Who’s Your Shepherd? – August 2, 2026

Ezekiel 34:11-16, I Peter 5:1-11
August 2, 2026

As Kari pointed out a couple of weeks ago, I am interested in all things space!  (Like you didn’t know that by now!)  And yes, I did know that day that in order to get to the moon, a spacecraft had to go 25,000mph!  (Only 17,500 for orbit!)

So that being said, because of my interest in space, when I hear the word “Shepherd,” my first thought is often Alan Shepard.  (Yes, spelled slightly differently – but pronounced the same!)  If you don’t know it, Alan Shepard was the first American in space.  In 1961, shortly after Yuri Gararin beat us, Shephard climbed into his mercury spacecraft and flew into space.  And it was long before Jeff Bezos started sending celebrities into space!  (Including, I’m so glad to say, William Shatner!)  By the way, Bezos’ rocket is called “the New Shepard,” in honor of Alan Shepard.

Of course, Alan Shepard did more than just fly into space.  He also walked on the moon, as commander of Apollo 14!  And if you remember, he’s the only person in history to hit a golf ball on the moon!  Alan Shepard!

Well, today we’re talking about “Shepherd” in the Biblical sense.  So, let’s change gears here.  Because, in the Bible, shepherd is a very strong image!  Jesus referred to himself as “the good shepherd,” or “the true shepherd.”  And of course, King David – a shepherd himself – called God his shepherd.  And he wrote those memorable words, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.  He leadeth me beside the still waters.  He restoreth my soul.”  Those are some of the most memorable words in the Bible.  And they paint a beautiful picture of God as the great shepherd, caring for his people.

We all love those images!  Isaiah wrote these beautiful words about God.  “He will feed his flock like a shepherd.  He will gather the lambs in his arms.  He will carry them to his bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.” (Isaiah 40:11)  Again wonderful words about God as the shepherd of his people.

We read another such passage today from Ezekiel.  There, God says, “Behold, I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out.   As a shepherd seeks out his flock when some of his sheep have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them.  And I will gather them, and will bring them into their own land, and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel…  I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep.”  God as our shepherd is one of the most iconic images in the Bible!  And we are part of that!

Somebody recently asked me about my “flock.”  And I have to admit that it caught me off guard a little bit!  I don’t think I ever had anyone ask me that before.  “How is your flock doing?”  It’s kind of a humbling thought, having a flock to tend!  And it’s very humbling, especially in the light of all the Biblical imagery!  But that’s part of the job.  (Right, Kari?)  And it’s connected with the words of the prophets and the psalmists.  It’s all part of the image of God as our shepherd.

Well, fast forward hundreds of years, to Peter.  From David to Ezekiel to Peter is a span of about 1,000 years!  And here we have Peter – who was one of Jesus’ leaders – telling the church’s leaders that they are shepherds!  In fact, the paragraph heading in my Bible says, “Tending the flock of God.”

Peter writes, “So, I exhort the elders among you.”  “I encourage you,” in other words.  “I urge you.”  And before he gives them his exhortation, he gives them his qualifications.  “I exhort you as a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed.”  Remember, Peter was there through it all.  He had learned from and had been commissioned by Jesus himself!  He was Jesus’ top guy.  He was the rock upon which he would build his church!  Now Peter is exhorting them – the leaders of the church.  And what does he exhort them to do?  “Tend the flock of God that is your charge.”

There’s that word!  There’s that shepherding imagery!  Tend the flock of God!  How about that, you elders and deacons!  “Tend the flock of God!”  Then Peter gives them his instructions in how to do that – how to “tend the flock.”  “Do so,” he ways, “not by constraint, but willingly; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not as domineering over those in your charge, but by being examples.”  Tend the flock willingly, eagerly, and by example.

So, you elders and deacons, those we installed a little while ago, and those who are still serving, you are shepherds, too.  You have a flock to tend!  There are sheep to feed, predators to ward off, stragglers to herd, lambs to care for.  There were a lot of things shepherds did in those days!  And they were all part of the image!  And I like that.  And I like that Peter exhorts the leaders, because I believe we Presbyterians do it right.  We are a shared ministry.  We share leadership.  We share the shepherding!

But here’s where being “an example to the flock” is so important.  You can only be a shepherd, if you can answer the question before us today.  And that is, “Who’s your shepherd?”  And I think that goes hand in hand with the other questions we’ve been asking lately.  “Who’s your drummer?”  “What’s your calling?”  “What’s your response?”  And last week, “What’s the prize?”

The question today is, “Who’s your shepherd?”  And it’s a question for all of us.  It’s for those who lead, and for those who are led.  Those who lead, need themselves to look to God as shepherd.  And those who are led, even though they have shepherds of the flock, also look to God as shepherd – the “great shepherd,” the leader of the shepherds, if you will.

So, we’re installing our leaders today.  And we’re exhorting them to “tend the flock!”  But we’re asking them to do so by asking the question that’s for everybody!  “Who’s your shepherd.”  So, can you answer that?  Can you all say with David, “The Lord is my shepherd”?  And are you the humble examples to your flock that Peter said you are to be?  And most importantly, as shepherds of the flock, are you committed to following the good shepherd?

And the rest of you, you who are led, do you encourage your leaders, and do you commit (or recommit) to follow them as they follow the great shepherd?  Those are the questions for today.  And I hope in all of that, that Biblical imagery of the shepherd and the sheep goes around and around in your minds all week, and in all the days ahead, as we move forward through the Summer, toward the fall season.

May we all keep in mind that question.  “Who’s your shepherd?”

Prayer

Eternal God, we thank you that you love us and that you are our shepherd.  Help us to look to you, to never stray too far, and to always to return!  Guide those who lead us.  Grant them your Grace and peace, as they seek to impart Grace and peace in our flock.  May we always know that you are our God, and we are your people, the sheep of your pasture.  And we pray in the name of the good shepherd, Jesus our Lord, Amen.