https://youtu.be/e91tj0V9844

May 1, 2020

Dear Road Church Family and Friends,

I have been reading a lot about shepherds and sheep this week in preparation for this weeks’ message. The readings are Psalm 23, “The Lord is my Shepherd; and John 10:1-16, “I am the Good Shepherd.” The leading symbol of God in the Old Testament, and of Jesus in the New Testament is that of shepherd. In ancient times the shepherds and sheep were very familiar figures. But that is no longer true. Most of us can live our lives without having a personal encounter with a shepherd or sheep. We know little about them. That means we miss most of what the shepherd metaphor was meant to teach us about God as our Shepherd, and our role as his sheep. Shepherding was a demanding, and difficult way of life, and sheep are “high maintenance” animals. Psalm 23 is a beautiful description of the work of a good shepherd from the perspective of his sheep. It’s pretty clear that life can be very good under the watchful eye and thoughtful care of a good shepherd. I invite you to read Psalm 23 as a way to count our blessings.

I share below a selection from one of the best things I read this week on Psalm 23. It increased my appreciation for the power and beauty of this much loved Psalm. It was written by a rabbi.

 “In just a few lines, Psalm 23 conveys the distilled wisdom of generations, offering us a way of seeing the world that renders it less frightening, teaching us to deal with the loss of people we love, and with conflict with people who don’t like us or who treat us badly. It shows us how to recognize the presence of God at times or in places where we might think that God is absent. It has the power to teach us to think differently, and as a result, to act differently.”

 Blessings to you all,

Pastor Norm

860-759-6720

normerlendson@gmail.com