Sheep without a shepherd

by Lydia Wassermann

John 10:14 - "I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me."

“Mom, when pastor leaves, will we have to go with him?”

This question was asked by a young boy whose pastor was going to be leaving their church in the near future to go to a new calling. He was the only pastor the child had known at their church. His pastor was always the one there, and they would follow what he told them from God’s Word.  Now he was leaving. It made the boy wonder.

We refer to our pastors as our shepherds, and the congregation members are the flock of sheep a pastor leads. Sheep would follow their shepherd wherever he would lead them, so of course the congregation members would follow their pastor, right?        

Well, that may be what they would want to do. For years, they leaned on that pastor; they went to him for advice and comfort; they became friends. And now all of a sudden, he was going to be leaving them. It came as a shock to everyone. If the congregation were actually sheep, they would be feeling so incredibly helpless and alone, and not know where to turn. Thankfully the members were not actually sheep, but they did feel incredibly alone and almost helpless as they thought of their life without their dear pastor. 

There will come many times in our lives when we will not know to whom or where to turn, and times may seem bleak. Friends or family members may move away from us, or they may even pass away. But, even if people on this earth leave us, we always can turn to our Father in heaven. From before time began, God loved us and had plans for us.  Even though we were sinful and far from God, because he loved us so much, God sent his eternal Son to die on the cross to save us. What a great hope and comfort that is to us all! It is also a great assurance that we can go to God when we feel alone, when we feel helpless, and he will always be there, speaking to us through his Word.

For the church without a pastor, yes, for a time they will feel alone. They will miss their pastor, and be torn between wishing him to come back, but also being happy for this new chapter in his life. We can pray that they are strengthened by the assurance of God never abandoning them, by knowing that he has a plan for them, his people. Their Good Shepherd, Jesus, will always be with them.

Jesus was dearly loved by his disciples when he was on earth. They grew to love him as their teacher, and were full of fear when they thought they had lost him forever. But not even death could keep Jesus from them, and he promises us the same.  Recall the promise Jesus has made to us: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).  The congregation missing its pastor--and we ourselves all through our lives--can  take comfort in this.

Prayer:  Dear heavenly Father, thank you for always being with us. Thank you for sending your Son, who was with us on earth for a time, promises his presence with us always, and who will be with us also in eternity.  Grant us strength to trust in your will for us, even when we don’t understand. Help us to lean on you and your love for us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.