Sheep, Shepherds, and Shalom

This sermon wraps up our "Foundations" sermon series. Over the past several weeks, we have surveyed a variety of foundational beliefs, teachings, and practices of Christianity, including the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the importance of a relationship with Jesus. This week, we will turn our attention to another foundation of the Christian life, the task and calling of shepherding the family of God. The Bible repeatedly uses the metaphor of a shepherd and the sheep to describe God's relationship with His people. In fact, Jesus described Himself as the "Good Shepherd" to highlight His role as our caretaker and king. Even though He is the ultimate shepherd, He has delegated much of the everyday work of caring and leading to human shepherds such as pastors, elders, and deacons. As we prepare to enter into a season of nominating and electing church officers for 2022, this message will remind us how foundational and beautiful these callings are. As beloved sheep of the Good Shepherd, Jesus longs for each one of us to be part of His family where we can be challenged, encouraged, and equipped to flourish in our faith, care for each other, and love Him more.