The Shepherd’s Vigil, 12/29/21
So we rebuilt the wall,…for the people had a mind to work. Nehemiah 4:6 The people of God had been in exile, away from the temple and their patterns of worship. Nehemiah was sent back to lead the resettling and the first item of business was to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem and the temple. […]
The Shepherd’s Vigil, 12/22/21
There were shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And the Angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them… Luke 2:8-9 The biggest miracle of the history of the world since the glory of creation and the first announcement is to field workers. The chasm between heaven and […]
The Shepherd’s Vigil, 12/15/21
The baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit Luke 1:41 Even before He was born, when Jesus entered the room people got excited. There is something about the presence of Christ that causes us to move; that causes us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. This scripture […]
The Shepherd’s Vigil, 12/8/21
John went throughout the region, calling for people to be baptized to show that they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins.” Luke 3:3 I think John is a very brave man, calling for people to ‘change’. We all struggle to make small changes, like a […]
The Shepherd’s Vigil, 12/1/21
Make your ways known to me, Lord; teach me your path. Psalm 25:4 How many times have we cried out this prayer? Life is full of moments that are confusing and mysterious. In the gospel of John, the disciples, who have been with Jesus, still respond with “Lord show us the way”. All too often […]
The Shepherd’s Vigil, 11/24/21
Don’t fear, rejoice and be glad, the Lord is about to do great things! Joel 2:21 The future is always a mystery, and our natural response is fear and anxiety. Particularly in our current context as we emerge from the pandemic. We hear and experience insecurities in our economics, labor issues, supply chain. We are […]
The Shepherd’s Vigil, 11/17/21
Grace and peace to you from the one who is and was and is coming. Rev. 1:4b “Hey”, “how you doing”, “good to see you”. These are just a few of the ways we great each other but do they really mean anything? How would we respond if we greeted an acquaintance with “how […]
The Shepherd’s Vigil, 11/10/21
“The spirit of the Lord rushed on him…..” Judges 14:6 The other day, in a staff meeting, we got to talking about the story of Samson. I think we were discussing the myth that I use to have hair. As I reviewed this story of one the Old Testament heroes I was taken by the repeated phrase “the spirit […]
The Shepherd’s Vigil, 11/03/21
“But Thomas was not with them when Jesus came” John 20:24 We often refer to Thomas, the disciple of Jesus, as Doubting Thomas. He wanted some tangible evidence that Jesus had risen from the dead, not just the stories. The reason Thomas had concerns is because he was not with the others when Jesus appeared in the room with them. […]
The Shepherd’s Vigil, 10/27/21
Everyone should give whatever they have decided in their heart. They shouldn’t give with hesitation or because of pressure. God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 I think I know why God loves a cheerful giver. It is because that is what God is; the very essence of the heart of God’s love is generosity. Many of the parables of Jesus […]