We hear so many mixed messages of what love is. Popular songs from the past decades or even more contemporary ones tell of what love can and should be; poems, memes, and other influences also are commonly read and seen; even our own emotions and feelings strive to tell us what love is and should feel like. Despite all these mixed messages, our Lord tells us how we are to know real and perfect love. In our Epistle we hear, “By this we know love, that Jesus laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16). Today, we focus on the fact that as our Good Shepherd, Jesus has laid down His life for His sheep. By that sacrifice on the cross and Easter victory, we can rejoice in a perfect love that lasts and an unconditional love that forgives as our Good Shepherd continues to guide, lead, and direct us through all our days.