McChoir's Music Corner Extensions - #2

Each week for our parish bulletin, I have a feature section called "McChoir's Music Corner." I will share snippets and/or full posts in here, as well as some extended articles from what I publish from time to time!

May 10 & 11 – 4th Sunday of Easter (with extended notes)

Icon of Christ the Good Shepherd

This has got to be one of my favorite Sundays of the year—Good Shepherd Sunday. I think most people have a certain affinity for the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd, especially when we consider ourselves as a sheep in the flock he tends. It speaks to our desire to be loved and cherished, and we are loved and cherished in the most profound way in Jesus Christ. God is love itself, and in the person of Jesus, that love came down from heaven, so we call him “the king of love,” as we sang at communion today. “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” comes from the great English hymn writer Henry Baker, who took the words of Psalm 23: “the Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I lack…” and crafted this delicate hymn text to express the warmth and depth of God’s love. This project was so impactful to Baker, that when he lay on his death bed, the final words he spoke before passing to eternal life were the words of the third verse:

“Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed, But yet in love he sought me, And on his shoulder gently laid, And home, rejoicing, brought me."

If you know anything about sheep, you know they are not the smartest bunch, and they need a lot of guidance to live as they ought: They need a fence to keep them from aimless wandering, they need a sheep dog to run around and organize them, and they need a shepherd to protect them, and go after them when they inevitably stray from the flock.

I don't know about you, but I often find myself relating to the Israelites in Exodus to whom God referred as a "stiff-necked people." (Exodus 33: 1-6) We're not the 'smartest bunch' either. We sin! We're distracted and attracted by things that take us away from the flock, away from our Good Shepherd. Just like the sheep who need so much guidance, I am no different! I need a fence, we'll call that God's law, to keep me from aimless wandering-- with moral subjectivity and relativism dominating my thoughts. I need a sheep dog, perhaps like our bishops and priests, to guide me where I need to go (and perhaps 'bark' at me when I'm not paying attention!) and who assist the shepherd in keeping me safe. Above all else, I need the 'Good Shepherd' to protect me and go after me when I inevitably stray.

Everything falls apart without the shepherd: Without the shepherd, there is no fence or law that offers a clear boundary to keep us in. Even if there is no physical fence or written law, it is the shepherd himself that applies the boundaries of where the sheep may safely graze. Without the shepherd, the sheep dogs have no order, structure, or purpose with which to guide the sheep. In fact, without the shepherd, the dogs may even consume the sheep! Without the shepherd, the sheep are left unprotected and helpless from anything and everything that may come their way. A predator would pick off the sheep and devour them with ease, a storm would drive the flock away and scatter them into isolation and further despair, the sheep could even be stolen away and taken captive by another person. Not only do we see God as a loving and tender shepherd who cares for us in a gentle meadow, but we understand that without him we would be lost without hope. We need him!

"The King of Love" arr. Paul J. Christiansen (Sung by the Concordia Choir under the direction of Rene Clausen)

Our ‘Alleluias’ in the Easter season are due to his action as the shepherd who saves! Today we sang the communion antiphon from the Roman Missal: "The Good Shepherd has risen, who laid down his life for his sheep and willingly died for his flock, alleluia." To pair with this refrain, we sing from Psalm 78: 52-55, 70-71 that details the saving action from the Old Testament, where God saved the Israelites from captivity in Egypt, brought them "to his holy land," and 'chose David from among the sheepfolds to become their shepherd.' God has a plan of action for us and we see a clear example of him shepherding his people in the Old Testament through this story. By this example from ancient times, I can look at my own life today and have abundant hope and trust in God. It gives me great joy to sing his praises as my loving shepherd, in whom I put my complete trust: “I nothing lack if I am his, and he is mine forever.”

-McChoir