That is the meaning of the encounter Moses has with God at the burning bush. Moses asks God's name and God replies, "I am . . . " Tell Pharaoh "I am" sent you. We wonder, "'I am' — what?" Finish the sentence, God. But God maintained his sovereign silence, leaving us hanging on his words for centuries, until one day an awestruck John writes, "I am has come among us. In the flesh . . . " God's perfect self-expression has come to finish the sentence: "I am the bread of life . . . I am the light of the world . . . I am the resurrection and the life . . . I am the way, the truth and the life . . . I am the true vine . . . I am the good shepherd . . . I am the gate . . . " And in case we miss his point, in John chapter 8 Jesus says, "Before Abraham was, I am . . . "

Advertisement

My favorite "I am" moment in John comes in the garden of Gethsemane. The posse is closing in. Soldiers are dashing through the trees, torches are lit and swords are flashing as they swarm around him. But Jesus has to pull back and rein in his power before they can even touch him. Cool as a cucumber, Jesus asks, "Who is it you want?" They answer, "Jesus of Nazareth." When Jesus says, " I am . . . he" Scripture says, "They went backward, and fell to the ground." (KJV) So Jesus dims his glory and power enough to allow himself to be taken prisoner, to die for you and me.

Jesus says, "I lay down my life for the sheep . . . " The statement would have surprised Jesus' listeners: "What? God was a shepherd in the Old Testament, we have no problem with the metaphor, but what shepherd would go so far as to die for his sheep?" When I was in Houston, a man was fishing in Galveston Bay when his hat blew off. The man dove in the water to retrieve the hat, and he never came up. People in Houston were sick over that — it seemed so senseless to die for a six-dollar hat. Jesus' audience probably felt the same — die for a sheep? It made no sense. But what Jesus had in mind with this metaphor was even more incomprehensible: that God himself would die for sinners like us.

My friends, you've been bought at a great price. Now are you willing to be owned? This morning I have with me a branding iron. I had it flown in from Tennessee. The brand reads "JC." This morning, you can let the whole world know you belong to Jesus. I'll stand at the door with the iron, and you just tell me where you want it. It'll only sting for a minute. Earlier in the service we used water to gently brand our children. Notice that in the baptism ceremony, we take the baby out of the parents' arms. The baptized child is now the property of Jesus - his little lamb.

Can you say with complete personal confidence this morning, "The Lord is my shepherd"? You may ask, "How can anybody be completely sure?" Well, can you imagine a child who is unable to say with confidence "This is my mom" or "There goes my dad"? There are some things in life you just need to be sure about.

Let me tell you candidly about a disturbing experience I often have. It highlights the thing that bothers me most about our Presbyterian church. I'll meet someone who says, "I grew up in the Presbyterian Church. I was baptized, went to Sunday School, got confirmed, and memorized the Apostle's Creed. None of it meant anything to me; my parents made me do it. I went off to college and ran wild, did things I still regret. Then I met some Baptists, and they led me to the Lord." A story like that makes me want to go screaming into the night.

Friends, what was missing for these folks was a living relationship with the Shepherd. In the Presbyterian church, we have wonderful traditions, but we must not mistake going through the motions of devotion for a real relationship with Jesus Christ. Not even baptism will make up for the lack of a living, personal relationship with the Shepherd. If you wear the brand, you must live the life. What matters in Christianity is not a recipe, but a relationship. Join me this morning in saying with confidence: "The Lord is my shepherd."

Lord, long ago you wept over the people of Jerusalem, saying they were like sheep without a shepherd. How you must weep over Atlanta this morning because so many wander aimlessly. Lord, we pray that you would make your Church bold enough to proclaim our wonderful Shepherd. And may we who wear the brand live the life. Amen.

Victor D. Pentz is Senior Minister at Peachtree Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, Georgia.