Whether we are long time Christians, newly baptised believers or non-believers, there has always been a sense of the reality and presence of God with us. As the old joke goes – even atheists under threat of death, end up praying. Whether our prayers are cries for help or cries with Job-like intensity – “why is this happening to me”, “how can life be so unjust and unfair” – throughout human history that is a basic recognition that we are not alone. The real question is not whether there is a God and is He with us, but how is He Present to us and how can we meet Him?

Religions have answered these questions in various ways. But it is the monotheistic religions that speak more precisely. The youngest of the monotheistic faiths, Islam underlines for us that there is only one God and we meet Him only at the end, as the Judge, and our life in the present is measured and counts toward that End. Judaism, the oldest of the three proclaims to us that God is known and met in the Torah of Moses, and obedience to the Torah is the key. The faith of apostles of Jesus is a refinement of both - Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfilment of Torah; and as the One who has died, and is now alive – He is the Presence of the One that we will meet at the End of All Things, with Us Now.

That sounds complicated. Can we put this more simply? Yes, we can. Jesus of Nazareth is alive and present to us as Shepherd – as our Leader and Guide for Life. In contemporary language, He is the guru. He is the teacher. He is the life coach. He is the consultant. He is the go to person. He is the therapist. He is the doctor. He is the counsellor. He is the CEO and CFO and CIO and Chairperson of the Board of Directors.

In contrast to Judaism, we are no longer bound by the Torah – the Law and Wisdom of God – but to Jesus as the One who embodies that Law and Wisdom of God. In contrast to Islam, we are no longer living in fear of the Judgement to come, but living in the loving knowledge that the Judgement has already been borne by the death of Jesus, so that those who now abide in Him, will never need to fear the Judgement to come, but can live in hope of the Joy of Loving Union with Him.

Jesus of Nazareth is God’s Presence with Us – not as faraway Judge, nor as Law or Principle or Ideals to live by, but as the Shepherd who speaks to us and leads and guides us, personally. He makes us lie down in green pastures. He leads us beside still waters. He restores our soul. He leads us in the paths of righteousness for His Name sake – because we are His beloved. And even in the darkest valley, we are not abandoned, but know His Presence as guardian and guide, with bountiful provision and inward strength. So that now, and always – we are always able to look back and say “surely goodness and mercy have followed me, all the days of my life and wherever I am, I find myself at Home, in His dwelling place.”

Is Jesus of Nazareth your shepherd?