At
Carlsbad-By-The-Sea (CBTS) this week our gospel passage looked at the sheep
management customs of Jesus’ time. People highly valued sheep, the shepherds knew
which sheep were theirs, which belonged to someone and the sheep themselves
knew to whom they belonged. With Jesus as our Good Shepard we, the sheep, know
His voice and how we should respond in following Him.
In my pastoral care this week I intended to
build upon previous weeks questions of “how
we recognize Jesus” and “where is our
sheepfold and how do we know our Shepard’s voice”
This week I
conducted visits to someone I had visited last week but most of the times I
visited he was already involved in other activities such as bathing or musical therapy.
On the days we did connect we sat quietly, talked only occasionally and prayed
together. These were times when I realized we do not always need to talk to
connect with each other and with God.
I also visited a
resident, who is 100 years old in October this year, who had fallen and had
been taken to hospital. She had returned to the Care Center and was determined
to complete her physical therapy exercises so that she could go back to her
un-assisted living apartment. We had a great discussion about 2 friends of hers
who she thinks are not believers. They both do many good works for others
within this community so there must be something working within them even if
they profess to be non-believers. We
discussed that Jesus has “other sheep” that He is inviting in and right to the
end of our lives God is near us and always inviting us into a relationship with
Him. Of course He offers this relationship and salvation but everyone has free
will to accept or reject it. We agreed that is not us who can judge people,
only God can do that. We can just encourage and try to bring them to Christ in
the small things we do. As she is concerned about who goes to Heaven and who
goes to Hell I suspect this conversation will continue.
There was
another person I ministered to this week who had been in the Care Center (skilled
nursing) for a while and had now returned to her apartment in Assisted Living.
She had not been seen by the other people in the Care Center for a while so I
invited her to attend the Bible Study session I was leading there this week.
When she arrived she was welcomed back with hugs and so much love that it
really made me feel that there is definitely a sheepfold within the Care Center.
Her return to see them that afternoon made me think of Luke 15 “What
man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave
the ninety-nine in the pasture and go after the one that is lost, until he
finds it? And
when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, comes home,
and calls together his friends and neighbors to tell them, ‘Rejoice with me,
for I have found my lost sheep!”
In the larger,
General Bible Study Group we discussed the Good Shepard and one person informed
us that there are now some farmers that have Llamas to protect sheep rather
than dogs. Apparently they are better at fighting off coyotes and protecting the
sheep. This conversation prompted discussion on how we should all look out for
and protect each other even if we are getting along in years and often do not
feel strong.
Throughout the
week I noticed how we are in one large sheepfold (the Church) and within that
there are multiple sheep pens (St Michael's Church, CBTS etc.). As sheep we all
stray, sometimes between sheep pens and sometimes we try to stray outside the
sheepfold altogether. But we are called back by our Good Shepherd’s voice.
These are a few
examples of that showed me that people, like sheep are vulnerable, and we can
all help each other and watch out for each other no matter what community or
sheepfold we are in. Plus we should listen to hear our Good Shepard’s voice and
follow Him so that he can protect us from the spiritual dangers of this world.
If there is one
key thing I have learned this week is that people, like sheep, cannot be
treated like tasks on a project plan or schedule. Each day I can plan out meetings
such as bible studies and visits with the best intentions of carry them out. Thanks
be to God that He is not on my timeline and schedule so although there are some
things that happen as planned many do not.
Throughout the
week I feel that I have been ministering within a sheepfold and am being guided
to do our Lord’s will when He wants me to do it rather than any schedule I may
agree.
For me this
week has been formulation in trust (Jeremiah 17:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD. And whose trust is the LORD. For he will be
like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream, and will
not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, And it will not be
anxious in a year of drought Nor cease to yield fruit”
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