Letter 7/15

July 15, 2010
Pastor Steve Mathewson
  

If you need encouragement today, think about how God is such a good shepherd. I know, the imagery is a bit foreign to our lives on Chicago’s north shore. But the image of a shepherd leading, protecting, feeding, and caring for his sheep provided a great picture of what ancient kings and leaders did when they ruled well. It is no wonder that God directed the writers of Scripture to use this image to describe Himself! The image first occurs in Genesis 48:15 where Jacob describes God as “the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day.” Later, Jacob combines this with another metaphor, calling God “the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel” (Genesis 49:24).

The Scriptures continue to use this metaphor of God as our shepherd to give us encouragement and hope. The classic passage, of course, is Psalm 23. Among other things, it tells us that because the LORD is our shepherd, we can be certain that “goodness and loyal love will pursue us all the days of our lives” (Psalm 23:6, my translation). Following a time of distress, Isaiah 40:11 says that God “tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” As a shepherd, God rescues his people, feeds them, gives them rest, and brings justice for them (see Ezekiel 34:11-16).

Later in the Old Testament, the prophet Micah tells about a coming ruler who “will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth” (Micah 5:4). This ruler is Jesus (see Matthew 2:6)! Jesus identifies himself as the “good shepherd” (John 10:14). The writer of Hebrews calls the resurrected Lord Jesus “that great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20). The Apostle Peter refers to Jesus as “the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25) and the “Chief Shepherd” (1 Peter 5:4). Finally, the book of Revelation contains this stirring picture of the exalted Christ: “For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” So whatever you are facing today, remember that you have a magnificent, amazing shepherd in God and Christ!

Our church facility is buzzing with activity this week as more than 65 children attend our Pre-K Vacation Bible School (VBS). Next week, we will hold our Sports Camp VBS for K-5th grade children. Please pray for Irene Kalantzis and Kristin Swanson, our Children’s Ministry Directors and their staffs as they run these programs. I love the way that we are using an old strategy in a fresh way. I have to agree with the Chicago Tribune on this. What? Yes, the Chicago Tribune ran an article on VBS last Friday, July 9. The subhead read: “Costing much less than park district programs and summer camps, vacation Bible schools give parents a break while giving kids fun with a message.” Yes, and it’s the message that matters! We use VBS as an opportunity to share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Please pray for our elders as we spend Friday evening and all day Saturday together on a retreat.  We plan to discuss “where we are going” as a church. I am looking forward to the time together with these men.

This Sunday, July 18, I will continue our series in James with a message on “The Cure for Conflict” from James 4:1-12. Let me clarify something I said in last week’s message. While discussing our need to be “considerate” (James 3:17), I contrasted this with the inconsiderate treatment my neighbor received while shopping at Jewel-Osco. Someone who heard this took this to be a criticism of employees at Jewel. That was not my intent. I was referring to a few inconsiderate shoppers (people like me), not store employees. I apologize for the confusion. The last thing I wanted to do was to be a living example of the hurtful power of the tongue!  How ironic! For the record, our family shops regularly at Jewel-Osco, and I have always been treated courteously. In fact, one employee there is the most helpful grocer I have ever seen. So keep shopping at Jewel while I try to control my tongue! I’ll see you on Sunday!