A woolly amorphous crowd?

Norah Summers November 23, 2020 0 1

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Listen to this daily worship

Psalm 100 (GNT)

1 Sing to the Lord, all the world!
2 Worship the Lord with joy;
    come before him with happy songs!

3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God.
    He made us, and we belong to him;
    we are his people, we are his flock.

4 Enter the Temple gates with thanksgiving;
    go into its courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him and praise him.

5 The Lord is good;
    his love is eternal
    and his faithfulness lasts forever.

Along with Psalm 23, this must be at the top of any list of the best-loved, the most familiar passages of scripture. Brought up in the Church of Scotland, I learned to sing the metrical versions before I was able to read the prose, and have encountered many versions since. 

Following on from yesterday’s reflection, here is more shepherding imagery – we are the flock. Would that mean we are all the same, in a woolly amorphous crowd? The Good Shepherd, human or divine, knows better – each sheep is known, recognised, missed when gone astray, searched for, rescued, healed, and loved.   

And if the Good Shepherd looks out for us, shall we not look out for each other?

Gather to worship, to praise – all the world together! Hollow words in these days of pandemic? But we are God’s people, the flock of his pasture, and we can always find a way. Adversity often brings out great ingenuity. The ways in which people have come together, virtually, prayerfully, care-fully (that is not a typo!), lovingly, have been truly inspiring. Praise the Lord!

PRAYER:

Loving God,
Good Shepherd,
gather your flock together in love.

We and all the saints 
in every generation
give you honour, 
thanks, and praise,
for your love is eternal,
and your faithfulness unending.