The Good Shepherd - Week 3

This is the third week of Advent, traditionally called "Angels' and Shepherds' Week." Do you remember the first two weeks?

• Week 1: Prophets' Week – We thought about the foretellers of Jesus, i.e., those who were given prophetic messages about the coming of the Savior into the world.
• Week 2: John the Baptist Week – John was the forerunner of Jesus, i.e., the one who would come into the world preparing the way for the Lord's arrival.

This week, we consider the angels and shepherds, those who were the forthtellers of Jesus. The angels announced Jesus' arrival on a number of occasions. And the shepherds were the first to visit Jesus' birthplace. After the shepherds saw the baby, Luke 2:17–18 reported, "They spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them." Since that evening, all who have met Jesus personally have given testimony to the fact that he is the world's savior.

In our worship services at LAC, we will focus on the shepherding part of the Bible's message. There are a number of parts to this shepherding metaphor as it is used about Jesus in the Bible:

• Jesus was born in a manger, a place usually filled with sheep.
• Jesus later would identify himself as the "good shepherd," a metaphor frequently used for the promised Messianic leader who would guide his people into freedom and shalom.
• Jesus' phrase, "good shepherd," was also a metaphor used of a person who cares for his flock and provides for the sheep's essential needs.
• Jesus also said that he was the gateway for sheep to come into God's sheep pen, i.e., the only one who can open the door for people to enter God's family.
• At the end of Jesus' life, he identified with sheep personally. Jesus was the one who would choose to be "led like a lamb to the slaughter" as he would bear the punishment for the sins of all who trust him (Isaiah 53:6–8).

So, we have a big subject this week. We will let Jesus' words in John 10:1–18 instruct us. As you prepare to worship, read how Keith Patman plays poetically with the biblical idea of how Jesus, the Messianic "lion of Judah," was found among shepherds and sheep.

Judah's Lion
Where does the lion, Judah's golden lion, walk?
Stealthy under star by winter night, his soft paws stalk.
Out on lonely hills, a cold wind howls and darkness scowls;
Shepherds shiver—danger in the dark!—some wild beast prowls.
Suddenly, up springs a light; a voice rings like a bell:
"Joy, O men of Judah! Come and see! Noel! Noel!"
Where lies Judah's longed-for lion? "Come and see the sight!
Fear not—your golden one is couched among the lambs tonight."

To His Glory,

Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor

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