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Bible Study

The Sunday Morning Bible Study takes place every Sunday morning at 10:30 in the Sanctuary. Come and discover the many treasures God has given us in His scriptures.

Sermon on John 10:22-30

          There once was a quiet little lamb who was wondering the pasture. He walked around and saw all of the other sheep and began to wonder. He wondered what it would be like to be able to produce the greatest wool ever. He would roll in the grass and flowers to try and make it smell nice. He would meditate on having better wool, and he would eat only the tastiest grains with the thought that good food makes good wool. He would practice prancing around but then he was disappointed because his wool was simply the wool he grew, he couldn’t personally do anything to make it better. He was the same little lamb and, regardless what he did, he was just a lamb.

          On sheering day, the master would come with the sheers and he would cut off all the wool and then it would grow back. This simply repeats itself over and over until the end when he would be loaded on a truck and taken to the place where they take sheep when they are ready to go. But, the lamb began to wonder again. “If all I do is make wool, just like all the other sheep, why would it really matter if I made wool at all?”

So, he tried to stop growing wool and when it continued to grow he tried to rub against the fence to pull it out so he would be the only lamb without wool and somehow this would make him feel special. But, when he started doing it, all the other lambs did it too – he wasn’t going to be special at all. This ruined his hopes of being noticed by the master shepherd and he felt insignificant.

          All the strange behavior from the sheep made the shepherd install a different kind of fence. No longer could they pull out all of their wool – now what would he do. And that’s when he came up with the idea that he would stop being a lamb altogether – he would now be a cow. He tried his hardest to make a “moo” sound and he actually got quiet good at it. He eventually started sleeping while he was standing. He would stand around and do little to nothing all day, just graze a little and then he would stand and practice mooing.

          When the shepherd called for the sheep, he wouldn’t come, he just stood there waiting for him to call the cows…but he never did – maybe because there were no cows in the pasture. Eventually, the shepherd would come by and move him along with a stick or a staff and that was no fun at all. The little lamb was frustrated because he didn’t feel like his life was adding up to much besides being a sheep pretending to be a cow but not convincing anyone – maybe it was the white wool coat or the unavoidable sound of baa when he was trying to moo. He was never going to be special.

          You never see this kind of behavior from animals, but we certainly see it from humans. We look at our lives and search for something significant that we think will give us some kind of special value? We like to be recognized and we love to feel like we are important, especially children – children love to be noticed. When people don’t get recognition, they act out, they get louder, they try to perform in ways that are more extravagant, they do risky things and try to do better just so they can hear those words, “well done”. In a sense, discontent with one’s standing among others or God could be why some people do such high quality work.

          On the other side of the coin, sometimes people will do things that are uncharacteristically odd, like abandon who they are - attempting to be something different – like a brain surgeon trying to be an Olympic figure skater or an enthusiastic person trying to appear as if they find joy in hiding in a corner. I see stuff like this with people as they grow unsatisfied with life – people changing their names, buying a motorcycle and leaving behind those things that really matter. They go through the day to day, wondering if this is all there is. They become cynical, they question how they are relevant, or they seek ways to avoid or escape life’s challenges.

          I have seen people abandon their entire families, their gifts and talents, their jobs, and the things they once loved – simply to escape or to become “more likeable” to others. They suffer what we call an identity crisis. Those people and the little lamb have something in common; they both are disheartened with what they think they are made to be. They think their only value is in what they produce or what they can get others to appreciate about them and they miss the point. They undoubtedly miss the point – its not about you.

God didn’t create us because we are good enough to deserve praise or worthy of worship – no, we are an expression of God to His Glory. We are made as objects created to experience and share in God’s love – He made us to love us and show his overwhelming love and grace.

Jesus is our good shepherd, like a shepherd he cares greatly for each and every one of us. However, there are a few differences between Jesus and a shepherd. While a shepherd may see the value in his sheep in the quality or amount of wool they produce, Jesus created each of his sheep to produce a very unique kind of wool and only in just the right amount. He simply wants those sheep to be what they are made to be.

          Shepherds depend upon the productivity of their sheep for their livelihood, but Jesus doesn’t need us – He’s God. He is totally sufficient for all things within himself – if he “needed” us, he wouldn’t be complete on his own and he wouldn’t be God. No, Jesus doesn’t need His sheep for his existence – he wants his sheep. There’s something that just feels right about those words – he doesn’t have to love us, he truly wants to love us.

He made his sheep and he cares for his sheep, he feeds us, watches over us, he shears us for the many wonderful blessings he has made through us, and he gives us peaceful pasture and loving flock to be together with. He does this all for one reason, because he truly wants to love us – he wants to love us unconditionally for what he made us to be.

          We don’t need to change the way we are or become something we are not; we don’t need to be better in order to catch his eye or his favor nor do we need to abuse ourselves for us to get his attention. No, we simply need to be His sheep – that’s it. And as long as we are His sheep, nothing can ever take his love away from you or me – because that’s what He made us to be.

Our Mission

The mission of Light of the Valley is to impact the lives of all within our reach by nurturing faith in the good news of Jesus Christ through the Word, Sacraments and fellowship. 

Who is Pastor Helfrich

   Pastor Matt Helfrich is married to Danielle Helfrich and he is the father of two little girls, Ava and Paige.

   Pastor Matt has a strong desire to help make a relationship with Jesus something that is easily accessible. Sometimes well-meaning churches give the impression that you have to fit a mold to belong. Our God isn't like that, why should we be that way as a church?

God made each of us different for a reason, and He loves each and every one of us enough to give His life. He did this because He loves us and wants us to be close to Him - NOTHING should ever get in the way of that. 

   Jesus lived a perfect life, died a horrible death as a payment for our sins, and He raised from the dead to justify us, be our advocate before the Father, and to conquer death and the grave once and for all...for all.

   He died for everyone, there is no one outside of the purpose and work of God. Even if you don't acknowledge Him, He loves you and died for you.

   Pastor Matt and the disciples at Light of the Valley hope that you will allow God to renew your relationship with Him. Please be our guest on any Sunday morning, or take a look at the many other places you can connect with Light of the Valley on this website. 

   God be with you, and we look forward to meeting you soon!