Jesus said, "The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep; the gate keeper opens the gate for him and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out."

You belong. You are loved. Those are the messages which I received from the Good Shepherd years ago, and those are the two messages I want to share with you today on Good Shepherd Sunday.

You belong and you are loved. It's that simple and it can also be that complex.

One of the most favorite poems in the world is the 23rd Psalm. It begins, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want." Now that's a profession and confession of faith. And these words speak to us and for us at different times through our lives. Sometimes when we have a lot of concern and maybe that's when we're in a hospital or a jail cell or a classroom, those words come to us and give us comfort. At other times, they come to us at a time of celebration, just sitting around a dinner table with family and friends. It is heartwarming to have a Good Shepherd who seeks us out when we are lost and then brings us back into the fold. It is wonderful to have a Good Shepherd who protects us from danger and calls a loved one or us by name.

Whenever I would ask people what Bible passage they would like to have read at the funeral of a family member, most often they would say, "We want the 23rd Psalm." And that's a good choice, for as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, it is good to know that there is a leader, a Good Shepherd who has gone before us and who is also present with us at all times. A Good Shepherd who was also the perfect Passover lamb, a sacrifice for the entire world, a Good Shepherd who has given his life for the sheep. As Peter wrote, "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross so that free from sins we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."

We belong. We are loved.

And at the same time, if we celebrate this Good Shepherd, there must also be bad shepherds, those who attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of their followers. We often read in the papers or see on television accounts of shepherds or leaders, whether they hold official positions in the church or not, but, nevertheless, are folks who have been viewed as trustworthy, who now have fleeced their flock. Whenever trust has been broken and boundaries crossed, it can take months and years for healing and wholeness to return to victims who have been hurt and communities whose trust has been breached.

In the Gospel lesson for today, Jesus differentiates himself from wannabe or imitation shepherds. In other words, bad shepherds. And that's part of the scandal of Good Shepherd Sunday. That's part of the scandal of this sermon which is titled, "Sheep Gate." In recent years the word gate has been attached to particular names of places or people to indicate an unfolding controversy or scandal. Jesus declares to us that he is the Sheep Gate, the one who leads in and the one who leads out. The Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, and all that is in between.

As that old gospel song states, "We may not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future," and that's the Good Shepherd. Jesus warns us that there are others who exploit and emphasize division instead of expressing love and bringing about healing, unity, and peace.

You belong. You are loved.

I can remember standing in the hallway of the church that my family and I were members of during my childhood years. At one particular place in the hallway, there was a large picture of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. He carried a little lamb and connected to the Good Shepherd were little lambs. In fact, all the names of this particular flock, this congregation, that were under the age of three years. It was a cradle roll. As I think about it now, there were lots of little lambs back in those days. And this was even before the days of cloning sheep. In the tradition and practice of my denomination, the little boy lambs were connected by blue ribbons, and the little girl lambs were connected on the other side of the picture by pink ribbons. As a little boy, I remember standing there, finding my name and knowing that I belonged, that I was loved because I was one of Jesus' little lambs, that all of us were connected to Jesus and connected to each other.

We belonged. We were loved.

Now I also need to tell you that like some little lambs or sheep there came a time when I felt and thought that the grass must be greener on the other side of the fence. In other words, I went through some times where being Jesus' little lamb didn't sound like such a cool thing to be, that when talk of green pastures and still waters sounded more like advertisements for cemeteries than for an exciting, fulfilling, abundant life.

Perhaps that has been part of your journey as well, and during those times, I am sure that members of your family, members of my family, prayed that the Good Shepherd would keep his eyes on his little lambs who wanted to be as free as goats to go whenever and wherever we wanted to go.

Now, I am not exactly sure when I realized it, when it dawned on me once again that to be connected and cared for by the Good Shepherd was comforting and at the same time very liberating. I do remember that as a young boy my brother Tom and I had those little white glow-in-the-dark, plastic figurines of Jesus the Good Shepherd. At bedtime, we'd hold them up to the light and then turn off the light and hop into our beds, and as we said our prayers, we could see the light of the Good Shepherd glowing in our room. I can remember sensing and realizing that I belonged, that my brother belonged, that I was loved, that he was loved, and that was good.

At times, we'd put these figurines up in the light with the intention that we could get extra light or store up some of the illuminating nature of the Good Shepherd's. Sometimes we'd fall asleep and in the morning, we would discover that our Good Shepherds had melted just a bit. And over the course of time, these Good Shepherds seemed to have lost some of their rigid shape and form and quite simply appeared to have been designed by Salvador Dali or Picasso.

Now that is an important message for you and for me as well. Ultimately, it isn't so important how you and I see or define the Good Shepherd, but the Gospel message, which is what's ultimately important, is how the Good Shepherd sees and defines us. Namely, as sheep who belong and are loved so much that he would lay down his life for us, for the world. In turn, knowing who we are and whose we are gives us freedom and energy to be like the members of the early church, to praise God [and] joyfully breaking bread together and sharing our resources with glad and generous hearts. The Lord is our Shepherd; we shall not be in want.

We belong. We are loved.

I once read an article where it said you should read to children every day. Years ago, when our son Nate was born, I read him this poem. It's a poem called "The Lamb" written by William Blake. And I'd like to read it for you, you child of God on this day.

Little lamb, who made thee
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life and bid thee feed
By the streams and o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight
Softest clothing, woolly bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?

Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Little lamb, I'll tell thee,
Little lamb, I'll tell thee.

He is called by thy name
For he calls himself a lamb,
He is meek and he is mild.
He became a little child.
I a child and thou a lamb.
We are called by his name.
Little lamb, God bless thee!
Little lamb, God bless thee!
Amen.

Let us pray.

You are the Good Shepherd. We ask that you lead us on the right pathways, that you bless us, give us peace, comfort, and hope. Amen.