shepherding the shepherd
from PreachingToday.com
Who’s Counting?
Numbers aren’t the point; we know that. But if there’s ever a Sunday when we hope for a good turnout, it’s Easter. So we roll out our best music and sermon, the egg hunt for kids, maybe some special advertising. One big church in our neighborhood plans a whole extra service. Small churches would be thrilled if just one new neighborhood family showed up.
Church of the Surefooted
Church names have changed since I was a kid. It used to be that “First Church” or “Calvary Church” worked fine but now congregations have all kinds of code names. However, I’ve yet to see any called “Shaky Church” even though quite a few pastors have served there.
Amen-ers
Amen-ers do more than merely speak. We punctuate God’s promises. We preach in italics and boldface. We become human exclamation marks after Christ’s “Yes.” Amen-ers startle the sleepers and bolster the hesitant. We wake up the room “to the glory of God.” Amen and amen!
Onward, Christian Farmer
That unsettling farming phrase, “though he does not know how,” might be an interesting theme for a church growth conference. We may be able to find ways to attract more people to church but, at best, that only increases our acreage, not our yield. Kingdom growth, whether global, local, or personal, will always be a sacred mystery.
With-Under-Work
There’s that Greek word, disguised in ordinary English clothes, “as you help us by your prayers.” Used only here in the New Testament, it’s a compound of with-under-work. Laborers together under a burden. One—two—three—LIFT! The very reason we ask others to pray for us.
Transfer Agents
For our flock to persevere in the faith, they need to know God’s comfort, and that’s where we come in. We are their lead comforters, representing to them the rich varieties of God’s consolations by our teaching and example… But here’s the pastoral bonus: God compounds the comfort he gives us by extending it to those we shepherd.