Paul
You Are Good
Everlasting God (Strength will rise)
Katie
Sept 9 kids move up
Need more volunteers
Sept 22 free seminar about discipline your child’s
Life covenant
9-1230
Sept 25 parent info night
730pm
Women’s ministry
2 bible studies
Dessert for women Sept 19
Men’s fraternity starting up, talk to Mike
The Rock Youth go karting
Paul
Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus
Communion
Nothing But The Blood
Hallulujah What A Savior (Man of Sorrows, what a name)
Jon
Connor will pray, Melody will read Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
forever. (Psalm 23:1-6 ESV)
We’ve been going through it line by line, this week is rod and staff
When we see police officers, what tools do they have that help us identify them? Kids
Badge
Gun
Handcuffs
Billy club / baton
Shepherds had two essentials tools
My friend Martin made this rod
Works with marbles and paints
It fits his hand perfectly
It’s a sign of their right arm, represents power and authority
What is being communicated through these two tools
The rod was created when a shepherd would take a young sapling and carve it to fit his hand and that would be his weapon, matching his personality
It was always in his belt
Image of the good shepherd
Rod stands as a symbol of authority, goodness and strength
Photographer talking about his journey in Kenya with a Massai tribesman
Wanted to spook a herd of elephants for good photos
Lifted a boulder to roll down a ravine and there’s a cobra
The Massai tribesman whips out his rod and kills the cobra in one blow
Two years ago in Uganda, I picked up the last brick and the was a baby cobra (much more deadly because they can’t control their venom)
Jimmy said run (wasn’t a problem for me, was already running and scamming like a girl) and then grabbed a rock and killed it
What would you think if you saw God with this rod in his belt?
Respect
Awesome
Bad ass (couldn’t say this out loud, but was whispered to the wife)
Staff represents discipline
Discipline means to teach
Sheep aren’t dumb, they’re ignorant and driven by primal urges
If there’s grass in sight, they’d go for it, regardless of consequences
A sheep on its own is more vulnerable and is disconnected from
Shepherds would discipline sheep that got off track
The rod was not used for beating or hitting
Threw the rod with incredible accuracy and it made a whistling noise to get the sheep back in line
Our discipline is not God’s discipline
Ours tends to flare up and we get loud and angry
My dad has different ways of saying my name
Ernie is a close talker
He will get in your personal space and tell you that you are loved
Big Wheel was a choice toy for the 80s and 70s
Low profile vehicle
One of my friends actually got killed on his Big Wheel
Don’t ride it in the street
Jonathan Harold get back here
That’s different than Jon I want to tell you something
He was up on the roof cleaning out the gutters
How do they know?
He said go up to your room and I’ll be up there shortly
He made me wait 20 minutes
I thought my life was over
Well its been 6 years, it’s been a good run
He gave me a spanking and then hugged me
Was discipline that showed me that I was loved
…
The sheep would pass under the rod as a symbol of a covenant
Idea of coming under Your authority
Shepherds would search and inspect for health in the body
Passing under the rod is relationship but also inspection
Weapon, discipline, relationship, inspection
This other tool the staff
That’s the immediate visual association of shepherds
If a baby ewe was born, he would use the crook of the staff to pull the baby to it’s mother so as not to contaminate the baby with his pheromones
Could use the crook to pull them out of water or out of thorn bushes that sheep would get caught it (they’d see grass on the other side of something’s they don’t understand and just wander in there)
Safety, comfort, love, tenderness, compassion
Now how can you be both
How can you be this God of strength AND love
When you bring them together, you have the cross
Justice of God
In John 10 Jesus called himself the good shepherd
Discipline is not a sign of anger, but of love
His justice and love coming together and meeting each other
That’s the beauty and the mystery of the cross