When Jesus likened his listeners to sheep and Himself as their Shepherd, he was using a metaphor that was easily understood by his audience. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming for baptism, he exclaimed, "Behold, the Lamb of God." The whole history of Israel was culminating in that moment, and the people understood the significance of the name.
As God's sheep, He knows us by name and He guides and cares for us each step of the way. "Pastors" are called to be shepherds, just as Jesus was and is.
But, interestingly enough, we are also called to be shepherds ourselves. We are called to imitate Jesus, in our walking, our learning, and our practicing. Jesus tells Peter that the way he can prove his love for Him is to feed His lambs and take care of His sheep.
After listening and telling our faith story, the work of Christmas is to help shepherd the flock.
A friend of our church shared this photo of a flock of sheep. Interestingly enough they were without a shepherd and here, with this perspective from above, we can see one or two begin to go astray. The light in the sanctuary caught the reflection of our windows. There a kind of symbolism here: come find your way back in church, together with the flock, let's attend to one another's needs.
