We often speak of the Good Shepherd, but most of us don’t recognize the demanding realities of caring for a flock. As we remember Christ’s baptism, which marks the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, Cait Gardiner invites us to reflect on the depths of God’s love for us and the ways in which we can help care for the flock.

Sunday, January 12: The Baptism of the Lord

‍Isaiah 40:1–5, 9–11

Psalm 104:1b–2, 3–4, 24–25, 27–28, 29–30

Titus 2:11–14; 3:4–7

Luke 3:15–16, 21–22

The Reality of the Good Shepherd

A reflection by Cait Gardiner

Winter is a special time on a sheep farm. Yesterday, I texted my best friend, a lifelong shepherd, to see if she wanted to grab coffee. She responded that she was on day four of supporting ewes giving birth and carefully watching three more sheep for signs of labor. Throughout our entire friendship, this has been the reality of January. There would always be a few weeks when she became fully immersed in the barn, and the only way to see her would be to offer companionship or assistance.

When most of us read the Biblical analogies to a shepherd tending their flock, we do so with minimal hands-on experience. It’s easy to picture someone on a hillside with sheep wandering around them, but much harder to think of the intensity being a shepherd actually brings. At the end of the first reading, we get one of these metaphors: “Like a shepherd, he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care” (Is. 40:11).

Feeding the sheep in Maryland’s winter can mean dragging yourself out of bed, despite everyone else having a snow day, and trudging through the snow in as many layers as you can to fill the different troughs, replenish the hay, and replace the water that you know will freeze again at least three times today. And that is just for the full-grown sheep. For the newborns, it can mean sitting with them for hours to make sure they are nursing and being prepared to guide or bottle feed if nature doesn’t take its course. It is much less idyllic than the traditional image of a shepherd on a hilltop, but this is the kind of care Isaiah’s prophecy references. God cares for us, regardless of how deep the snow or our struggles are.

The newborn lambs often struggle the most with this cold, so my friend is careful to ensure that heat lamps are plentiful and that the lambs get coats shortly after entering this world. A newborn lamb is only a little larger than a cat, leaving them incredibly vulnerable to the cold, other sheep that could accidentally trample them, and everything else that seeks to harm a sheep. Yet when my friend sends me pictures of these newborns, that fear isn’t reflected in their eyes. Southdown sheep look a lot like stuffed animals, especially as lambs, and in most pictures, it looks like they’re almost smiling. When my friend sent me pictures of this year’s lambs in their coats, that soft smile was the first thing I noticed. It’s a look that says, “I am content because I know you love me, and that means I have nothing to fear.” When Isaiah prophesies the Good Shepherd gathering the lambs and carrying them in his bosom, he is telling us that we can be as reassured as those little lambs that we are loved, and that means there is nothing to fear.

While lambing season is about the newborns, preparing for their arrival means spending a lot more time watching the ewes for every little change in behavior and being ready to step in however needed. Some days, this looks like spending time in the barn, waiting in quiet solitude for those first signs of labor. Even before the challenge of labor begins, the shepherd is there, ever-present, enjoying the company of their flock. We often turn to God when we hit challenges in our lives, but Isaiah’s prophecy tells of a God who is always there, providing gentle companionship even through the plateaus of our lives.

I love the metaphor of the Good Shepherd because when we know more about shepherds, it also tells us what God wants from each of us. Just like my best friend, the 21st-century shepherd, God asks for our companionship and our assistance. Find ways to set aside intentional time to pray, especially in those moments where there isn’t a struggle or triumph at hand because God is there through it all, and help God with the flock, be it through giving your time, talent, or treasure to help God’s people in need.

Cait Gardiner (they/them) is a queer non-binary person who is passionate about uplifting the voices of marginalized communities and making civics education accessible. They want to be a light to others navigating the difficult experience of reconciling their sexual orientation with their faith.

‍