K N O W N
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
John 10:27
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Camp Luther’s theme for 2015 is ‘Known’.
We are known by God.
And the verse we are basing our entire year around comes from John 10:27. In it, Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
Now, Jesus doesn’t actually own sheep. He is referring to us as His sheep, expressing that He is our shepherd.
What do Shepherds do?
They care for their flock. They gave themselves for their sheep. He stood watch and protected them. He led them. Essentially, a shepherd gave his life for his sheep. And through it all, He knew them.
We are Known by God. Our Creator knows us.
In the Psalm 139 David writes this:
O Lord, you have searched me and known me!
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from afar.
You search out my path and my lying down
and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
God is not a distant father. He is a caring Father who wants a relationship with His children.
God wants us to take our shoes off and get to know Him.
In fact, God gave up His only Son so that He could be with us – so that He could get to us.
Jesus, our Shepherd, had to come so that he could destroy sin, the barrier between us and God. And because Jesus came, lived a perfect life, died and rose again we can now be with God the Father.
Have you ever created something? Maybe sculpted something or even constructed something out of play dough? When you are done making it, you are proud. You know it. You put the materials together and created something.
God is a Creator.
More than just play dough or something in art class – God created the world. He made the earth, day and night, sky, sea, and land, trees and animals.
And He made us.
Not in the same way we made a figure out of play dough or a house out of wooden sticks, but nonetheless, created us.
And God knows His creation. He knows us inside and out – loves us unconditionally.
Earlier we sang I just Wanna Be A Sheep. When we sing I Just Wanna Be A Sheep – we aren’t saying we want to be sheep. That would be weird. If we were going to be any animal, wouldn’t we want to be like a lion or an otter?
When we sing ‘I just wanna be a sheep’, what we are saying is, ‘I just wanna follow Jesus’.
I want to follow the one who loves me, who cares for me, who died for me, the one who calls us by name.
It is comforting to know that we are Known – more than that, to KNOW we are loved.
Jesus says that His sheep follow Him and to follow Him is to imitate Him.
To be like Jesus.
To love the people around you.
To create – to make – to be artistic – to be ourselves.
To be with God – to get to know Him.
And to share Him.
Because His love isn’t ordinary. It’s unordinary. An unordinary love for ordinary people like you and I.
Know that you are Known – but always remember that you are loved deeply.
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Written and shared by Tanner “Poet” Olson with the 2015 Summer Staff.