April 2

John 10:19-42 

“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.”   ~ John 10:27-29 

“You are sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever.” It’s the phrase that brings tears to my eyes every time I witness a baptism. 

My kids know this about me. So when my son – at 18 years and two hours old so that he didn’t need my permission – brought home a tattoo (a beautiful intricate Cross on his arm) and said, “Well, Mom, I’m marked as Christ’s own forever” – what could I say? Talk about “an outward and visible sign….”!  

The baptismal phrase and Jesus’ words speak to me of belonging, of security, of family. They tell me that no enemy (and I am my own worst enemy) is powerful enough to snatch me away from God. Not even I can snatch me away from God! I have tried – I have surely “wandered far in a land that is waste” (BCP, p. 450) and I understand the psalmist’s near-frustration at God’s omnipresence (“Where can I go then from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?” (Ps. 139:6) But after each bit of prodigal-ness, I am always comforted by and grateful for the blessed assurance that nothing can snatch me out of God’s hand. 

All of us sheep occasionally listen to other voices. Lent is a season made for returning to the fold, with the assurance that we are marked as Christ’s own forever. Do you hear Jesus’ voice?