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Sibling in Christ,
Where do you hear God's voice?
This Sunday in the church season is unofficially called Good Shepherd Sunday. It is a comforting image—but also a necessary one for the times we are living in.
In Ezekiel, chapter 34, the Lord speaks hard truth about shepherds who have failed—leaders who scattered the flock and cared more for themselves than for the sheep. And yet, right in the middle of that judgment, comes a promise: “I myself will search for my sheep… I will seek the lost… I will feed them.” God does not abandon God's people. Instead, God steps in.
That promise finds its fulfillment in Jesus. In the 10th chapter of John's gospel, He tells us, “I am the gate.” Not only the shepherd who watches over the flock, but the very gate through which the sheep pass into safety and life. The risen Christ opens the way—into forgiveness, into peace, into what He calls abundant life.
This is not a distant or abstract promise. It is as near as your baptism, where God has already led you beside still waters (Psalm 23). It is as present as the table set before you each Sunday, where Christ feeds you even in the presence of a world marked by conflict, anxiety, and uncertainty. He anoints your head with oil, restores your soul, and gathers you again and again into His care.
And then—God sends you.
We do not leave worship unchanged. We go forth as those who have heard the Shepherd’s voice, as those who have passed through the gate, as those who now become signs of His resurrection life for others. In a world that often feels scattered and strained, your presence matters. Your kindness, your listening ear, your quiet faithfulness—they all become extensions of the Shepherd’s own care.
So this week, listen for God's voice. Follow where God is leading you. And trust that the gate is open before you.
Because in Christ, abundant life has already begun.
In the peace of the Good Shepherd,
Pastor Will
P.S. I’d love to hear from you—Where might God be inviting you this week to reflect Christ's tender care—to seek out one who feels lost, to offer presence to someone in need, or simply to remind another that they are not alone?
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