Dear Fellow Children of God,
Last week professional basketball player, Kevin Durant,
was named Most Valuable Player for the past season in the National Basketball
Association. Durant’s acceptance speech has
drawn rave reviews. He brought tears to
the eyes of many as he thanked his team mates and others who had helped him. Then, at the end of his speech, Durant thanked
someone who seemingly has little to do with basketball, but the person he had said
made the biggest difference in his life, his mom.
“And last, my mom. You made us believe. You kept us off the street, put clothes on
our backs, food on the table. When you
didn’t eat you made sure we ate. You
went to sleep hungry. You sacrificed for
us. You’re the real MVP.”
Tears were flowing as the stage full of professional
basketball players and other dignitaries rose to give Durant’s mom a standing
ovation.
When we think of sacrificial caring we think of our mothers,
or the moms in our lives. My mom passed
away about 3 years ago. I continue to fondly
remember her tender care and the way she defended me, even when I deserved the results
of my behavior.
But, the mom I see in action most these days is my wife,
Kathy. I gave Kathy her Mothers’ Day
present last weekend. She told me, “But,
I’m not your mother.” “No,” I replied, “but
you are the mother to my four children and the grandmother to my six
grandchildren.” I have watched Kathy tenderly
love each one. She missed sleep to feed
our hungry children and to comfort them when they cried, and then got up early
in the morning to go to work. She has
bandaged wounds, cooked, cleaned, done laundry, and then worked away from home to
provide for her children and grandchildren.
Kathy has defended them, even if they deserved the consequences of their
actions, and taught them about life, and love, and about our Lord. She has sacrificed and given of herself to
love and provide for our children and grandchildren. What a blessing Kathy has been and continues
to be as mom and grandmother!
Many have similar memories of the moms in their lives. It is good to recognize that mothers are a
gift from God, part of His plan in creation.
It is God’s plan for mothers and parents to provide for and to protect,
to love and to teach their children until they become adults. What a blessing God has given in good mothers
and good fathers.
But, God has
another plan to care for His children. This
Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Easter, is also called Good Shepherd Sunday. Christians around the world and those at St.
John will also hear about God’s loving care for us in His ‘shepherding’ of us.
In Psalm 23, we
are told, 1 The LORD is my
shepherd, I shall not be in want. When speaking to
His followers about God’s care for them, Jesus takes this figure of speech one
step further, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the
sheep.” (John 10:11)
Shepherds provide for their sheep. Shepherds guide and protect their sheep. And we are told that good shepherds even
sacrifice for their sheep. In fact,
Jesus is The Good Shepherd because He willingly laid down His life for
wandering sheep like you and me, by dying on the cross. Then Jesus, our Good Shepherd, gives eternal
life to those who follow Him. (John
10:27-29) Do you see how God tenderly
and faithfully cares for His children, even to the point of dying for them? What a blessing to have God as our shepherd
(and as our Heavenly Father)!
When people in Biblical times thought of care they
thought of Shepherds. In today’s world,
when we think of sacrificial care, we think of our mothers, and the moms in our
lives.
Praise be to God that He provides care for us through our
parents, and through the Good Shepherd, Jesus.
Thank you, Lord!
A Child of God, Thankful for God Care through Moms, and
The Good Shepherd,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Another Bible
verse about God’s care as a shepherd for His children is found in Isaiah
40:11. Unfortunately, this verse is
often forgotten. “He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently
leads those that have young.”
****
ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ - I am
sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and
friends whose e-mails I have. (I am always adding new names of friends
and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first
time.) However, if you don’t want to receive this e-mail, please let me
know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message. . . Or, if
you know someone who would like to receive one of these e-mails, please send me
their e-mail address.
******
No comments:
Post a Comment