Rejoicing in the Shepherd

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, friends and family of Evelyn. Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Amen.

When I think of Evelyn - I picture and imagine the embodiment of joy and peace. She was someone every time you saw her she was always happy, always joyful. She was someone had such a great social network of family and friends, neighbors, church people. And when you would go visit Evelyn - she would often start the conversation asking about your life, wanting to hear what was happening with you. In fact - almost every time I went to see her, I brought her, her favorite drink. A nice large, black coffee from McDonalds. She was the best coffee date besides my wife. And I was about to leave, before I could leave it was a requirement that she needed to see a picture of my kids. And Evelyn was someone who had a strong passion for her Lord. She loved Jesus and showed that love in the things that she said and did. One story that I heard from the family, as I was meeting with them earlier this week, that emphasizes the bond she had for family, was every night Evelyn would text members of her family good night. She wasn’t expecting a return text, but she did it consistently to reach out to family, to show her concern for you.

In a small way this reminds me of one of the Bible readings that was read today. Our reading from John 10, Jesus is describing who He is. Earlier in John, He calls Himself the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd, the One who lays down His life for the sheep, the Good Shepherd who has come to gather sheep of God’s fold. But in our text today - we see Jesus hinting at this closeness that He has with His sheep. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” In order to recognize the voice of the Shepherd - the sheep need to know who He is, what He has said, and need to have a relationship with Him. Jesus says, that those who are His - He knows and they follow Him. And they don’t just follow Him aimlessly, but Jesus gives them the great blessing of eternal life and no one can ever take that away. Evelyn was someone who knew the voice of her Savior and Shepherd Jesus.

Our Lord, saw all of us straying like sheep, wandering far from Him. But in loving kindness He sent His only Son Jesus to come to this world to call out to you. He sent Jesus to come and to find you, to come and call you back to Him. And Jesus loves you so much He took the death you and me deserve that you may have life everlasting. Jesus has conquered the grave for you and me and so all who hear His voice and trust in Him will be saved!

This is a day when the voice of Jesus and His promises can feel far from us. This day is a day filled with grief, a day filled with sadness, a day when we wrestle with a experience the loss of mom, the loss of a grandma, the loss of a friend, the loss of an Evelyn sized whole in our lives and hearts. But even on this day filled with grief, the promises of Jesus are there for you! All who believe in Jesus will be saved. Because our Shepherd Jesus has defeated death, our Shepherd Jesus has risen from the grave, our Shepherd Jesus through the gift of baptism has claimed you as His and made you His own.

Another thing about Evelyn - we have already talked about her joy, but Evelyn also was someone in conversations with her was peaceful. She enjoyed wheeling out to sit in her garage, our sit outside and she simply enjoyed soaking up the sun. She loved being outside sipping her coffee resting and enjoying the beautiful creation. But another reason that she was so peaceful in those moments - was she was someone who trusted and knew her Shepherd Jesus. She knew His promises for her. She trusted in the work of Jesus, and she was looking forward to the day when she would see Him face to face to dwell with her Shepherd and to be led as it says in Psalm 23 which we heard earlier by still waters, to dwell in green, rich pastures. May we today, continue to hear the voice of Jesus in our lives. May we today even in the midst of grief - turn to Jesus the One who has claimed you as His. May we today even on this difficult day find peace and rest in the promises of Jesus - just like Evelyn - the promises of Jesus that have no end. Your Shepherd is calling out to you today and still leading you! You are His!

Now may the grace of God which surpasses all understanding may it guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.