Greetings my friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your Friendly Neighbourhood Monk in Docs.
Welcome to Day 27 of our Lent 2026 journey in the wilderness,
Still hell,
As we walk through John's Gospel towards Easter.
As always,
I invite you to ground yourself in this moment,
To settle yourself in this time,
To rest yourself in the arms of God,
As we open our ears to hear,
Our minds to think and our hearts to receive.
Today,
We sit with the image that Jesus gives us in John chapter 10,
The Good Shepherd.
Jesus says here that the sheep recognise the Shepherd's voice,
They follow the Shepherd,
Because they know him,
Because they know him.
Recognition doesn't come from the loudest voice,
It comes from familiarity.
Sheep learn a Shepherd's voice by living with that Shepherd's voice,
By hearing it daily,
By experiencing its tone over time.
This is really relational discernment,
And in a world in which the voices and the sounds and the noises become louder and louder,
This matters deeply.
There's so many voices that surround us,
News,
Commentary,
Expectations,
Leadership,
Social media,
All these things that are external.
But let's not also forget those internal voices,
Memories,
Anxieties,
Ambition,
Shame,
Comparison,
Even pressure.
Some of these voices are urgent,
Some are harsh,
All of them seem pretty relentless at times.
And as we know,
Not all of those voices lead towards life.
Jesus says the Shepherd leads,
And this is important,
The Shepherd leads but doesn't drive.
In this image,
There's no whip or coercion or panic,
The Shepherd walks ahead and the sheep simply follow.
The voice of Christ is consistent in character,
It's steady,
Gentle,
Firm,
Without force.
It's a voice that's devoid of manipulation or shame,
It's not a voice that will rush you into fear,
But Jesus does say it's a voice that calls you by name.
Now in the wilderness,
Where the terrain is open and dangerous,
Knowing the right voice can be the difference between survival and death.
When visibility is low or the landscape is unfamiliar,
And with multiple calls competing for your attention,
Discerning the right voice becomes everything.
But we can't just make this a discernment of ideas,
It also has to be a discernment of tone.
So just think about this gently for a moment,
What voices dominate your inner world?
Your inner world,
Just notice.
Is there a voice of pressure or scarcity?
A voice that says you're behind,
Not enough,
At risk?
And as they surface,
You might also ask,
Which voices create fear and are there any voices there though that create steadiness?
There's a difference in how they feel in your body,
Fear tightens and rushes and demands immediate reaction,
But the voice of Christ steadies,
It clarifies without agitation,
It strengthens without shaming.
It may challenge you,
But in that challenge,
You'll never find any destabilization,
You'll never find that voice demoralizing your worth.
Imagine now the Good Shepherd walking ahead of you.
This is a shepherd that doesn't push from behind but walks ahead,
You're not being driven,
You're being led,
Calm presence,
Attentive,
Protective.
You don't need to keep scanning the horizon in panic.
You just listen and you recognize.
Think about this for a moment,
How does Christ's voice feel different from the others that are vying for your attention?
Don't worry about what it's saying or what it's feeling.
Ask,
Does it create space and clarity?
Does it create courage?
Stay with that,
Stay with that.
Jesus goes on to say that the sheep recognize the shepherd's voice because they belong to him.
Belonging forms discernment.
You learn this voice through proximity,
Prayer,
Stillness,
Returning again and again.
Let yourself rest for a moment in the tone of that voice,
Steady,
Gentle,
Firm without force,
Protective without control.
Friend,
Whatever terrain you're walking through right now,
Decision,
Uncertainty,
Fatigue,
Responsibility,
Other things,
Just know that you're not meant to navigate it alone.
The shepherd walks ahead and your task isn't to generate a path,
Just to recognize the voice and follow.
As we come to a close today,
Take one more slow breath and as you do,
Let this quiet prayer form within you.
Good shepherd,
Tune my heart to your voice.
Teach me the tone of your leading.
Steady me where I'm anxious.
Guide me where I cannot see.
And as you go from our time together today,
Friend,
Know that you are led,
You are known and you are not being driven.
Rest in that today and may grace,
Peace and love be with you and surround you as you rest in that truth today and every day.
Amen.
Until tomorrow.
Bye for now.
