Acts 2: 42–47 / Psalm 23 / I Peter 2: 19–25 / John 10: 1–10
This is the written version of the
homily given at Flohr’s Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in McKnightstown,
Pennsylvania on Sunday, April 26, 2026 by Fr. Gene Tucker, Interim Pastor.
“THE VALUE OF EVERYTHING, INCLUDING US”
(Homily text: John 10: 1–10)
This,
the Fourth Sunday of Easter, each year in our liturgical cycle, is informally
known as Good Shepherd Sunday.
One
way we might consider what it means to be a part of the Lord’s flock, is to
consider our value in God’s eyes.
Whether
we think of it or not, we assess the value, the worth, of nearly everything in
our lives.
Consider,
for example, the purchase of something…it might be something small and
insignificant, like a box of cereal, for example. Or, it could be something
large and important, like a new vehicle. We assess the value of the proposed
purchase when compared to the asking price. We ask ourselves, “Does the price
seem reasonable, does it seem worth paying, is this a good value?”.
Or,
think of our relationships. We assess whether or not it’s worthwhile, or
beneficial, to associate with someone. We do this if we are thinking of
marriage. We also do it when we consider informal relationships like membership
in a volunteer organization. In such cases, we ask ourselves, “Is being in
relationship, or associating with this person/these people, beneficial? Will it
be of value to me?”. And, hopefully, we might also ask ourselves, “Does my
presence in the organization or the relationship add value to those?”.
Now
then, let’s turn the tables a bit, and consider, from God’s perspective, our
value to Him.
Apparently,
a mystery is woven into God’s assessment of our value to Him, our relating to
Him.
Consider,
for example, that we know God to be Lord of lords, and King of kings.[1] We
apply this title to our Lord Jesus Christ (I think of the Hallelujah Chorus
from Handel’s Messiah). Knowing God in this way reminds us that the God
who made everything that is, that wonderful, eternal God whose creative hand we
see in the world about us, who fashioned all that is billions and billions of
years ago, is also that same God whose lordship is magnificent.
But
here is the mystery: That same God, the Lord of lords and King of kings, also
seeks to be in relationship with us in a servant role. Here we see that our
Lord Jesus describes Himself as a shepherd. A shepherd’s purpose – and reason
for being – is the existence of the flock of sheep in His care. Put another
way, if there is no flock, there is no need for a shepherd. So, the Lord’s
statement that “I am among you as the one who serves[2],”
applies to the relationship between the Lord’s flock of believers and His
leadership as shepherd. The shepherd is the leader of the flock, but also serves
as its servant.
It
might help if we think in terms of height and depth. That way, we could
describe this mystery by saying that the Lord is high above all things,
unapproachable in His glory. But that same Lord also seeks to come among us,
and below us, in order to claim us as His own, and in order to sustain and
support us in this mortal life, and in the life of the world to come.
What
awesome stuff!
Apparently,
we are of great value to God. Therefore, the understanding is that we,
ourselves, are the possession that God most wants to have. Another part of that
mystery is that we have the freedom to give ourselves to the Great Shepherd as
a gift, not under compulsion, not as a response to an order from God, but as a
gift we, ourselves, offer to Him.
AMEN.
[1] Revelation 17:14 & 19:16
[2] Luke 22:27b
