I couldn’t help but remember that little girl’s devotion when I started to read and reflect on the passage about The Good Shepherd. In this passage, Jesus says TWICE, "I am the good shepherd." Jesus is the good shepherd because, first of all, the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. It doesn’t say "will" lay down, but "lays down" - meaning has done and continues to do so. Its not like there are some sheep that the shepherd has laid down his life for, but others for whom he hasn’t. NO laid down his life for the flock - for the sheep.

Now, its hard for us to visualize a shepherd in our society. Let me tell you a little bit about a shepherd. What defines a shepherd is not only what the shepherd does. It is not the feeding or the watering or the staying with them that makes a shepherd. It is also the presence of mind and care and devotion that the shepherd has for the sheep. In this passage, Jesus talks about a hired hand. The hired hand might do all the right things - put food in the trough, watch them, etc. - but the hired hand is not devoted to the sheep. When there is a question about the hired hand’s safety, versus the safety of the sheep, the hired hand says, "I’m getting out of here! I’m leaving those sheep! They can be devoured!" The hired hand turns his back on the sheep. The shepherd Never turns away. NEVER TURNS AWAY. The shepherd is devoted to the sheep. The hired hand cares nothing for the sheep; the shepherd cares everything for the sheep....and in our case, has shown it at the cross.

That is a little about the Shepherd - who are his sheep? — We might think of sheep as dumb animals. We might talk about them having wool that is white, but sheep are really pretty dirty, and they get lost easily. They require an awful lot of care. But, you know, sheep are not so stupid as to not know when they are cared about. They are smart enough to know who cares for them.

I saw a documentary about a New Zealand shepherd who, when he went out to his field, the sheep were gently grazing and lying down, and all the shepherd had to do was to make one call to the sheep and they came running! It was truly amazing! When sheep came alongside, the shepherd patted their heads and scratched their ears. They came along side with a trott of being invigorated - YOU COULD TELL THAT they knew the shepherd and you TRULY SENSED THAT THE SHEPHERD KNEW THOSE SHEEP.

Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd" the second time. He then said, "I know my sheep and my sheep know me."

You might be struggling this day - fearful at times, wondering if the Shepherd remembers you by name. And then, you might be thinking "I haven’t spent much time listening to the Shepherd, so maybe its I that don’t know the Shepherd." But the Shepherd does know you. That Good Shepherd that has laid down his life knows you.

In a recent poll - amid all the technological means we have for communicating (cell phones, texting, internet, etc.) - some people still feel a sense of being alone. People still have a sense of feeling forgotten or fear about being forgotten. It may be hard, at times, to believe that they can be loved.....that we can be truly loved.

You know what people sometimes do: They take experiences that they have had and amplify the experience. We amplify one experience to the point of taking one experience and making it a general rule. For example, a person who suffers a divorce might fear that no one will ever love them. A person who has experienced a disagreement might feel that everyone is against them. A person who has lost a job or missed a possible promotion, might question their own worthiness or even become despondent..even wonder why they’re even trying.

When Jesus is preaching in this passage, he is preaching to a people who have felt the grip of fear. He is speaking to a people who have not been given a sense of value, who are at the mercy of an emperor and a religious society that I would say is irreligious in their practices (who want to keep people down). And in the face of this, Jesus wants to uplift people - uplift them with the reality ...yes, the reality that they are valued and loved by God - that they are as valued as are sheep to the most loving shepherd.

In the reality of shepherding, in the harshest times in the food chain and when the wolves became more threatening and had to be kept at bay, the shepherd would not flea to some strong cabin or town. The shepherd would lie down with the sheep! Just think about that for a second! The shepherd, lying down with the sheep! What a wonderful love the shepherd has! Willing, come what may, to see to the good care of the sheep beyond anything and everything! If I were to ask you, "What are the greatest dangers you face, your greatest worries or fears?" some of you might say economic struggles, or worries about your loved ones. Some would say that the world feels a lot less safe - swine flu, uncertain economic times. I would say to you that the greatest thing we have to worry about is forgetting that we are loved by the Shepherd! Let’s turn that around: The greatest strength that we have, the greatest lifeline, the greatest hope, the greatest means for ministry and for vital living, is to know that we are loved by the Shepherd!! When you encounter those challenges and you will, remember: you are loved by the Shepherd.

When someone challenges you, treat them with care as you remember that you are loved by the Shepherd. And when the challenges come - as they inevitably do - you say, "I am loved by the Shepherd!"