April 26 - Good Shepherd Sunday
- 4 days ago
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Has Spring actually arrived? Has it? There are daffodils blooming in Owen Sound. Not quite here yet, but at least it is now reasonable to believe that it’s a possibility! My goodness, Spring seems like an absolute miracle when it’s been such a long winter…
It seems appropriate that we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday this Sunday, as lambs also are a sure sign of Spring. Did you know that the most-painted depiction of Jesus in the catacombs in Rome is of him carrying a lamb on his shoulders? These images were painted in the third century when Christianity was illegal. They could not be explicitly Christian, but for those who knew, they would still carry much meaning.
Stories of sheep and shepherds are ubiquitous in the Bible. This is because sheep themselves were ubiquitous in Biblical times, and the hearers of these stories would be well acquainted with the nature of the animals, including their flocking behaviour, and the lifestyles of the shepherds who cared for them. A good shepherd – one who both guided and protected the flock -- was invaluable to a community.
So Jesus speaks a lot about sheep.
To prepare, read Psalm 23 and John 10:1-15 and ponder the following:
1. Has the 23rd psalm played a significant role in your life? How so?
2. When Jesus insists that he is the good shepherd, what do you think he is saying?
Image: Allegory of Christ as the Good Shepherd, catacombs, Rome, 3rd century, by an unknown artist. Public domain.
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