The Voice of the Shepherd

Jesus calls himself the good shepherd and tells us that we living in a world of wolves, seeking to scatter and destroy, and faithless hired hands, who do not really care for the sheep. We can tell that Jesus is our good shepherd because he lays down his life for us.

Jesus who calls us knows us and draws us together. He keeps us safe and united, but he also brings in new sheep, not of this fold. All of us respond to one thing about Jesus, his voice.
How can we hear the voice of Jesus? So many of us struggle with wolves like isolation, anxiety and fear. There are also predators – human or spiritual – who seek to harm us. Whom can we trust? Who will bring us to a place of safety and well being?

The challenge of Christian community is first announced by Peter (Acts 4), who invites his fellow Jews into a new saving relationship with Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He announces healing in His name. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone for a new temple, the new people of God, the Body of Christ.
The challenge of listening to the voice of Jesus is felt deep within us. John (1 John 3) invites us to see ourselves anew as children of God, even when they world does not see us this way. Each one of us is being transformed by the saving encounter with Jesus, who make us one, and draws more and more into community with Himself through our sharing of his love.

In hearing the voice of Jesus we can extend his saving mission into our world, drawing each other into Christian community, and ultimately to becoming like Jesus himself, when we see him as he is.

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