This Sunday could be called the "Good Shepherd Sunday." All the scripture lessons for this morning are about shepherds. We have chosen the music in this service with the same theme. It is some indication of how important the image of the Good Shepherd is for our faith.

I want to take this opportunity to share an anecdote Neil Morgan tells about Ted Geisel, in his book about Geisel. It seems that when Geisel was a student, he and his roommate in college wanted to open up a private detective firm. They were going to call it, "Surely, Goodness and Mercy," and their slogan would be, "We shall follow you all the days of your life." I have been waiting a year to tell that story. This was the Sunday.

You run into the image of the Good Shepherd everywhere. You heard it in three passages today. F…