The Shepherd Who Seeks

John 10:1-18 (CEB) · Witnesses: Encountering Jesus When It Matters Most

You know the experience. You call customer service and hear: “Your call is important to us. You are caller number forty-seven.” Finally a voice says, “How can I help you today?” But the voice doesn’t know your name, your history, what you’ve already tried. You’re not a person — you’re a ticket number.

Or maybe it’s subtler. The way you walk through a week and nobody asks how you’re really doing. The way social media offers thousands of “friends” but few who would notice if you disappeared for a month. The way institutions — even churches, even families — reduce you to a role: the reliable one, the difficult one, the one who always volunteers.