Confirmation Sermon
God’s Sheep and the Shepherd
John 10:11-18
(Gospel for 4th Sun. of Easter C)

  5/7/95 Zion/Tomball Confirmation Sunday
  5/6/01 Zion/Tomball Confirmation Sunday
  5/4/09 Zion/Tomball Confirmation Sunday

 Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.  Our text for this special day of Confirmation is today’s Gospel lesson, recorded in St. John, chapter 10 verses 11 through 18 particularly these words:  “Jesus said, ‘I am the good Shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”  This is our text.
 In the name of our blessed Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dear Christian friends — and particularly you, the confirmation class of 2001.  What a great day this is for you, for your families, and for our congregation.  Today you complete what you have been working on for those long three years, and by so doing, you become a communicant member of the church — sharing with us the very body and blood of our Lord and Savior in the Holy Sacrament.
 But not only is today (your) confirmation day — today in the church year is also known as “Good Shepherd Sunday.”  That makes our Gospel lesson for today a perfect text for a confirmation sermon because in that text, Jesus tells us that he is the shepherd whose voice is known by the sheep.  He tells us that he knows his sheep.  And He tells us that his sheep follow him.
 First of all Jesus is the good Shepherd whose voice is known by the sheep.  Several times in the New Testament we read that Jesus in the Good Shepherd.  Jesus is not a hireling — he is not someone who is just paid a small salary to keep an eye open and watch where they might wander all day.  Hired shepherds were known for their laziness and the lousy way they cared for the sheep.  They would just lay out under a tree and sleep the day away, letting the sheep fend for themselves.  And if danger ever came near, the hired shepherd — who had no vested interest in the sheep would run away, leaving the sheep to protect themselves as best they could.  But Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  These are his sheep.  He cares about their welfare.  He cares about the food they eat and the water that they drink.  He cares about the rest that they get and the exercise that they get.  He cares about those sheep so much — he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for them — He gave himself up unto death — just for them.
 Jesus said that you are his sheep!!  He cares about you!  He died for you!  There are a lot of people in the world today — and Jesus died for every one of them.  Now you might think that just one little person, one little sheep, might get lost in the shuffle.  After all, how can God, who loves millions of people, be concerned about one individual person.  But in our text Jesus said, “I know my sheep.”  Jesus said in another part of the Scriptures, “The good Shepherd calls his own sheep by name, and leads them out.”  The good shepherd knows the name of each and every sheep, and he calls each one of them by name.
 I had a very good friend who lived up in Clifton, Texas, who raised angora goats.  He had just over 100 goats in his herd.  To me, every one of those goats looked just exactly alike, and I could not tell one from the other.  But the man who raised each one of them from birth, knew each one.  He didn’t have a name for them — but he knew them.  And when it was time for them to come into the shelter for the night, he knew without counting if any — or even if one — was missing.
 Jesus knows his own.  He even calls them by name.  At our Baptism, God called us by name — and then with the water and the Word, — He claimed us as his own — putting his name on us.  Today in this confirmation service — you will again be called by name and be claimed by God.  Jesus promised that whoever professes him before men, then He will profess them, by name, to the Father.  Today your God, calls you by name, and claims you as his own, even as he has done for every Christian down through history, and even as he will continue to do until the end of time as we know it.  God knows his own!  He calls them by name!  And he leads them into the pastures of life.
 Yes!  Our Good Shepherd knows his sheep.  And here is something very important –  Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice and they follow me!”  The sheep follow the shepherd for a very good reason — they know his voice.
 Maybe over the last three years you asked yourself, “Why do I have to study this stuff?   Why do I have to memorize words written by Martin Luther over 450 years ago?  Nobody else is doing it — Why do we Lutherans have to do all this?  And today, our text tells you just why you did it, “So that you will know the shepherd’s voice and follow him.”
 There are many wolves in this world hiding in shepherds’ clothing; wolves who want to snatch the sheep away from the Good Shepherd and lead them away to destruction.  Some of these wolves wear clerical collars.  Some of them preach regularly on T.V.  Some of them publish very popular books and write nice articles in popular magazines.  Some of them sit in teacher’s desks at schools and universities.  Some of them are elected to high office and positions of authority.  Some of them even pose as good friends.  And a lot of the things these wolves preach, and teach, and say — sounds just like what the Bible tells us, it sounds authoritative, or it sounds scientific.  What they say sounds good.  But these good sounding words are only the bait, which they use to lure the sheep into their trap — and then they steal these sheep away from the Good Shepherd.
 You have studied the Words of the Shepherd.  You know the difference between Law and Gospel.  You know the real meaning of Baptism.  You know what God wants you to do and not to do according to the 10 commandments.  You know about the real presence of Christ’s Body and Blood in, with, and under the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper.  You know the voice of the Shepherd, because you have listened closely to his Word.
 Paul tells us how important this voice of the Shepherd really is.  He told the Galatians,  “If we, or an angel from Heaven, should preach a Gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!  I say it again, If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!”  You know the voice of the Shepherd.  Listen to the Good Shepherd — not the hireling and not the wolves — but hear the voice of the Good Shepherd who says, “I lay down my life for the sheep.”
 Our text also tells us that the sheep know the Shepherds voice — “AND THEY FOLLOW HIM!”  Today, you confirmands promise to follow your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the rest of your life — even if that means giving up life itself for the sake of your Savior.  We follow our shepherd — not just when it is convenient — not just when we have nothing better to do — not just when it is the popular thing to do — BUT we follow our Shepherd in all times and in all situations.  Our Shepherd’s love for us leads us through this life into eternal life with him in heaven.  There can be no greater joy in life, than following the Good Shepherd — and living each and every day of our lives by His guidance and to his glory.
 The Good Shepherd calls you by name, because you are his.  You know his voice because you have listened to his Word and to his teachings.  Now, in the strength and by the grace he gives you through faith, follow him!!  Today, and every day of your life.  Amen.
 May the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life ever lasting.  Amen.