March 10 The Good Shepherd

John 10: 11 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

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I have not talked with our German shepherds. (I don't speak German). Would they lay down their life for their sheep? I don't know. Maybe yes, maybe no.

In some parts of the world, some shepherds would. Their livelihood and reputation depends on it.

My Shepherd laid down his life for me. I am one of His little lambs and He delights in me. If I were His only lamb in the bunch, I know He would give Himself for me again in a heartbeat. He's that kind of shepherd.

This photograph was also taken near our home in Germany. I hope you're not tired of my sheep photos! I love this one with the little lambs. I especially love the two little ones at the far back center, completely at rest. That's what I want to look like when I'm trusting my good shepherd. If you double click on the photo you might see it better. Then click the back button on your brower to go back to the blog.

March 9: Lamb of God

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
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So young, so fresh. The young lambs, so innocent, were used for sacrifices. Lambs about a year old. Fresh, yet nicely developed.

Jesus was about 33 years old when He went to the cross. He was in the prime of His life. And He gave Himself up for the world.

For me.
For you.

What would it have been like to walk with Him when He was a human being? The wisdom. The gentleness. The glint in His eye.

His laugh? I love the scene in the Passion of the Christ when He laughs with His mother at the table. So full of life!

And yet, He went willingly as a lamb to the slaughter, to the cross. An early death for a man.

For me
For you.

So full of life. Eternal life.

This photograph was taken in the meadow behind our house a couple of weeks ago. I like the young lambs under the dark tree. Reminds me of the young Christ under the gloom of the cross.

March 8 Baaaa...

Isaiah 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

********************************************************************************Why did God lay my sins on Jesus at the cross?

Because I went astray.
Because I went my way.
Pride. Selfish. Stubborn.

Two weeks ago the sheep were in the pasture. The sheepdogs seemed to revel at nipping the sheep's heels. The woolly ones appeared aimless and dumb as rocks. The German Shepherds got them exactly where they needed to be. The shepherd merely stood at his car, nodding at the sheepdogs.

Those dumb sheep are a lot like us.
We don't know what's good for us.
We wander and explore.
We're stubborn and convinced we know what's right.

But the Good Shepherd, who is also the Lamb of God, laid down His life for His sheep.

For me.
For you.
Thank you, Lord.

John 10:11"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

This photograph was taken about two weeks ago when we had sheep and young lambs in the meadow behind our house.

March 7 He Will Carry You

Is 53: 4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.

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Isaiah, a couple hundred years before Jesus was born, explained the "why" of the cross in chapter 53.

He took our sins upon Himself. He carried our sorrow. Not just for us but for the world. Even more amazing is that in that single day on the cross, He took upon himself the sins and the cares of the whole world.

I am so thankful that He understands every depth of sorrow I could have. He has been betrayed, mocked, assaulted, misunderstood, abandoned by family and friends, in physical distress, tired and at the end of himself... Surely he understands whatever I will go through.

Chorus of a song by Scott Wesley Brown

If He carried the weight of the world upon his shoulders,

I know my brother that he will carry you ...

If He carried the weight of the world upon his shoulders,

I know my sister that he will carry you ...

This photo was taken at the Catholic church in our town.

March 6 Touching His Hand

John 20:25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
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I sat down this morning and visualized being with the Lord in heaven. He takes my hand. I look at His scar and realize how He got it.

"Did it hurt, Lord?" I ask. What a stupid question. Of course it did! It went through sensitive nerves in His hands. I trace the outline with my finger. Tears form in my eyes. "Thank you, thank you, Lord."

He did this for me.
For you.

This photo was taken this morning... my hand with our son's hand. I held the camera in my left hand to get the shot!

I am not Catholic. I have been raised in the mission oriented Protestant denomination called The Christian and Missionary Alliance (www.cmalliance.org). This is our church today as well.

Aspects of Catholic/Liturgical church tradition have been helpful in developing my spiritual walk with God. I've taken advantage of Advent and Lent to prepare my heart for a deeper understanding of Christmas and Easter. This is generally not a part of most Evangelical church discussions. I don't necessarily follow the traditional Liturgical tradition exactly either. But what I do enriches my spiritual life.

The visualization meditation today I learned at a Catholic monastery in Atlanta Georgia (Monastery of the Holy Spirit http://www.trappist.net/).

Pray, meditating on a Scripture passage. Place yourself as one of the Biblical characters or a servant observing the passage first hand. Think of the sights, the smells, the sounds. Talk to the Lord.

I meditated on the doubting Thomas conversation. My thoughts and prayers turned to what it might be like to be face to face with the Lord in heaven. It was a powerful prayer time.

March 5 In the Clouds

Revelation 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

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Wonderful! The prophecies from the Psalms and Zechariah brought us to the cross through John's eyes (see previous blogs this week). Now we anticipate (through the author, John, again) when He comes in the clouds as the triumphant, Risen Christ, to gather His own.

Having been a missionary, I long for people from all people groups of the world to know Christ as their Lord. This verse thrills me. God's desire for all nations to come to Him and worship is fingerprinted throughout the Scriptures. "So shall it be! Amen."

This is a favorite worship chorus to me:

Our heart our desire

Is to see the nations worship

Our cry our prayer

Is to sing Your praise to the ends of the earth

That with one mighty voice

Evey tribe and tongue rejoices

Our heart our desire

Is to see the nations worship You

http://www.audiblefaith.com/pages/sg200977

This photo was taken last week near our home. We've been having stormy weather with amazing clouds.

March 4 Love is Nails

John 19: 36-37 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."
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Yesterday's scripture is quoted by John who was at the cross when Jesus died. Scripture quotes Scripture.

In college I discovered CS Lewis had some poetry. Not his best writings, but they made me think. He wrote a poem on Love. Here's the last verse.

Love's as hard as nails,

Love is nails:

Blunt, thick, hammered through

The medical nerve of One

Who, having made us, knew

The thing He had done,

Seeing (with all that is)

Our cross, and His.

This photo was taken this morning in our basement.