for and protect our flock. Thanks for the good thoughts and for the clear exposition and progression of the ideas presented in this sermon.