FROM THE PULPIT: SHARE THE LOVE OF CHRIST WITH SOMEONE TODAY

There is a story of a helpless war orphan who was adopted by a Colorado family. The first night with his new family he desperatley clung to his mother, terrified of a new situation because he could remember his past experience of horror and constant fear.

At first he would cry when he saw someone else eat. For 18 months of his life he had associated this with the fact that he was hungry.

There was never enough food to go around. Gradually he responded to the love and affection which the family gave him. He learned to cry and laugh, to trust and respond to other people.

From this point of exchanging basic emotions, he could, for the first time in his life, come to know the potential for warmth and love in human relationships. He was like a lost lamb who had been found by a caring shepherd.

His family could love him as an important human being, not just another mouth to feed in a sea of hungry faces. Through this experience this whole family grew closer together.

We may not have a dramatic experience as this young person, yet we all feel the need to have a meaningful relationship.

In the gospel of John it is recorded: "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd I know my own and my own know me."

Christ has made a supreme sacrifice for us so that we can live in harmony and closeness with God and with one another.

God gives us power to share with others his love and care. Through Christ we can be moved to a fuller relationship with God and with others.

Share the love of God in Christ with someone today. Reach out to the helpless person. Be an example of care and concern. The Good Shepherd truly did this for you. Are you willing to do for someone today?