May 4, 2020

Daily Lectionary Readings for Year A

All three readings today focus on shepherds, sheep, and the flock.  We are sheep.  God will send shepherds and elders to care for the flock with compassion and justice.

Take a look at the attached drone video of a sheepdog herding sheep into their pen.  It takes skill and perseverance to help the sheep move to a place that is safest for them to be.  It's not easy.  As soon as it looks like one part of the flock is in line another part needs attention.  

As the weather gets warmer we will want to wander.  We might feel restless or impervious to the virus.  It doesn't seem as bad here as other places.  We could be tempted to ignore the voice of the shepherd and go our own way.  Please remember that your life and the lives of others are precious and dependant on each other.

One writer yesterday shared this stark reminder: My dad is an ICU doctor treating COVID-19 patients. In the past WEEK he has set more “I’ve never seen a heart rate/RBC count/etc. like this” records than in his decades-long career. What this virus does to the body is like “sticking your finger in an electric socket.” Stay home.  She went on to say that her dad, the ICU doctor, gave one person 8 blood transfusions in one morning even though the patient was not bleeding.  The coronavirus was destroying the red blood cells faster than his body could make them.  

That is why we will be thoughtful and careful about when and how we return to worship.  The Guidance Team meets this morning to talk about this.  They will no doubt bring the congregation into the conversation soon.  Please pray for the best way to be the sheep of God's pasture in these challenging times. 

Psalm 100
Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he that made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Ezekiel 34:23
I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd.

1 Peter 5:1-3
I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it —not for sordid gain but eagerly. Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock.

Peace,
Dean