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THOSE WHO HOPE IN THE LORD WILL RENEW THEIR
STRENGTH.
THEY WILL SOAR ON WINGS LIKE EAGLES; THEY WILL RUN AND NOT GROW
WEARY, THEY WILL WALK AND NOT BE FAINT.
ISAIAH 40:31 |
"Who Is In your Flock?" After Peter
denies Jesus three times, the resurrected Jesus turns the tables,
and three times says to Peter: "Feed my flock....feed my
sheep...feed my flock." What grace Peter feels--the grace of being
needed!
One of the greatest gifts we have is discovering the voice of
Jesus telling us that we are needed! As disciples of Christ, we are
all shepherds of the flock. Each one of us is needed to watch over
the scatterlings of Jesus' sheep. Who is in your extended flock?
That question came to me as I read a story of Christians in
Zimbabwe. When they disagreed with the brutal autocratic rule of
President Robert Mugabe, hundreds of nonviolent Christians were put
in jail. Some of the pastors spent the night in worship and praise
of God. In the morning, one of the pastors, Pius Wakatama, asked the
police to be taken to a new cell. His reason? "...[A]ll those in my
cell have become Christians and now...I need a new congregation to
work with." (Christian Century, 4/17/07, p.5).
Those courageous Christians remind us, no matter where we are, we
need to keep asking ourselves, "Who is in my flock?" All sorts of
people around us need care and feeding. We can creatively care for
our flock in all sorts of ways:
Give a kind word passing someone on the
sidewalk.
Pray for someone...and tell them.
Write a note of encouragement.
Have lunch with someone to find out how they are doing.
Give a simple gift of homemade food.
Share a plant or flower.
Offer an invitation to do something enjoyable together.
Seek someone's forgiveness.
Ask for help--and in so doing, affirm their spiritual
gifts.
I want to say thank you to all who helped with the Second Century
Campaign. Those who worked on the campaign did it with such grace
and good will, they are an inspiration.
And thank you to all those who pledged to the campaign. You have
shown us an example of the Church in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Right now, we have pledges for $1,376,547. This is a tremendous
outpouring of gifts. In sharing them, you are creatively feeding
Christ's flock at Westminster. While the campaign continues to reach
for our larger financial goals, we celebrate these marvelous gifts
of caring.
And always remember whose flock you are in--and how Christ cares
for you.
Sincerely,
Rev. Andrew L. McDonald |
