Rev. Dr. Jonathan Blanke, Senior Pastor
Pastor’s Corner for April 21-27, 2024
The Lord Is My Shepherd
(Psalm 23:1; John 10:11-18)
As a child my understanding of many things was greatly influenced by what I saw on television. No surprise, then, that my picture of shepherds was formed once by a Warner Brothers cartoon about a sheepdog confronted by Wile E. Coyote! Wile E. always had some elaborate scheme to hustle the sheep out from under the nose of an ever-vigilant sheepdog. The coyote would build tunnels, mail order “fool-proof” devices, endanger life and limb in the single-minded pursuit of his prey. At first, as he hatched these hairbrained schemes, I remember being convinced that the sheepdog couldn’t see anything because he had so much hair over his eyes. But always, at the last minute, just when the coyote was about to make his getaway with three or four sheep in tow, the “oblivious” sheepdog was right there! The poor coyote didn’t stand a chance! I don’t know very much about shepherding real sheep. But my guess is that vigilance and faithfulness to one’s charges is important. These are the very qualities Jesus is addressing in our Gospel reading this weekend. His vigilance and faithfulness in watching over us and even laying down His life for us, His sheep, makes the Good Shepherd OUR Good Shepherd.
Ever heard the expression — or thought to yourself — “I must be the ‘black sheep’ here”? Maybe you belonged to a group in name but felt like an outsider. Maybe it seemed like hardship was targeting you, and the Good Shepherd, if He was indeed present at all, wasn’t paying very close attention. Maybe you know that a past action of yours has brought disgrace to the people you love, and you started to feel as if you would never belong anywhere again. But the truth of the matter regarding the household of God is that we are all “black sheep.” No matter how we might look on the outside, none of us deserve to belong to the Good Shepherd. Because of God’s mercy and grace, we have been brought into the sheepfold of those who belong to Him. Because of who God is — not because of who we are — we live with all of our most important needs already known and taken care of by the One who loves us with no strings attached!
On this Good Shepherd Sunday each of us will once again say, “The Lord is my shepherd.” Isn’t that, after all, the best part of Psalm 23? We belong. We are God’s special possession. We give thanks for the one-and-only Shepherd who cares for us now and even forevermore.
If You Missed It…
Last weekend was Time and Talent weekend. But if you were unable to submit a Time and Talent survey, we invite you to do so again in services this weekend (April 20 and 21). You can pick up a form when you join us for worship. Or just bring your completed form with you to church. You are invited to place your completed form in the basket in front of the altar during the Offering of Music/Offertory Hymn in all services. Thanks in advance for all you do to serve at and around RLC. We have an awesome God who has richly blessed our congregation with people who have a heart for service.
Easter hope and joy in Christ,
Pastor Jonathan
Pastor Jonathan Blanke grew up in Richmond, Virginia. He received his Bachelor's degree from College of William and Mary in Virginia and attended Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, where he earned a Masters of Divinity degree and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Biblical Studies, Book of John. He served as a Vicar at Messiah Lutheran Church in Richardson, Texas.
The Blanke family lived in Japan while he served as pastor and missionary to Okinawa Lutheran Church and taught Biblical Studies at Japan Lutheran College in Tokyo.
Pastor Jonathan lived in southern Maryland from January 2014 to November 2019 and was thankful to have served as the Sole Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lexington Park, Maryland.
He and his wife, Juli, have two grown children. In his free time, Jonathan likes to travel, "play around" on the piano, and enjoy the outdoors.
Click HERE to view a brief video from Pastor Jonathan.