{Prayer}
On what has been dubbed Good Shepherd Sunday, it would be a disservice to not talk about sheep and the Shepherd. Usually when we talk about sheep we talk about the whole flock of sheep, of all of God’s little lambs. But this morning, I want to change that up some. This morning I want to focus on one sheep. And no, it is not the one sheep which wandered off causing the shepherd to leave the ninety-nine on the hill side to go and search for it. As important as that sheep is too, I want to focus on a different sheep.
I did my vicarage, my internship, at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Gretna, Nebraska, just outside of Omaha. I don’t have the exact picture of it, but somewhere in the church was a stained glass window, very similar to this one. Show picture. It’s kind of the iconic Good Shepherd stained glass. Jesus standing there with a couple of grown sheep around His feet, a staff in one hand, and a small little lamb tucked in His arms. That little lamb in Jesus’ arms has a name and its name is … “Bummer Lamb.”
Now, you could say that’s a silly name for a sheep. I mean, why wouldn’t you want to name it something like Lambchop or Socks or Wool Ferrell or Lady Baba or Cotton Ball or Q-Tip. Well, it’s called this because it is literally a “bummer lamb”. If you grew up around sheep or have been involved with them you may recognize the term, but let me explain.
When a lamb is born, just like with other animals, the newborn for one reason or another may be rejected by its mother. For whatever reason she doesn’t allow the lamb to feed. She may attempt to smother it. She shoulders the little lamb into the fence to drive it away. Worse yet, the mother may even sometimes kick it in order to try and cause it to die. Bummer right? But the thing is, it isn’t just the mother who rejects the newborn lamb … the whole flock rejects it.
And so if noticed, the only one to not reject the little lamb is the shepherd. When the shepherd sees this, he takes the little lamb from the flock and … holds it in his arms. The shepherd feeds it from his hand, lets it sleep on his chest. The lamb is no longer a “bummer lamb”, but is now the “shepherds lamb.” In fact, later on when the lamb is strong enough to be re-introduced into the flock, whenever the shepherd comes to lead the flock, the first sheep to greet him is … the “shepherds lamb.” That specific sheep, as well as all the others sheep come because they all know the shepherd’s voice, they know the shepherd’s words and His care.
Now if you think this is crazy, you can go online and find numerous articles about it. One rancher explains the amount of care which goes into taking care of the bummer lamb. He says, “Bummer lambs create a lot of work for time-pressed farmers with larger flocks and acreage to tend to. They need this care because bummer lambs don’t always make it. Bummer lambs are often weak because they have a problem which will prevent them from thriving. Lambs can have birth defects that are impossible to see. Often, sheep do not show any symptoms of a problem until it is too late to deal with it.”
Let’s go back to this iconic stained glass window of the Good Shepherd. Notice, what does Jesus, the Good Shepherd, have in His arms? It’s the bummer lamb. In all of the numerous pictures I looked at, the sheep Jesus is holding, whether in His arms or over His shoulders … the sheep is the bummer lamb. It’s been there the whole time.
“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 paths of righteousness for His name sake” (Psalm 23:1-3). The Shepherd makes me, leads me, restores me, and leads me. If He is the one who is doing all of that … where are you and I? Are we not right there with Him? Are we not like the bummer lamb?
Think about it for a bit … Psalm 51:5 says, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” And if we are born sinful, if we are sinful at conception … we are born with a birth defect. Because of this, not only do we receive the fatal curse of sin of death, but we have no place within the flock, we have no place in being accepted by God and others around us. By our sinfulness we’re smothered, we’re shouldered into the fence, and at times we are kicked away.
Paul says in Romans 7: “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” (7:21-24 NLT). Who will free me? Who will rescue me? The Good Shepherd.
As a bummer lamb, before it was too late, Jesus, the Good Shepherd of the sheep, came and took us up in His arms. Paul again says in Romans 5: “But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation” (5:8-9 NLT). And not only did Jesus take us up in His arms, but He also committed to taking the time to save us.
Jesus used six hours one Friday, He used thirty-three years of life on earth, He had a plan of salvation made since man’s fall into sin, all the way back in the Garden of Eden, and Jesus even chose to love you and was willing to pay the price for you even before the creation of the world (Eph. 1:3-5; 1 Peter 1:18-20; Titus 1:1-2).
But more than that! Way more recent than that, one glorious resurrection day, almost 2,000 years ago, the strategy was to rise from the darkness of death and lead this flock called the Church, to lead you, “through the valley of the shadow of death”, through valley of deep darkness. To lead you through this valley all the way to eternal life in His glorious Kingdom forever.
Remember what it was that the shepherd did when he noticed the bummer lamb? He takes the lamb and holds it close in his arms. He feeds it from his hand, he lets it sleep on his chest. This lamb who was once shunned and pushed away is no longer a “bummer lamb”, but is now the “shepherds lamb.”.
You were once that bummer lamb. But when sin shunned you and pushed you away from God’s presence, the Good Shepherd picked you up and held you close in His arms. He prepares a table for you and feeds you from this table His very body and blood for the forgiveness of your sins as well as to strengthen you in your faith. Jesus lets you stay with Him for He has promised to never leave you nor forsake you. You were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Oversee of your souls (1 Peter 2:25). You are no longer a “bummer lamb” … you are now the “shepherds lamb.”
Strengthened by the Good Shepherd, He returns you back into the flock of the world. Within this flock you let the light of Christ shine through you, you help others know the voice of the true Shepherd.
And as the shepherds lamb, when Jesus comes again and calls you by name, you will be the first one there, you will run into the open and loving arms of your Good Shepherd because you know His voice, you know His care.
I want you to look this iconic stained glass, I want you to picture in your mind the Good Shepherd holding you, His shepherds lamb, and sharing His grace with you as I once again read Psalm 23.
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 paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will 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 purse me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, now and forever. Amen.
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