Spiritual Authority

I am taking a short break from spending my time in writing my book to post the following message.

There is a false teaching and attitude that has been circulating around the Christian community that fosters sin and rebellion.  It is an evil taint and twisting of scripture.

It is one that I have encountered this week while studying Galatians.  It is one that has been tugging on me since February when I first encountered it when reading about the beliefs of a ministry on the internet.  It is very close to home right now, and I am grieved over it.  Many churches and ministries fondle this passage to promote the human notion of equality within community and even within governance.

The passage:

” For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” — Galatians 3:26-29

Many have wrongly taken this passage to mean that everyone is equal as Christians.  It does not matter if you are male or female, young or old, we are all equal.  There are no barriers between us any more.  What a man can do or want to do, A woman can also do.  The authority of a bishop or pastor is no greater than the member.  We are all equals in authority.  This is a heresy and goes against the context of this passage and against the rest of scripture.  It is true that all who come to Christ are equally redeemed from their sins and enjoy the abundant new life God gives, but it does not mean that all are equal.

This passage needs to be coupled with the following particularly as it relates to roles within the church.

” For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” — Romans 12:3-8

When both scriptures are rightly applied, the Holy Spirit is instructing Christians that not all members have the same function.  This particularly applies to other passages of scripture that forbid women being pastors, overseers, bishops, or elders. see 1 timothy 3:1; Titus 1:6.  This is a hard saying for some, but one I must say.  The church is not a community of equals.  God appoints Pastors to watch over them and Deacons to care for them.  As spiritual authorities and leaders they have been delegated authority by God and been given gifts to watch over the members, members need so show them obedience and submission, just as Jesus showed us in the garden before he went to the cross to bear our sins.  He submitted and was obedient.

Members need to submit and be obedient to our God appointed spiritual leaders.

Repent Christian of your rebellious heart;

Seek Forgiveness from your Spiritual Leader now–Do not wait, Again I say NOW!.

Humble yourself before God and His appointed and delegated authority.

Your Brother in Christ.

Spiritual Disciplines

This may be my last post for a while.  I am going to begin using my web log time to write a book instead. So since it might be a while until I write again, I wanted to leave a post of more significance than petty politics or my views on some other single issue.  I chose to leave, even if only for a short season or sabbatical, with something that has transformed my life and challenge you to test its significance for your life.

I practice two daily spiritual disciplines.  These two disciplines have transformed my life.  So if your life is o.k., and you are not ready to change. Then ignore this advice. And if you all ready practice them stay with it.  But if you are weary and tired of trying your latest passing fad.  Why not give this one a try also? It may transform your life, also.

First. Daily Devotional Bible Reading

Several years ago, an elder, in my local church challenged the congregation to make bible reading a regular part of each of our lives.  Since that challenge, I have consistently and regularly read from the bible (almost daily).  That daily discipline has changed my life.  I am now a quarter of the way through my third reading of the bible (It has been 2 and a quarter years since that challenge).  The first year (2007) I read from the one year bible plan, last year (2008) I read from a plan I got from one of our pastors, this year (2009) I constructed my own reading plan.

It was not easy for me to get away from all the noise of life and to just sit and read from the bible.  So when I accepted this challenge I knew I had to exchange something.  I had to give up something I did to make room for this new discipline.  I gave up watching early morning news.  I used to start my day by turning on the television and watching the news for a few minutes to get ready for the day.  I imagine some of you probably do this out of routine.  I turned those news shows off in the morning and opened the pages of my bible and read from it.  After about three weeks, it became my new routine.

When I accepted this challenge, I had all ready been reading the bible regularly to make preparations for teaching Sunday school, but my focus was on reading the few verses related to that particular lesson and studying them carefully, and I still continue to do that.  My reading of the bible was task oriented, not relational.  But since I have added more time, devotional time, in the morning to read the bible and meditate upon the words, I have grown to see the intricate work that the Lord has done in giving us the bible and the beauty and completeness of it for everything related to the human experience.

It is not by chance.  Playing bible roulette as either a last effort or in jest will not change your life.  Cover to cover reading will.  As I read during my devotional time, my eyes are opened to insight and illumination in every area of daily living.  Trouble with work. Hard time with family relationships.  Daily reading of the bible helps.  I can not count how many times, that I come to a difficult circumstance in my life and then the Lord has illuminated the path from the lamplight of his words I read in the bible.  Example, this morning my daily devotion came from the final chapters of 1st Samuel.  All week I have been preparing a lesson on Micah chapter 3.  I was wrestling with how to describe divination to the class and from the pages of scripture comes the story of King Saul seeking out the witch in Endor to divine or call up a spiritual medium for Saul.  Illumination–my eyes were open to an example of divination, I could use.  You might be reading this and say, well that is really good for you, you are a Sunday school teacher, preparing for a class is not real world.  It is just more book learning not really helpful in the real world.  That is a nice story to tell in Sunday school to teach a point that is a what the bible is for, Sunday school.

Well try this example as it relates to personal relationships, about a month ago the relationship between my son and I was escalating into a raging wildfire.  We were having a lot of conflict, I was having a lot of trouble with my son.  My son was having a lot of trouble with me.  I did not know what what going on, then I read from Ephesians: Fathers do not provoke your children.  That message did what scripture does, “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, NKJV) Solution to problem (Illumination): don’t provoke your son.  Well after a month, things are better between me and my son, I am still learning about all the ways I provoke not only him but also my other children, and am asking the Lord to help me stop (more on prayer, in a minute).  God is faithful to answer and give me the help I need. Another example came from in reading 1 Peter 3:7 “honor your wife”, a lesson I need to hear when coupled with advise from Ephesians “love your wife”, these two messages from the Lord have begun to help me maintain and strengthen my relationship with her, as she has begun ministering to others outside of our home through offering care and concern for other women who find themselves in a crisis pregnancy.

So in summary, I wanted to issue that same challenge to you; Daily Devotional (Relational–not task) Bible reading–not reading the bible to reinforce your theological positions, but reading the bible to hear the voice of the Shepherd.  To recognize His revelation, so you can guard your minds and hearts from other distractions and voices.  Be prepared for your life to change.

Second. Daily Personal Prayer

God speaks to me daily when I am reading from the Bible.  I am still learning what the voice of the Shepherd sounds like.  But communication is two way.  I speak to the Lord through prayer.  There are many different types of prayer.  But morning prayer, the giving of our first words and thoughts to the Lord set our hearts for the day.  In the past I have had a difficult time with what words to use when I pray.  But recently I have been taught a new method of prayer that works really well for me.  It is a beginning place and it is related to my deep hunger for reading the scriptures.  It is to begin my prayer time with praying scripture.  I begin in my private prayer closet from what I had just finished reading in scripture, I start with what stands out from the page like a flashing or blinking red light, a single word, a phrase, or an entire verse, and then move outward from that starting point.

This has helped me in transitioning from reading and listening to God talk to me through scripture, to me interacting with Him using the scriptures as the beginning point.  I understand and see why and how this works.  God is the author of all scripture, it is His voice or message to me.  It joins my two daily disciplines into really just one.  Communication from God to me, and then communication back from me to God.

So I want to increase the challenge I offered to any one that reads this: Not only do I challenge you to read the bible daily, but I also challenge you to prayer.  Now if you are the opposite of me and have an easier time praying and harder time reading the bible, then just reverse it.  Start with prayer and then open your bible to read from it second.  Do it both ways. and see which way works best for you.  I say do and not try.  Because I recently had my eyes open to an exercise I want you to all do.  Place a pen on table and try to pick it up. (Just try, don’t pick it up, but try to pick it up).  What happens to the pen if you only try? It is unchanged and still on the table.  One of my favorite movie quotes from all time comes from a little green Jedi master, “Do, or Do not; There is no try”

So from the words of a shoe company, “Just do it!”

So, If you see another web log entry soon, then you will know that my effort to write a real book died a tortured death, and I returned to web log writing which anyone can do, because it has no rules or standards.

Making cheese in church

…Those joining from other web logs…my comments about women as deacons begin in the 3rd and 4th paragraph…and continue in two lengthy related comments…

My home church is still going through the process of seeking out our senior pastor/elder. A few years back I worked in a cheese factory, and the process of seeking a new senior pastor is much like working in a cheese factory. There are a lot of dirty, smelly parts that need to be cleaned out before any cheese can actually be made. Our congregation is in the process of identifying those spots.

Sometimes in the process of cleaning the factory to make cheese a little dirt and grim gets splattered on some of the workers, and those workers need to remember that the process can be dirty and that they have a responsibility to just wipe the dirt off and reminded their coworkers to be careful about cleaning and that some of the dirt you wiped of fell and landed on me.

Deacons? and Women as Deacons?
Another one of them is considering whether or not our church will have deacons. In the past the church has had them. Currently our church has an elder board and the elders serve a dual role of elder/deacon. Additionally, there are members in the congregation that all ready ’serve’ as deacons they are just not formerly called. The question came up and will likely be explored, What about letting women serve as Deaconesses?

This is my response to having women serving as Deacons. I will share it when the time is right with our church body, but I am sure other church bodies and individuals may be struggling with the same issue so I wanted to post it to my web log, for my five readers.

I am not opposed to having women deacons in a church, but when starting something that has not been practiced for awhile, I do not want to just throw the men of the church away and tell them, yes, you are part of this church, but we all ready know you are not going to be able to handle being deacons, so we are just going to have women step in and start right from the beginning. Do I want to send that message to the men of a church. The message you can’t do it so don’t even try–or do I want to send the message you can, but you need the LORD to help you…and also don’t forget that women can help and they have a lot of talent and they want to gladly serve in the church.

The bible teaches that the office of deacon is for men (1 Timothy 3:8-13). It does not remove women from their responsibility of using their gifts (talents) in serving in the church, but only as being formally called. (Greek word for deacon and servant are the same for you Roman 16:1 people) It is more about the nature of men and women. Generally, men need to be called and given purpose and a task to serve. Generally, women will see something that needs to be done and in the absence of no one else doing it will likely step in and do it or to help.

This formal office restriction is not to hold women back from serving in the church. Is that even possible? For example, they serve in even little things like helping set up the food for the potluck after worship service when they see a sister trying to do it all by herself. A woman would just step in and start helping. Or if walking by the nursery and seeing three crying babies and a frazzled nursery worker, a woman would just step in to help out…Men would just walk by and think that is not my job, maybe we need more nursery workers and more people on the church banquet committee to help.

How many more women’s bible studies are out there compared to the number of men’s bible studies?

This formal office restriction is to offer a challenge to the men of the church. Men like challenges. Generally, men are not just going to spontaneously want to meet with other men. Particularly for a “church” activity or for “church” service. There is the perception of male bonding in the world being only for homosexual men, real men would not want to bond with each other. But given a task to achieve, they will form cooperatives and work together. ie, professional sport teams. Men will work together in their task to win. It is a focused task and involves challenge.

In that vacuum of having no assigned tasks, men will just hang around and wait, women will want to act. The passivity of men always leads to trouble. Think about the poor leadership that Adam displayed in the garden. Do you think that Eve was really that far away from Adam when she was tempted by the serpent, that he did not know what was going on? Yet he did not act…Passivity not a good thing in men, when action is needed.

There is no doubt that the men will stumble and fall, but that is why we are making them deacons and not elders. The elders can act as a supervising board to keep the deacons focused on their service tasks. In the end, the men of the deacon board will see the value of asking the women of the church to help out and serve in the church. On the other hand having the women serve as deaconess in the church may lead to “nagging” the men to do something to help out. The men of the church all ready have mothers and wives that lovingly remind them of their duties. Do they really need another group of women telling them they have more duties they need to be doing?

The men will just use the excuse you are the deaconess. Some of them may even think to themselves you wanted the responsibility, go and do it yourself. Some may even just become a sponge for two hours on Sunday then go home. Silently wondering now that church is over I can get back to the real world. Making church even less relevant for men. Current statistics for church attendance is 60% women and 40% men.

Deacons are to look out for the physical needs of the church–ie, make sure that the communion is set up on Sunday morning, that the baptistery is filled and ready to go when there is a baptism, that the microphones, amps and other musical equipment are set up and ready to go for praise and worship time, that the sanctuary is clean and ready for worship, that the bulletins are printed and passed out to those in attendance, that people are greeted at the door and escorted into the sanctuary and seated comfortably, that the classrooms for Sunday school are set up and ready to roll, that the materials for Sunday school are in place, teaching guides, etc (these guides and teaching aids all being approved by the elders, but distributed by the deacons), that the plaster on the wall is repaired and is not in danger of falling off, that the weekly cell groups are equipped with the supplies they need, etc.

To use the analogy of city government. The deacons are not to be the police, the town council, or planning commission of the church that is the job of the elders and in some cases the entire congregation. The deacons are the laborers in the city: the fireman, the city utility workers, the street sweepers, the garbage men, and even the postmen of the town. The deacon in charge of setting up the chairs for Sunday school is not to tell the deacon in charge of cleaning the sanctuary how to do his job (even if the deacon is doing a poor job). It is the duty and responsibility of the elders to tell each deacon the scope of their jobs and make sure they do not overstep their position nor understep it either.

I think of it in the context of the parable of the talents told by Jesus (Matthew 25:14-29, see below). Deacons are the two talent men of the church. They are not gifted with five talents (the elders of the church are the five talent men), nor are they only one talent men that bury their talents. They do need to be reminded from time to time that they are only two talent men, and not five (guard against pride), but that they have TWO TALENTS and they need to use them in Kingdom building.

Church service by Women
I do not want to give the impression that women in the church do not have “talents”. All women in the church have been given either five, two, or one talent. The challenge for women in the church is serve in the church behind the scenes and look to laying their treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there is where your heart is..and not follow the lazy servant and bury their talent.

Besides given church statistics of almost 2/3 of all church attendees as being either other women and children, the women of the church have plenty of opportunity in teaching and leading the other women and children of the church. Even I admit that is not very glamorous. I well understand this having quietly taught in a Sunday School class for several years with an average attendance for this year of eight people. You often wonder if you are making any real contribution and want to do more. Know that every person in the Kingdom is valuable and teaching even one is an honor and will not go unrewarded by the King.

Does anyone really doubt the gifting of Beth Moore or Ann Graham to teach? I occasionally listen to Beth Moore teach on-line to help me in teaching my adult Sunday school class, given that most weeks the majority of my class is women. There is also great need for women to be evangelists and reach out to the lost. Who else could be better to witness to a single mother about the Salvation of Jesus? The battered and abused wife and children? Do you think either of them would trust a man, given the pain the men in their lives have caused?

Matthew 25:14-29 (NKJV, 1982, Nelson)

14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

29 ‘For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

The Builders need a Guard

It may begin to sound like the only thing, I write about on this web log is about my home church’s search for a new senior pastor. Well, It does weigh heavy on my heart. This week our congregation voted for several representatives to aid our elders in searching for a new senior pastor. I was one of a lengthy list of nominees. I was not elected to serve on the search team, others were called to be the builders. At first, I was upset. I was sure that God wanted me to help in finding our new Senior pastor. He does, but it was not the way that I thought. It is the right way for me to help in that search, though.

This week while making preparations to teach my Sunday School class. I came upon a great word of comfort and direction for me. For whatever, reason whenever I seem to be having difficulty with something God is able to speak clearly to me with his Holy words found in His book, the Bible. I recommend to everyone whether you believe in God or not, to try reading the bible and see what happens. The Holy Spirit can speak through it to any heart that is really listening and seeking God for the right answers in their difficulties. These words are found in Nehemiah chapter 4, the people of God were rebuilding the wall. They were threatened with eminent attack from their enemies. They wanted to prevent the wall from being finished. God appointed Nehemiah to divide the workers into two groups the builders and the guards. This way the work could continue, with the workers able to carry out their building under the protection of others. They could then focus on building, while the guards could focus on watching for the enemy.

I look at my own situation and see the parallel. God appointed some to work at building or searching for our new senior pastor directly. They will really need to devote much of their energy to this effort. It may cause a little fatigue and they will need watchmen and guards to help keep them from the enemies attacks. That is why others are appointed to be the guards over those builders. To cover them with mighty prayer. I am committed to be a member of the prayer guard for our elders and search team members. I know the enemy is going to come after them. They will need the protection and security of the Lord. A shield that can be provided with the prayers of others. Join me in prayer for God’s hand of protection for our local church body as we begin our work in the Vineyard, of finding the Godly Shepherd for our flock.

Head of the Church

My anxiety over the recent resignation of our senior pastor has diminished considerably thanks be to God, the father, Jesus Christ, our Lord, and the Holy Spirit. The comfort given through the words of truth spoken and recorded in the pages of the bible.

Ephesians 5:23
“…Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.” (New King James Version, 1982. Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

Our congregation is blessed to have several Godly men who serve as elders. Their servant attitude, love for the Lord, and the bible are great assets to all of us. This has diminished my concern over our transition. In addition, the great out pouring of support from the congregation for our church elders has encouraged me. As our congregation stepped out in prayer and laying on of hands over our elders, to impart to them our support for them in their sharing of the responsibility in leading us forward, as we begin our search for the man, God has appointed to serve for us.

There are no coincidences. In Sunday school, this week’s study was about Ezra and his return to Jerusalem, as a godly leader, to restore the law to God’s chosen people. It concluded with many of the people surrounding Ezra and offering their prayers and actions to support him.

Ezra 10:4
“Arise, for this matter is your responsibility. We also are with you. Be of good courage, and do it.” (New King James Version, 1982. Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

I will do my all to support them with both my words-prayer and support-and my actions continuing to serve in the body as the Baptistry Care Team Leader and as one of the Adult Sunday School teachers.

Biblical Qualifications of a Pastor

Since I am still a little anxious about the loss of our senior pastor, I took the time to look to the bible for who could be a senior pastor.

The pastor of a church needs to be a confessed believer of Jesus Christ. He should demonstrate the grace of the Lord in his words and his actions. The grace and mercy of the Lord and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit would be the only way any man could meet the Biblical qualifications listed below to become a good shepherd for a small community of Christ.

[See 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9]

The pastor of a church should be the head of the home just as Christ is the head of the church. [Eph. 5:23] He should rule his home well. [1 Tim. 3:5] He should be the husband of one wife [1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6] and honor marriage. [Heb. 13:4] He needs to understand God’s definition of marriage [Gen 2:24; Eph. 5:31]. His children should have been taught and demonstrate his instruction by their behavior and be faithful [Titus 1:6]. They should not be insubordinate [Titus 1:6], but should be submissive [1 Tim. 3:4] to their father and reverent [1 Tim. 3:4]. He should be married and have been a father long enough so as not to be a novice [1 Tim. 3:6] in his understanding of both being a husband and father. He should lead his home with diligence [Romans 12:8].

The pastor of a church should be filled with the fruit of righteousness [Phil.1:11]. His conduct should demonstrate good behavior [1 Tim. 3:2] and he should be a lover of what is good [Titus 1:8]. He needs to be blameless [1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6] and have a good testimony from all men even non-believers [1 Tim. 3:7]. He needs to live peaceably with all men [Romans 12:18] and have regard for good things in the sight of all men [Romans 12:17]. Also, He should not be given to wine [1 Tim. 3:3; Titus 1:7] and not greedy for money [1 Tim. 3:3; Titus 1:7] or Covetous [1 Tim. 3:3]. He should be gentle [1 Tim. 3:3] and not violent [1 Tim. 3:3; Titus 1:7]. He should not seek to avenge himself [Romans 12:19-21]. He needs to be self controlled [Titus 1:8] and not self-willed [Titus 1:7]. He should not be quarrelsome [1 Tim. 3:3; 2 Tim. 2:24] or quick tempered [Titus 1:7]. He should be sober-minded [1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:8] and temperate [1 Tim. 3:2]. His life should be reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, and in patience [Titus 2:2]. He needs to be just [Titus 1:8] having humility for correcting those in opposition [2 Tim. 2:24] and holy [Titus 1:8] but not to think himself more highly than he ought [Romans 12:3].

The pastor of a church needs to have the spiritual gifts of teaching and exhortation. [Romans 12:6-8] He needs to be both a teacher [1 Tim. 3:2; 2 Tim. 2:24] and student [Titus 1:9] of God’s word, the bible. He should be filled with knowledge [Phil. 1:9] and sound doctrine [Titus 1:9]. He should have the discernment [Phil. 1:9] to rightly divide the word of truth [2 Tim. 2:15]. He needs to be diligent [2 Tim. 2:15] in his teaching so as to exhort and convict [Titus 1:9] the body. He should preach Christ out of love [Phil. 1:17] and not be a novice [1 Tim. 3:6] in teaching the bible.

The pastor of a church needs to be hospitable [1 Tim. 3; Titus 1:8]. His hospitality should flow from him ruling his home well [1 Tim. 3:5]. He should be hospitable in distributing to the needs of the saints [Romans 12:13]. His hospitality should above all things have fervent love for one another, and He should be hospitable to others without grumbling. [1 Pet. 4:8-9]

Oh! Come Let us Adore Him

It is the Christmas season. The time of peace on earth and goodwill toward men. It is time to come and adore the Lord. Time to adore Him as he commanded, first to “love the Lord with all our hearts” and second “To love one another.” We can adore the Lord in formal ceremony and worship while we sing praises to Him and hear His words from the Bible. We can also adore him by spreading some of the peace and goodwill to those around us. World peace comes from pointing hearts to Jesus, one at time. And letting Him be the source of Peace. Goodwill comes from helping others in time of need. Who were the first to come and adore the Lord, when He came to us as a baby? The answer is found in God’s word.

Luke 2:8-20
“Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
“ Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.” (New King James)

This familar passage narrating the first Christmas has special meaning this year for me. The angles came to shepherds to proclaim the coming of the Messiah. Why Shepherds? First, they are God’s kind of people honest, hardworking men that care for the weak and helpless creatures. Their care is both to protect and to provide for the lowly creatures. I have been reading a great book by W. Phillip Keller, that looks at Psalm 23, with great insights into Jesus as our Shepherd. The book is called Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23. Get a copy for Christmas and read it, or if you have read it send a copy to a friend for Christmas. Second, Jesus is the Good Shepherd that One that came to do what shepherds do. He came to care for a weak and helpless creature, me. He is both my protector and provider. He can be your Good Shepherd, too.

Finally, my thoughts have been turned to our modern shepherds, pastors and ministers, that provide guidance and leadership to local congregations. They do this under the supreme leadership of the Lord, Jesus Christ. Yesterday, our pastor of 20 years spoke his final word from our pulpit. He is resigning to continue his service with the Lord in a fresh new way. So begins a transition for our local body as we start the process outlined in our church’s bylaws to get a new head pastor. We are blessed to have 3 elders (see 1 Timothy 3:1-13) that will guide us in our search and lead us until a new head pastor can be found. We will also be electing representatives from the body to help in the selection process. It is both terrifying and wonderful. It requires much faith in the Lord to again protect and provide for us, while we await God to bring us another under-Shepherd to lead our flock.