“Bad shepherds” extort the flock, taking what they can - when God cherishes our gifts and blesses them. They intend to keep us subservient by keeping us weak, sick, and broken - when God desires to heal and empower us to wholeness. They lose interest in us when we are lost - when God relentlessly pursues us, leaving behind the ninety-nine, in order to bring us safely home. They abandon us to the “wild beasts” of the age - when God courageously protects us from the fangs of the Evil One. These “bad shepherds” preserve themselves and their privilege at all costs - but God sacrifice Himself for our sake.
When Moses seeks to know the Voice in the burning bush, God offers three references: History & Promises, Personal Experience of Love, and Transcendence above all categories - this understanding of God is what we need for liberation from bondage to freedom.
God has been a constant in history, proving His character through the promise to our spiritual ancestors. God binds Himself to us in every moment, never leaving nor forsaking us. God, as Pure Being, transcends all our convenient categories as the only one worthy of worship.
Calling can be seen as the way in which each of us specifically fulfill that common purpose through the uniqueness of our stories, our personalities, and our gifts. The beauty of understanding our individual calling as part of the larger purpose of the church is that we don’t feel the pressure to take the whole mission upon ourselves. We learn to trust that, as we steward well what God has placed on our hearts, others will do the same for their part in the larger picture. In this way, God weaves together a grand narrative that celebrates diversity, as we all contribute out of our gifts and limitations. There is tremendous relief in not holding the burden of the whole great commission, and with it a renewed call to responsibility to really understand what we’re each called to do.
…She didn’t know what was wrong and after a few minutes she said, “I just really miss my friends, my school and my teacher”. I realized – my kids are grieving too, and they don’t know how to name it. If they can’t name it then they certainly don’t know how to work through it…
