If there is one thing the Resurrection shows us, it is God’s love. And if there is one thing I am called to as a child of God, it is to lay down my life for love of God and others. It sounds so simple, and we all know how hard it is. Some people have not received a lot of love in their lives and cannot even imagine themselves worthy of love or able to love. We all know that putting ourselves out there in love can hurt – just look at what happened to Jesus. Yet he believed that life was so much more than his own.
In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus is the Good Shepherd.* The one who enters our lives through the front gate, with no hidden agendas, all on our behalf. The one who knows our name. The one who draws us by drawing out the best in us. The one who wants all the sheep in the fold to thrive, and those in other folds to thrive too, to the extent of inviting us all into one thriving fold. This Good Shepherd keeps watch over the sheep, and notices and responds to their needs. This shepherd goes ahead of us as one of us. This shepherd is the guide and companion we all wish we had to help navigate life’s hills and valleys. This shepherd is the one who suffers with us and rejoices with us, and who we can always trust to lead us to green pastures.
Jesus as the good shepherd invites us to be exemplars of sacrificial love. And here’s the thing: so that we will “have life and have it abundantly.”
--Trish Stefanik, Overlook Retreat House at Dayspring
For More
See this reflection by Bruce Epperly, author of the Christian lectionary blog, Living a Holy Adventure. I am especially struck by Epperly’s consideration of good shepherding the Earth and non-human creatures, and also the invitation for us to look at our lifestyles in the light of God’s call to love.
