Readings: Ezekiel 34:11-16; 1 Peter 2:21-25; John 10:11-16
In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Our Lord is the Good Shepherd because He lays down His life for His sheep. That’s not what shepherds do. Sheep lay down their lives for shepherds. Shepherds don’t die for sheep. Sheep die for shepherds. Shepherds live off of sheep. They fleece them and eat them. Our Lord is a crazy Shepherd. Crazy good.
In the name of the Father and of the +Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Our Lord is the Good Shepherd because He lays down His life for His sheep. That’s not what shepherds do. Sheep lay down their lives for shepherds. Shepherds don’t die for sheep. Sheep die for shepherds. Shepherds live off of sheep. They fleece them and eat them. Our Lord is a crazy Shepherd. Crazy good.
His sheep know Him. They follow Him. They know His voice (John 10:3-4). They listen to His voice. It gets inside of them and they are known by Him. Known by Him just as He is known by His Father and His Father knows Him.
Think on that. The holy Triune God is one, yet exists in three persons, with unbroken fellowship and unity. The intimacy and love between those three persons can not be fathomed on earth. It is beyond the oneness of husband and wife, or any other unity that can be known here below. Jesus is known full well by His Father. He is loved completely by His Father. In joy He does His Father’s will and reconciles His Father’s lost children to Him. And His Father loves Him. There is no sin, no blindness, no barrier, or impediment that keeps Him from knowing, seeing, and understanding His Father. They are one.
Just as He is known by His Father and His Father knows Him, so you who are His sheep are also known by Him and know Him (John 10:14-15). For by His resurrection and through His ascension to the right hand of His Father to fill heaven and earth (Jeremiah 23:24) He now lives in you!
Think on that. The holy Triune God is one, yet exists in three persons, with unbroken fellowship and unity. The intimacy and love between those three persons can not be fathomed on earth. It is beyond the oneness of husband and wife, or any other unity that can be known here below. Jesus is known full well by His Father. He is loved completely by His Father. In joy He does His Father’s will and reconciles His Father’s lost children to Him. And His Father loves Him. There is no sin, no blindness, no barrier, or impediment that keeps Him from knowing, seeing, and understanding His Father. They are one.
Just as He is known by His Father and His Father knows Him, so you who are His sheep are also known by Him and know Him (John 10:14-15). For by His resurrection and through His ascension to the right hand of His Father to fill heaven and earth (Jeremiah 23:24) He now lives in you!
He who has taken on our flesh—flesh which is material and thus limited by the laws of physics—nonetheless at the Father’s right hand now exercises His full authority as God. He has authority and power to break the laws of physics. Therefore, He who shares our flesh also exists in all points of universe. For heaven and earth are full of His glory (Isaiah 6:3)- He is everywhere (Jeremiah 23:23-24; Psalm 139:7-12). All of creation is sustained by Him, the Word (Hebrews 1:1-4), by which all things were created (John 1:3; Hebrews 1:2). God is omnipresent—present in all places. Which means our Lord is now present everywhere with His body and blood everywhere. It makes sense, even though it breaks the laws of science, because He’s the God who created those laws. Of course He can break them when it comes to saving those who are His own and giving them that salvation.
Thus, being present everywhere is it surprising that He designates a way and a place where you can find Him (Isaiah 55:6) who is present everywhere but hidden? (1 Peter 1:8; 1 John 4:12; 1 Timothy 6:15-16) He is found with His body and blood specifically where believers gather in His name around bread and wine and His word of institution! (Matthew 26:26-28) Is it surprising that through His body and blood He takes up residence in you? That in Holy Baptism you become a temple of Holy Spirit? (Acts 2:38; Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20) That through His Supper you are inhabited by He who took on our flesh? For heaven and earth full of His glory. Of course, in His grace and mercy, He comes to fill you who are so much more precious to Him than all of creation.
Thus, you are known by Him as He is known by His Father. There is a mystical union between you and He—and through Him between you and all believers in Christ. He has other sheep who will yet listen to His voice, who will yet know His voice, and given repentance and faith by that voice will follow it. Thus they will be joined to us becoming one flock, under one shepherd. One Church in a mystical, unexplained, miraculous union with our Shepherd. Knowing Him, and known by Him.
Thus, being present everywhere is it surprising that He designates a way and a place where you can find Him (Isaiah 55:6) who is present everywhere but hidden? (1 Peter 1:8; 1 John 4:12; 1 Timothy 6:15-16) He is found with His body and blood specifically where believers gather in His name around bread and wine and His word of institution! (Matthew 26:26-28) Is it surprising that through His body and blood He takes up residence in you? That in Holy Baptism you become a temple of Holy Spirit? (Acts 2:38; Titus 3:5; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20) That through His Supper you are inhabited by He who took on our flesh? For heaven and earth full of His glory. Of course, in His grace and mercy, He comes to fill you who are so much more precious to Him than all of creation.
Thus, you are known by Him as He is known by His Father. There is a mystical union between you and He—and through Him between you and all believers in Christ. He has other sheep who will yet listen to His voice, who will yet know His voice, and given repentance and faith by that voice will follow it. Thus they will be joined to us becoming one flock, under one shepherd. One Church in a mystical, unexplained, miraculous union with our Shepherd. Knowing Him, and known by Him.
All this through His voice. So what is this voice? If you were to hear the actual sound waves coming out of our Lord’s own throat, the tenor, timbre, and tone of His voice, would you recognize it? No. He is the "Good" Shepherd because He died for you. That word of His goodness is His voice by which your risen Shepherd leads you. The resurrection is His voice. He laid down His life for the sheep. He took up His life again to be our Good Shepherd shepherding us all our days unto the green pastures and quiet waters of His heavenly sheepfold.
Our Good Shepherd laid down His life to save His sheep. He fought off the wolf with His Shepherd’s rod of wood. He guides and directs you now gently pulling you to safety with His shepherd’s staff of wood. Therefore His rod and staff comfort me. For on those two pieces of wood He became truly good by dying for you; carrying your sins to that wood and suffering for them so that you are reconciled to His Father. No sin keeps you from Him. For your sins have been buried deep in the wounds of Christ on the cross. His Father is merciful to you binding up your wounds by His wounds, cleansing them with His blood. (1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:5) This word about His wounds for your sake heals you, calls you, knows you, protects you, guides you, feeds you, for it is His voice by which you know Him.
This Word comforts you in suffering. It leaves a pattern of faith to be imitated. For He who did no sin suffered—and though He was brutalized and slandered He did not fight back or call down heaven’s vengeance on them—but entrusted Himself to His Father.
Our Good Shepherd laid down His life to save His sheep. He fought off the wolf with His Shepherd’s rod of wood. He guides and directs you now gently pulling you to safety with His shepherd’s staff of wood. Therefore His rod and staff comfort me. For on those two pieces of wood He became truly good by dying for you; carrying your sins to that wood and suffering for them so that you are reconciled to His Father. No sin keeps you from Him. For your sins have been buried deep in the wounds of Christ on the cross. His Father is merciful to you binding up your wounds by His wounds, cleansing them with His blood. (1 Peter 2:24; Isaiah 53:5) This word about His wounds for your sake heals you, calls you, knows you, protects you, guides you, feeds you, for it is His voice by which you know Him.
This Word comforts you in suffering. It leaves a pattern of faith to be imitated. For He who did no sin suffered—and though He was brutalized and slandered He did not fight back or call down heaven’s vengeance on them—but entrusted Himself to His Father.
For Our Father’s righteous judgement is the only sure and certain thing on earth. Our Father’s saving judgement of you is found in Christ’s resurrection. Baptized into Him you are dead to sin and alive to righteousness (1 Peter 2:24). You are a sheep of His flock (1 Peter 2:25). Though you stray He seeks you out and oversees you with His word of resurrection to you (1 Peter 2:25; Isaiah 53:6; John 10:11).
By His word about His resurrection His Holy Spirit has sought you out creating faith which clings to that Word, hears His voice. Faith that follows the voice of your risen Shepherd who has passed through the valley of the shadow of death and can lead through it to heaven’s pastures for He is the only sure guide who has traveled that way and returned to tell of it.
This is certain. Though your body falls apart; though society is tossed to and fro by every wind and wave of teaching (Ephesians 4:14); though churches die; though empires and civilizations crumble and fall your Good Shepherd has gone before you into death and conquered it. He has sought you out, brought you into His Church, united you to Himself. Nothing can separate you from Him. Not life. Not death. You know His voice. That He is risen. You are His. He knows you. He keeps His own.
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
In +Jesus’ name, Amen.
—Pastor David Haberstock
Epiphany Lutheran Church
Thunder Bay, ON
By His word about His resurrection His Holy Spirit has sought you out creating faith which clings to that Word, hears His voice. Faith that follows the voice of your risen Shepherd who has passed through the valley of the shadow of death and can lead through it to heaven’s pastures for He is the only sure guide who has traveled that way and returned to tell of it.
This is certain. Though your body falls apart; though society is tossed to and fro by every wind and wave of teaching (Ephesians 4:14); though churches die; though empires and civilizations crumble and fall your Good Shepherd has gone before you into death and conquered it. He has sought you out, brought you into His Church, united you to Himself. Nothing can separate you from Him. Not life. Not death. You know His voice. That He is risen. You are His. He knows you. He keeps His own.
Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
In +Jesus’ name, Amen.
—Pastor David Haberstock
Epiphany Lutheran Church
Thunder Bay, ON
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