DAILY BYTE
As we continue to contemplate what it means for God to be a shepherd, it’s also crucial for us to think about the fact that we are made in the image of God and must grapple with how God calls us also to be shepherds. Otherwise, it seems we will become like the people of God in Ezekiel: where the people who were supposed to be leading and caring for one another were selfishly feeding their own mouths instead. The prophet Ezekiel says the shepherd leaders weren’t building up the weak ones and healing the sick, doctoring the injured, going after the strays, and looking for the lost. They were refusing to sacrifice anything of themselves so that the greater group would thrive.
And as a result, they turned people into “mere prey,” “easy meals for wolves.”
When people fail to look after one another, only seeking their own self-interest, a climate of fear is created instead of a climate of assurance and freedom.
Are we turning people into mere prey?
When on a pilgrimage around Durban in 2007, I was told that there were actually fewer robberies of stores in Warwick Triangle – a place that is often considered “unsafe” in the Durban community – than there are in Musgrave Centre, a “safe” community area. And the reason was that the shopkeepers in Warwick Triangle had banded together to form a community that protected one another from robbers, but the shops in Musgrave Centre continue to try to live as their own separate entities, therefore becoming - mere prey.
When God jumps into the scene in Ezekiel, he says, “I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep. I myself will make sure they get plenty of rest. I’ll go after the lost, I’ll collect the strays, I’ll doctor the injured, I’ll build up the weak ones, and oversee the strong ones.” God, here, presents a more comprehensive picture of a shepherd’s role than the people did. The people totally left out the need for the strong ones to be shepherded.
In their desire to seek power, the leaders of the community forgot that their primary roles were not as shepherds but as sheep, following God.
And as prophets do, Ezekiel spoke truth to those in power, reminding them that in God’s eyes, both the weak and the strong live together in community and are all overseen by the same shepherd. They all need someone to follow, or the community will fall apart and scatter.
God’s voice through Ezekiel is almost frantic in its frustration and anger about how people have been scattered. The Message’s account of Ezekiel describes God saying, “You bully and badger them. Now they’re scattered every which way because there was no shepherd – scattered and easy pickings for wolves and coyotes. Scattered – my sheep! - exposed and vulnerable across mountains and hills. My sheep scattered all over the world, and no one out looking for them!” God’s voice cries out against stubborn, individualistic disunity.
In the way that you lead others and participate in community, are you causing people to scatter? Do you see yourself primarily as someone who leads or someone who follows?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE
Ezekiel 34:11-12a (The Message)
"'God, the Master, says: From now on, I myself am the shepherd. I'm going looking for them. As shepherds go after their flocks when they get scattered, I'm going after my sheep"
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Monday, 4 May 2009
Tuesday 5th May - Stubborn wanderers
DAILY BYTE
Yesterday, we read a fairly unflattering comparison of humankind to stubborn sheep… and so, as we think about our own ‘sheep-ish’ qualities (excuse the pun…), we remember that while being a shepherd may look idyllic, wearing a bathrobe and rescuing fluffy lambs from bramble, shepherding is actually a terribly difficult job. Battling simultaneously with the tendency for sheep to be both stubbornly individualistic and mob-like, the shepherd’s challenging task is to care for them, which is dirty and smelly enough, but also to unify them. To teach them all to trust, following the sound of one voice, so that no matter what they encounter, they will not wander and they will not be scattered.
Churches talk a lot about how God, through Jesus, graciously rescues the lost sheep, when they wander away. We tend to point fingers at who those lost sheep are… And, we get warm and fuzzy inside when we think about Jesus saving us. But, God through Jesus, as the good shepherd, is not only about rescuing the lost. His greater task is about unifying the flock.
We struggle with unity, don’t we? Unity in politics like the election we’ve recently experienced, in the global church with all its denominational and hierarchical divisions, in the local church, with our personal stubbornness and relational resentments, and even in our families. And we ask ourselves time and time again, how is unity really possible?
Unity is possible because God is stronger, wiser, more patient, and more loving than the most stubborn of sheep.
When Desmond Tutu spoke in Durban a few weeks ago, he described the story of the shepherd who rescues the one lost sheep. And he said that we always picture that sheep as a fluffy little lamb that just happened to wander astray and innocently get caught. But, isn’t it more likely that the sheep who wandered was an old, stubborn ram with a matted, filthy coat, its limbs bleeding and scarred from being constantly stuck with bramble? This is the sheep that Jesus comes to find. He struggles to loosen it from the things that trap it, as it fights bleating and kicking because it rebels against the rescue the shepherd brings, but the shepherd still persists in bringing it back and uniting it with the rest of the flock.
Jesus’ description of himself as this kind of shepherd gives us a fuller picture of who God is. Philip Yancey says that “Books of theology tend to define God by what he is not: God is immortal, invisible, infinite”. God is, of course, all of those things. But they can make God feel very far away so that it seems easy to scatter and wander. But, the image of God we find in the shepherd shows us that God is also a God who is prepared to roll up his sleeves and get our blood on his hands disentangling us from things that bind us and entangling us in unity with him and with one another.
So, do you believe in this kind of God? The kind of God who seeks after all of us, even the people with the most tattered lives and the most resistant spirits?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE
Luke 15:3-6
So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'
PRAY AS YOU GO
Patient and rescuing God,
You have promised to seek after everyone in your creation. Help us to lay down our stubbornness and fear, instead opening us to your embrace and unifying us in relationship with one another. Amen.
Yesterday, we read a fairly unflattering comparison of humankind to stubborn sheep… and so, as we think about our own ‘sheep-ish’ qualities (excuse the pun…), we remember that while being a shepherd may look idyllic, wearing a bathrobe and rescuing fluffy lambs from bramble, shepherding is actually a terribly difficult job. Battling simultaneously with the tendency for sheep to be both stubbornly individualistic and mob-like, the shepherd’s challenging task is to care for them, which is dirty and smelly enough, but also to unify them. To teach them all to trust, following the sound of one voice, so that no matter what they encounter, they will not wander and they will not be scattered.
Churches talk a lot about how God, through Jesus, graciously rescues the lost sheep, when they wander away. We tend to point fingers at who those lost sheep are… And, we get warm and fuzzy inside when we think about Jesus saving us. But, God through Jesus, as the good shepherd, is not only about rescuing the lost. His greater task is about unifying the flock.
We struggle with unity, don’t we? Unity in politics like the election we’ve recently experienced, in the global church with all its denominational and hierarchical divisions, in the local church, with our personal stubbornness and relational resentments, and even in our families. And we ask ourselves time and time again, how is unity really possible?
Unity is possible because God is stronger, wiser, more patient, and more loving than the most stubborn of sheep.
When Desmond Tutu spoke in Durban a few weeks ago, he described the story of the shepherd who rescues the one lost sheep. And he said that we always picture that sheep as a fluffy little lamb that just happened to wander astray and innocently get caught. But, isn’t it more likely that the sheep who wandered was an old, stubborn ram with a matted, filthy coat, its limbs bleeding and scarred from being constantly stuck with bramble? This is the sheep that Jesus comes to find. He struggles to loosen it from the things that trap it, as it fights bleating and kicking because it rebels against the rescue the shepherd brings, but the shepherd still persists in bringing it back and uniting it with the rest of the flock.
Jesus’ description of himself as this kind of shepherd gives us a fuller picture of who God is. Philip Yancey says that “Books of theology tend to define God by what he is not: God is immortal, invisible, infinite”. God is, of course, all of those things. But they can make God feel very far away so that it seems easy to scatter and wander. But, the image of God we find in the shepherd shows us that God is also a God who is prepared to roll up his sleeves and get our blood on his hands disentangling us from things that bind us and entangling us in unity with him and with one another.
So, do you believe in this kind of God? The kind of God who seeks after all of us, even the people with the most tattered lives and the most resistant spirits?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE
Luke 15:3-6
So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.'
PRAY AS YOU GO
Patient and rescuing God,
You have promised to seek after everyone in your creation. Help us to lay down our stubbornness and fear, instead opening us to your embrace and unifying us in relationship with one another. Amen.
Sunday, 3 May 2009
Monday 4th May - We Like Sheep
DAILY BYTE
When I was in elementary school, every summer, I used to go to church camp for a week, and this was no ordinary church camp. It was church musical camp ... I was just that cool. We would go to the bush, sleep in mosquito-infested cabins and spend the whole week learning a dramatic musical production, which we would then perform for our parents and for a local retirement home.
One year, the chosen musical made a particularly strong impression on me, and perhaps it was because the theme song went like this: We like sheep, we like sheep, we like sheep ‘cause sheep is what we are. ‘Cause sheep is what we are, we think they’re the best by far…” And so it went. This kind of song has a strange habit of becoming lodged in one’s memory.
But in all seriousness, we do like sheep, don’t we? I used to beg my parents to buy me a sheep – a plea that seemed to fall on deaf ears. But we enjoy pastoral images of lambs peacefully grazing in a well-contained herd while shepherds lazily lounge nearby, catching rays of golden sun.
But, as my parents were quick to remind me when I expressed my desire to own one, sheep are not the brightest of bulbs in the barnyard. There is a reason that sheep need a shepherd! In his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, former sheepherder Phillip Keller says that “the behavior of sheep and human beings is similar…Our mass mind (or mob instincts), our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits are all parallels of profound importance.”
It’s not the most flattering picture of humankind, but I think we can all identify with at least part of that description.
And so, this may seem a goofy question, but consider today in what ways (both positive and negative) your behaviour resembles a sheep’s. Also ask yourself, in what ways (both positive and negative) you find your life resembling that of a shepherd. This week, we will be exploring God’s description of both himself and his people as shepherds and sheep, or lambs. To have a full picture of who God is and who we are, as his people, it is crucial for us to explore this sheep imagery!
So, do you like sheep?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE
Mark 6:34 (NIV)
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
When I was in elementary school, every summer, I used to go to church camp for a week, and this was no ordinary church camp. It was church musical camp ... I was just that cool. We would go to the bush, sleep in mosquito-infested cabins and spend the whole week learning a dramatic musical production, which we would then perform for our parents and for a local retirement home.
One year, the chosen musical made a particularly strong impression on me, and perhaps it was because the theme song went like this: We like sheep, we like sheep, we like sheep ‘cause sheep is what we are. ‘Cause sheep is what we are, we think they’re the best by far…” And so it went. This kind of song has a strange habit of becoming lodged in one’s memory.
But in all seriousness, we do like sheep, don’t we? I used to beg my parents to buy me a sheep – a plea that seemed to fall on deaf ears. But we enjoy pastoral images of lambs peacefully grazing in a well-contained herd while shepherds lazily lounge nearby, catching rays of golden sun.
But, as my parents were quick to remind me when I expressed my desire to own one, sheep are not the brightest of bulbs in the barnyard. There is a reason that sheep need a shepherd! In his book, A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, former sheepherder Phillip Keller says that “the behavior of sheep and human beings is similar…Our mass mind (or mob instincts), our fears and timidity, our stubbornness and stupidity, our perverse habits are all parallels of profound importance.”
It’s not the most flattering picture of humankind, but I think we can all identify with at least part of that description.
And so, this may seem a goofy question, but consider today in what ways (both positive and negative) your behaviour resembles a sheep’s. Also ask yourself, in what ways (both positive and negative) you find your life resembling that of a shepherd. This week, we will be exploring God’s description of both himself and his people as shepherds and sheep, or lambs. To have a full picture of who God is and who we are, as his people, it is crucial for us to explore this sheep imagery!
So, do you like sheep?
GUIDING SCRIPTURE
Mark 6:34 (NIV)
When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things.
Saturday, 2 May 2009
Sunday 3rd May - Makabongwe
Weekend Blurb
The BDC is a weekday devotional aimed at anyone and everyone who struggles to keep up with the stressful demands of daily life.
This is why there are no weekend devotions prepared; however look out for your next update which will be this Monday.
Every weekend we will use this space to focus on a different mission project. This is an excellent opportunity to see how many people are striving to make a real difference in this country, and also how you might become involved.
Makabongwe Methodist Pre-School had small beginnings with children sitting on cardboard in Grey Street, Durban. It was the initiative of a group of Christian women who felt that no child should be illiterate.
Today that initiative has grown into a bright, sunny pre-school with premises in Alice Street. Seventy children drawn primarily from the street vendors in the area now have a safe environment to learn play and grow as God intended. These disadvantaged children are given a good grade R education following the National Education Syllabus.
Makabongwe means “Let Him be praised” and we do praise Him for He has indeed blessed this little school.
You can help make a difference by sponsoring a child monthly or a once off donation, thus ensuring a brighter future for the children.
Contact:
Colleen 084209409.
Manning Road Methodist Church 031 202 8262.
Bank details:
Makabongwe Methodist Pre-School
FNB
Account - 50710017936
Branch - 223526
The BDC is a weekday devotional aimed at anyone and everyone who struggles to keep up with the stressful demands of daily life.
This is why there are no weekend devotions prepared; however look out for your next update which will be this Monday.
Every weekend we will use this space to focus on a different mission project. This is an excellent opportunity to see how many people are striving to make a real difference in this country, and also how you might become involved.
Makabongwe Methodist Pre-School had small beginnings with children sitting on cardboard in Grey Street, Durban. It was the initiative of a group of Christian women who felt that no child should be illiterate.
Today that initiative has grown into a bright, sunny pre-school with premises in Alice Street. Seventy children drawn primarily from the street vendors in the area now have a safe environment to learn play and grow as God intended. These disadvantaged children are given a good grade R education following the National Education Syllabus.
Makabongwe means “Let Him be praised” and we do praise Him for He has indeed blessed this little school.
You can help make a difference by sponsoring a child monthly or a once off donation, thus ensuring a brighter future for the children.
Contact:
Colleen 084209409.
Manning Road Methodist Church 031 202 8262.
Bank details:
Makabongwe Methodist Pre-School
FNB
Account - 50710017936
Branch - 223526
Friday, 1 May 2009
Saturday 2nd May - Makabongwe
Weekend Blurb
The BDC is a weekday devotional aimed at anyone and everyone who struggles to keep up with the stressful demands of daily life.
This is why there are no weekend devotions prepared; however look out for your next update which will be this Monday.
Every weekend we will use this space to focus on a different mission project. This is an excellent opportunity to see how many people are striving to make a real difference in this country, and also how you might become involved.
Makabongwe Methodist Pre-School had small beginnings with children sitting on cardboard in Grey Street, Durban. It was the initiative of a group of Christian women who felt that no child should be illiterate.
Today that initiative has grown into a bright, sunny pre-school with premises in Alice Street. Seventy children drawn primarily from the street vendors in the area now have a safe environment to learn play and grow as God intended. These disadvantaged children are given a good grade R education following the National Education Syllabus.
Makabongwe means “Let Him be praised” and we do praise Him for He has indeed blessed this little school.
You can help make a difference by sponsoring a child monthly or a once off donation, thus ensuring a brighter future for the children.
Contact:
Colleen 084209409.
Manning Road Methodist Church 031 202 8262.
Bank details:
Makabongwe Methodist Pre-School
FNB
Account - 50710017936
Branch - 223526
The BDC is a weekday devotional aimed at anyone and everyone who struggles to keep up with the stressful demands of daily life.
This is why there are no weekend devotions prepared; however look out for your next update which will be this Monday.
Every weekend we will use this space to focus on a different mission project. This is an excellent opportunity to see how many people are striving to make a real difference in this country, and also how you might become involved.
Makabongwe Methodist Pre-School had small beginnings with children sitting on cardboard in Grey Street, Durban. It was the initiative of a group of Christian women who felt that no child should be illiterate.
Today that initiative has grown into a bright, sunny pre-school with premises in Alice Street. Seventy children drawn primarily from the street vendors in the area now have a safe environment to learn play and grow as God intended. These disadvantaged children are given a good grade R education following the National Education Syllabus.
Makabongwe means “Let Him be praised” and we do praise Him for He has indeed blessed this little school.
You can help make a difference by sponsoring a child monthly or a once off donation, thus ensuring a brighter future for the children.
Contact:
Colleen 084209409.
Manning Road Methodist Church 031 202 8262.
Bank details:
Makabongwe Methodist Pre-School
FNB
Account - 50710017936
Branch - 223526
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