Welcome to Shepherd's Notebook, the Journal of Pr. Sheepherder's Sheep Camp!

THE GOOD SHEPHERD is SAFETY, SECURITY, SANCTUARY

2010-04-29T17:38:00.000-07:00

Broadcast earlier today on KUVR-1380 AM, Holdrege, Neb. April 29, 2010

What do shepherds talk about with their sheep?

That’s easy … just like when friends in Christ act as little shepherds to each other, they talk about what really matters

Welcome to The Shepherd’s Notebook from Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church near Smithfield, Nebraska. I’m Pastor Cathi Braasch. Today, we’re picking up on yesterday’s conversation between David, the shepherd-king and psalmist, and one of his sheep, name of Lambchop. Let’s listen in …

+ + +

Lambchop: David, I know baaaad things happen.. I know that sometimes, really baaaad things happen to sheep. I know that sheep die. I have a feeling that I will one day die, maybe one day soon. I don't know if I can get through all the problems of a sheep's life. I struggle with other members of the flock. I get aches and pains, and diseases. But I don't have to worry, David. You are always here with me, like right now. You poke me with that shepherds’ crook when I need to get moving. You catch me with its hook-end when I run away from you. You are always here in the good times and in the bad times. Like when that pack of coyotes sneaked in and tried to kill the flock. You give me assurance and guidance for being a sheep whatever comes along. David, who does that for you?

David: Lambchop, shepherds especially need to be shepherded. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil. God is with me. God's rod and staff comfort me.

Lambchop…And when the bigger, stronger sheep try to push me away, you protect me and make sure I have space at the feed bunk. You make sure that all of us get enough – and the other sheep are starting to let me in, too. They’re learning from you. I know you will protect me. Around the clock, 24/7/365. But, David? Who does that for you?

David: The Lord prepares a table even around my enemies. God gives me the gifts to do what He calls me to do.

+ + +

The Lord does indeed gift us for shepherding each other along this journey we refer to as the life in Christ.

Christian friend, who is it that you shepherd?

Perhaps you’re the neighbor who all the little kids trust to see that the bullies don’t have their way with them. When you do that, do it for Jesus and let those kids know who shepherds you.

Maybe you’re a pastor or lay leader who is struggling and wondering, “God, how will I ever be able to shepherd this flock that you’ve entrusted to me?” Allow yourself the comfort of prayer and conversation with a trusted friend and co-worker, that you may be reminded of the joy of your calling and the one Good Shepherd who will never leave you alone or lead you astray.

That’s Shepherd’s Notebook for today. For credits involving this conversation between David and Lambchop, see the final paragraph of yesterday's posting.

Shepherd’s Notebook – April 28, 2009

2010-04-28T16:12:00.000-07:00

The Good Shepherd Stays With The Sheep

Even when walking through the dark valley of death, I fear no evil, for you are with me. Your rod and staff comfort me. (From Ps 23)

Whether it’s during long nights tending mother ewes and baby lambs, or long days herding a flock of sheep that just won’t go where they need to go, every seasoned, sensible, serious shepherd knows this truth:

Really good shepherds pretty much live with the sheep.

Sometimes, they even talk to each other.

Today, we’ll listen in on a conversation between David, the shepherd boy who would become king of Israel, and one of his sheep. David is hearing a word from the Lord that he will pass on to God’s people: the 23rd psalm.

Imagine David sitting under a tree, talking to one of his sheep. Let’s listen in:

Lambchop, the Sheep: I don't know what is going to happen next in my life. I don't know where i will get my next meal. But you are my shepherd. I trust in you, David. I trust that you will provide for me. But, David, who does that for you?

David: the lord is my shepherd. I shall not want.

I wander around, looking for good grass and clear water. I am not very good at finding it. But even when I wander around, I know that you will lead me to the best pasture and the safest, sparkling streams. But, David, who does that for you?

God makes me lie down in green pastures. God leads me to still waters.

OK, David, here’s what really gets to me. I am not always good staying on the path or with the

rest of the flock. I don't always come when you call. But you bring me back to where I should be. And you still love me, even after I wander off. Who does that for you?

God leads me in the paths of righteousness, for his name. And God restores my soul.

+ + +

We’ll pick up on this conversation between the Shepherd-King David and the sheep when we meet again tomorrow.

Until then, would you please think about whoever shepherds you in Jesus’ name? It could be your pastor, your Sunday School teacher, your faithful prayer partner, your loving spouse … or anyone who shows you the grace and love of Jesus in their abiding, unconditional love and care for you.

Name these special persons in your prayers this day, and, with a note, e-mail or phone call, let them know that you’re praying for them. And invite them to listen in for the rest of this conversation tomorrow and Friday.

+ + +

The Shepherd’s Notebook with Pastor Cathi Braasch, Hope Ev. Lutheran Church, Smithfield NE, is being heard daily this week, April 26-30, 2010, on KUVR – 1380 AM Radio, Holdrege, NE.

Special thanks to Mike Poole, author of the drama Lambchop, which was adapted for insertion into this message. The original script appears at http://www.dramatix.org/archive/Children/Lampchop.html with a link to www.textweek.com

Shepherd’s Notebook for Tuesday, April 27, 2010

2010-04-28T16:04:00.000-07:00


	“Because the Lord is my shepherd, I have everything that I need.” Hold on a minute! Did I just say "everything"? What does it mean to have “everything that I need? Would “everything I need” ever be enough?
	We’ll look for insight in God’s word, specifically in the 23^rd Psalm. You’re listening to Shepherd’s Notebook from Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church near Smithfield, Nebraska. I’m Pastor Cathi Braasch.
	I’m guessing that the 23^rd psalm, with its portrayal of the Lord as loving and caring shepherd, gets heard more often at funerals than any other single setting outside of Sunday morning. Nevertheless, the 23^rd psalm is as much about living as it is about dying.
	I enjoy Eugene Peterson’s rendering of the 23^rd psalm in The Message edition of the Bible: God, my Shepherd! I don't need a thing. You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from. True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction. *(verses 1-3)*
	Like any other very familiar expression of faith, such as the Lord’s Prayer, the 23^rd psalm is something that might easily be taken for granted or just set aside for some future use. Yet the psalm is written almost entirely in present-tense terms. So, if you’ve already told family and friends that you want this psalm read or sung at your funeral, please don’t wait until then to “live in” this most beautiful, pastoral of psalms. Hear the echoes of the Hebrew children, freed from slavery in Egypt, provided with enough to sustain them for 40 years in the desert, and, yes, even grumbling about all that manna. Hear them longing for the so-called good-old-days under slavery. Hear how this psalm distinguishes between our childish, selfish wants and our truest, deepest needs. Let’s pray: Shepherd us, O God, that we may give thanks for your provision and always distinguish between wants and needs. In Jesus’ name, Amen. --------- Shepherd's notebook is being heard at 8:40 AM weekdays, April 26-30,2010, on KUVR- AM 1380, Holdrege NE.

Shepherd’s Notebook for April 26, 2010

2010-04-26T18:13:00.000-07:00

(broadcast earlier today on KUVR-1380 AM, Holdrege, NE)

Chances are good that you’ll know this sentence when I speak it, and you’ll even know where it comes from.

Say it with me if you do: The Lord is my shepherd.

I’m Pastor Cathi Braasch from Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church, Smithfield Nebraska.

This week we’ll spend some time focusing on the 23rd psalm.

Psalm 23

A psalm of David.

1 The Lord is my shepherd;

I have all that I need.

2 He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams.

3 He renews my strength.

He guides me along right paths,

bringing honor to his name.

4 Even when I walk

through the darkest valley,

I will not be afraid,

for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff

protect and comfort me.

5 You prepare a feast for me

in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.

(New Living Translation, from http://www.biblegateway.com/)

That title “shepherd” may be more familiar to some than to others.

Cultures in ancient Middle East used shepherding terms to describe kings as well as working sheepherders. Ancient Israelites used “shepherd” to describe the Lord God, and Israel’s prophets didn’t mince words when it came to renouncing bad shepherding by civic and religious leaders of their day.

Nowadays, city folks may have little if any exposure to the work of shepherding. I know what that’s like. As a 12-year-old, I got my first experience of sheep and shepherding when i was placed in foster care on a ranch in the central California hills. That was a half-century ago, yet I remember it like it was yesterday. Before I knew it, I had a few lambs of my own to tend, even as my siblings and I were being cared for – shepherded, if you will -- by the foster family that took us in. My husband and I have raised sheep together since 1973 – that's the last 36 years out of our 43-year marriage.

Sheep and shepherds go together in the spiritual life, too.

The 23rd Psalm celebrates what every hungry, lost, needy sheep needs most – the good shepherd.

Welsh scholar, rural pastor & poet George Herbert wrote of it this way in his poem on the 23rd psalm:

The God of love my shepherd is

And He that doth me feed:

While He is mine, and I am His,

What can I want or need?

He leads me to tender grass

Where I both feed and rest;

Then to the streams that gently pass;

In both I have the best

Or if I stray, He doth convert

And bring my mind in frame:

And all this not for me desert

But for His holy name.

Yea in death’s shady black abode

Well may I walk, not fear

For thou art with me; and thy rod

To guide, thy staff to bear.

Nay thou dost make me sit and dine,

Even in my enemies’ sight:

My head with oil, my cup with wine

Runs over day and night.

Surely thy sweet and wondrous love

Shall measure all my days

And as it never shall remove

So neither shall my praise.

Let’s pray: Dearest Lord Jesus, good and gentle shepherd, you have made us your own and tended to our every need. Keep us safe, and secure; and keep on sending us out to seek those sheep who have not yet trusted you. Amen.

Shepherd's Notebook will be heard daily this week at 8:40 AM on KUVR-1380-AM out of Holdrege, NE

Good Shepherd Sunday Radio

2010-04-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

Coming next week --

Sunday, April 25 (4th Sunday of Easter) -- it's Good Shepherd Sunday in churches that follow the Revised Common Lectionary , which is a set of Bible readings that are used in worshipping congregations wherever they might be.
Monday-Friday, April 26-30 -- Pastor Sheepherder will be offering daily devotions on Radio KUVR - 1380 AM, Holdrege NE at 8:40 AM. Guess what the theme will be? (Hint: see item 1) If you're too far from Holdrege to pick up the broadcaset, check here next week for transcripts of the devotions.

Thanks to KUVR Radio and the Phelps County (Neb.) Ministerial Association for presenting Daily Devotions.

Real Hope

2010-04-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

It must be Spring. I can tell.

It’s not just that the days are getting longer and, finally, warmer, even though they’re still punctuated by occasional blasts of chill winds and snowy squalls. Nor is it only that Sandhill Cranes, baby calves and newborn lambs are arriving as expected. Red is busy shearing the ewes. I still have one more lamb to tag, vaccinate and dock.

The long and somber season of Lent is rushing toward its climax. Today begins the Triduum, the Three Days (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday) leading to Easter.

It’s all these signs, and yet it is something more.

As I wrote for our local paper and church newsletter earlier this week, a particular word from the Lord has been rolling through my thoughts this last week:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer 29:11 (NIV)

Greeting cards bear these words to convey encouragement. You can find this verse on refrigerator magnets , wall plaques, and even computer screen-savers. Jeremiah’s words convey what human hearts long for: Assurance in the midst of apprehension, hope for times that seem all but hopeful.

Jeremiah’s words do convey all these things, and yet they say much, much more.

The Lord gave this word to Jeremiah as part of a message of divine judgment. The people were all too human. They were prone to follow false prophets – slick, skilled showmen who would “… dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. 'Peace, peace,' they say, when there is no peace.” Jeremiah 6:14. When Jeremiah delivered God’s sobering word of judgment, they tried but failed to kill God’s messenger. Then, they turned to false prophets like Hananiah, who, with great skill and flair, attempted to seduce the people into false security. False prophet meets true prophet, and truth prevails. For the rest of the story, read Jeremiah 28-28.

With God, there is both judgment and mercy, law and gospel. These are God’s alone to give. And thanks be to God, they have been taken care of in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who has taken the punishment for our frailties, follies and failures – in other words, for our sin.

In truth, we humans can only give what we have received. In tough seasons of life, in those times when our human frailties, follies and failures trip us up, our human nature is to grasp for whatever sounds good, even if it is not of God. When we long for the quick fix to serious issues, when we are seduced, ever so gradually, into what is slick, shiny and showy, it’s as though we are believing the false prophets who preach “peace, peace … when there is no peace. "

Jeremiah, God’s vigorous bearer of true hope, is a prophet for yesterday, today and tomorrow. He could only give what he had first received. Pray that what we give will be what we have received from God. Pray that our souls may awaken to the true Spring, the one who springs forth from death and the grave, the Christ of our Easter hope.

Believe it, and you have it’ -- Jesus, The Sheepherder and Martin Luther

2010-02-25T20:52:00.000-08:00

Sheepherders have been known to talk to themselves even as they talk to the Good Shepherd. During Lent 2010, I’m using “A 40-day Journey with Martin Luther” as my daily devotional guide. Just a week or so into that annual 40-day Lenten journey, there was a question I imagined Jesus asking:

“So, Cathi, how’s it going with your soul?”

Well, for one thing, I know that Jesus really cares about what He’s asking and who He’s talking to. So, I can answer with confidence that He will understand what I mean.

“It’s going okay, Jesus.”

“Really? Okay?”

“Okay, but just because you’re here.”

Leave it to Jesus not to stop asking when I give Him an easy answer.

On a day like today, which is often, I marvel at and treasure what it took for the Apostles, the Early Christians, and the 16th century Reformers to get up, day after day, with no confidence of their own, only the confidence in Christ that is “the peace that transcends understanding.” (Phil. 4:7.) Luther’s Morning Blessing is just such a treasure. (For more on Luther’s morning blessing, go to http://www.oldlutheran.com/oldlutheran/page.php?page=confirmation&id=9 )

So, Pr. Sheepherder was praying the Morning Blessing … and she didn’t get far before Jesus started asking questions …

“ I give thanks to you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ your dear Son …”

“And what is it you’re giving thanks for today, Cathi?”

Leave it to Jesus to cut to the heart of the matter.

“Today, Jesus, I’m grateful for a little phrase from Luther:

‘Glaubst du, so hast du.’

“You want to translate that?

“What, Jesus, you don’t speak German?”

“Just let me ask the questions, okay? Now, translate.”

“ It’s ‘ Believe it, and you have it.’ “

“And what does this mean, Cathi?”

“Hey, that’s my question!” Luther interjects.

(Forgive me for this little Lutheran insider joke. “What does this mean?” is a standard line that Luther used in teaching the chief matters of the Christian faith. His little boy Hans used to wander around, like lots of little kids, and ask “What is this?” So, “What is this” or “What does this mean?” followed by an answer was a standard part of Luther’s teaching in what ‘s known as Luther’s Small Catechism. But, I digress.)

Jesus continues ... “C’mon, Luther, let her answer now.”

And the holy conversation continues, morning after morning, day after day, Lent after Lent.

_____

‘ Believe it, and you have it.’

Pure and simple, the Law and Gospel rolled up into one thing: GRACE. If I had to get up every morning and depend on my own talent, charm, wit, insight, compassion and so forth in order to be good enough to receive God’s seal of approval, I’d be dead. If I had to depend on my own ability to believe God’s promise, I’d be only a dead woman walking.

Such is the beauty of GRACE: God’s unimaginable promises of forgiveness, new life in Christ, beginning now and never-ending, all delivered by the Holy Spirit makes it possible to receive, appreciate and believe that the gift is given for me and for all who believe Jesus.

GRACE: God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense

Such is the beauty of Luther’s Morning Blessing, which captures our utter dependence on God for all things. Such is the meaning of the hymn that began my day …

God’s Word forever shall abide,

No thanks to foes who fear it;

For God Himself fights by our side

With weapons of the Spirit.

Were they to take our house,

Goods, honor, child or spouse;

Though life be wretched away,

They cannot win the day.

The Kingdom’s ours forever.

A Mighty Fortress, the final verse

Text by Martin Luther

Amen and Amen.

-- Pastor Sheepherder

Shepherding and Non-Anxious Presence

2010-02-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

Lambing Season 2010 is underway, big-time. Just over a fourth of the ewes have borne their lambs. 100% of the lambs have survived despite the miserably cold weather we've been having. Pastor Sheepherder and the First-Dude Shepherd are tag-teaming on barn duty, since she is knee-deep in parish stuff and he is also helping pick up outdoor corn piles at the co-op.

The real heroines are the ewes (ewe=mother-sheep), particularly those that are lambing for the first time. They're really impressing us with their mothering instincts and quiet temperaments. (What does this mean? It means they take good care of the lambs without being so protective that they knock over the shepherd - or so excited that they accidentally trample their lambs. ) Calm yet attentive, confident and competent, focused on what's truly important, and not easily distracted -- in clear command of the situation, able to respond qucikly if their lambs are threatened. They're a joy to be around and their lambs (an average of two lambs per ewe) are thriving. They make life so easy for the shepherds and for the young sheep.

In the sheperding of humans, we call this "non-anxious presence." Inner calm in the face of difficulty. Connected to people yet detached from the swirl of their emotions and anxieties. Bearers of hope and serenity in the middle of chaos. Those of non-anxious presence lower the anxiety of others, bring hope into hopelessness, and create emotional climate change that allows for all to thrive -- or at least move in directions that are healthy.

I pray that the Holy Spirit will cultivate in me that non-anxious presence, in order that the sheep of Christ's flock that I tend may thrive and move in healthy directions according to God's good will and purpose for them. Being a non-anxious presence doesn't always come easily or naturally -- at least not for me. It takes practice and attention to what's important. But, even more, it takes reliance on the Good Shepherd -- the shepherd must be willing to be shepherded herself.

Shepherd me, O God, beyond my wants, beyond my fears, from death into life.
Shepherd me, O Christ, that I may shepherd your people.
Shepherd me, Holy Spirit, that I may rest in You.

Ventures in Hope, Fear, Faith and Courage

2009-12-21T14:56:00.000-08:00

The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

Verse One,

O Little Town of Bethlehem

From a Poem by

Rev. Phillip Brooks, 1867

Come winter, several themes weave their way in, out and through my soul. In the scriptures and songs of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, the prayers of the people and the searching of my soul, these themes resonate.

Hope. Fear. Faith. Courage.

Like the double-thump of a heart beating, two of these themes, Hope and Fear, continue to pulse, just as they have done for others throughout time. For example, I can't sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem" -- especially the last stanza of the first verse -- without these two themes coming to mind.

O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep, the silent stars go by.

Yet in thy dark streets shineth the everlasting light.

The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

What did it mean for all of humanity’s hopes and fears to meet in a little Middle-Eastern town some two millenia ago? After all, Hope and Fear had been meeting for a long, long time, in many places and under a variety of circumstances. And, God had not been silent or absent from his people in their hopes and fears.

But, at a particular point in human history, in that little town of Bethlehem, God came to meet Hope and Fear in-person, as a vulnerable baby we know as Jesus the Christ, the One who would suffer and die on the cross for us and for our eternal salvation. This Jesus came not just to meet Hope and Fear, but also to know them in every way that you and I would. And in Jesus Christ, Hope conquered Fear once and for all.

That said, Fear is real. Fear does not give up easily. Fear waits for an opportune time. Fear waits for the moment when we are most vulnerable, when we think we can overcome it on our own. Fear comes when we forget, ignore or try to remake the One who can cast out all fear. This One is Jesus Christ, the Living Word, Perfect Love. Jesus Christ is at the intersection where your hopes and fears come crashing together. He’s been there all the time.

Just as shepherds and wise men were led to meet the newborn Jesus in a manger, we are called to meet Jesus in what Martin Luther called the cradle in which the Christ is found – in the Holy Bible. Just as Jesus Christ commanded, we are baptized for the forgiveness of sin and sent into a world filled with Hope and Fear, to point others to Him and to be little Christs to one another. Just as Jesus’ followers of old were called to receive Him in person, Christians are called to receive Christ – in the body and blood, bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper. Just as the Lord has provided all that is needed for life, we are called to share all that we have been given for life.

Where do your hopes and fears meet these days? What do those hopes and fears look, sound, taste or feel like? Can you name them, or are they too deep to put into human words? Whatever they might be, take them to the manger, to the cross, to the One who has already met Hope and Fear head-on, for you and for all people.

Open your hands as though to hold a baby; see and cradle the Christ child there.

Open your Bible, and see it as the manger, the cradle where Christ is found.

See the Christ Child lifting little hands to take your hopes and fears into the cradle with Him.

Gaze up at your Christ on the cross with outstretched arms, Hope overcoming all fears, once for all.

Go forth into the days and months that stretch ahead.

Go with faith and good courage, knowing that the one who leads and guides is none other than Jesus Christ.

A blessed Christmas to you,
Pastor Sheepherder

On Guard Dogs

2009-12-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

It's been a difficult few weeks at sheep camp since Thanksgiving time. Our two Great Pyrenees guard dogs, Turk and Stinker, trained to guard livestock from coyotes and other predators, went missing the weekend before Thanksgiving. They were found shot dead, within a short distance of each other, on the southeast corner of the ranch. All evidence points to shooters just taking shots at sounds, or perhaps at anything they could hit.

We've had livestock guarding dogs since the early 1980's, to guard our flock in Idaho, Eastern Washington, Illinois and now Nebraska. In all that time, we've never lost any sheep to predators -- or, for that matter, we've never lost any guard dogs under these circumstances.

The dogs that were killed -- Turk, going on 7 years old, and Stinker, just about a year old -- were raised on our ranch from the time of weaning. That's the normal practice -- the pups come to think of their sheep as their littermates, live with them and protect them accordingly. These livestock guard dogs also mark a territory with their scent, which helps keep predators at a distance when the dogs are out of sight. As they work their territory and watch their flock, they shy away from human contact.

The bad news (aside from the senseless shooting of the two dogs): Finding mature, trained replacements for livestock guard dogs is almost impossible, since the norm is to keep these guard dogs and their flocks together.It's getting closer to the time when baby lambs are born and the flock is even more vulnerable to predators. The scent of blood and amniotic fluids, and the bleating of newborns, carries on the wind and attracts coyotes, the main predators in our area. And, since we live five miles away at the parsonage, we can't be on-site to listen or watch for night-visits by coyotes.

The good news: Through our network of friends in the sheep industry, we've actually found a replacement dog. Her name will be Alpha (Alph for short) because she was the alpha-pup in her litter of nine. She's nine months old and already working guarding well. I tried to talk Red into just buying Alpha's mom, an excellent guarding dog in her own right, and having her bred to raise some pups. That didn't work. Maybe that will be my retirement project in a few years. (Or maybe I'll be surprised on Christmas morning.)

Senseless things happen, and the shooting of two valued, four-legged partners gives new meaning to the term senseless. Just one dog shot that way could be written off as an accident, but two seems like more than an accident or even coincidence.

And, yes, it could have been worse ... After all, it could be a person out there making the sound at which the shooter shoots so blindly.

We just pray that whoever takes sport in doing such things will somehow have a change of heart and habit, learn to shoot responsibly, and not do this again.

It's about ... TIME

2009-08-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

OKAY, so I've spent a bit of time away from blogging. However, I have been writing. It's good to be back -physically, with health improving - and to take the luxury of a little time apart for getting the writing onto the blog.

For a time last Spring, I team-taught an on-line class on Best Practices in Rural Ministry for Wartburg Seminary. Here's an excerpt from a reflection paper that I shared with our students, on the topic of Christian spirituality and servant leadership. The paper was titled "Hope for the Future, Power in the Present: A Letter For Leaders In Small Town And Rural Ministry," and one of the topics dealt with, of all things, TIME.
------------------------
"TIMELY Leadership – Sustaining, transforming ministry leaders make decisions and take action (or refrain from acting) with appreciation for both chronos and kairos. •

Chronos (chronological time) is measured by clocks, calendars, schedules and so forth.

Kairos refers to seasons of life, God’s own good time, the fullness of time.

At all stages of ministry visioning, planning, action and evaluation, leaders need to ask: What time is it? Timely leadership considers and applies texts such as Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. As shepherd of a congregation (not to mention a shepherd of sheep for the last 48 years), I also appreciate the pastoral wisdom of this poem by the late Rev. Gerhard Frost. My copy is packed away, but the poem goes something like this:

Lost
“And how do the sheep get lost?”
the city dweller asked.
“Oh, it’s easy,” the farmer replied.
“They just put their heads down
And nibble themselves lost.”

O Lord, it’s almost noon.
I’ve nibbled my way from one trivia to another.
Have mercy on me.
Redeem this head-down day
and put me back on the path again.
------------------------------------

Recognizing the difference between trivia and truly important matters isn't always easy. Hindsight sometimes makes vision clearer, as what once seemed truly important fades into (forgive the redundancy) the most trivial of trivia. This last year, packed with sheepherding and studying, moments filled a jumble of awesome divine presece in the midst of desperation, has been anything but trivial. In fact, its blessing has been to remind me of what's really important and what's not, what's of the utmost importance and what's really to be left up for grabs.

It's about ... TIME ... and it's almost noon. What time is it for you?

In Christ and glad to be back in this part of the sheep camp,

Pastor Sheepherder

Pastor Sheepherder is BAAAHck

2009-08-13T07:32:00.001-07:00

No, Pastor Sheepherder is not lost.
She just hasn't been back to this part of the camp in ...
OH MY (she exclaimed), close to 11 months?!?!?!?!

During that time ...
She has been tending the sheep assigned to her (that would be the flock of her congregation) plus occasionally helping with the four-legged sheep that she and Good Husband steward. She has also just about finished Year One in studies toward a Doctor of Ministry degree and certification as a spiritual director. Also, a few scary health issues over the last year intervened, but she is feeling better and better day by day as the root causes of the symptoms have been diagnosed and addressed.

Watch for resumption of blogs in weeks to come and do respond as you are led.

I may never ...

2008-09-28T10:46:00.000-07:00

... march in the infantry,
ride in the cavalry,
shoot the artillery.

I may never fly o'er the enemy.

But I'm in the Lord's army!

(Yay, Bible school, especially in Burkburnett, Texas!)

Maundy Thursday/Holy Thursday at the church near sheep camp

2008-03-20T19:54:00.000-07:00

This Sheepherder is once again humbled ... it happens a lot (humbling), yet tonight's worship was one to really remember.

First, a little background ... Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday in some parts of the huge Christian family) is the night when Christ's church remembers the new commandment Jesus gave the followers the night before He went to the cross, to pay the penalty for everyone's sin for all time. The new commandment: Love one another, even as Jesus first loved us. Totally. Completely. In humble service to each other.

Tonight's service was co-led by a dear brother in Christ,along with six young people from the 7th & 8th grade Confirmation Class, and Pastor Sheepherder presiding.

Meet the brothers and sisters in Christ who assisted in worship tonight:

First, there's Bill. He teaches Confirmation Sunday School (Old & New Testament) as well as industrial arts and coaching in our local school district. And, each Spring, he grows a beard and takes on the role of the Apostle John in our local Easter pageant.

(The Apostle's good wife, Martha, kindly puts up with that beard until after the pageant on Palm Sunday. However, the Apostle has continued showing up for worship this Holy Week, and she's gamely putting up with his beard through Easter Sunday. But, I digress.)

Tonight, as we prepared to remember the Last Supper Jesus shared with his first followers, Apostle John called us into worship with a heartfelt first-person account of what it was like to be there, and to experience those three days from Last Supper, to the betrayal of Jesus, his suffering and death,and burial. Come Easter Sunday, Apostle John will be back for a visit with our Sunday School and Adult Bible Class, to share more of the Easter story and to engage the scholars, young and old, in a little Question and Answer time.

Now, meet the confirmands: Tonight's worship assistants included Abbe and Brittnee, our 8th graders, along with 7th graders Andy, Destiney, Jaci and Tyler. (7th Grader Jordan couldn't be with us tonight. )In addition to lighting the candles, helping with the offering and assisting at communion, these young people read the Bible lessons, led the congregation in the prayers, and helped strip the altar and sanctuary of its furnishings in preparation for Good Friday.

These kids know Jesus, know how to have a good time (you ought to be at confirmation with them some Wednesday night!), and respond with all their growing hearts and souls when it's time to get serious.

Tonight was such a night of awe and wonder: Oh, my, how God the Holy Spirit is melting, molding, filling and using lambs of all ages, all vital parts of the body of Christ.

The Apostle John, known also as Mr. Ford, Coach, or just Bill, grew up in this congregation. He went through the same faith formation that he now leads with our confirmation classes on Sundays and with all whom he encounters week in and week out. He's truly a shepherd, because he knows he's a sheep in the flock of the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Pastor Sheepherder here has known most of these 7th and 8th graders since they were 6 years old. Along with co-sheepherders (confirmation guides Betty and Farrel), Pastor Sheepherder gets a blessed two years of concentrated time with them during the 7th and 8th grade confirmation program. What a joy to see them take their place in the Good Shepherd's flock. They are learning to know, believe and trust Jesus. They are growing into the body of Christ in ways that will shape them for a lifetime of faithful witness and service.

Our faith community - choir, ushers and greeters, communion servers, and all the praying, worshipping people of Hope, and the aforementioned worship leaders -- all got a glimpse tonight of God's amazing grace at work.

We had the foretaste of the feast to come, when we received Jesus' body and blood, in with and under the bread and wine or grape juice, and heard the words: Given for you, shed for you, for the forgiveness of sins.
We glimpsed the once and future church: The communion of saints, stretching back to all who awaited Jesus in faith,into the future among all who will believe and receive Jesus, across time and across boundaries of land and sea, language and culture.
Tonight reminded how the Lord can take our fears and turn them into joy beyond our imagining. That's what happened during the three days leading up to Easter, the raising of Jesus from the tomb. In that striking act of love, his crucifixion, Jesus put sin, death and the devil in their places. It was Good News then and it's Good News now, good for teenagers and those who shepherd them. It seems that kids take a bad rap these days. And, how often have you heard someone say how hard those jr. high school years are? Yes, they are hard - and they are hard for kids going through those times of change from childhood to young adulthood. Pastor Sheepherder confesses that teaching jr. high confirmation was one of her greatest fears going into ordained ministry. It's turned out to be one of her greatest joys, this privilege of shepherding young people through this spiritual rite of passage.

Past, present and future came together on that Maundy Thursday, the night when Jesus was betrayed and began his last legs of the redemption story.

Past, present and future came together again tonight, reminding us once again that memory of what Christ has done for us gives hope for the future, and hope in the future gives power in the present.

Who could ask for more?

Not me.

In Christ,

Pastor Sheepherder

PS -- Watch for the messages from this service -- especially the Apostle John's -- on our website in the future. Drop in to www.mychurch-hope.com , pull down the menu to find sermons, and check it out some time soon.

As One Flock ...

2008-03-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

There's something about baby animals, lambs in particular, that attracts the attention of young and old alike. Even before the first lamb of the season is born, parents are asking when they can take the kids out to our ranch to see the baby lambs following their mothers and, as they grow, frolicking with their age-mates as baby lambs do.

Once they get to be a few weeks old, those lambs begin to act like a little flock of their own. They band together and move as one, sometimes on a flat-out run, othertimes just bouncing on little legs that seem to be spring-loaded. Think of the times when you've seen a flock of geese or other birds moving in unison, changing directions as though on a cue only they can sense, hundreds soaring as one through the sky. That's how the lambs are flocking and frolicking: they are many, yet they are moving as one. It's a beautiful, amazing thing to watch.

Meanwhile, back at the church ...

Pastor Sheepherder recalled something very-flock-like that had happened during her first month at Hope. (Back then she was called Vicar, during the year of internship prior to her ordination to the pastoral office.) Vicar Sheepherder was teaching the Sunday School's junior high class about what it meant to confess belief "...in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth ...." First Article, The Apostles Creed.

After a brief discussion, she sent the class to put on their coats and go outside, to wander and to reflect, silently and individually,on the creation that surrounded them, the Creator who made it all, and their place in it as creatures, young men and women created in the image of God. The Sunday School officers, ushers and greeters were advised not to worry:The young people were indeed supposed to be out and about the church yard on Sunday School assignment.

Then, Vicar Sheepherder settled in to observe the youngsters.

Well, their silent, individual meditation lasted for all of a minute or two. The youngsters soon started flocking together. They made their way as one to the adjacent cemetery, and, as one, moved through the headstones and plots. Here and there the flock would stop, as one. Each youngster who had a relative buried there would introduce the others to the memory of this grandmother, that uncle, or even siblings. They frolicked as one from grave to grave -- no fear of death, only delight in being one with each other and the saints who had gone before them.

And, oh, the prayers of thanksgiving for God's creation that came forth from them as we reassembled to end the class hour.

How amazing, how beautiful, when the Good Shepherd's flock moves as Jesus Christ, prayed we would be:

"Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one" ... "Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth. I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (John 17:11, 17-23)

St. Paul echoes the Good Shepherd's intent that the holy flock, the holy commuity of Christ, would be one:

I[Paul], therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.(Ephesians 4:1-6)

Thanks be to God -- The Creator, The Christ our Savior and Good Shepherd, and the Holy Spirit, who calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies and keeps us together in the one flock. Thanks be to Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- together, one God.

Invitation

2008-03-10T15:58:00.000-07:00

Good readers ...
All are welcome to drop in at this blog ... However, I just discovered that to actually write into this blog, you need to be on the guest author list -- and the system limits the number of people who can be on the list. So, if you're interested in writing into this blog, then drop me a line at my e-mail address, hopepastor@rcom-ne.com. Include your name, e-mail address and location, a little information about who you are and what attracts you to this blog, and anything else you think it would be helpful for me to know.

Pr. Sheepherder

Welcome to Pastor Sheepherder's sheep camp ...

2008-03-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Pastor Sheepherder's sheep camp ... a place to drop in for conversation about our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Your host is Pastor Sheepherder:

a real pastor (open-country Lutheran congregation in SW Nebraska) and
a real sheepherder (since 1960, when I got my first sheep as a foster kid placed with a ranch family.)

We're in the middle of lambing (arrival of baby lambs) at the ranch right now. We're not quite half-way through the lambing season. We're grateful for good weather so far, and for an adequate barn that shelters the flock as it waits to give birth.

We're having a baby-boom in the congregation I serve. We've had 10 babies born since late last summer, 8 of them baptized so far and two more scheduled to receive this Sacrament in the coming weeks. In addition, three young boys and a sixth grade girl are being prepared for baptism at this time; their parents are preparing to join the congregation by affirmation of the faith into which they were baptized earlier in life.

Back to lambing for a minute ... When we have an orphan lamb, we will graft it to another new mother ewe who has lost her lamb. (This beats raising the orphan on a bottle!) We do this by removing the hide from the dead lamb, covering the orphan with the hide, and introducing the lamb to its new mom. The mother smells her own lamb on the hide and usually will accept the oprhan as her own with little or no problems.

This intersection of lambing time and the baby & baptismal boom at church reminds me of Galatians 3:26-28 (Contemporary English Version):

26All of you are God's children because of your faith in Christ Jesus. 27And when you were baptized, it was as though you had put on Christ in the same way you put on new clothes. 28Faith in Christ Jesus is what makes each of you equal with each other, whether you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or a free person, a man or a woman.

A lamb covered with the bloody hide, being adopted, may seem like a stark contrast to the baptismal candidate being brought to the font, often dressed in the purest of white. Yet there is a reminder of the blood of Christ, shed for us and for our salvation on the cross, the blood that washes us pure and white, freeing us from sin's power, making us righteous in God's sight.

And as for adoption, we wrap our newly baptized brothers and sisters in quilts mae for them by the women of our church ... "Holy Comforters" to remind them of the Holy Spirit's presence in their lives and their adoption as children of God, heirs of and in God's reign, and co-workers with us in the holy service of God and neighbors.

Anyway, those are some opening thoughts. Drop into the sheep camp, imagine yourself being greeted with an outstretched hand (maybe a bit dirty from chores) and a warm welcome in the name of our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. If I could figure a way to do it online, I'd also offer you a cup of strong, hot sheepherder's coffee (or a cup of cold water or hot cocoa or, even tea!)

You're always welcome ...

Pastor Sheepherder