Shepherds

Some rural haiku

Rural metaphors

abound in Jesus’ teachings.

This is an old one

The Lord is shepherd;

we find it in the Psalms, and

in Ezekiel.

There’s a few of them;

Jacob, Moses, Amos, Dave –

looking after flocks.

Good shepherd Jesus;

guide, protector of his flock,

knowing ev’ry sheep.

He is no stranger.

We know his voice, hear his words,

and we follow him.

Jesus is the gate,

through him we pass into life

in all its fullness.

Thieves and bandits still

speak tempting words; we must not

let them seduce us.

Good at pretending

they have our interests at heart,

but ripping us off.

© Ken Rookes 2020

He comes through the gate

Haiku of selfless leadership

He comes through the gate,

the shepherd; so we trust him

to protect the sheep.

Up front, transparent,

one who goes ahead of us;

we will follow him.

Some leaders pretend:

Follow me, I'll care for you!

In it for themselves.

Thieves, crooks and bandits,

these come to steal and destroy.

Jesus is no thief.

The good shepherd comes

to give his all for the flock.

The sheep know his voice

Jesus is the gate.

Through this man we enter life,

abundant and true.

© Ken Rookes 2017

Shepherds and doors

 

So many doors,
colours, sizes, shapes;
some swing from the left,
others from the right,
some slide.
Inwards opening,
outwards swinging;
so many choices.
Which doors are for me?
Will it be the journey within,
beyond,
or both?

The fourth gospel
designates the Good Shepherd as the gate,
a door through which
his sheep might enter into life.
When I passed through that door,
many years ago,
I was told by some earnest sisters and brothers
that there were certain doors
to be avoided for fear of one’s eternal life.
These well-meaning friends insisted
that those who travel through such doors
will be lost.

So many doors,
so many dangers.
I went through one anyway.
Had to;
too many questions,
too many doubts.
And maybe,
just perhaps,
notwithstanding all the warnings,
it was the Shepherd
who was waiting at the other side.

© Ken Rookes 2014

The way we see God

Two readings set for today are about the way we see God and therefore the way we may see ourselves and others. The writer of the Psalm said, “The Lord is my shepherd”. This is probably the best known psalm in our culture. In John 10:7, Jesus said, “I am the gate for the sheep.”

Most people who love this Psalm have never seen a shepherd. It is popular because of what is offered to the reader. It says that the writer believes God will look after him and provide for him generously. He sees God as offering rest, relaxation and restoration, protection, comfort, support and esteem, reassurance, hope and contentment. We get words like “pastor” and “pastoral care” from this image. It is good to be taken care of when we need care. It is not so good if we rely on such care when we could be taking care of ourselves and others.

We could equally see the things listed as being offered by a Mother to her children, or by anyone who cares. It is what the image represents that is more important than the image itself.

The image of “The Lord is my shepherd” may imply we are sheep to be led and fed and kept safely in a shed. But life in all its fullness that Jesus spoke about is more than that. When Jesus said, “I am the Gate’, He wasn’t implying that we live in a gated community, safe and secure from the poor of the world.

Images of God are not statements of all God is. God is so much more than we can ever imagine. On this Mother’s Day, you may like to reflect on the Wisdom of God and the Spirit of God which in Hebrew Scripture are always feminine. In Isaiah 54:5 is the image of God being a husband to widows and deserted women. In Hosea God is likened to a mother.

We are invited to ponder how we see God and how that impacts on the way we live and behave towards God, others and ourselves.

Rev Julianne Parker

a weird little detail

"There’s a weird little detail that is easily missed, and I think brings the whole thing into focus. In the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus tells his disciples to “strive to enter through the narrow door, for many I tell you will seek to enter and will not be able.”

Unlike the gate-teaching in the Gospel of John that is often lost, this teaching from the Gospel of Luke is much better known.

And there’s the problem. If one isn’t careful, you’d read “I am the gate” in John and think it’s Jesus talking about the same thing as in Luke.

It isn’t.

The teaching from Luke is known because of its moralistic tone. Walk the “straight and narrow,” and therefore strive to make it into God’s Kingdom.

That may be what Jesus was saying in Luke. But, that certainly isn’t what Jesus is saying in the Gospel of John.

This is a completely different teaching.

Because the sheep aren’t the ones entering the door—Jesus is going in the door."

http://www.rmcmorley.com/a-garden-path/2011/05/easter-4a-enter.html