Just how good IS our shepherd?

The fourth Sunday of Easter is a time when we always focus on Jesus as our Good Shepherd. In John 10:22-30 Jesus says that no one will steal God's sheep. They - we - are secure with Jesus as our shepherd. But if we are at all in tune with events in our world, we cannot help but wonder where our Good Shepherd is when tragedy occurs? Does the Good Shepherd take a break now and then? Pastor Phil Kniss suggested that these questions reveal a view of God that is problematic. Using John 10:22-30 as well as Revelation 7:9-17, Pastor Phil explored another way of viewing God, a way that sees God as walking alongside of us in the midst of suffering.