The Upload
Posted on Apr 24, 2015 by
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray you have had a blessed week!
I think I have shared this with you before, that my Grandpa Weinstein died right on my 13th birthday. Because of that, my birthday is always a bittersweet day because, although that was 43 years ago, I can still feel the pain that I felt when my mother came in my bedroom to tell me Grandpa had died. I was devastated, and I have been thinking about him a lot this week as we prepare to celebrate my birthday on Saturday.
You see, I was really close to my grandpa. He always made me laugh, he always had jokes to tell me, and he always had things to teach me about life. Whenever he was around, he made me feel like I was the most important person there. One of my favorite memories of him was how he would be at our house when we got home from church almost every Sunday. My grandpa was Jewish, so he didn’t go to church with us, but he would always stop at the Jewish deli on Sunday morning, pick up fresh bagels and lox, and have breakfast all ready for us when we arrived back home. My grandpa knew me and I knew him, and I always felt safe and happy when he was around.
This Sunday, our Gospel text is John 10:11-18. In this story, Jesus begins by saying, “I am the Good Shepherd” (10:11). Jesus wasn’t claiming to be just any shepherd; he was noting that he is the “good shepherd.” A good shepherd is one who knows his sheep and whose sheep know him. A good shepherd is one who makes his sheep feel safe in his presence, and a good shepherd is one who would even die to keep his sheep safe. That is the kind of shepherd Jesus describes himself as. He is the one who knew what his sheep needed. He knew they needed to be freed from death and sin, and he willing laid down his life for his people. That is who our Messiah is, the Good Shepherd.
I find it somewhat ironic that this weekend I will be reading and teaching on this text as I also will be remembering my Grandpa Weinstein, a Jewish man who knew me and I knew him. A Jewish man who loved me so much I know he would have laid down his life for me. A Jewish man who always made me feel safe and secure in his presence.
Now, I am not trying to make my Grandpa out to be a saint or to imply he was Jesus, but although he was not Christian, he lived his life being a good shepherd. He truly was the good shepherd of the family and he, more than anyone I know, taught me what it really meant to be a follower of Jesus. He taught me to live my faith and not be ashamed of it.
I pray that this week you, too, might remember those “good shepherds” you have had in your life and that you, too, might seek to be a “good shepherd” to others.
Have a blessed week!
Shalom,
Pastor Dave