1.
Please pray with
me. May the words of my mouth and the
meditation of our hearts be pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, our Rock, and our
Redeemer. Amen. Today is the Last Sunday of the Church Year. Ezekiel
34 fits well on this day. It gives us a beautiful picture of being members of
God’s flock. It helps us think of the
end of all things. As we sinners think about the destiny we deserve and the
reality we possess, it’s fitting that a picture of our relationship to God is
used that God has painted through the prophet Ezekiel. God is our Shepherd. All
that he does as our Shepherd gives us comfort and hope as we look forward to
the end of all things and the coming of his eternal kingdom. The message is entitled, “The Lord is Our Shepherd,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2.
Let’s
face it, nearly everybody’s anxious about whether he or she will be able to
provide food, clothing, and shelter we and our loved ones need. The quest for
money and property is universal. All of
us from time to time have to admit to being worried over whether we can really have
enough to ensure the basic necessities of life. We may have a job we enjoy that
provides for our family, but we know jobs can be lost. We may have savings in
the bank or a large stock portfolio, but those can fail too. Even Donald Trump
knows—maybe better than the rest of us—how quickly wealth can vanish. The
feeling of security never lasts long in this world.
3.
What
a joy to know God promises an eternal home, where he’ll provide everything we
need! In this home we will be like sheep who don’t have to find food or
shelter, because our Shepherd will provide them for us. We’ll not have to worry
about whether we’re secure, because our Savior will provide eternal security
for us. Since we have this promise of security in our Father’s home, we also
have confidence—despite pink slips and bear markets, bosses saying, “You’re fired!” and Social Security going
belly-up—that we await the far better life God will grant us in eternity.
4.
Ezekiel
34 paints a picture for us that the sheep graze upon a thousand hills. The green meadows and pastures provide their
food. They grow fat upon the land as
they eat of the fruit of the field.
Meanwhile, the shepherds watch.
They keep watch over the sheep by day and night. They lead them to life giving waters. They make them lie down in the green pastures
so that they may find peace and rest. They
protect from the greedy ones that would destroy this holy flock. The shepherds watch.
5.
But,
what about when the shepherds stray? The
sheep are prone to wandering and often lose their way. When the shepherds stray, who watches over
the sheep? When the shepherds stray, who
will tend and feed the flock? When the
shepherds turn to evil, who will protect the flock from the shepherd? They eat of the flock but don’t feed
them. They clothe themselves with their
wool but don’t care for their needs.
They’re harsh and force their way upon them but don’t tend and nurture
their injuries. When the shepherds
stray, what will become of the sheep?
6.
They’re
scattered, wandering into ever crook and crevice of danger, prey for every evil
foe and deceitful wolf. Left without
shepherds, abused by the shepherds who remain, the sheep are in peril, and the
wild beasts lie outside the open gates. When
the shepherds stray, when the leaders of the people both in the realm of the
church and of the state become selfish and greedy, what will become of the
sheep?
7.
The Lord answers here in
Ezekiel 34, he says, “11For thus says the
Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.
12As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been
scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places
where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. 13And I
will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and
will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of
Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country.”
8.
In
today’s world there are many days that would be described as days of “clouds and darkness” for God’s people. Our
own sinfulness brings us such a feeling. The evils of society, the uncertainty
of the future, hardships of all kinds, loss of loved ones, personal tragedies,
overwhelming challenges, a really serious sin committed—all fill the days with
clouds, darkness, and misery. We see the
Ebola virus still going on, Islamic terrorists, political leaders often found
in scandal. We as God’s people today feel like we’ve been scattered from the
shelter that love and security provide.
9.
That’s
where the words of our Shepherd enter the picture. And what beautiful words
they are! God says, “I will rescue them!” Notice how many things he promises and why
this is such a fitting text for focusing on the end times: “I myself will search … look after … rescue … bring them out … gather
them … bring them … pasture them … tend them … search for the lost … bring back
the strays … bind up the injured … strengthen the weak … [destroy] the sleek
and the strong … shepherd the flock with justice” (Ezek. 34:11–16).
10.
And
so the Lord declares, “I myself will be
the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down… I will seek the
lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I
will strengthen the weak” (Ezekiel 34:15-16). God sends His Son, the Great
Shepherd of the sheep. Jesus Christ, the
Good Shepherd, has come to rescue His flock.
He knows His sheep, He knows your needs, and He provides. He provides Himself as sacrifice, and He
provides Himself as food and drink. He
provides and is wounded so that your wounds may be healed. He provides for you and battles the devil so
that you are rescued and protected.
Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, knows His sheep and His sheep know Him,
and He lays down His life for His sheep.
11.
All
of us can remember times in our life when we followed false information or bad
advice. We’ve been deceived because we couldn’t tell between truth and error. A
TV commercial may have appealed to us in such a way that we just had to buy the
product. Maybe our emotions overwhelmed us and we allowed our feelings to
determine our course of action. Our friends may have even motivated us. The “Jones Syndrome”—keeping up with the
neighbors—moves us to foolish actions.
12.
We
need to be careful not to follow those whose promises are empty, and instead
follow the leadership of those who can actually deliver what they promise. On this final Sunday of the Church Year we
look back and realize that we haven’t always followed the gentle and wise guidance
of Jesus our Good Shepherd. For this we ask forgiveness, trusting that because
Jesus died for our sins, we’re forgiven. And, we look forward to a new church year.
Through God’s Word and Sacraments, our Good Shepherd calls us and will enable
us, by his grace, to follow him. True life now and forever consists of
following the Good Shepherd! What a
wonderful Shepherd we have! Jesus, the Son of David, promised, “I lay down my life for the sheep” (In
10:15), and he kept that promise. And he did it for all people—including you
and me! We follow him, because he alone leads us to life eternal. Amen.
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