Scripture: Psalm 23; John 10:22-30
Title: Shepherd and Sheep

**Sermons are meant to be heard, so listen along here**

Earlier this week, I asked some people to tell me what makes them feel safe.  
A lot of answers involved people: like family, spouses, friends.
I heard about places: like houses, beds, cozy corners.
And a few were even things: pets, warm drinks, blankets.  

It’s pretty hard to do anything in the world right now without being made aware of our safety – or lack thereof.
You get in the car – you buckle up.
You go to the airport, you get scanned at a checkpoint.
You leave your house, you lock the door, some of you set an alarm.
We do fire drills, tornado drills, lockdown drills, all in the name of safety.
Most of the rules in our lives, on the roads, in public, and in our homes, are there to keep us safe.

Safety is defined as the condition of being protected from danger, risk, or injury. And also those things which are unlikely to cause danger, risk or injury.

We want to be safe.
We want our loved ones to be safe.
And despite how elusive it sometimes seems to be, today we get a little reminder of just how safe we are.

It’s still Easter. Yes I know I said this two weeks ago, but it’s still true.
We are four weeks past the discovery of the empty tomb and together we continue to try to figure out how to live this new, resurrected life.
And so here we gather – on this 4th Sunday of Easter, which is designated Good Shepherd Sunday.  

It would be easy to just talk about sheep and shepherds and that would be a fine and good sermon, in fact, Jesus talks about sheep and shepherds so often I know I have preached that sermon already…
But this time it happens here… in Easter. And it changes things.
We miss something really really important when ignore that this Good Shepherd Sunday is in Easter.

So, if you are anything like me, your first question is – what do sheep and a shepherd have to do with Resurrection?
Why Good Shepherd Sunday today?  Four Sundays later?
I think the simple answer is that we need to keep hearing the Easter promise, and today we get it loud and clear.  

There are so many great parts about today’s text that we could spend more than one day on, but I’ll start with my favorite snarky Jesus.  
Jesus has been giving his followers the good news in language they can understand for awhile before we get to the scene in front of us today.
He has said “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays his life down for his sheep.” (verse 11)
And “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” (verse 14)

This language of shepherd and sheep made perfect sense to those listening.
The relationship between a shepherd and his sheep was well understood.
In fact, using this metaphor (of sheep and shepherds) to describe a relationship between a king and his subjects was completely common practice.  

So Jesus isn’t mincing words at all when he says – “I am the good shepherd.”
He IS being clear. He is describing the relationship he has with his followers.

And yet, those listening cry, “how long will you keep us in suspense – tell us plainly – are you the Messiah?”
Another way to translate this is how long will you keep irritating us?!
UGH Jesus. Stop.
Stop talking about sheep and shepherds.
Just tell us what you REALLY mean.

Enter snarky Jesus.
“I have told you.” (vs25)

I JUST told you I was the good shepherd.
How can I be more plain than that?
Jesus has clearly established the sheep/shepherd relationship here.

And earlier, when he firsts talks about shepherds, Jesus says, “A good shepherd lays his life down for his sheep.”
Sound like something that just happened?  
Yeah.
That sounds like Easter.

So part 1 of this relationship has been established.
We now know just how far this shepherd is willing to go for us.
And then Jesus gives us this promise.
And it’s kind of stunning and beautiful.
In fact, no lie, I was tempted to just get up, read this, and then sit down.
10:27-28

“My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand”

This right here is why this text comes to us today, in Easter.
No one will snatch them out of my hand.
It is the Easter promise in 9 words.
You are his sheep.
You have been claimed, called beloved.
You have been brought into the flock.
The shepherd has laid down his life for the sake of his sheep.

For you.

And still that wasn’t the end.
Death was defeated that Easter morning.
And because of Jesus, because he died and rose,
No one will snatch you out of God’s hand.
No one.
No thing.
No institution.
No group.
Nothing.

It’s no mistake that Psalm 23 is paired with our text today.

When I preach this psalm at funerals, I always make mention of the promises held within it.
And while yes, those are promises we need to hear in the midst of grief over the loss of a loved one, they are also promises we need all the time, every day.

Because having God as our shepherd means something pretty powerful:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul.
Even in the darkest valley, I am not afraid – because you are with me.
Surely goodness and mercy will be mine all the days of my life – and I will be with God forever.

God is our shepherd, and we are all sheep in his flock.
Being sheep that belong to THIS particular shepherd means restoration, care and safety.   

And let’s not sugar-coat it.
There are a lot of things that make us feel unsafe out there.
Fear is a great motivator.
Many of us are so afraid of what is going to happen today, or the next day, or when we leave our homes, or when we send our kids out the door, that we are paralyzed.
Fear makes us irrational and angry.
Fear holds us captive.
Fear is the opposite of feeling safe.

This is why I wanted to get up, read only verse 28, and sit down.
Because right here is the good news.
It’s all we need to know.
No one will snatch us out of God’s hand.
We belong to God.
We don’t have to be afraid.

I know, it’s easier said than done.
But it’s true.
It’s TRUE.
Jesus, our shepherd, has changed the game.
Last week Chad said that God is in the redemption business.
There is nothing that God can’t make new.
There is nothing that can take us out of his hand.

Nothing.
Not sin. Not fear. Not even death.
That is resurrection.
That is hope.  
That is Easter.