PENTECOST MOMENTS — JULY 3, 2010

THE GOOD SHEPHERD — PART EIGHT

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies …” Psalm 23:5

We have already discussed the many ways that a shepherd prepares a ‘table’ for his sheep in the high country: Going ahead to scout the best pastures, pulling poisonous weeds, clearing debris from the mountain streams so the flock will have good water sources. Interestingly, in many countries, the word for a high, flat-topped mountain meadow is translated ‘table.’ In Spanish, the word is ‘mesa.’ And the shepherd does actually ‘prepare a table’ for his sheep before he drives them to the mountains.

One of the biggest problems with the summer grazing months is the number of predators who will be watching the sheep at the same time the shepherd is. Shepherds keep a sharp lookout for any sign of wolves, coyotes, bears and cougars. They must keep a watchful eye above and all around them. Predators love to hide in the rocks above or off to the edge of where the flock is grazing, waiting for an opportunity. Often the shepherd, when he becomes aware the flock is being watched by an enemy, will have to hunt down and kill the animal before it attacks the flock. What predators love to do is simply jump in the midst of the flock, panicking them in every direction. Then they leisurely pick off the little ones or the weak ones who can’t run as fast.

We, too, are always ‘under the watch’ of our soul’s enemies. It’s creepy to think of that, but it is true. However, like the sheep, we don’t have to protect ourselves. Our Shepherd is on the alert, ready to defend us. I remember reading a wonderful book back in the ‘70s called Angels On Assignment, by Roland Buck. Reverend Buck was actually visited by angels over a period of time. He once asked one of the angels if they come in response to our calls for help. The angel said that, if they waited for us to know we were in danger, it would be too late. No, God always has his radar out and knows what our enemies are up to and when they are planning an attack. We sheep just have to stay very close to the Shepherd. It’s only when we wander away from God, going where he does not want us to go, that we get into trouble.

How do we stay close to our Shepherd? We begin our days by spending time with our God. At least part of that time should be spent in silence, giving God a chance to speak to us. We also need to listen throughout the day, especially when we are making even small decisions. A friend of mine says that, when she is about to do something God does not want her to do, she feels a ‘check’ in her spirit. To me, that ‘check’ feels like a strange vertigo–like I’m off balance suddenly. I’ve learned to stop what I’m doing and ask, “What is it, Lord?” That’s the Holy Spirit saying, “No. Don’t go there. Stop. Wait.” We need to listen and obey immediately. We need to pray that God will make our ‘hearing’ better. Often, we are simply too busy to hear God, too involved in our own lives to stop and ask for direction. We are like those sheep that thoughtlessly wander away from the flock, paying attention only to the next mouthful of grass.

The summer months are the highlight of a sheep’s life — and the shepherd’s. There are dangers, yes, but the rich summer foliage, the cool mountain air, the clear, clean waters, are so good for the sheep. They grow and thrive more during the summers than any other time of year. We, too, need those ‘mountaintop times’ in our lives, the times when we go out, away from our humdrum routines, when we walk the heights with God. It might be during a conference, a retreat, or a mission trip, or it might just be a period of enhanced spiritual growth right at home.

Philip Keller writes that the deepest desire of God’s heart is “… to have me live on a higher plane. He longs to see me living above the mundane level of common humanity. He is so pleased when I walk in the ways of holiness, of selflessness, of serene contentment in His care, aware of His presence and enjoying the intimacy of His companionship.” [A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Philip Keller, page 113].

Sunday Scripture Readings: Galatians 6:14-18; Luke 10:1-12, 17-20.

PENTECOST MOMENTS — JULY 1, 2010

THE GOOD SHEPHERD — PART SEVEN

“… your rod and your staff — they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4.

You have, no doubt, seen photos of shepherds with their staffs, the long walking stick with a crook at the top. But the shepherd’s staff is used for much more than a walking stick. And a shepherd’s rod is just as important a piece of equipment. Here are the purposes of the rod and the staff.

Although modern shepherds often carry a rifle to protect themselves and their flock, the basic weapon of a primitive shepherd traveling in the high country has always been the rod. This is a homemade wooden club with a knob at the ‘business’ end and a handle carved to fit the shepherd’s hand. The rod is both a weapon and a tool for discipline. Eastern shepherds practice throwing the rod from the time they are young boys. They become so accurate, this simple tool is a deadly weapon against any predator that dares disturb the flock. Philip Keller writes:

The rod was, in fact, an extension of the owner’s own right arm. It stood as a symbol of his strength, his power, his authority in any serious situation. The rod was what he relied on to safeguard both himself and his flock in danger. And it was, furthermore, the instrument he used to discipline and correct any wayward sheep that insisted on wandering away. … If the shepherd saw a sheep wandering away on its own, or approaching poisonous weeds, or getting too close to danger of one sort of another, the club would go whistling through the air to send the wayward animal scurrying back to the bunch. [A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Philip Keller, pages 93 and 95].

Another use the shepherd makes of the rod is to inspect the sheep for any problems. The shepherd uses the rod to part the sheep’s thick wool to see if the skin is clean and healthy, if the sheep has any problems hidden under the thick coat. Shepherds do this when they are buying sheep, and they do it regularly to their own flock to make sure that all is well with each animal. The sheep submit to this process; it feels good to them and they love the attention.

While the shepherd’s rod speaks of power and authority, his staff speaks of kindness. The staff is the shepherd’s instrument to reassure his sheep. It has three main purposes: To draw the sheep close to the shepherd, to guide the sheep, and to pull the sheep out of danger. The shepherd uses his staff to pull a sheep close to him for inspection or to lift a newborn lamb and put it close to the mother so she will care for it. Sheep are shy creatures and tend to keep their distance even from the shepherd. And the ewes do not like anyone touching their babies, even the shepherd. So the shepherd uses his staff to scoop up any lamb that has wandered away from Mom and put the lamb back where it belongs. When the sheep need to be led to a new path or through a gate or along a difficult route, the shepherd uses the tip of the staff to gently push the sheep in the direction he wants them to go. Lastly, since sheep get themselves into the most preposterous situations, falling into water, getting stuck in brambles or climbing down cliff ledges and getting stuck, the staff is used to hook them and draw them to safety.

What a comfort it is to know that our Good Shepherd’s has his own ‘rod and staff’ to help us. He is expert at detecting any danger against us and driving our enemies away. He does not let us go astray or wander away from him without warning us and sending us flying back to him. As we draw closer to Jesus, we don’t even mind those minute ‘inspections’ of our souls, because we know that his searches are for our eternal health, that he knows how to heal anything that is wrong with us. Like David, we can say, “Search me, O God, and know my heart, test me and know my thoughts.” (Psalm 139:23). And our Good Shepherd uses his ‘staff’ to pull us close to him, to keep us by his side, to guide us through the difficult times, to get us out of trouble when we wander off.

Yes, Lord, your rod and your staff are a comfort to me. I know how much you love me, how careful you are about my feelings, how you draw me ever closer to you as we journey to the high places together.

Scripture: Psalm 139:1-18; John 10:27-30.

PENTECOST MOMENTS — JUNE 29, 2010

THE GOOD SHEPHERD — PART SIX

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil;
for you are with me …” Psalm 23:4.

This verse of the 23rd Psalm marks a transition. The previous three verses were in the third person, as though David (or the sheep) were boasting to someone else, extolling all the merits of his wonderful Shepherd. Now, David turns directly to God and addresses him. We are now listening in to a private conversation between the ‘sheep’ and the Shepherd.

The setting of the Psalm also changes. Everything David has mentioned — green pastures, still waters, right paths — have to do with the home range. Now we begin to move away from the home pasture and go with God up to the summer mountain ranges, far from the home ranch. It’s a lot more dangerous out there, but the Shepherd is prepared. During the summer travels of the sheep and shepherd, intimate bonds will be formed, more so than when the sheep are at home. The long summer drive up to the mountains and the autumn drive back down to the home ranch are done in a leisurely way. The sheep go slowly, grazing as they go. There is no rush, but the shepherd does keep them moving, and he is very watchful. Philip Keller describes the movement of the flock this way:

During this time the flock is entirely alone with the shepherd. They are in intimate contact with him and under his most personal attention day and night. That is why these last verses are couched in such intimate first-person language. And it is well to remember that all of this is done against a dramatic background of wild mountains, rushing rivers, alpine meadows and high rangelands. [A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Philip Keller, page 82].

What is amazing is that the shepherd has gone to these mountain pastures before driving the sheep up to them. The shepherd leaves nothing to chance. He knows the wild mountain country as well as his home range. He knows where the flooded rivers are and where it is safe to cross. He knows where to shelter his flock if a sudden, violent storm comes up. He has even inspected the pastures where he plans to let his flock feed and pulled up any poisonous weeds that might be growing there.

Our Good Shepherd also goes ahead of us when it is time to move on. He knows exactly where we are going, and he has searched the area ahead of time, removing anything he does not want us to encounter. And he does not rush us; we are allowed to proceed at our own pace.

How many of us have yearned to ‘go higher’ with Jesus, to have ‘mountaintop’ experiences. Many times they come at a price. We often do not recognize peak spiritual experiences because we think they should be happy and joyful, but that is not always so. We don’t see the illness, the financial setback, the losses in our lives as sublime spiritual experiences. When we are suffering, we see ourselves in the depths, going through the ‘valley of the shadow of death.’ But those valleys David writes of in the 23rd Psalm are actually steep mountain passes leading from one glorious alpine meadow to another. They are dark, and they are dangerous. A predator can hide on a ledge above the flock and drop down on it. A storm can come up. A rock slide can happen. But the flock trusts that it is safe with the shepherd. Do we have the same confidence in our Good Shepherd when he leads us through the dark passages of life? Do we trust him completely, knowing that we will come back out into the sunshine in good time? When we do emerge from our troubles, we will be changed: More mature, more trusting, more confident in God.

Meditation: When has God led you through a dark mountain pass? Were you frightened? How were you aware of God’s presence during that time? How did he lead you out of the darkness back into the light?

Scripture: Read Jesus’ sermon about the Good Shepherd in John 10:1-18. Some of this passage refers to caring for sheep at home; some to protecting the flock up in the summer ranges. Can you tell which is which from what you have read so far in these Pentecost Moments? Let’s discuss it. Make your comments or ask questions below.

NEXT TIME: “… your rod and our staff — they comfort me.”  Psalm 23:4.

THE GOOD SHEPHERD — PART FIVE

“He leads me in right paths for his name‘s sake.” Psalm 23:3.

As I continue to read Philip Keller’s book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, I am amazed at how many parallels there are between the behaviors of humans and sheep. Today, we take a look at the necessity of keeping sheep moving from pasture to pasture.

Sheep are notorious for being such creatures of habit, they will ruin their grazing pastures. They cannot be left to their own devices by a sheep rancher, or they will overgraze the area and eat the forage down to the roots. They will use the same paths over and over, wearing deep ruts in the ground that erode into gullies. Sheep are also prone to disease, as parasites and microbes in the soil infect them when they stay too long in one place, eliminating in the same area over and over again. The sheep must be moved not only to keep them healthy, but to allow the field to recover, the rains to wash away the waste, and the grass and other plants to grow again. A shepherd who does not move his flock regularly will not only have no pastures, his flock will go hungry and sicken with disease.

The shepherd must constantly keep his flock on the move. And sheep object to that; they don’t like to be moved from place to place. They would prefer to stay right where they are. But the wise and good shepherd spurs them along, using his rod, his staff and his dogs to rouse the sheep and move them to the next pasture. Interestingly, when the herd does arrive at a new pasture and the shepherd opens the gates, all the sheep get very excited. Even the old ones kick up their heels and prance into the new pasture with joy.

Aren’t we, God’s people, like those sheep? Left to ourselves, we come to love our old ‘ruts.’ We sink into our routines and become comfortable with the familiar, even getting angry when something or someone upsets our favorite tasks, chores and entertainments. As a result, some people just stop growing, not only spiritually, but mentally. Even their physical health deteriorates rapidly. God keeps spurring us on to get moving, to go to the next ’pasture,’ to get out of our comfortable but unhealthy ruts. Like the sheep, when we do go on with God where he is leading, we are filled with new joy. But getting us to stir is the tricky part. And like the sheep, although we may be reluctant at first, we are often excited when faced with fresh, new ‘pastures’ to graze and play in. How many of us, after making a big transition or a courageous, life-changing choice, have said, “It was the best thing that ever happened to me” ?

What are those “right paths” that the Psalmist speaks of? There are many ways that we can go in this world that are destructive and unhealthy. Isaiah 53:6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way.” Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way to death.” It is extremely difficult to find the right paths in our confusing, self-centered, productivity-driven world. There are so many voices shouting at us to go this way or that way. God doesn’t yell at us like the rest (see Isaiah 42:2). We must pull away from those voices, get alone with our Shepherd, and listen to his ‘still, small voice.” Then we must be ready to follow when and where he leads when he says, “Come.”

We know one thing as Christians: That Jesus is “the way, the truth and the life.” It isn’t our responsibility to find the right paths. Jesus has already found them; he has already gone ahead and checked out the pastures, making sure it is safe, predator- and disease-free, and full of good spiritual food. What we have to do is listen and obey, trusting our Good Shepherd to lead us up the right paths and to those delightful new pastures.

NEXT TIME: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me …” Psalm 23:4.

Sunday Scripture Readings: I Kings 19:19-21; Psalm 16; Galatians 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62.

Have a wonderful Sabbath tomorrow!

THE GOOD SHEPHERD — PART FOUR

“… he restores my soul” Psalm 23:3.

The same David, who wrote the beautiful 23rd Psalm, also wrote these words in Psalm 42: “Why are you cast down, O my soul … My soul is cast down within me …” (verse 5 and 6).

To us, the words ‘cast down’ just mean dispirited, sad, melancholy. But to a professional shepherd, they are loaded with another meaning. A ‘cast‘ or ‘cast down’ sheep is a sheep that has lost its balance and fallen or rolled over onto its back. Casting is extremely dangerous. If the shepherd doesn’t see the cast sheep, if she lays there for too long, she will die. She may suffocate, have heat stroke, or fall prey to a predator. The poor sheep cannot even cry out for help. It flails weakly on the ground, not even able to bleat loudly enough to alert anyone. As it lies there, struggling and frightened, gases begin to build up in its stomach and the blood runs away from its legs. If the weather is hot and the sheep fell over in the sun, it can die in a matter of hours. When the shepherd does find a cast sheep, he must turn her over gently, get her up on her feet, hold her steady, and massage her to get the blood flowing again.

Here is yet another reason shepherds must be attentive to their sheep. Shepherds constantly count their sheep, knowing that if the count is short, a sheep may be hidden in the grass or in a little hollow, flat on its back and dying. Philip Keller writes that this can happen to the healthiest sheep. Sheep with a long, luxurious coats, the nice fat ones, and pregnant ewes are most susceptible. Keller had one ewe that would fall over every second or third day when she was in lamb. She was older and, apparently, her sense of balance was going. But every season, with the proper attention to keep her on her feet, she would give him a pair of beautiful lambs.

Who knew that caring for sheep was so complicated and fraught with problems? And how we can appreciate Jesus’ comparing us to sheep and himself to a attentive and loving Shepherd.

“My soul is cast down within me,” the Psalmist wrote. And we can relate. How suddenly we can be ‘cast down’ and become discouraged or ill or unbalanced spiritually. We get bad news, have an argument or a bad day at work, or just get up feeling lousy. We blunder into temptation, often when we are feeling the strongest and healthiest. Suddenly everything is so difficult. We become ‘cast down,’ helpless, hardly able to call to God for help. That is when our Good Shepherd comes running. He always knows when we are in trouble. He gets us to our feet again and gently holds us up until we have our balance again.

What is our attitude when we find ourselves ‘cast down?’ Are we self-critical and berate ourselves for our failures and weaknesses? Do we ask God to help us, or do we try to ‘clean up our act’ on our own? The 23rd Psalm teaches us that we always need to call on our Good Shepherd in our troubles, and we never need be ashamed of ourselves. We are loved completely by our Shepherd, who is ready and willing to help anytime we need him.

“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears,
And rescues them from all their troubles.
The Lord is near to the brokenhearted,
And saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18)

NEXT TIME: “He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.”

Sheep do best in dry, semi-arid country, and the shepherd / ranch owner must plant rich pasture to help them thrive. But he must also provide good sources of fresh water, not easy in the best sheep-raising climates. Sheep are not like gazelles or camels who can store large amounts of water in their bodies and go without drinking for days or weeks. They are very much like us and need a constant source of fresh water. How does a shepherd provide that good, wholesome water?

There are three ways that sheep satisfy their thirst: dew on the grass, deep wells, and running water (springs and streams). When the weather is not too hot, there is heavy dew on the pastures (which the shepherd planted with such care) in the early mornings. The sheep habitually rise before dawn to begin feeding, and they take in enough dew, which is the purest source of water, in their early morning feeding to last them through most of the day. Here is how Philip Keller describes his sheep’s normal behavior:

In my mind’s eye I can see my flock again. The gentleness, stillness and softness of early morning always found my sheep knee deep in dew drenched grass. There they fed heavily and contentedly. As the sun rose and its heat burned the dewdrops from the leaves, the flock would retire to find shade. There, fully satisfied and happily refreshed, they would lie down to rest and ruminate through the day. Nothing pleased me more.

A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Philip Keller, page 53.

How interesting that sheep have that need to eat and drink in the very early morning hour. And in the spiritual sense, we do also. Our ‘morning appointment’ with the Lord is our time to feed on God’s presence and to drink those ‘living waters’ Jesus spoke of in John 4:13-15 and 8:37-38. You’ll notice that sheep never ‘sleep in’ and miss their morning feeding. They enjoy that time and get up eagerly, knowing instinctively that the refreshing morning graze will make their whole day healthier and happier, no matter how hot the day is later. We, too, must learn to love the early morning rising and meeting with God, knowing that, whatever else happens that day, we are spiritually ‘fed and watered’ and ready for the day.

The shepherd must also see that there are other sources of water for his flock. He may have to dig a deep well on his property. Often, this is not a narrow well you would lower a bucket into, but a deep cistern with stone steps which the sheep can walk down to the very source of the water. Or the shepherd may be fortunate enough to have a good stream or river nearby. If it flows through his ranch, all well and good. Otherwise, he may have to dig a side channel to make some of the flow go onto his land. Providing good fresh water takes effort.

The Shepherd of our souls goes through the same kind of effort and trouble to be sure we have all the ‘living water’ we need for our souls. But we, like some of the sheep Keller has known, may prefer to drink from polluted ‘water supplies.’ When sheep take it into their heads to drink from any muddy, dirty pool along the path, instead of waiting to drink where the shepherd is leading them, they can sicken from the bacteria and parasites floating in those pools. The shepherd is not idle; he moves them on to where he wants them to drink. Sheep do not make the connection between drinking from a urine- or feces-polluted puddle and their later sickness. Often, we humans do not make the connection between where we have been ‘drinking’ and our spiritual sickness, lethargy or temptations. But God sees what we are doing, and tries to move us on.

Jesus is our Good Shepherd, and he has given us the Holy Spirit to live intimately with us, guiding us in the paths God wants us to take. We need to rise early to make our first contact with God for the day, then we must keep listening to God’s direction throughout the day. He will move us away from the dangers along the way and lead us to the healthy, fresh, living waters.

Meditation: In what ways do you see Jesus providing ‘living water’ for you every day? How can you cooperate more in Jesus’ provisions for you?

Scripture Readings: Galatians 5:16-26; Romans 8:31-39.

NEXT TIME: Do you know what a ‘cast down’ sheep is? Find out next time when we reflect on “… he restores my soul” (verse 3).

THE GOOD SHEPHERD–PART TWO

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures …”
Psalm 23:1-2

In our last Pentecost Moment about sheep and shepherds. I mentioned a book I read almost 40 years ago, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by W. Philip Keller. Imagine my joy when, the very next day, I was browsing in a thrift store, and there was the book.  (There are no accidents when we hang out with God!). I bought the book (for a dollar), went home, and spent the next few hours reacquainting myself with an old and dear friend.

Being a shepherd is not the easy life it may appear to us ‘city folks.’ To us, shepherds may seem to have little to do but watch the sheep graze, enjoy nature, write psalms and play their little harps (as we picture David doing). But those periods of rest are actually few and far between. Shepherds work hard to keep their sheep healthy and to provide those ‘green pastures and still waters’ mentioned in Psalm 23. If they sleep at night (they often sit up all night guarding the flock), they do so with one eye open. Any sound of the sheep being disturbed by predators or rustlers means the shepherd is up in an instant, grabbing his gun and running to save his flock.

Let’s start from the beginning of the Psalm. “The Lord is my shepherd” is an astonishing claim to make. There are so many ‘shepherds’ in this world, and few of them even attempt to provide for their sheep. Many of them only control and abuse those under their care. This is true in workplaces, in communities, even unfortunately in churches and homes. Keller tells the story of the sheep on the farm next to his, who were scrawny, diseased, pest-ridden, sad and depressed. He never could erase from his mind the image of those poor sheep standing at his fence, looking longingly at the green grass on his side, while all they had to eat on their side was brambles. In the spiritual sense, how fortunate we are to have Jesus as our Good Shepherd, and how concerned we should be about those who are owned by that other ‘shepherd’ who only abuses and torments the poor sheep under his control.

“He makes me lie down in green pastures.” Philip Keller writes that getting sheep to ‘lie down’ is a tricky proposition. The ideal is that the sheep will graze contentedly, then relax, lie down, and ruminate. But sheep are easily agitated. They are so frightened of even a perceived predator, that the sight of a Pekinese puppy was enough to send his herd stampeding to the other end of his ranch. They also have a ‘butting order’ in the herd, and the stronger, older sheep often pick on the others, who cannot lie down in peace for any length of time. Then there are the flies and ticks that plague them, which make them restless. And if sheep cannot find enough good food, they remain on their feet, restlessly searching for good forage. What does a shepherd have to do to make his sheep ‘lie down‘? He has to be present almost all the time, not only to protect the sheep from predators, but to keep them from picking on each other, which they don’t do when they see the shepherd nearby. He has to spray them with bug spray and inspect them constantly to treat any bites and remove ticks.

And those ‘green pastures’ the psalmist writes about? This is the most labor-intensive part of sheep ranching. Sheep flourish best in dry, semi-arid areas, so that they will be less susceptible to health problems or parasites. The shepherd must clear these rough, dry pastures of rocks, roots, stumps and brambles, plow deeply, and amend the arid soil with nutrients. Then he has to plant special grains and legumes, and irrigate it all. Green pastures don’t just happen; they are the product of intense labor on the shepherd’s part.

What a lovely image of our Good Shepherd, Jesus. He is always working to clear our lives of annoyances and dangers and to provide spiritual food for us. He works hard for us. He is always present. He walks among us, guarding us from predators and keeping those who are stronger than us from abusing us. He deals with all the little and big annoyances of life: health problems, financial problems, family problems.

That is … if we let Him! Keller had one ewe he called Mrs. Gad-about who insisted on finding holes in the fences and wandering off to other pastures, which were never as good as Keller’s pastures. Why? Who knows. She was just thickheaded and stubborn. And she taught her lambs and some of the other sheep to follow her. He finally had to destroy her.

We have a wonderful Good Shepherd. Do we let him take care of us? Do we bring every problem to him, even the minor things, our little bug bites? Or are we off on our own, doing our own thing, dealing with our own problems and putting ourselves in danger? More than likely, we vacillate back and forth between letting Jesus care for us, then wandering off like Mrs. Gad-about, then coming back. But there comes a time when we have to stop our wandering and realize what a Good Shepherd we have. There is nothing ‘out there’ that is better than the care and love our Shepherd gives us.

Meditation: In what specific ways has your Good Shepherd provided for you or protected you?

Sunday Scripture Readings: Psalm 63:2-6, 8-9 ties right into today’s Pentecost Moment.
The Gospel is Luke 9:18-24, in which Jesus gives the conditions for following him.
Have a wonderful Sabbath tomorrow!

NEXT TIME: “… he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.”

PENTECOST MOMENTS — JUNE 15

‘HARASSED AND HELPLESS’ — BUT WE HAVE A GOOD SHEPHERD

“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36.

Have you ever felt ‘harassed and helpless?’ If you are a normal member of today’s society, you may feel like that a lot! We are pulled every which way in this culture by overwork, financial and health problems, and family obligations. We’re scared by the state of our world, by what is happening to our morals and our environment.

Matthew says the people of his time were “like a sheep without a shepherd.” For most of us, that statement may be meaningless, as we know little about raising livestock. I’m a city girl myself, but years ago I read W. Philip Keller’s book, A Shepherd Looks at the Psalm 23. The author actually worked as a shepherd, so he knows what sheep are like. They are the shyest, most easily frightened, clueless animals. Without their shepherd to guide them, sheep are doomed. They are sure to be attacked by predators. There’s not a carnivore out there who does not crave a little lamb or mutton for dinner. Sheep also tend to wander away from the herd and get caught in brambles or fall into holes or off cliffs. They must be moved to new pastures constantly, or they will overgraze an area, then starve. They often need help when giving birth.

“Harassed and helpless.”
“Sheep without a shepherd.”
“Weary and carrying heavy burdens.” (Matthew 12:28)

All descriptions of the human condition.
We imagine ourselves strong and independent. In our ‘natural’ state, we don’t even think we need God. We can handle anything. We don’t need anyone’s help, especially God’s. We certainly are not like dumb sheep — what an insult!

Throughout the Bible, God compares humans to sheep. And who knows us better than our Creator? It isn’t that God is putting us down. He loves us dearly, has even become one of us. But in our state of sin, we are not what we would have been if the Fall had never happened. Even when we are not openly disobeying God, we have a tendency to ignore danger, overindulge ourselves, wander around aimlessly. In other words, we act like sheep!

Fortunately, we have a Good Shepherd who cares for and understands us. In fact, strangely enough, this is one Shepherd who knows intimately about His sheep because He became one of the sheep! That’s pretty astounding.

We may be harassed. And we may feel helpless at times. But if we draw near to our Good Shepherd, He will protect us and guide us. We are not on our own.

Scripture: Read Jesus’ Good Shepherd sermon at John 10:1-18.

CHARACTERISTICS OF PENTECOST PEOPLE-PART SIX
PENTECOST PEOPLE KEEP THE SABBATH

If the first priority of a Pentecost Person is meeting God every morning (as Jesus did), the second is to keep the Sabbath commandment. Pentecost People take God seriously when He says, “You may work six days, but on the seventh day, you will rest.”

We take the Sabbath commandment seriously because it is one of the Ten Commandments. We are not exempt from keeping the Sabbath any more than we are exempt from the other commandments. We do not worship other gods, take God’s name in vain, commit murder, adultery, perjury, theft. Why, then, do we Christians casually ignore the Sabbath commandment, as though it is no longer in force in this day and age? This has to be the most workaholic, productivity-centered and chaotic generation that has ever existed since the world began. We need the Sabbath more than ever today!

The Sabbath commandment is the only one that is about how we treat ourselves. The first few are about our relationship with God; the last ones about how we treat other people. But the Sabbath command is about how we treat ourselves, how we nurture our spirits. If we refuse to keep the Sabbath, if all we do is work, work, work, that is an act of self hated — very unnatural, and certainly not spiritual.

God does not command us to keep the Sabbath so we will be rested for the week ahead, as though our ‘real‘ life were our work life. Although gaining energy for our work is one of the natural results of Sabbath-keeping, that is not why we do it. No, the Sabbath is to remind us that we are God’s, that we are destined for eternity. We are not on this earth merely to work. We are not ‘human doings,’ we are human beings. Sabbath is our day to put aside all our ‘doing’ and remember that we are destined for eternity.

After I gave a talk about the Sabbath, a young father said, “I hear what you are saying. I agree with you. But I do not know how I can possibly take a whole day off every week.” Many of us have the impression that, if take the Sabbath off, it will be like coming back from a vacation. We will be so far behind in our work. That would be an unpleasant side effect. While God is certainly worth any sacrifice, I can assure you that is not what happens when we take our Sabbaths. Sabbath keeping works more like tithing your money. Somehow, the budget balances when we tithe. In the same way, Sabbath keepers do not find themselves frantically short of time, always behind in their work. The habits of Pentecost People — daily prayer, Sabbath keeping and tithing — remove us from the world’s ‘laws’ of time and mathematics and place us in the middle of what I call “God’s economy.” In God’s economy, giving means having more than enough. On the other hand, hoarding, whether it be our time or our money or our love, means we become poorer and our resources become scarcer. This is a big challenge and it’s scary, but you will be amazed at the results.

Practicalities: How can we start keeping the Sabbath? And what do we do when the day arrives? Here are some practical pointers.
Preparation begins the evening before the Sabbath. You must clear your living area of all visible work so that you will not be distracted by or tempted to do work on your Sabbath. If you have deadlines looming or simply have trouble walking away from work, try the following:

• Do a first draft or outline of any work project that you face next week. Try doing a “next actions” list where you ask yourself “What’s the next thing I have to do to move this project forward?“
• Write these things down, then mentally and physically walk away from the project.
• Shut down your computer, clean off your desk, put away papers. Close your office door, if you work at home.
• Write an “out of the office” e-mail message so that people know you will not be responding until your Sabbath is over. Or … just ignore your e-mail for one day!
• When you return to your projects on Monday, you will find your Sabbath rest made the project flow more easily. One of the things the human brain does very well is subconsciously work on problems while we are doing something else.

Make ahead or plan simple meals for the next 24 hours so there is little or no preparation time needed.
Put everyone’s clothes out for church. Plan how you will handle showers and bathroom time in the morning if you have a big family.
Do anything ahead that threatens your peace and serenity for enjoying the Sabbath.

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Here are some ideas for how to spend your Sabbath:

• Go to church, and stay for awhile to chat with people.
• Keep telling yourself, “Relax. There’s no rush. This is my Sabbath.”
• Go on a picnic.
• Take a nap.
• Go swimming.
• Hang out with your family.
• Hang out with God.
• Chat on the phone with a friend you haven’t talked to in ages.
• Take a walk.
• Go to a park or other beautiful area of nature, sit down, and enjoy.
• Go to the playground and watch the kids play.
• Have some neighbors in for dessert or ‘high tea.’
• Give your sweetie a foot massage.
• Eat ice cream.
• Read something fun.
• Play a board game or card game, or make up a game to play.
• Be alone with God for awhile.
• Be quiet and enjoy the silence.

Do not make your Sabbath keeping complicated or an added burden. There is no right way or wrong way to do it. If you don’t ignore the Sabbath, you’re doing it right.

OF PENTECOST PEOPLE, PART FIVE:
PENTECOST PEOPLE MEET GOD EVERY MORNING.

“Morning after morning God opens my ear that I may hear;
And I have not rebelled, have not turned back.” Isaiah 50:4-5

We cannot be true Pentecost People if we simply drift through our lives, working, running, keeping busy. The first priority of a Pentecost Person is the habit of morning prayer. Jesus never started his day without seeking God out in the lonely, quiet places in the early morning before dawn. He had to get away from the crowds and away from his work — to listen.

There is a great story in Mark 1:32-38 about this.  Jesus’ visit to a certain town caused quite a stir. The townspeople, Mark says, brought all the sick and demon-possessed to Jesus. “The whole town was gathered around the door.” Strangely, the gospel records, Jesus did not heal them all; He healed many. That’s very interesting. How did Jesus know when to stop? I don’t know about you, but I have a terrible time stopping once I’m on a roll.

The next morning, Jesus got up to pray. Notice what Mark writes: “In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place …”  He must have stayed there a long time, and the crowds started gathering again. So his disciples tracked him down and found him, irresponsibly ignoring the crowds, and …. doing nothing!  “Everyone is looking for you!” You can hear the panic and annoyance in their voices. It almost sounds like they are trying to lay a guilt trip on the Son of God!  Jesus’ response is incomprehensible to them: “Let’s leave this place, let’s go on to the neighboring towns …”

This is not what the disciples wanted to hear (or the people in the town who hadn‘t gotten their ‘cure’ yet). Why move on to other towns when this one is so profitable and productive? Why start over when you’ve got these people eating out of the palm of your hand? The other towns might not like you — why not just stay here and milk it for all it’s worth? Why? Because God said so … because God made his will known to Jesus in that deserted place before dawn.

Maybe we don’t want to keep our morning appointment with God because He might tell us something we don’t want to hear. Like “You don’t have to do all that.” or “You’re done here; it’s time to move on.” or “You need to say ‘no’ to that person.”

“Everyone is looking for you!” Of course they are. Can you say ‘no’ to them?

Jesus rose to keep his appointment with God while it was still very dark. Was it 4 AM? Earlier? He had been up until late the night before healing people. It had been the Sabbath, so the crowds couldn‘t come until sunset. His tiredness did not keep Jesus in bed. How many of us (myself included for years and years) push away our morning appointment with God because we need just a little more sleep. “God understands how tired I am,” we tell ourselves. I have discovered that missing my morning appointment with God is a guarantee that I will stay tired–permanently. But making myself get up to meet God gives me a spiritual energy that stays with me all day, even if I haven’t had enough sleep.

During Jesus’ prayer time, the Father had the opportunity to speak to Jesus and tell him what was going on and where Jesus should be next. He was not to stay there, even though it seemed there was a great ‘harvest’ in that town. That kind of information is really precious to all of us. How many of us go off impulsively to what we think God wants — or what the world is pushing us to do — without ever asking what God wants? I used to do it all the time. I’d run myself ragged doing things for other people, then find out someone else had done them or it didn’t need to be done or it wasn’t my job to do.

So it comes down to this: Why do we think we can be Jesus’ witnesses in this world or even survive the chaos of our days without our morning prayer appointment? Jesus never did that, and Jesus is the Son of God, completely tuned into God’s will. He was never distracted by sin as we are, for he is sinless. He lived in a simpler time. He didn’t even have a day job! Yet he never missed that morning appointment. Jesus never assumed he knew what to do each day.

Maybe it’s time we stopped assuming everything we do is automatically God’s will. We need to get alone with God and ask more questions — and listen to God‘s answers. It’s our choice.

Scripture: Mark 1:32-39 and 6:30-32; John 5:19-20 and 7:37-38.

Meditation: Have you become lax in keeping your morning appointment with God? Or have you never developed this habit? Start today — be setting aside 10-20 minutes a day to be alone with God. And make sure you listen during that time; don’t do all the talking or just say rote prayers and think you are done. God loves you. Let Him tell you that. Ask for His guidance for today’s activities.