Feeding Sheep

"And the church's purpose is experience the presence of God..."

And the precious name of Jesus only said twice.

But deeds are spoken of.

The wonders of "the Holy Spirit" are recalled. 

The bravery of Paul the apostle is taught.

And the holy name of Jesus is only said twice.

But we pray at the beginning of church service and to close.

The worship songs proclaim we live our lives for our God.

The pastor picks up the bread and lifts it toward heaven, "We take communion in remembrance". He pulls the bread apart, small crumbs trickle down his sleeve. 

I feel the church's pulse - remembrance of what? They ask with their eyes.

What indeed...

"...And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?..." ~Romans 10:14

We softly brush past other members in the pews to slide into the forming line. Some greet with smiles, some keep their eyes fixed on the bread and grape juice. We reach the elders. 

"This is Jesus' body; it was broken for you. This Jesus' blood; it was spilled for you."

I meet the eyes of an elder, does he know of whom he speaks? 

I sit down, dipped bread in hand. Sinking into the velvet cushion of the pew, I watch the procession going through the motions of communion. Yes, there are some. Some who remember their wedding vows and savor the flavors paid for by a bloody cross. And there are others. Others who look as if they are partaking of a mid-day snack. 

And who can blame them? How are they supposed to know there is any significance to the food placed in their hands? How dare we ask them to take communion and leave out the story of Jesus' sacrifice! How dare we invite them to church without telling them of Jesus. The reason the church exists is not to hand someone a soggy piece of bread dunked in grape juice once a week. The reason the church exists is not to fill up the pews with people who are patient enough to sit through an hour and fifteen minutes of stories of people who were the result of God's grace. What is being preached is completely worthless if these people don't know why any of this matters. How dare we charge people to live lives for God's glory and to do incredible things for Him without equipping them with Jesus! The church exists first and foremost to bring glory to God and secondly to glorify God by bringing people to Him. The church cannot fulfill the very reason it was established if it is not founded by those who know and love Jesus. We cannot give what we don't have. 

Who are we to think we have anything these people need! The only thing needed these people need is Jesus - why are they here? What draws them to this church? What probes them to come, worship, sit and listen? Jesus! We are not giving them the one thing they need. If we cannot provide this one thing for them we are purposeless. There is not one reason for our existence if we cannot provide Jesus.

"When Jesus went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, "This place is desolate and it is already quite late; send them away so that they may go into surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat". But He answered them, "You give them something to eat!" ~ Mark 6:34-37

A shepherd's job is to feed the sheep. The people are hungry. Give them something to eat.

Standing as Mount Zion

"Well, that's the last of it..."

I walked back into the little classroom. A once noisy room filled with nap charts, worksheets dripping with wet paint and to-do lists was now clean and quiet. The past few days had been a juggling act between cleaning up classrooms, giving small children goodbye hugs while packing for college and saying goodbyes to my slightly older friends. 

I couldn't help but allow a few memories flood into my head... High-pitched voices yelling "MISS ASHLEEEE!!!!!" as small bodies tackled me every morning when I walked into the classroom. I couldn't help but feel a little sad as I thought of certain kids who came from situations I had no control over, but wish I could change. My eyes mist a little for a young girl who sat in my lap almost as much as our time-out chair. My eyes quickly dried as I recalled the many reason why she was in time-out in the first place. Despite all the challenges that came with assistant teaching, I knew that I would miss the little people I had invested 45 hours of my life into every week this summer. Things are going so well, why do they have to change? Couldn't I obey God just as well staying in Ohio as going to school in Missouri? Are these changes necessary?

Change is necessary because it is obedience. God doesn't give me new because He wants to shake my foundation, He gives me new because He wants to remind me that He is my foundation.

The Apostle Paul understood changing circumstances. From shipwrecks to prison, a host of unfortunate events seemed to constantly be oppressing him and changing his situations. Yet he had the privilege of a living faith and experiencing God deeply every moment. His advice? To "count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I amy gain Christ" (Philippians 3:7-8).

To count it all as loss is to praise every single circumstance because it leads me closer to God. The friends I leave, though I love them, are nothing in comparison to knowing Christ more deeply. My family, the closest and most precious to my heart, do not have the highest priority; Jesus does. I now welcome the new because it is the result of obedience.

My life will always be changing, but God never will. If I am firmly rooted in Jesus, then I cannot be swayed by circumstances.

 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever." 

~ Hebrews 13:8 ~

"Those who trust in the LORD are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds His people from this time forth and forever." 

~Psalm 125:1-2~

We are HIS PEOPLE! We cannot be moved but stand as firm as Mount Zion.