Whose Voice Do We Listen To?
Do you hear me? I am talking to you. Listen to me. No, listen to me. Don’t listen to him, listen to me. There are many competing voices in our lives. The radio, podcasts, social media, friends, family, our own conscience. Our children are not immune to these voices. The world is constantly bombarding them with messages like, “You can do it by yourself. You do you. You don’t need a god. God is just a teddy bear for the weak.” For this reason, at Grace Lutheran School, we start every single school day with chapel where the students hear Jesus’ voice. Where do they hear Jesus’ voice? In the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. Jesus himself tells us in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.” The faculty, staff, and students know that there are competing voices in this world. Yet, there is no voice other than Jesus’ voice that brings the sweet Gospel. There is no other voice than the voice of Jesus that says I give my sheep eternal life and they will never perish.
Often, even our own voice will condemn us. How can I be a sheep when I don’t always follow Jesus? How can I be certain I have eternal life? This is why we listen to the sweet voice of Jesus, the savior of the world. He is the one who makes us his sheep through his Word, through our baptism. He is the one who promises eternity to us through his death and resurrection. The voice of Jesus is spoken through the mouth of the pastor. The voice of Jesus is spoken through Grace students’ mouths as they recite the liturgy and the Bible verse for the week. The voice of Jesus is heard through our faculty as they teach. I give thanks to God that we can teach God’s word at GLS and discern the voice of Jesus from all other competing voices in this world. As the students sing in chapel, “The Lord God is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation” from Isaiah 12.
What a blessing to be in this place where we can speak of our God and proclaim his deeds. What a gift we are giving to our children, to nurture their soul. Let us not let this stop at chapel and the classroom but continue in the house daily. Read the Scriptures to them; let your words be filled with God’s words. Bring your children to church on Sunday, the Sabbath day, so that they can continue to grow in the one true faith. Parents, read the Bible so that you can hear God’s voice. Jesus says in John 10:14, “I am the good shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep know me.” Listen to him.
Rev. Isaac Schuller
Associate Pastor &
Headmaster at Grace Lutheran Church & School
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