Praise the Lord for this new day. Today New Yorkers,
residents of the Empire State, will go to the polls to cast their ballots in
the Primary elections. Plan to go to the polls today. I spent few
days in Washington, DC, our Nation's capital, with Sunita, Andy, Laureen, Gabe,
Addie, and Asha. It was an exceptional treat. The weather was
fabulous. Spring blossoms and foliage are bursting to the
seams. We were able to get out to walk and wander a lot. I met some of
Sunita' colleagues and had lunch with them. Alice joined me for the
weekend, along with Jess, Tom, and Lindie. It was a mini family reunion -
though we dearly missed Janice, Jeremy, Micah,Simeon, and Ada. We spent
some time at the National Arboretum just outside the city of
Washington. Saturday was a like summery, with balmy breezes and
temperatures in the seventies. The Arboretum was flooded with tourists
and visitors. The azaleas, along with the dogwood trees, were in
full bloom. The colors were variegated and brilliant. I felt like
all the azaleas found all over the world have been transplanted to
the Arboretum.
One of the special attractions of the season is the nesting of a bald eagle. Two eaglets have hatched at the bald eagle nest at the National Arboretum. Anticipation as we've watched the #dceaglecam has been replaced with ridiculous adorableness. A bald eagle clutch typically includes two eggs. The little eagles will likely be on cam for awhile — the nesting period is typically more than 2 months. You can watch live on the DCEagleCam as the new eaglets experience everything for the first time.
We all attended the worship on Sunday at St. Brendan's in the City, an Anglican congregation. I was asked to participate in the dedication service of Addie and Asha. Many dear friends and neighbors of Sunita and Andy joined for the special service. Laureen led the service in Music. It was all blessing. At the service we were privileged to meet some of those who serve the Lord around the world. One was a rector from Northern Ireland. Another church leader and servant was from South Sudan. Another couple is serving in Burundi in the ministry of economic development. Another friend of Andy and Sunita flew in from Cypress. He and his wife are part of a large team that ministers to the refugees that are flocking to Europe.
Last Sunday was designated as Good Shepherd
Sunday in the church calendar. The Scripture reading was taken from John
10. I love the hymn, "Savior, like a shepherd lead us, much we
need thy tender care. In thy pleasant pastures feed us, for our use thy
folds prepare.” In John 10 Jesus describes a sheep pen, which would have
had only one door. When the sheep returned to the fold at night after a
day of grazing in pleasant pastures, the shepherd stood in the doorway and
inspected each one with tender care as it entered. The rest of our song
continues, “Blessed Jesus, blessed Jesus, thou hast bought us, thine we
are.” The distinguishing mark between the good shepherd and the hired
hand is that the good shepherd would lay down his life for the sheep. He
is their protector.
In the book, Chicken Soup for the Soul,
Eric Butterworth tells the story of a college professor who had his sociology
class go into the Baltimore slums to get case histories of 200 young boys.
The students were asked to write an evaluation of each boy’s future. In
every case the students wrote, "He hasn’t got a chance."
Twenty-five years later another sociology professor came across this earlier
study. He had his students do follow up on the same 200 boys who were now
men. With the exception of 20 boys who had moved away or died, the
students learned that 176 of the remaining 180 had achieved more than ordinary
success as lawyers, doctors, and businessmen. The professor was astounded
and decided to pursue the matter further. Fortunately, all the men were
in the area and he was able to ask each one, "How do you account for your
success?" In each case the reply came with
feeling, "There was a teacher."
The teacher was still alive, so he sought her out and asked the old but still alert lady what magic formula she had used to pull these boys out of the slums into successful achievement. The teacher’s eyes sparkled and her lips broke into a gentle smile. "It’s really very simple," she said. "I loved those boys." In other words, their success was based on the love of a teacher. In the same way, our success as followers of Jesus is based on the love of a shepherd who was willing to lay down his life for us.
He loved us enough that our sinfulness became his burden. He loved us enough that his perfect rightness became ours. He loved us enough to suffer on the cross for us. To save us from eternal death. To prepare us to enter the Eternal City.. He will keep us safe in the sheepfold if we’re smart sheep and follow the Good Shepherd.
"And I give them eternal life and they shall never perish and no one shall snatch them out of my hand." What promises Jesus was making to his followers, to his sheep who follow him! Eternal life. Eternal assurance. “No one shall be able to snatch them out of my hand. No one shall be able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” That is precisely what the bad shepherd wants to do: snatch them out of the Father’s hand. That is what the power of evil wants to do with our lives: snatch us out of the hand of Christ. The purpose of the power of evil is to snatch us from the hands of our loving Father. Jesus promises to us that such “snatching” will not occur in our lives. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. When we are in the grip of God’s loving hands, nothing evil can snatch us away from a Father who holds us firmly in his love.
In Christ the Winsome
Shepherd.
Brown.
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