Whiteboard: The Good Shepherd

So what exactly is a shepherd?

And what does a shepherd do?

And most importantly, what does that tell us about God?

This Sunday in worship we'll be using two of the most familiar passages in all of scripture to help us answer those questions.

In Psalm 23 we hear "The Lord is my shepherd," and in John 10:11-18 Jesus teaches us about "The Good Shepherd."

In the ancient world that image would have been crystal clear. But in today's world, well, I don't know about you but I don't run into shepherds all that often in my daily life. Come to think of it, I've never met a shepherd.

Which brings us back to those guiding questions. What exactly is a shepherd? What does a shepherd do? What does that tell us about God?

Come join us this Sunday at FCC Scottsdale as we wrestle with those questions in faithful ways, seeking to deepen and broaden our faith!

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Psalm 23 The Divine Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.

John 10:11-18

‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.’