A Shepherd's Perspective

This is an excerpt from A Shepherd's Perspective, Written by: Rev. Bruce Goettsche

"When I say we are committed to our sheep you need to know what I mean. A good Shepherd would not only risk his life for his sheep, he would give his life for his sheep.


We take great pride in what we do. My friends and I have a very special job; we care for the sheep raised for temple sacrifices in Jerusalem.  Every morning and evening a lamb without blemish is offered in sacrifice. Those lambs have to come from someplace. That someplace is my flock.

At Passover time we are as busy as Turkey farmers at Thanksgiving. It's important we not only protect the sheep but keep them in the best of shape. If we don't do our job, others will be unable to worship.

Most of the time we work alone. So, we talk to our sheep a great deal. We develop a relationship with the sheep. I know, it sounds like we're one bagel short of a basket, but, haven't you ever talked to a family pet when no one else was around???

We talk to our flock so much that it gets to the point that our sheep recognize our voice. All I have to do is call the name of one of my flock and he or she responds instantly.  You mean you didn't know we had names for all our sheep? We do. You could call their name and you wouldn't get any response at all. They don't recognize your voice. They will respond instantly to my voice. That's why at night I can combine my flock with several other flocks and can take turns at watch. In the morning we simply call for our sheep and they follow their own shepherd. If you've never seen it before, it's really quite an impressive demonstration.

Well, anyhow, the night Messiah was born we had combined our flocks and were taking turns at the watch just outside of Bethlehem. A few of our group were already asleep. I and a couple of others were sitting by the fire enjoying a late night snack of cheese and lentils and swapping a few sheep stories. What happened next is something I will never ever forget."

I was reading this and thinking about how God prepared the way for the future even with the shepherds that the angels appeared to the night of Jesus' birth.  God demonstrated his love for ALL people by appearing to the lowly, misunderstood of society.  More than that, God showed us what Jesus would be like through the shepherds and what our own leaders SHOULD be like...Jesus was committed to his followers, he knew them by name, and he was willing to sacrifice for them, for US.  jesus never stops watching over us, his flock, and wanting the best for us.

Think about it...really let it sink in...this small detail of the birth of Jesus has translated to all people, over all time, even to us...I am lowly, and I am strange a whole lot of the time...but Jesus chose to demonstrate his love for me, for all of us...and continues to shepherd us.  We have seen a great light, will we follow it?

A Prayer for the Church...

Dear God,

We recognize you as the head of our body.
Forgive us when we attempt to control the body.
Forgive us when we think we are more important than the whole.

Help us to strive for your Kingdom,
Here on this earth
As you have it in Heaven.

In this season of Advent,
Help us to really expect you,
To anticipate the celebration of your birth,
And to anticipate your second arrival...

In our waiting,
Help us to reflect on who you are,
Who you have made us to be.
More than that,
Make us aware of the birth of your Son,
And who he came to be.

Help us to see with new eyes,
The hope that was born long ago,
And the hope that we have been given
In each new day
That same hope
That you call us to give to the world.

Forgive us for being hoarders
Of your story,
Of your grace,
Of your love.

Help us to share you,
To let others hold you,
As if beholding a new baby,
A new hope,
A new joy.

Help us to be your church, your body.

Amen.  So be it, Lord.

 

 

The Unexpected...

"All this time we've waited for the promise.  All this time, you've waited for my arms.  Did you wrap yourself inside the unexpected so we might know that Love would go that far?"

Think about it....the Jewish people had passed down these stories of hope and promise of a King, of one to redeem them, to save them from oppression...and after all of this build up and hype, a baby comes from a virgin, born in Bethlehem, among dirt and animals, and without any hooplah...yep, that's a scholarly term.  A baby Savior was completely unexpected....a King ruling among sheep, cows, and manure was unheard of...and yet, the angels cried, "Holy, Holy Holy."  That's all they could say...is that all we can say in the presence of this baby?

So much in this life is unexpected...and when we experience true acts of love, or just love itself, we are caught off guard...love always surprises me...at the lengths it will go, at the sheer joy of it.

The circumstances of life are not always pleasant...life is difficult to navigate sometimes...sometimes life isn't "fair."  My sister-in-law lost her mom two weeks after she and my brother got married.  They miscarried their first child....these are circumstances that change us, test us, and that we can't explain away...

And yet, a child was born last Thursday....hope was born.  Love wrapped itself in the unexpected...this little baby has changed us all....this new life has spurred within each of us pure joy.  Love goes that far.  God redeems....God reminds us that circumstances are a part of life....but that God is joy.   God is hope.  God is new life.  And God is at the core of who we are...God is love.  Take time today to experience the unexpected...a baby King born long ago...new life in your family...the joy of a child's laughter...and so much more.  Circumstances are real, but God is greater than it all.  God is a baby wrapped in hope, joy, and love.

A Day Late for Good Reason...

Well, I missed a day...but, with good reason!  I am officially an Aunt...for real this time...my brother, Jamie, and his wife, Melonie, gave birth to a healthy baby girl last night...Miley Mae...the most precious thing I've ever seen.

I overheard my dad this morning say, "We're not done with Christmas shopping, but it doesn't matter.  Miley is our gift."  New life...life that is connected to you in such a basic way...watching your sibling give life to another...what an amazing gift.  I have had these moments all day...you know those Holy Spirit moments where your chest tightens and your heart feels so full that your eyes brim with tears?  I hope you know those moments.

We are singing a song Sunday titled "Be Born in Me"....there are several lines that I will probably reference in the days to come...but one has stuck with me today..."Before my head agrees, my heart is on its knees.  Holy is He.  Blessed am I."  Sometimes, if we stop and allow it, God will surprise us with the things of the heart...and move in us in ways that can only be Holy Spirit moments.  And we will be better off for it...the gifts are all around us...in the embrace of a parent, in the laughter of a child, in the sarcasm of a fifth grader, in the songs of 4 and 5 year olds, in the beauty of a sunset over the mountains, in the birth of a child.  Jesus is born every day....have you gone to see him?  Is your heart on its knees?  Holy is He.  Blessed am I.

More Like Mary

God,

Make me more like Mary.
Make me aware.
Wake me in the night
To hear an angel's dare.
Help my heart to be willing,
Emptied of self.
And help my soul to say yes,
Even in the midst of doubt.
Help me to walk through months of uncertainty,
Knowing that you see the end plan.

Close my eyes and ears to others
Who mock your plan.
Help me to believe
That what sounds crazy to others, and me,
Is just part of your divinity.
Teach me to step, to walk by faith,
And to look up
As well as within...
To marvel at your way of creating new life.

Lord, make me more like Mary.
Amen.

Breaking It Down...

Do you ever have days where everything seems to break down at once?  It's like a downward spiral...and seems out of your control....yesterday, for example....police station, followed by the bank, workout, cream cheese explosion, pineapple soup, crackers that weren't "cracked," almost 2 hour meeting in which I felt like a 5 year old that couldn't sit still....finally getting home around 9:00....just another Manic Monday?!  I spilled my coffee this morning, drove to work thinking "did I put deodorant on?"  Hopefully this is making you feel better about your crazy life and not wigged out about mine...haha...maybe a little of both.

Anyway, as I was driving to work and processing all of those "happenings," I thought about how busted up I felt, how broken...I mean, girl can't even keep a cup of coffee still in her hand before 7 a.m...

and I thought about Mary...I thought about pregnancy and how it completely breaks a woman...it's not pretty....a woman's skin gets stretched beyond belief, labor causes extreme pain and trauma to a woman's body...Mary endured all of that...I don't think she just popped out Jesus with one good push and a laugh....I'm pretty sure she endured it all, in all it's pain and brokenness...the stretch marks, the pain of childbirth, the trauma of giving birth...

And yet, although (I hear) labor is painful and breaks a woman's body, it has a beautiful result...brokenness is beautiful.  Beauty in the broken....Mary gave birth to a healthy baby boy, her baby boy...she brought forth life...her willingness to be broken produced the Savior of the World.  In turn, what can our brokenness produce?  

I am but a fragile human...I don't get it right every day....yesterday, I failed a lot...today I spilled coffee on my cow slippers and bedspread...I don't always think the right thoughts...I often say things that I shouldn't...I yell at my kids...and so much more...

I am busted and broken...my guess is that you are too....and we are beautiful.  Because, in our brokenness, the Savior of the World is born again and again to people who desperately need healing.  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!

Advent...

It's that time again...the most wonderful time of the year?  The most stressful time of year for some?!  There is a lot going on, and I can't believe we are here again so soon...time passes quickly these days.  I am going to try to write every day leading up to Christmas...reflections on Advent with a focus on prayers this year...so hope you enjoy as I take this journey of writing.

I write to process...I always have...I write some things and then realize that I believe the words on paper...pretty neat gift God gives. 

I was thinking yesterday about anticipation.  We sang "Waiting Here for You" during the service and then sang "O Come O Come Emmanuel."  Mary waited 9 months, then 33 years....Israel waited for the promised King...my sister in law and brother eagerly await the birth of their baby girl...I await Christmas break...there is so much to anticipate...

As I was thinking, DisneyWorld came to mind...yes, I said DisneyWorld.  When I was around 7 years old, I woke up on Thanksgiving morning to my Dad smiling...he said, "Get dressed and get in the car."  No questions were allowed...we all got in the car and he said we were going on a "mystery trip."  Well, none of us fought the entire way...small miracle for siblings in a station wagon.  We arrived at DisneyWorld that night and spent the next day in complete ecstasy!

We spent the entire trip anticipating our destination...we knew it would be great, we just didn't know what it would be.

Israel, Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, even the angels anticipated the arrival of a King....and God sent himself to be with us...not above us, below us, around us....but WITH us...

Get in the car....we are going on a mystery trip....you know it's going to be great....anticipate it....and guess who's going to be there?