Devotion: Feed My Sheep

“…Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ Peter said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’” John 21:15-19

In my sermon on Sunday, I shared a quote from Rudyard Kipling. It is one that I’m fond of and have shared before. “An ounce of mother is worth a pound of clergy.”

Perhaps I’m overly fond of this quote because I am a pastor. It reminds me of my limitations. Generally, I don’t drink my own Kool-Aid, and I am very realistic about the influence of my words. At the end of the day, no pastor can impact someone more than the love and guidance of their mother.  

And this is what we celebrated on Sunday. Mother’s Day is a cherished time when we reflect on the best of what we know in the unconditional love of a mother. Whether someone had a great relationship with their mother, or whether it was or is a challenge, the best of life and love can be seen in motherly love. (Please know that we acknowledge that Mother’s Day can be a hard day for those who are grieving, have struggled with fertility, or those for whom this cherished relationship is broken.)  

I asked the question of our church family, “When was your mother the most proud of you?” When we get to the heart of understanding and remembering what was the best of our relationship with our mom, then we get to a good place, and a place of deep faith.  

In our text, Jesus speaks to Peter individually after his resurrection. He does so to both compassionately care for him and to set him in the right direction. This sounds like motherhood – compassionate care and guidance doing what is right. Jesus makes it clear. To love him is to serve.  

In my sermon I amended by question, one which I hope will give you a pause to reflect. “When was your mother the most proud of how you served?”  

Let us pray…

Precious Jesus, you are often described as a loving parent. We give you thanks for your unconditional love and we pray that all those who give and receive motherly love and care will be blessed, and those who need that form us love, will find it. 

We pray in Jesus’ name. 

Written by Pastor Greg Bouvier

Pastor Greg heard God’s call to Sheridan in 1999 and that began a journey which has become his life’s work. Having played a variety of roles as pastor of Sheridan, Pastor Greg was called as the Senior Pastor in 2011. He leads the staff and his primary focus is on the creation of culture, the overall direction of worship and partnering with our amazing team. Pastor Greg has been married to Rose for more than 30 years and together they have two servant-hearted grown children.