Ordinary Time

Pause

Stop. Breathe.

Find stillness, right here.

Take comfort.

The Shepherd is waiting to lead you into rest, now.

Listen

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. When the hired hand sees the wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away. That’s because he isn’t the shepherd; the sheep aren’t really his. So the wolf attacks the sheep and scatters them. He’s only a hired hand and the sheep don’t matter to him.

“I am the good shepherd. I know my own sheep and they know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. I give up my life for the sheep."

John 10:11-15

Think

Sheep have a reputation for being stupid, for getting themselves into trouble they can’t get out of, for foolishly following anybody anywhere. But a good shepherd knows better, because a good shepherd knows the sheep, calls them by their sheepy names and recognizes their sheepy faces and even knows their individual sheepy personalities.

Sure, sheep need someone watching over them. Just like we all do.

We all need someone — not just someone whose job it is but someone whose calling it is —to lead us to rest and refreshment, to guide us through danger, to feed us and make a safe home for us. We all need someone to whom we belong. We all need a Good Shepherd — that One who gave life itself — to care for us, to recognize us, to call us by name. Jesus is that One who never runs away, who will never leave us to be devoured. Jesus is that One who knows us, because we are his.

Nikki Finkelstein-Blair

Pray

I’m following you today, God, because I know who you are, and I know that I am yours. Amen.

Go

Ready? Stand up.

Gather yourself, take courage, reach out, walk on.

The Shepherd is leading, and the world is waiting!