Stephanie Opsal, Albuquerque, NM<\/p>\n
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Warm-up Question<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n Which of your teachers in the past has had the strongest influence on your life?<\/p>\n Love Laid Down Have you ever seen a teacher in action and thought, \u201cThat must be an easy job?\u201d\u00a0 Conveying first-grade level math or language arts skills might not seem difficult from the outside, but it takes a special kind of person to become a thriving teacher.\u00a0 Beyond a thorough knowledge of \u00a0subject content and developing a teaching style, teachers who truly engage students have an enormous capacity for love, dedication, and patience for their students.\u00a0 Many educators say they love their jobs and do not teach for the money; the strongest ones mean it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the worst times, such as the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012, stories of hope rise out of the darkness, and many of these involve teachers who cared beyond their expected role.\u00a0 A first grade teacher, Kaitlin Roig-DeBellis, jumped into gear at the first sound of a gunshot and locked all fifteen of her students safely in the classroom bathroom.\u00a0 The principal lost her life throwing herself at the gunman, giving every effort to stop him.\u00a0 One teacher responded after the event by teaching her students to pay it forward to others.\u00a0 To honor the twenty-six lost lives and recognize all the gifts received by the surviving children, a young teacher started a nonprofit organization called Classes4Classes to provide smartboards, books, and other school supplies to communities in need. She taught her students to become selfless, others-focused individuals in the same way she courageously stood before her class on the fateful day.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As recently as April 4th<\/sup>, 2015, a teacher made the news in a much more uplifting scenario.\u00a0 Ms. Sheila Howarth, teacher at Leeds City Academy, won the \u201cMost Inspiring Teacher\u201d award in Yorkshire, England.\u00a0 Ms. Howarth believes in every single student who walks in her door and feels proud of every achievement they make, no matter the size.\u00a0 She teaches and recognizes the progress of her students as individuals, not in comparison to one another.\u00a0 Some children she teaches know very little English, but she helps them achieve good grades and reach the collegiate level.\u00a0 She takes the effort to get to know the young people she interacts with every day, and she has found the hook that can turn \u201cuninterested\u201d kids into engaged learners.\u00a0 She encourages kids to make the most of their lives, starting today, and has \u201ca big heart and all the pupils belong in it.\u201d\u00a0 She never stopped encouraging students to keep trying, reach their potential when they could not see it themselves, and push toward their dream careers, even when the path looked daunting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Sheila Howarth, along with numerous inspiring teachers throughout the world, whether noticed or not, choose not to leave work at work or do the bare minimum requirements to earn the paycheck. \u00a0She gives her all for the kids and never gives up on them, which could not help but make a transformative difference in so many lives.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Discussion Questions<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n Fourth Sunday of Easter<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n Acts 4:5-12<\/a><\/p>\n 1 John 3:16-24<\/a><\/p>\n John 10:11-18<\/a><\/p>\n (Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser<\/a>. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings<\/a><\/p>\n For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Gospel Reflection<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus claims to be “the good shepherd,” the one who lays down his life for the sheep.\u00a0 In the passage, Jesus shows the difference between 1) the true good shepherd who loves the sheep and will do anything to protect them and 2) the hired hand who only takes care of the sheep for the necessity of earning money.\u00a0 The hired hand runs at any sign of danger or interruption to his own life, because he does not truly care about the sheep. The shepherd, however, loves the sheep to the point of sacrificial love.\u00a0 He would rather die and let the sheep live than see them get hurt or scattered.\u00a0 He puts them before himself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the second part, Jesus extends the metaphor and asserts that He also has sheep from another sheep pen that He calls His own.\u00a0 Finally, He does all of this by choice, based on His love and His close relationship with both the Father and the sheep, not under obligation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus uses this example to show that we are the sheep, and Jesus is our<\/em> good shepherd.\u00a0 Look back through the passage with this mindset, replacing the word “sheep” with “us” or “them.”\u00a0 Hopefully this does not offend, but sheep have little brains.\u00a0 They may not be the most intelligent animals, but they can recognize their leader’s voice and follow.\u00a0 Sheep are great at flocking together.\u00a0 If God is our shepherd leader, we can agree that our intelligence and understanding pales in comparison to His.\u00a0 “For my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts,” God says through the prophet Isaiah (55:8-9), and “Who has known the mind of the Lord?\u00a0 Or who has been His counselor?” \u2013 Romans 11:34.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus does not save us based on our level of intelligence.\u00a0 He saves and protects us because of His love, because by nature, He IS Love.\u00a0 This example of the sheep and the shepherd illustrates Christ’s selfless love for humankind.\u00a0 He lives out this truth through His death on the cross and resurrection.\u00a0 Instead of watching and letting all His sheep whom he created, leads, and loves die, Jesus stands before us and takes on the death that we deserve.\u00a0 Then He conquers death and rises again to life!\u00a0 What a GOOD shepherd we have!<\/p>\n How can I be sure that Christ died for ME specifically, and not only for all the super holy, religious people?\u00a0 Jesus said, “I know my sheep, and my sheep know me \u2013 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father \u2013 and I lay down my life for the sheep.” (v. 14-15).<\/p>\n Jesus does not love you reluctantly, shaking His head but loving you because He has to.\u00a0 Quite the contrary, He is the shepherd that puts little sheep lives before His own perfect life, the teacher that gives everything he can for each individual learner, and the one who does everything from the motivation of love, even letting sinful men nail him to a cross for the sake of us “having life, and having it to the full.” (John 10:10)<\/p>\n Discussion Questions<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n Activity Suggestions<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n Closing Prayer<\/strong><\/b><\/p>\n Jesus, thank you for being our Good Shepherd and never leaving us or letting us down. Help us to become selfless, loving, Christ-like people, quick to act and take opportunities to serve others in Your name.\u00a0 Hold us in your grace and love.\u00a0 In your holy name, amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Stephanie Opsal, Albuquerque, NM \u200b Warm-up Question Which of your teachers in the past has had the strongest influence on your life? Love Laid Down Have you ever seen a teacher in action and thought, \u201cThat must be an easy job?\u201d\u00a0 Conveying first-grade level math or language arts skills might not seem difficult from the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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