Good Shepherd Nashville

God on a Donkey | The Rev. Art Going

A sermon on Matthew 21, the Palm Sunday entry. Fr. Art tells the story of a parade in St. Louis 25 years ago that ended with the donkey locking up at the church door, then visits medieval Germany, where wooden Palmesel statues on wheels were pulled through village streets to keep Christ's coming at the level of the crowd. Matthew quietly drops "triumphant and victorious" from his Zechariah quote because, as Fr. Art explains, this is a modest entry, a king on a borrowed donkey walking at the pace of his people. Drawing on Luther, Barth, and C.S. Lewis's Sarah Smith of Golders Green, Fr. Art holds authority and lowliness together, the king who came to carry. Be careful what you wish for, and be grateful when God gives you better.

Love Finds a Face | The Rev. Art Going

A sermon on John 15:12-17, the command to love one another. Where last week's vine-and-branches gave the wide angle, this week brings the close up. Fr. Art connects Lewis' trap of loving humanity in the abstract, and Bonhoeffer's wish-dream from Life Together: the imagined community always destroys the real one. The remedy is John Stott learning to pray for his parishioners by name. And ours is to look for a shepherd who learns names, prays them, and notices when a face is missing. Drawing on Martin Marty and Gabriel Marcel's disposability, Fr. Art reminds us that incarnation is God's supreme act of turning, tilting, bending toward us. We love because he first loved us.

Come and Abide With Us | The Rev. Art Going

John 15 with Fr. Art.
Christian life is not the fruit of effort, but of connection. Through John 15, this teaching invites us into the practice of abiding in Jesus and the slow fruit of that life: vulnerability, gratitude, and care. Apart from him we can do nothing and rooted in him we become what only the Spirit can produce.

The Branch That Looked Healthy | The Rev. Derek Axelson

John 15:1 – 8 with Dcn. Derek.
God loves us as we are, and he does not leave us as we are. Through John 15, this teaching invites us into the necessary work of pruning as the way the Father strengthens our connection to the vine. If God does not prune us, something else will, and only the careful work of his hand bears in us the fruit that lasts.

He Wept Because He Loved | The Rev. Suzie Anderson

John 11:1 – 44 with Mtr. Suzie.
Jesus enters our grief and meets us there. Through the story of Mary, Martha, and the raising of Lazarus, this sermon invites us to see how the one who holds resurrection power shares our tears and answers our questions.

Learning to See | Benjamin Walker

John 9:1 – 41 with Benjamin Walker.
Seeing Jesus begins with knowing our need for him. Through the story of the man born blind, this sermon invites us to come hungry, come needy, and come blind, trusting that Jesus reaches into the mud of the world and gives sight to those who know they cannot see.

Jesus Creates Abundance | The Rev. Art Going

John 6 with Fr. Art.
When we face overwhelming needs with underwhelming resources, Jesus creates abundance. Through the feeding of the five thousand, this sermon invites us to bring what we have to Jesus, watch what he creates, and trust that there is always more where his presence is.

The Long Walk Home | The Rev. Suzie Anderson

John 4:46 – 54 with Mtr. Suzie.
Belief takes shape in our walking and our trusting, especially when the outcome is still unseen. Through the story of the royal official's son, this sermon invites us to see how desperation brings us to Jesus, and how trust deepens through every stubborn yes we say to him on the long road of waiting.

Come and See | The Rev. Art Going

John 1:35 – 42 with Fr. Art.
The heart of discipleship is staying. Through the calling of the first disciples, this sermon invites us into the slow education of desire that happens when we abide with Jesus, breathing the same air as him and letting his presence reshape what we want.

Absurd Generosity | The Rev. Art Going

John 2:1 – 11 with Fr. Art.
At a wedding running out of wine, Jesus reveals his glory in absurd abundance. Through Mary's simple naming of a need and the first sign at Cana, this sermon invites us into the kind of God whose first act is to save a celebration, and whose generosity overflows whenever we bring what we have into his presence.