How We Live, Matters
Elaine Poproski Download: Audio
Sunday Reflection
Read Andrea Seale’s reflection, titled, “Another Anchor in 1 Peter 2” from Sunday’s worship service. You’ll find it in the Sunday Reflections blog.
Scripture Readings:
1 Peter 2:19–25 (NRSV)
19 For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. Read more…
John 10:1–10 (NRSV)
1 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. Read more…
Looking to Sunday
by Elaine Poprsoki
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been dreaming. A LOT. This is not usual for me. I am almost never aware of having dreamed. Typically, throughout my life, the only times I’ve remembered a dream are those times my subconscious had something to work through or communicate to my conscious brain. I don’t remember ever having a scary dream – the kind of dream that wakes you up with your heart beating too fast and your eyes scanning the shadows for monsters or intruders. But over the last few weeks, I’ve had a few of those. I don’t remember the content. It drifts away as I waken. But I remember the fear. I remember the momentary disorientation. It’s not a pleasant way to wake up.
The last time I had one of these dreams was just a couple nights ago. I woke up suddenly, afraid, and sure someone or something was in the dark in my apartment. I felt vulnerable and defenseless. I wanted to check for an intruder and also to hide under my covers. I called out – I don’t think it was out loud – to God for help. My heart slowed; my eyes adjusted to the dark. There was no one in my apartment. There was nothing sinister in the shadows. I fell back into sleep.
In John 10, Jesus likens Himself to a shepherd who protects His sheep from thieves and bandits and wild animals. He’s also the gate to the sheep pen where the flock is gathered for the night; He guards them as they sleep, ensuring no one and nothing ill-intending has access. This is the Jesus I experienced upon waking from whatever nightmare had disturbed my sleep. This is the Jesus I need whenever I feel my anxiety mount at the prospect of going to the grocery store or even out for a walk these days. This is the Jesus I need when the weight of suffering in the world around me gets to be too much. This is the Jesus I need when the devil’s whispered accusations start to sound plausible to my ears.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. In Him there is no want; there is rest; there is refuge; there is hope. This is the Jesus we are invited to know and to follow. This is the Jesus we worship when we gather on Sundays. And so, as you prepare for Sunday, I invite you to spend some time considering the shepherd metaphor for Jesus. Perhaps read through Psalm 23, or John 10:1–18, or Ezekiel 34. Where do you find hope in this image of the Good Shepherd? What does this rural, pastoral metaphor offer you in your urban life? And maybe spend some time reflecting on this image and allowing God to speak to you through it.
Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash