Midweek Lenten Service - 500 References to Sheep and Shepherds in the Bible

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Tom Fisher's sheep and guard-dog.

The Hymn # 536         The Lord's My Shepherd
The Order of Vespers                                             p. 41

The Psalmody            Psalm   14                           p. 124
The Lection             John 10
  
The Sermon Hymn #179   On My Heart  

         

The Tender Nature of the Good Shepherd

      Doubtless the greatest opposition and ridicule against the Christian Faith is Jesus Himself, as the target, even though He is our Good Shepherd. One fact that we can find easily is the divine/human nature of Jesus. When He was conceived of the Virgin Mary He took on our human nature and combined it with His divine nature, which was never again changed.

     This led the opponents and the politicians to attack Him and take advantage of His humble nature, but it also teaches all of us to try to be as gentle and understanding as He was and is. He never attacked anyone but they gladly attacked Him for no reason other than their hatred and their fears. 

     We appreciate the Savior because He is the Shepherd who guides and protects us, watches over us, and nurtures us. It took about a thousand years for people to understand Psalm 23 - "The Lord is my Shepherd." I just told a student that he should go ahead with Hebrew because - for instance - that line has 4 words in Hebrew while we take 9 words in English. You can try this at home.

     Judaism held the entire Christian Faith through the Old Testament writing, so when Jesus was the sacrificial lamb in Isaiah 53, and with Isaac, and also in Psalm 22, the evidence was overwhelming. And there was so much more. Judaism became Christianity but not all the same or at once. The entire Bible has at least 500 references to sheep and shepherding, which helps us understand His role as the Shepherd and as the sheep as well. 

     Once we see the overwhelming portrayal of shepherding and sheep in God's Word, we understand how Jesus' kindness and forgiveness teaches us, to spread His Gospel and give us peace within ourselves. 

    

The Prayers and Lord’s Prayer                         p. 44

The Collect for Peace                                           p. 45

The Benediction                                                   p. 45

The Hymn #552     Abide with Me

In Our Prayers

• Pastor Jim Shrader, Chris Shrader, Sarah Buck.
• Tom Fisher is one of many farmers dealing with savage weather.
• Thursday - Reformation Seminary Lecture - Acts 1, part 2. 10 AM Central.

Ewe and lamb, Tom Fisher farm.