Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

It was a long struggle with heart problems which had caused our friend to gradually lose strength. Then one day the word came from the doctor. The end was near. How does one face such a moment? Our friends were Baptists, and they had a wonderful, caring pastor. They called for the pastor, and he came. As he entered the hospital room, he did not greet the couple. He simply opened his mouth, from which flowed these 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:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; — Psalm 23 KJV

Years later our widower friend told this story over and over, as though I had never heard it before. He still remembered the transformation of the atmosphere in the room as what could have been a hopeless vigil turned into to a transcendent intersection in time. He was empowered by the sacred presence of the God of Abraham, Moses, David and Jesus Christ to face the loss even as his wife received courage to face death. Both were encompassed by the love and compassion of God.

The 23rd Psalm gives testimony to the compassionate and loving God that we seek. Of course, not only Psalm 23, but many other expressions of faith are found within and outside the Bible.

I had to return to the hospital four weeks after surgery as my heart suddenly went out of control racing along with no discernable rhythm. Kathy and I were doing everything the doctor prescribed. We had earned an uninterrupted recovery! Suddenly we were beset with doubt because my condition had turned so quickly.

Pastor Liebster arrived that afternoon as we waited for my heart to return to regular rhythm. Then came the spiritual prescription for the hour. It was Psalm 121.

I lift up my eyes to the hills —
from where will my help come?
My help comes from the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
He who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD is your keeper;
the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in
from this time on and forevermore.

And not only the Psalms. I have prayed the Lord’s Prayer with many of you before surgery, at the loss of a loved one, or at the healthy birth of our children. One of the most attractive aspects of Lutheranism that impressed me as a non-Lutheran was the deep reverence that Lutherans give to the Lord’s Prayer. All one has to announce are those familiar words, “in the name of Jesus who taught us pray. Our Father in heaven . . .”

Lutherans actually change posture on hearing such a formula. One senses that the whole atmosphere is transformed from fatalism and resignation that often infects us to a field of the sacred to which we may turn for strength, comfort, and courage. We suddenly leave the box we normally live within and find ourselves ready to acknowledge the mystery of God that we cannot comprehend, but who already comprehends us.

In today’s Gospel we hear the reiteration of Israel’s witness to the righteousness of God. We hear it in the words of Jesus as he is swarmed by the throngs of people who come to him for the healing that occurs in the wake of his message that

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near, repent, and believe in the good news." (Mark 1:14-15)

Jesus sees that the crowd has followed him without thought of food and water provisions. Mark tells us that when Jesus sees the mass of people

He had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. (Mark 6:34b)

It is that one word that characterizes the ministry and person of Jesus Christ. “He had compassion for them.” This word is exclusively placed on the lips of Jesus, either in direct quotes or in his parables. When we ask about the quality of Jesus’ ministry that revealed to his followers, the answer comes in the beloved image of the good shepherd.

It is clear to the reader of Mark that Jesus evokes the good shepherd. For as soon as Jesus expresses compassion toward the mass of people, he commands the disciples to feed them with what little they have. “Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass” (Mark 6:39). We hear the echo of Psalm 23 in the background.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures. (Psalm 23:2a)

Then Jesus calms the winds over the Sea of Galilee and walks sovereignly over the waves that are stilled by his voice. Again we hear the psalm.

He leadeth me beside the still waters. (Psalm 23:2b)

Dear congregation, today we encounter Jesus as the “good shepherd.” In his presentation as a shepherd who willingly lays down his life for the sheep (John 10), we get a glimpse at the God who reveals God’s own self as the compassionate God in contrast to the god that we want---a god who is all powerful and can be used to keep us in power and to magically avoid the pitfalls of life.

It is said that there are no atheists in foxholes. It seems to be true. For there is no denying the dangers that are in life. We may not like being so vulnerable. It is a lot worse to be vulnerable in this life and not know the compassion of God through our family, our loved ones, our neighbor, and our sisters and brothers in Christ.

Through the ages many have followed Jesus in his mission to embody the compassion of God, especially Birgitta of Sweden, who died in 1373. Birgitta married at age thirteen and had four daughters. Widowed at age thirty-eight, she gave all that she owned to the poor, and founded a community of monks and nuns led by a woman. Her work is continued today by the Society of St. Birgitta.

May we, the members of Christ the King Lutheran Church, leave also such a legacy as we serve in this world in the name of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

And the peace of God which passes all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.