The LORD is my shepherd; *
I shall not be in want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.
He revives my soul *
and guides me along right pathways for his Name's sake. Psalm 23: 1-3
"Life Out West" D. Whitehead
At our Vestry meeting the other night during our Bible Study, we were talking about sheep and lambs, and Jesus’ mandate to “feed my sheep,” and to “take care of my lambs.” One Vestry member commented that we are drawn to lambs because they are cute and cuddly – but then they grow up into sheep, which are harder to love because they can become obstinate, dirty, and stupid. Her point was that Jesus asked us, mandated us, to take care of them all – not just the cute, fuzzy ones.
This Sunday, we will read together the most famous psalm of them all, the 23rd Psalm. In it, we realize it the writer believes that the Lord is his shepherd. As Christians, we believe this too. The good news is that our Lord loves us and accepts us as his own whether we are cute and fuzzy little lambs or tired, old, obstinate sheep. Thank goodness for that! The Lord provides for our needs, brings us to green pastures, and revives our souls.
In turn, our Lord asks us to do the same with those around us. “Feed my sheep; take care of my lambs,” he said. Tend to those who are cute and fuzzy, but also to those who are restless, irritable, and discontent. That is our call.
No comments:
Post a Comment