April 30, 2020

The Lord’s Sheep

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Dear Fellow Sheep of the Lord,

This coming Sunday is Good Shepherd Sunday. The psalm assigned for Sunday is Psalm 23. Of the one hundred and fifty psalms, Psalm 23 is probably the most well known and most loved. We may ask ourselves, how can the Lord in six short verses bring such comfort and encouragement to His people. 

In the psalm, we are reminded that the Lord is our Shepherd and we are the sheep of His pasture. He is watching over and caring for us, the sheep of his flock. It particularly consoles during times of fear and loss for it brings to mind that our peace, our hope, and our comfort are found only in our Good Shepherd–The Good Shepherd who provides, watches over, and guides us now and forever.

Like four-legged sheep, we the Lord’s sheep are inclined to sometimes wander in search of greener pastures. We mistakenly think we can find something better outside of the Lord’s green pasture, outside of His grace. In other words, we think we can leave behind the Lord, His will, and His love. We foolishly think that having the Lord as our Shepherd is a burden from which we need to escape. We falsely think that we can care and provide for ourselves without the Lord. It is at that time we place ourselves in the greatest danger of being lost not just now but forever.

Yet Jesus our Shepherd, who loves us every day the same, eagerly searches us out when we wander, calls us to repentance, and restores us with His blood-bought forgiveness. He leads us back to the paths of righteousness.

The Shepherd’s sheep enjoy green pastures and still waters. We are gently guided by the Shepherd who knows our needs and, with ceaseless, unchanging love, calls each one of us by name. Born anew through Baptism and brought into the fold, we learn day by day to recognize our Shepherd’s voice in the Word and to listen to it.

The lambs learn what the Shepherd has done for them, because the Shepherd Himself is also a lamb, the perfect Lamb of God who was sacrificed for us. He laid down His life for the sheep and—as we recently celebrated—took up His life again that He might share His resurrection life with us. Because our Shepherd Jesus has walked through “the valley of the shadow of death,” we, His sheep, need never fear that shadowed valley.

Right now, there is a lot of fear in the world. In a real sense, all of us are walking through the valley of the shadow of death. The covid19 virus is relentlessly spreading throughout the world threatening us all. It is as if we are walking through a valley surrounded by death. Yet, we do not need to fear for we know our Good Shepherd is watching over us, guiding us, leading us, comforting us.

We are safe in our Shepherd’s care. We can live in peace and contentment. David the psalmist knew that peace and contentment; he also knew, as each sheep knows, that he would “dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.” For when our days end,—and each of us in the Shepherd’s fold will come to that day—the Shepherd, who even now holds us securely in His hand, will take us up in His strong arms and hold us closely to Himself, and we will rest in His presence forever.

Pastor Oehlke

He is Risen! Do not be afraid!

I Am Jesus’ Little Lamb

(CW#432)

I am Jesus’ little lamb;
Ever glad at heart I am,
For my shepherd gently guides me,
Knows my needs 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 hosts attended,
He shall fold me to his breast,
There within his arms to rest.