In the Gospel of John 10.27-30 Jesus makes promises to us
that are
life giving, true and tell of the richness and the depth of his love
for us.
Jesus says:
I give them eternal life.
No one will snatch them out of my hand.
My sheep hear my voice.
These three promises show to us Jesus the true and good
Shepherd, who knows his flock and tends to them in all their situations and
journey.These three verses from the Gospel of John pack a punch.
They speak of the intimacy in which we are embraced in Christ, they speak of
his deep love for us, and they speak of the gift of being part of the flock;
the Body of Christ. Such rich promises indeed. These three very clear promises
are light onto our path.
My sheep hear my voice…
When we pray, when we can’t pray,
When we give thanks, when we struggle to see blessings,
When in anguish, in joy, in doubt, in hope…
His voice is there.
I give them eternal life…
No matter the struggles,
No matter the journey,
Our day, our life and our future is in Him…
His fullness of life is eternally ours.
No one will snatch them out of my hand…
Even when it feels like we have been,
Even when the comfort of Christ seems distant,
He is with us always, another promise he made...
We are held in the palm of his hand.
This is how intimate Christ loves us.
This is our deeply personal relationship with Him.
This is the great promise he makes with us.
My Spiritual Director has the above powerful and wonderful image of
the Good Shepherd.
It is a photo of statue at high school in Ontario. I was
completely moved by it. This powerful image drew me in and showed me a
new face of our Good Shepherd that is full of promises that he keeps. It is one that continues to cross my mind and invites me to walk with him.
The look of love and hope on the face of Jesus says that he
knows us and it gives me the feeling that he does indeed hear my voice, but
also said to me that I can hear his.
The sheep around his arms shows the intimacy in which he
loves us, protects us and keeps us from being snatched. It reminded me that
even when I stray from the flock, or feel like he is not keeping his promises
that his love and mercy are stronger and greater than what I think and see.
The way he seems to walk with a confidence, with a deep joy,
with great strength, with eyes fixed on God, fixed on love, fixed on knowing the
depth of the promises, saying eternal life is ours.
Amazing how three little lines and a simple image can help us
connect with our Savior and his promises and love.
In this Year of Mercy may we continue to know that in God’s
great love Jesus hears us and we too hear his voice, he promises us eternal
life and walks with us not allowing us to be snatched away from the mercy, love
and goodness of his loving Father.
Risen Good Shepherd,
You are our life, redemption and joy
today, tomorrow and forever.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment