On December 27th each year, we celebrate the Feast Day of St. John the Evangelist, writer of the Gospel and letters, and who many believe also wrote Revelation.

St. John’s Gospel is my favorite as I find it to be a constant encouragement and reminder that I am loved by God; I don’t have to earn my way into heaven.

The readings for the day include the story from John’s Gospel (21:9-24) when Jesus appeared to the disciples on the beach after the Resurrection and invites them to breakfast. He asks Peter three times if Peter loves him and of course Peter answers, “Lord, you know I love you.” Jesus responds, “feed my lambs,” “tend my sheep,” and “feed my sheep.”

I’ve been thinking a lot about pastoral care and how we are all called as followers of Jesus to care for others. Not just to say that we care, but to perform outward signs that show that we are caring for Jesus’s sheep.

My church, St. George’s Episcopal Church in Nashville, has participated in the Room in the Inn Winter Shelter program since 1986. We house 12 male guests twice a month, sharing a hot dinner with them and providing lodging for the night. We get them up early for breakfast and send them with a lunch to-go. This happens from November to March each year when the Nashville weather can turn cold.

It was 32 degrees the morning of December 22nd when our group of ladies from Room in the Inn boarded the bus to be returned to Room in the Inn campus in Downtown Nashville. I was glad they hadn’t slept outside the night before. It was the first time we’ve hosted women, and it was a delightful evening. A family came to make the cots and set the dinner tables. Another family and other volunteers brought food and served the dinner meal as we followed Jesus’s command to “feed His sheep and lambs”.  We had an opportunity to eat with them and hear some of their stories. I served as an innkeeper with another lady as we spent the night, and lady bus drivers had an opportunity to “tend Jesus’s sheep” as they returned them to the Room in the Inn downtown campus.

We’ve scheduled more dates to host both Men and Women in 2024 in the Room in the Inn Winter Shelter Program. Jesus needn’t ask, “Do you love me?” When we love Jesus, we show Him by taking care of our neighbors.

Blessings, my friend,

Agatha